Google Book Search Settlement News

The settlement in the Google Book Search lawsuit has come under U.S. Justice Department scrutiny for its potential antitrust implications.

Meanwhile, a federal judge has okayed an extension in the deadlines imposed on authors to decide whether to be bound by the settlement.

Never a dull moment. (And, speaking of which, keep your eyes on this space for a big announcement. Coming soon . . .)

Quotation for the Week of April 26

"The problem with people who have no vices is that generally you can be pretty sure they're going to have some pretty annoying virtues."
-- Elizabeth Taylor

Digital Overload

Anyone who actually still doubts that the digital revolution is bringing profound changes to the book publishing, marketing and communications industries not only has their head buried deeply in the sand (or possibly elsewhere), but hasn't kept up with all the news that's flooding in about this.

For instance, take a look at the skyrocketing number of Apple book applications--280 percent increase in the past 12 weeks? That's almost triple in the past three months (yes, my math is bad, but I can figure out that much).

Further, Canadian company Indigo Books & Music Inc. has developed "a new digital destination" called Shortcovers. According to Indigo's press release, "Shortcovers allows users to find their next great read, sample and purchase for immediate download. The service will provide instant access to the newest books, hottest authors and most popular articles and blogs. Not just for avid readers, Shortcovers is for consumers who want the convenience of accessing and reading their favorite content, anytime, anywhere, on the mobile devices they already own." Hmm . . . sounds like it tries to put all those devices out there on a level playing field (I guess).

Meanwhile, Twitter continues to take the world by storm. Tech guru David Pogue is even writing a book about it. And, never mind ghostblogging--how about ghost-tweeting for a living? (Thanks Allison Boyer for this.)

And just when I thought I'd heard it all, I saw this item about tweeting one's thoughts (via Coolest Gadgets). God help us, I thought, I knew this was coming. Maybe tweeting our thoughts isn't such a hot idea. Some things are better left unsaid (and untweeted). This is a bit too much information sharing for me.

Then I saw that mental Twittering could actually serve a medical purpose. Now that's really cool.

Quotation for the Week of April 19

"There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all."
-- Peter Drucker

Self-Publishing: My Response to Lee Goldberg

Okay, maybe I shouldn't pick on Lee Goldberg here. He's not the only one dumping all over self-publishing. Nonetheless, he's pretty hard on self-published authors and self-publishing in general. And he makes a habit of picking on them--a lot.

I understand his reasons--for one thing, he doesn't want to see people taken in by scams (neither do I) and he thinks most self-published authors are simply not ready to be published, but are too impatient to work on improving their craft (and maybe that's true often, but not always).

I want to make it clear that I respect Lee as a professional writer. He's a successful television writer-producer and novelist. Clearly, he's knowledgeable and has sound advice to offer people who would like to have writing careers. He seems like a nice guy, and I've even sought out his advice on screenwriting (which he was kind enough to give).

Even so . . . when I read this post on Lee's blog, I felt, "I've been staying out of it, but I just have to respond to this." I started to write a comment, but went on so long, it turned into a blog post. So I'm publishing it here instead.

First, read what he wrote. Then, read my response below. And let me know what you think. Please.

Here's what I wrote:

I've been staying out of this debate, but I really feel the need to speak up about a few points. So here goes.

First, you don't have to pay anything up front to publish through CreateSpace or Lulu, as I understand it. So not all self-publishing outfits are scams. (Those are just two examples. There may be others.)

Yes, these myriad articles about "self-publishing" (whatever that term may refer to) downplay all the hard work and promotion that go into making one's book anywhere near successful. But even if you're published by a traditional press, you have to promote like hell anyway. So promotion-wise . . . what's the difference?

And, yes, a lot of self-published books really suck (and I mean really suck). But many traditionally published books suck, too. Some of them by bestselling authors. (Lee, check your previous posts on Robert Parker's most recent books featuring Jesse Stone and Spenser. Ahem.)

If a writer is simply too impatient to work on his or her craft until it gets an agent's or editor's interest, chances are the book will suck. But that doesn't mean every self-published author's book sucks. And success isn't simply a function of being a good writer either. It's a hell of a lot more complicated than that.

What makes a best-selling book? I'd say it takes a combination of talent, hard work, connections and a LOT of luck. (Some might argue about the need for writing talent. Consider Dan Brown.)

Most traditionally published authors dwell in the mid-list and can't make a living off their books--no matter how well they write them (and many of them are extraordinary writers--you want to talk about ugly truth here?). So poor sales aren't exclusively a self-publishing problem. In fact, a lot of mid-list authors lose contracts due to poor sales. The publishers won't promote their mid-list, but they want their mid-list authors to make more sales, which they can't do because the publisher won't promote them, etc., etc.

And, as a result, mid-list authors often spend a bundle in money and time trying to boost their sales. Often they hire (gasp!) their own publicists--so that's not just a self-publishing thing, either (despite your implication to the contrary).

There are many drawbacks to self-publishing. Bookstores won't carry your work, reviewers ignore you. Why? Because of the perception that an author's work isn't worth considering if it's self-published. So self-published books must overcome the presumption that they are bad, even if they aren't.

However, with online booksellers and Kindle's growing popularity, lack of bookstore distribution may become less of a problem. And do most people choose books based on reviews? I'm not so sure they do. Or could an author sell more with a Facebook page, relentless self-promotion through any means possible and word of mouth? Good question.

Plus if you write a damn good story and you promote the hell out of it, self-publishing can work. You may not end up a bestseller, but that's true for traditionally published authors, too (as I've just explained).

And the only reason these successful self-published authors want a "real" publisher, is because of the perception (right or wrong) that I already mentioned.

Like in any business, appearances count. If the industry considers all self-published authors amateurs, they won't get the opportunities that traditionally published authors get (e.g., speaking on conference panels, winning certain awards--all things that lead to more notice and buzz in the publishing community). So, of course, self-published authors want "real" publishing contracts. Even though most mid-list authors don't get much better treatment than self-published ones.

The perception of being a "real" author is what you get in return for signing a contract that usually isn't written with the author's best interests in mind. Yes, I know authors keep copyright in their work. That's not the issue. The issue is what's the scope of the license authors are granting to these publishers? Are the publishers getting electronic rights? Audio rights? Movie adaptation rights? And when does that license expire? (Or, to put it another way, when will the author's rights revert?) Publishers try to get license to all the rights they can for as long as possible while giving authors as little as possible in return. This is not exactly breaking news.

The only other real benefit I can see from having a traditional publisher is maybe better editing. Maybe. I've read some really poorly edited books lately (all of which were written by authors with traditional publishers--including one bestseller).

Okay, I'm done.

Quotation for the Week of April 12

"The only reason some people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory."
-- Paul Fix

An Offer No Book Writer Should Refuse

Here's a very generous offer from Alan Rinzler, a consulting editor with a blog called The Book Deal. Well, has he got a deal for you.

He's offering free critiques of book proposals (either fiction or non-fiction). Yes, you read that right. Free. Critiques. Of book proposals. From a professional editor. You don't get too many opportunities like this, believe me. Especially not from someone who's worked in the industry and knows it like Rinzler does. Don't know what the deadline is on this, but I'd assume sooner, rather than later, if you know what I mean.

So if you're working on a book or have finished one and you're looking to sell it, here's a chance to run your proposal by someone who can give you a "publisher's eye" view of it--for FREE! And that, my friends, is priceless.

Quotation for the Week of April 5

"Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn't."
-- Erica Jong

A Quick Guide to the Google Settlement

Anyone who's had a book published knows there's a proposed settlement in the copyright infringement suit brought against Google over the Google Book Search function. One of the questions for authors is whether to opt out of the settlement or not (if they don't opt out, they're automatically included in it). They can also opt in and file a claim under the settlement. So, as authors, how should we proceed: Opt out? Opt in? File a claim? Do nothing? Good questions.

I don't know if this will answer those questions, but it seemed like a good place to start looking for answers. A literary agent named Kristen has apparently taken on the monumental task of reading the entire proposed settlement agreement. All 140 pages. In this post on her blog, Pub Rants, she gives some insights and resources that could help authors decide what to do. (There are deadlines involved, so I'd suggest people think about this sooner rather than later.)

Kristen's done more work on this than me, and I'm a lawyer. Thanks, Kristen! You've done authors a public service.