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Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Times They Are A-Changing
I’m not sure if you all follow the publishing world news, but there has been plenty of buzz lately about publishing formats. For the sake of this discussion, I’m going with Traditional Pub to mean published with an established print publisher, dealing most with print distribution; E-Publisher to mean published with a house that specializes in eBooks and online distribution (but offers traditional print as well); and Self-Publishing to mean anyone who strikes out 100% on their own to publish and distribute their own work.
NOTE: Self-publishing is not the same as going Indie, but I’ll keep that rant for another day.
To bring you up to speed in case you’ve missed the recent hullabaloo, we have established authors with long, successful careers with Traditional publishers going “rogue”, as some call it, and opting for self-publishing. Then we have a self-published phenom switching over to the Traditional realm. Throw in digital books outselling print at Amazon and the wonderful development of E-published authors hitting best seller lists, and the changes are almost too much to process.
What I want to talk about today is attitudes. Has your attitude changed with these recent developments? Are you willing to check out books offered through alternative publishing models where you wouldn’t before? No one will argue there was a longtime stigma against epublishing, as if being epublished meant you weren’t good enough to go the traditional route. If anyone still believes that, then they need to wake up and join the 21st century.
As a writer, have you changed your attitude toward how/where you’d like to be published? Are you ready to embrace your many options or still dead set on Tradition or die? I’m really curious to see how our group skews here.
I make no judgments here, I believe this is a personal choice to every reader and writer. But I know my attitudes have changed in the last year or two. How about yours?
NOTE: Self-publishing is not the same as going Indie, but I’ll keep that rant for another day.
To bring you up to speed in case you’ve missed the recent hullabaloo, we have established authors with long, successful careers with Traditional publishers going “rogue”, as some call it, and opting for self-publishing. Then we have a self-published phenom switching over to the Traditional realm. Throw in digital books outselling print at Amazon and the wonderful development of E-published authors hitting best seller lists, and the changes are almost too much to process.
What I want to talk about today is attitudes. Has your attitude changed with these recent developments? Are you willing to check out books offered through alternative publishing models where you wouldn’t before? No one will argue there was a longtime stigma against epublishing, as if being epublished meant you weren’t good enough to go the traditional route. If anyone still believes that, then they need to wake up and join the 21st century.
As a writer, have you changed your attitude toward how/where you’d like to be published? Are you ready to embrace your many options or still dead set on Tradition or die? I’m really curious to see how our group skews here.
I make no judgments here, I believe this is a personal choice to every reader and writer. But I know my attitudes have changed in the last year or two. How about yours?
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86 comments:
Excellent questions to ponder this morning. :)
Now, I might be slightly skewed in that my alter-ego book blogger has been reading lots of epublisher and self-published books for years for the site. Some of this was becuase some epublishers were easier to "connect" with to get books for review when I was first starting out, and some of it was my personal crusade to focus heavily on 1st time authors.
I'm very open to reading almost anything from anywhere, but I can tell you that ALMOST ALL of the self-pubbed (totally on their own) works I get for review are really not that great. I mean some of the hardest books I've ever tried to get through.
For my own career, I've been very open about the fact that I really want to be a category author for Harlequin. But, I have no problem at all about going the epublisher route too. In fact, I think it makes good career sense. Put out 2 traditional print books a year and then fill in with epubbed books and novellas.
I mean you have to remember you are working for royalties that do not get paid out every single month, so spreading your releases out over the year will help you keep a more steady income coming in.
Now, don't get me started on these BIG NAME authors who are going totally Self-Pubbed and acting like it's the future of publishing - somehow they are forgetting to mention that they built HUGE fan bases and brand recognition using traditional publishing that is the only reason they will be able to make a go of self-pubbed. (I could go on about this for hours).
Make that WE could go on for hours. LOL! I'm with you. I love the new options, and I love that authors are branching out. But to say an author with a ten or twenty year career and a strong following is somehow being a maverick by going self-pub doesn't sit well with me.
I think it's an awesome and smart move, but they aren't necessarily blazing new trails.
I also agree that readers take more of a risk when picking up (so to speak) a self-pubbed book. But just as epublishing has improved in quality and content, I wonder if self-pubbing will do the same. Though I'm sure there will always be offerings that aren't up to par, but then that's the freedom of the platform.
The Palin lingo is totally making me cringe this morning. *LOL* Though said author and Palin are probably good friends I suspect.
Yes, long established author suddenly striking out on their own is hardly monumental. It's not like if one of us did it. Good luck to us if we tried. Though I do get a little annoyed with traditional publishers. They don't pay as good royalties as ePub (though sometimes better advances); they don't do promotion--you get to do that all yourself; and they have the loyalty of a cheating husband (until the next hot thing comes along, no matter how faithful you are or how much you've given them over the years). It's "just business."
There are days I really wonder why I'm interested in doing this. *LOL*
As for me, I've always been Traditional Publisher route. I wanted the FAME of the big publisher. (I admit it: I'm a fame seeker.) But I didn't even want just any traditional publisher. I turned up my nose at Harlequin mind you. I wanted Penquin or Avon or Zebra or something like that. Now my holy grail is St. Martins.
But more and more, esp with some of the debut authors being put out that I really wonder about, I'm thinking: huh, ePublishing is beginning to look really, really good. REALLY GOOD. So I don't know. I have to finish something worth publishing first, I guess. And then I'll give it a whirl. If the trads turn me down, I think I will go ePub and just screw 'em. :)
Assuming the ePubs would have me either.
I could not figure out what the Palin speak was I could have put in here. Then you said Palin and said author and I thought you meant me. Clearly, this is not my day. When I think Maverick, I think of Top Gun. LOL! NO PALIN! (In fact, let's stop using her name, I'm getting a twitch.)
There are still definite perks to pubbing through Traditional means. Distribution would be the biggest. Artwork another, though that isn't even the case anymore. Just look at the amazing covers Kim Killion is designing these days.
http://www.ninc.com/blog/index.php/archives/hot-damn-designs-killion
But what I remember is that when I was just a reader, I never paid any attention to publishers. I like the authors I liked and didn't connect them via publisher. I never thought, "I like this author so let me find other authors with this same publisher." That's why I don't think who I publish with matters as much to readers.
The quality of what that house puts out does matter to me, but it seems these days you can find something lackluster from just about every house out there.
I do know some epub houses help with marketing and promo, and the big traditional houses do not push every book evenly. So if you think going the traditional route will mean less work for you, think again. That's just not the case anymore.
One of my favorite authors self-published after she got denied by all the traditional publishing houses. Now that she's made about 1.5 mil on her own, she signed a deal with St. Martins.
I never really thought about it.
I think just like with anything, if you're going to do it, you have to put work into it. I've not really looked into publishing houses (not even in my Fantasy Land). A lot of my favorite authors are signed with St. Martins. I think once I get my books written and I take a look at what houses are looking for what, do a comparison, more than likely I'll go e-pub. I don't want to be recognizably famous. That would be a nightmare. I'd never be able to hide in my batcave. I'd have to become a hermit. I like walking around in anonymity. Even people I was good friends, teachers, family, don't recognize me on the street. I enjoy being left alone.
*thinking up master plan*
*drawing up blueprints*
I'll e-publish and use someone as my decoy body.
Well, I'm with an e-publisher and I went there realizing that if you don't write 'traditionally manner' an e-pub is more likely to take a chance on you. Less investment of their capitol with someone and something new. A good e-publisher will be helpful with the marketing, etc, which takes place 99% on the internet. With that said, the eventual goal is to be in print first.
The model Scape mentions is one I can see advancing to.
Sin - That's exactly the author I was talking about in the blog. I believe she signed for $2m. That's what I read yesterday anyway. And I totally get why she did it. She's already done what everyone said was impossible, and worked her ass off to make it happen. I'd be looking for a little assistance as well.
I've experienced a modicum of fame (well known DJ in a very small town) and it's weird. Like, really weird. When strangers come up to you in Wally World and they know all about you (I tended to overshare) and talk to you like old friends, it's just strange. Not really a bad strange, but not all that comfortable either. LOL!
I bet GPS would be your decoy body. LOL!
You used the term "going rogue" which is She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Then you said "Maverick" which is probably more John Cain, but being SWMNBN titled HER BOOK "Going Rogue"--I just thought it was amusing.
Come on, if SHE could get a book deal, can't the rest of us?
I did forget to mention I also agree with Scape on mixing the two. If you can do this full time and you want to keep the income steady, that's an awesome way to do it.
Chance - The biggest difference I've seen with watching you go through this is how much faster the process goes in epublishing. I've known authors who signed with traditional pubs only to wait upwards of 18 months to 2 years to see their first book finally come out.
Not you! LOL! The turnaround from writing to buying to book for sale is amazingly quick in epublishing.
Oh, forgot about that part. Now I want to edit that out. LOL! (And that's John McCain. *g*)
I know Maverick is McCain. Rogue is the other's. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=going+rogue&x=0&y=0
Feel free to edit. *LOL*
Chance - Do you see yourself having more options in the traditional print world because you can lean more toward the sci-fi/fantasy aspect? You sort of have your foot in two worlds, three if you count the erotica.
I kinda figured you were referencing her since it was big news. On her blog, some people were pissed saying she was selling out. She's worked her ass off, done all her own covers, found all her editors, published all her own stuff. And it's only ONE series. She's going to continue on self-pubbing in the mean time. The woman can turn out a book in just a couple months. And she says she writes so fast she's got 12 books waiting to be published already. Insanity. I say more power to her.
I don't know if I'm dedicated enough to self-pub. I mean, I can do my own cover work and use my betas as editors. And get a team of promoters. But I gotta write first.
WOW. She's got that many books already? I love that she found her own editors and is producing that quality of work--and now publishers are seeking her. That's awesome. I don't think she's selling out. I think she's rewriting the rules! *LOL*
No, I was just pointing out you left the "Mc" off of McCain. John Cain sounds a little weird. LOL!
Sin - That selling out charge is bull. She may have to fight a little more with an editor, but she clearly knows how to write books. Books people are willing to seek out and find and keep reading. They'd be stupid to mess with that system. If anything, she's in a terrific position and both she and the publisher are making out in this deal. As you say, she's not leaving self-pubbing behind nor is she somehow restricted from ever returning to it.
That's one of my favorite aspects of all these changes - the flexibility. When you sign with a traditional publisher, you sign for a limited number of books. You don't become their property and you're not locked in forever. It's not like the old movie studios deals back in the day.
If one avenue doesn't work for you, try another. If one does and so does another, try them both. This is a great situation for writers to be in.
I don't know why we keep saying "she" when we could be using her name. The self-pub phenom is Amanda Hocking and you can find out more about her here.
http://amandahocking.blogspot.com/
MCCain. Ohhhh. Oops.
Hells, yeah. She may have more. I think she tends to publish more than 4-5 books a year. She's got two big series out right now and another series she just started. The series she sold to St. Martins is independent of everything she's got out now.
Bo'sun, so glad you decided to blog this. I was going to write about her next week. I'm probably going to email her and ask her to blog.
That would be awesome, Sin! She was only one ingredient in this, but a big one. With authors like Barry Eisler and Connie Brockway (and countless others including many former Dorchester authors like our past guest Jana DeLeon) taking the self-pub route and RWA opening up to epubs and epub authors like Maya Banks (who is also trad pubbed) hitting the best seller list, everything is getting a bit shaken and stirred. I'm loving it.
I've been reading Amanda's blog for a while. She's sarcastic and fun and she'd fit in with our attitude around here. And I'd love to help her out and get her name out to more people.
This is a great topic. I like that there are so many options available, and I'm amazed at how quickly it's all changed, just in the past year.
I don't understand the distinction between self-publishing and going indie, so I guess someone will have to explain that to me. :)
It makes perfect sense that Ms. Hocking would have publishers coming after her once she sold that many copies of her self-pubbed books. Publishers want to know they're buying something that will sell, but until now, they didn't have any way of knowing that for sure. I don't consider it selling out on her part. It's just good business.
Every writer wants to be able to "just write", and all of these newer options may give writers a chance to do that since they can actually earn money, and receive it more quickly.
One of my concerns is the perceived "value" of books as a result of so many epubbed and self-pubbed things out there. The lower prices are a good way to hook people, so that they buy more of your books, but I worry that it contributes to that "anybody can do this" mentality so people won't want to pay more than a dollar or two for their reading material. But I'm hopeful that it's just part of the moving forward phase in this new publishing paradigm, and it'll get itself worked out.
Sin - I just read the one about Insidious and read another last week or so. I do like her voice and attitude. I bet she's getting lots of offers, but if we could get her that would be too cool.
That is the glitch in the system right now, Donna. Some people have speculated as to whether Miss Hocking would have sold as many books if she had not set the prices at $2.99 and $.99. I think when you hit the sales numbers she's hit, and realize how many other options readers had at that same price level, the answer is pretty obvious.
I admit, I'm of the group who refuses to pay more for ebooks than I will for print. And I won't pay $9.99 for a print book, so expecting me to pay that much for an ebook is silly. But, I also do not buy hardbacks or trade paperbacks, so someone who does typically buy those might feel differently.
Like you, I think the price issue is one that is far from worked out.
Did I just turned into a 12 yr old right there? Too cool? I'm losing my mind.
My attitude has definitely changed over the past few years, and it seems like right along with most of us.
I've been reading more and more e-pubbed books. Some are duds, some are fine, and some are wonderful. Which is pretty much the same range I find in traditionally published books.
When I started working seriously toward publication, I was dead-set on traditional publishers (I'm like Hellie, I want the fame. Actually, I want the words "NYT Bestselling Author" to be permanently attached to the front of my name :) ). But any snobbishness I may have once felt against e-pubbing is very quickly dying, esp the more I read and fall in love with e-pub authors.
For me personally, I'm not ready to give up the traditional big publisher dream. I'm doing a major round of revisions now, and am going to try the traditional route one more time. But if it doesn't sell again this time, I'll probably be able to make the jump to e-publishing without much hesitation.
Great topic Terri :)
Hal - I admit, I'm still shooting for Traditional pub, mostly because I want an advance to pay off my student loans. LOL! (The loans are not that high. I'm not totally dillusional.) I'd also like to walk into B&N or Borders and see my book on the shelf.
But I'm not ruling out anything. Well, I don't have the time, energy, or knowledge to self-pub, but the other options are still on the table.
And that's so true about the books I read. I never read anything from epubs until a year or so ago. But it's exactly the same as Traditional, you're not guaranteed a great read, but you're not guaranteed an awful read either.
I find it odd that as epub quality has gone up, traditional quality has gone down. At least in my estimation it has.
And I agree about the price. I won't pay more than $3 or $4 for an e-book.
But with that said, I can't remember the last time I bought a mass-market paperback, let alone a hardback or trade. I pretty much stick to the library. So I've spent more on e-books in the last few months than I've spent on print books in years. That will probably change as more and more libraries offer e-books, but still, it'd be interesting to see how many people who *won't* by print books will buy e-books
Terri, I agree. Clearly her stories intrigued a lot of people, AND she had a lot of stories for them to buy once they got hooked on them. I think it's important to have a backlist to offer once readers fall in love with an author. Otherwise, it's like the old saying, "How do you make a million dollars? Work a million hours." LOL
Plus, I think people see her story as being the NORM, when it's not. (It's like when someone wins the lottery and everyone else rushes out to buy a ticket.) She's worked hard. She has lots of stories to sell. She takes writing seriously and she seems to want to continue writing. She tells people it's not an easy job, but I don't think a lot of people want to hear that part. LOL
I think all the options available to writers now make the profession more exciting. As a reader, my attitude toward epublishing began changing when someone I knew was intelligent, insightful, and worthy of respect accepted a job with an epublisher. Meg Benjamin’s books persuaded me that epubbed books could be as good as anything in print. I’m delighted that some of my favorite authors are self-publishing older books and writing new ones that they couldn’t write via traditional publishing. I rejoiced last week when I learned that Connie Brockway was going to self-publish Giles Strand’s book. I’m not the only reader who has been panting for that book for well over a decade.
As a writer, my dream has always been to see a book that I had written on shelves in brick and mortar bookstores. But I’m sensible enough to recognize, especially given the almost daily closing of some bookstore, that I may need a new dream of a book I’ve written being available on readers’ computer screens.
Hal - I'm curious as well! There are simply less costs that go into producing a digital book. Publishers can argue all they want, but it's true. Doesn't mean the content - the actual story the reader is buying - has less value, but the publishers can't keep milking this with the complaint that if they don't price digital books so high they're losing money. I'm simply not buying it and I'm not buying $10 ebooks either.
Donna - I think I saw where Amanda said she's working a minimum of 40 hrs a week on the business side of things. And I like that it's made clear she has editors for these books. She's done everything a trad would do, she's just done it all herself. Anyone who misses these facts and thinks self-pubbing is the golden ticket is going to be sorely disappointed.
I think her story is awesome, too, but it's definitely not the norm. I think, Donna, that you're right that a huge back-list made a very big difference. If there's only one book to buy, your sales are going to plateau quickly, I'd think. (but of course, that's true of other forms of publishing as well -- from what I've read, many full-time writers make most of their steady, regular income from their back-lists).
40 hours a week on just the business side? Holy moly!
I've also heard the editing in her books is atrocious (and I thought I'd read on her blog that she had admitted that as well -- another reason she wanted to go with a traditional publisher). So that means the stories are so compelling, people are willing to overlook that aspect.
She now has the same agent as Suzanne Brockmann, so he must think she has long-term potential!
Janga - That freedom to write the books you want to write and not the books your publisher (usually their marketing department) thinks will sell must be irresistable to authors like Connie. And I agree, I think many fans were doing happy dances when she released that announcement.
I know, Hal. Can you imagine trying to do that while working full time and having a family? Not to say she couldn't have done it all, I wouldn't put it past her, but I don't have that kind of energy.
This is also why I want to have more books written before I sell. I know I could fix this first one a million times and make it sell, but then what? I'd rather have a few under my belt before getting to that point. Staring down a six month deadline starting from scratch scares the dickens out of me.
Donna - I think you're mixing her up with another "H" self-pub author who made some noise last week. Different situation, different author. I believe Hocking's books are pretty clean, but we'll have to see if Sin comes back and lets us know for sure.
Janga - As long as people can get their hands on your words, the world will be a better place. But it's hard to let go of that "seeing your book on the shelf" dream. I know I'm still holding on to it.
No, Terri, I'm not mixing her up. I've heard it from a few people, and here's what she says about it: http://amandahocking.blogspot.com/2011/03/blog.html
Oh, I see. She says people are complaining about errors though she's not sure how they're still getting in there. You know, readers can be way too picky in that area. LOL! I used to get so irritated when the first thing people would do after an Eloisa James book released was go to her bulletin board and tell her all the mistakes they found. Which were usually typos of some sort.
Really people?!
But you're right, those books must be dang good if this was an issue and she still sold that many. Wow.
I wonder about people who spend their times nitpicking like that. LOL It's like, "Wow. Somebody actually has a more boring life than MINE." LOL
I think it's great that people are still interested in stories -- there's such a deep biological need for them -- and that's what makes me hopeful about the future of books. They may have wildly different formats than we're used to now, but we still need to have that need filled.
And sorry about that, but there was that other "H" self-pubbing author who created that shit storm last week. LOL! I do not want to imply that one is anywhere in the league of Ms. Hocking.
See? I had a typo in my post! LOL And I saw in that brief pause Capt CHA gives you before he posts it -- like he wants you to realize it at the moment you can't take it back. LOL
Okay, back to work for me.
No worries, Donna. I have been judiciously using my power to edit my own comments. LOL!
People are ALWAYS going to complain about errors. Hal and I know damn well that an editor can only do so much because Janet Evanovich's books are terrible.
Ms. Hocking has said she hires editors to comb her books. Does that mean there aren't errors? No. But she does what she can to get them edited and fix mistakes. People always demand perfection when in fact we as people aren't perfect, no matter how perfect we think we are.
In her books yes there are errors but I didn't think it was enough to whine about. JE's books are worse. By far. And she's got a publisher editor who does hundreds of other books in the world.
Sorry, I had to go fix a table issue and I'm trying to get the stupid quarterly taxes done before next week when I might be taking a weekend trip to Orlando.
Okay and I have to ask, who was the other "H"? Obviously, I don't keep up on the hip things. I just happen to know about Hocking because I read her blog.
I read a trad pubbed book once that was horrible. In the end, she was even calling the bad guy by the good guy's name in the big fight scene. I know that book had an editor, but that editor must have been asleep.
Look at you racking up the frequent flyer miles. LOL! I'm not sure Sin the Ninja Pirate goes well with the land of Disney. :)
Sin - It's ugly. I'll send you the link in email. I don't want to post it here.
I'm one of those people who don't like typos. I'm not going to go to the author to point them out. But again, at this point I realize that the author has done the best they could and frankly there comes a point where you know the typos are there but it costs too much to fix them. You have to be judicious about the ones you fix.
Like the right name to the right person--that's the error you fix.
And I have a life, thank you. It just annoys me. It rips me out of the story and makes me cranky. But then LOTS of things rip me out of the story. Typos. Bad characterization (or NO characterization). Sexual tension that is not sexual tension. Comedy that isn't funny. Angst that's overblown. LOTS of things annoy me.
I've been to Disney once. I bribed a cab driver to take me to a gas station, buy me alcohol, got wasted and tried to grope Tigger. Good times.
I got the link. *blinking* Really. Really?! It just makes you look like an ass and bad word of mouth travels faster and further than good.
I think typos are often hard not to notice. Unless it's in our own stuff. *grumble grumble* But it's the hunting down the author and informing her/him of said typos. That's where people need to learn to move on. LOL!
Yep, Sin, that's just an ugly situation all the way around. And I bet Tigger considers that one of his best days!
But the majority of people (readers) really don't know what goes into writing and publishing. They don't know how many people are involved and how easy it is to get lost in the shuffle. They don't know how difficult it is to make changes once it's in ARC form. They don't understand how authors by the time the book is coming out have so moved on from that particular book, it's almost impossible for them to read from start to finish YET AGAIN. And these majority of people also can't imagine it. They don't know and they can't empathize. They're just here for the entertainment.
It's like when the average movie goer gets mad about something that happens in a movie. There's probably a reason why it blows, and we just don't know why there is lazy writing and editing.
I'm pretty sure I heard the words, "SECURITY!" being yelled as I was laughing manically in my get away (AKA: skipping while singing the Tigger song at the top of my lungs.) But if it's any consolation to the parents reading this and are now horrified their children will see me grope Tigger- No children were harmed. I swear. I was the last in line after a long day of Tigger snuggles.
LOTS of things annoy me
Let's just get t-shirts made so we don't have to list everything all the time. LOL
But readers like us, who have been at this for 20 yrs plus, have to have figured out that mistakes creep in. I mean, I can't remember the last time I read a book in which I didn't find at least one typo. EVERY book has at least one. Doesn't take a genius to see the pattern and figure out it's normal.
Donna - Good idea. Or we could have Chancey put it on a button. LOL!
I think pointing out the mistakes, typos, etc. in pubbed books is another way to say, "Why them and not me?" Every writer wants the chance to have their stories available for readers to fall in love with, so we can't help but compare the books that DO make it out there, while we're still struggling to make ours perfect.
My attitude has changed toward self publishing. I just have to spend more time reading excerpts to decide if it's the right book for me.
Bo'sun: Why do you say indie is different from self-pub'd?
Ref: typos
Agh! They happen in every book. Big house. Little house. It doesn't matter. On my last book, it had gone through the line editor and story editor TWICE yet when I read it one last time I was the only who caught the wrong use of peek (peak).
--of course, if I were that smart I would have caught it when I wrote it. :)
Let me premise the Indie talk with the fact that I have a degree in the music industry (for reals) so that is where my thinking comes from on this issue.
To go "Indie" to me means you've either a) signed with an independent publisher who provides some services but not many or b) started your own independent house. Much like starting your own independent label.
Because you are self-publishing, you are not suddenly your own publishing house. In regards to your responsibilities, sure. But you are publishing your work, you are not creating a business entity that is publishing your work.
I'm sure this is splitting hairs and it's all in the semantics, but for me, the two are not synonymous.
Terri, I can see what you're saying. As a self-pub, you're starting your own independent label, but not signing anyone else. LOL
I really want to catch up on all of this discussion, maybe later. But I wanted to answer the Bo'sun... I think being a bit on the fringe of things will help me when I start edging toward print. The scifi/fantasy people embrace e more than one might think, but they also have a real blind spot about how precious an actual book is.
The thing about e is it gives me a chance, as an author, to do a little genre exploration. And see who bites as a swim about...
And I will talk with my e-agent about coming on the blog and really addressing everyone's questions from the insider persective. Sari is a shark and knows it all!
I do think the boundaries are wider the epub route. I totally get that trad publishers are sinking their money into something (and lots of time and resources) so they need to buy only what they think will sell.
But epubs, with their lower overhead (and higher royaltie rates!) can give something different a try. They all want quality, but the content can be a little more out of left field in the e-world.
We do need to get Sari on here. Would love to have her take on all this.
Terri
Ref: indie
I'm not sure the writing community is embracing the same meaning as the music industry. At least not from what I'm seeing so far.
Personally, I prefer the term indie to self-pub'd. Indie refers to independent, and independent is defined as autonomous and unconventional. I think that describes the new movement well.
But this is the first I've ever sat down to consider it, so thanks for your viewpoint.
I feel so out of the loop.
I don't have an e-reader, but I have been considdering one. I think if a story is a good one and well written, it doesn't matter the format.
Off to sulk over my contest scores.
Di
Like I said, Maria, it's all in the semantics. LOL! I've googles a bit and people are using independent author for those choosing to self-publish. Maybe it's how the word is applied.
I can live with someone saying "I'm an independent author." But to say, "I chose the independent publishing route" just sounds wrong to me. I think it's a problem with that word being set in my mind as having a solid meaning.
As usual, nothing is ever locked into one solid meaning.
Di - What happened! What contest is this? Who do we need to harpoon on your behalf? I'd def recomment the ereader. Took me a year of mine collecting dust before I started using it, and now I love it.
Thanks for the laugh.
I got one great score (98), with lots of "Can't wait to see it published" Yay! The other judge gave it a terrible score (59) and from the comments I don't think the judge even read the whole entry. It went to a discrepency judge and got a middle score, but no explanation.
I entered to get feedback about the story, and only got comments about punctuation. Huh? On the good side, at least this time I was put in the correct category.
Di
About five years ago, my first novel, The Music of Chaos was accepted by two publishers. Both epublishers, one that also did print (POD). I opted for the second because I wanted print and because the other had (and still has) ugly Poser covers. I wasn't all that excited about epublishing then, thinking, "Who reads ebooks?"
Fast forward a few years when I dusted off that manuscript and send it out to a few epublishers. I'm actually much more at ease with epublishing and submitted my second novel to Carina, who accepted it. I'm kind of psyched about that acceptance.
I'm finding that epublishing is a better place for my writing, because I tend to write stuff that doesn't easily fit in any one genre.
But, as of yet, I haven't actually read an ebook. I don't have a reader, so I have to use my computer (Kindle PC or PDF). I broke down and bought a few ebooks last week. First time! But I'd still rather read my library books. In print.
Di - I'm so sorry. Here, have an extra strong Glittery Hooha. Clearly that 2nd judge has no taste. Silly people. Gah!
P. Kirby - I don't want to laugh, but I do find it kind of funny that an epubbed author doesn't have a reader. LOL! I don't know why, I just do. CONGRATS on selling to Carina. You must come back to celebrate with us when that one comes out. (Or anytime, that works too. LOL!)
You're so right about that genre fit stuff. It's hard when you don't fit perfectly into one of the traditional slots. Seems to me these days your books can reach as many, if not more readers going the epub route. Provided your book can be found on the big name sites like Amazon, B&N and Borders. Even Smashwords and Google Books. The books are flying off the virtual shelves in those places.
Bob Mayer has a great blog up today touching on this topic and the future of publishing. Check it out.
http://writeitforward.wordpress.com/
But the majority of people (readers) really don’t know what goes into writing and publishing. They don’t know how many people are involved and how easy it is to get lost in the shuffle.
We are more savvy then we used to be, Hellion. Thanks to writers' blogs & readers forums.
And because we are more Knowledgeable, we are more empathetic to the issues a published or unpublished writer faces.
Excellent link, Terri.
Bob Mayer wrote:
"Niche is the future. Find a specific area and become known as the writer who does that type of book. The Internet has made things more specific rather than broad."
"writers have to focus on writing the best possible book. Self-publishing is not a short-cut to success. Regardless of mode, readers will walk away from sludge."
Bottom line? Get out there on facebook & fanlit& blogs ... show the , make that your readers what you can do. Start developing a fan base before you publish and you will be a Success! IMO
Because
A. you know what your readers want.
B. The readers know that you write a story that they want to buy.
Di, sorry for the crazy scores. I've been in that spot before, and you have to focus on the high score. Seriously. Contests can be a crap shoot, but it's just like publishing--some love ya, others don't. So you have to persevere.
Isn't it good, Julie. Love the sludge line.
I keep hearing about developing an fan base before you publish, but I've no idea how you do that! I've taken marketing courses, I have the business degree, but how do you sell NOTHING to readers. LOL! How to I create a fan base when there is nothing for them to read yet???
Should read
show the readers, make that Your readers ...
Quick question -- has anyone here used a Nook or Kindle app to read an e-book on their computer? Obviously this app is for people who don't have e-readers but want to read an e-book. The couple of e-books I've read so far were in PDF format, but there's something I want to read that is in the Nook format and I'm trying to decide if I want to get the app.
Sorry, not me, Donna.
Di, I've heard that huge varying scores like that usually is a sign of a distinctive voice! That's a good sign! I'm sorry you didn't have more pertinent feedback. It would have been nice if the judges had said what worked or hadn't worked for them so at least you know where it's coming from and if you need to tweak or carry on (or both).
Hm, do fanfic fans count? lol
Quick question — has anyone here used a Nook or Kindle app to read an e-book on their computer?
I do, but I've only used it to read a few pages so far. The computer is for writing, and wasting time on teh Internets. Not reading books.
The few Kindle books I bought recently, seem to load okay into Kindle for PC.
I keep making Kindle "noises," but so far the more money-endowed members of my family haven't gotten the hint.
You need to get louder, P. LOL! I actually got mine (from my boss) after saying I didn't want one. Perhaps try reverse psychology.
but how do you sell NOTHING to readers. LOL! How to I create a fan base when there is nothing for them to read yet???
Terri, you are selling me-the-reader on the "voice" that your online blogs & comments are showcasing. You are selling me-the-reader on the idea that the WIP that you've been giving me glimpses, of is something that I want to read. Something that I must buy. And you are selling me-the-reader on the idea that greatness takes time. So you won’t put your work out there until it is the very best product you can produce. So see? You’re not producing NOTHING … you’re producing ANTICIPATION! For your book.
I truly love your guts, Jules. Just what I needed.
MWAH!
Terri, just be yourself.
And I do have a response to your question ... but its ummm rather lengthy. So can I just say my answer is "The United States Declaration of Independence, Chop Suey,accessibility and Secure Document Delivery so of course it makes sense that ereaders & epublishing would & should be embraced. ”
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