The Future is Now

I was going to write an end of the year post, but lost interest in doing the usual "this happened" and "that happened" stuff. But I can't help but look back and be amazed at the changes that have taken place in only the past year.

For my own part, my debut novel IDENTITY CRISIS became the #1 hardboiled mystery on Amazon for several weeks last summer and I sold my 10,000th download in September. When I first uploaded the book, I couldn't have imagined selling this many downloads so soon. And this number is small compared to other indie authors I could name.

There's Zoe Winters. And Scott Nicholson. And Karen Cantwell. There's L.J. Sellers (who's making enough money from her ebooks to turn down freelance work -- yippee!). And Joe Konrath. (BTW, thanks Joe for picking up the baton and becoming the poster boy for self-publishing. :)) There's also the jaw-dropping amazing stories of Karen McQuestion and Amanda Hocking.

These are just a few names. Other authors are out there doing quite well as indie authors. Some of them are first-timers like myself, others formerly published by traditional presses.

So ... who wants to do a retrospective on the old year? I'm really looking forward to seeing what the next one brings. Especially now that my sequel LEAST WANTED has been published and is available on Amazon, BN.com and Smashwords. Yippee!

And happy new year!

Quotation for the Week of December 26

"If at first you don't succeed ... so much for skydiving."
-- Henny Youngman

The Copyeditor's 12 Days of Christmas

In the spirit of the season, I wanted to share this copyeditor's version of the 12 Days of Christmas. Fun for anyone who writes or edits for a living.

And a hat tip to the Irreverent Freelancer for this.

Happy holidays!

Quotation for the Week of December 19

"I was going to buy a copy of The Power of Positive Thinking, and then I thought: What the hell good would that do?"
-- Ronnie Shakes

Ebooks and All That Copyright Stuff

Last month, the BBC ran an article called The Rights and Wrongs of Digital Books that discussed various aspects of ebooks and copyright issues that have concerned me, but seem to get glossed over in most discussions of the topic.

To start with, it's undeniably true that print books and ebooks aren't the same thing. They both contain content. However, unlike a print book which you actually own, an ebook isn't owned, but licensed.

As a legal matter, this puts limitations on its transferability. (Like a computer program. You never bootleg those, do you? :)) Thus, the creation of things like DRM protection. This is imposed much to the dismay of people who'd like to freely share ebooks the way they would print books, except ebooks aren't print books, are they?

This could lead to a whole discussion about piracy, but I know better than to go there. Some people couldn't care less about ebook piracy, others are appalled by it. Personally, I think if you obtain a free download of something you're supposed to pay for that's stealing. Period. Your comfort level with that is up to you, I guess.

The article concludes that we shouldn't treat (for legal purposes) "the products of creative expression" the same as "physical property." I think the main point is there's a big difference between a print book owner's rights and an ebook licensee's rights. We should stop pretending that difference isn't there and deal with it.

Quotation for the Week of December 12

"Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night."
-- Edgar Allan Poe

12 Common Misperceptions About Book Publishing

Recently, I happened catch sight of this interesting headline (probably on Twitter): 12 Common Misperceptions About Book Publishing.

Curiosity piqued and not one to shut out other points of view, I figured I'd read the post. It was interesting, but I don't know that I was all that surprised by most of it. Well, maybe a thing or two.

There are a couple of points in it that seemed worthy of mention. (I've quoted the post in italics, with emphasized points in bold, along with my responses.) Such as the first misconception: 

1. It’s all about the front list.

The front list gets all the attention because new things almost always do and the books on the front list are by definition new.  Also, an editor’s reputation may live and die with her choices of what to publish next.  But a publisher’s real asset — the majority of its good will, in business parlance — is the backlist, those books that deliver steady sales year in and year out.  It’s the ballast in the ship, the revenue that keeps the lights on.  It’s the main reason why some entity would bother to buy an existing publishing house at all.  And the absence of a backlist is the reason why newly formed publishers often prove short lived, even despite occasional front list success.

Okay. Are you surprised by this? Shockingly, I'm not. And, um, have you noticed a list that's conspicuously absent? Let's see. It starts with "m" and rhymes with "idlist."

Anyhow, #2 goes on to state: Small publishers care more about books than commercial publishers do. We all know that isn't true. Small publishers care more about their authors than big ones. That's because they're small and (as stands to reason) can give their authors more individualized attention. Anyhow, that's my impression from what I hear from authors who've experienced both worlds. Of course, ALL publishers care about books. That's their business. They'd be idiots not to. Er, um, next. 

3. Editors no longer edit.

Someone who used to work at a big commercial house recently told me the story of getting a call a few years ago from his publisher, wondering why he was working from home for the second day in a row.  The editor explained that he was working on a crash editing project for a book that was important to the house.  “Get into the office,” the publisher urged.  “Your problem is that you edit too much.

While this story may seem to illustrate the opposite of my intention, to my mind it shows the exception that proves the rule.  Because the fact is that that editor was taking the trouble to edit.

Okay, so there's at least one editor out there who's actually willing to edit? I must say I'm impressed. 

Just randomly pull some books off the shelf at Barnes & Noble or your favorite independent and read the acknowledgments.  You’ll find a lot of people thanking their editors for making their books better.  Nobody made them write those thank-yous.  They could have thanked their editors for the great lunch or for the advance check, instead.

Well, it's awesome to know there's more than one editor who's actually willing to edit and help make books better, etc. (Or maybe all these authors are thanking the same editor. Who knows?)

However, here's my problem. For every gem of an editor out there (and I KNOW they exist -- I hear about them from other authors), how many other editors are falling down on the job? And for every well-edited book you see on the market, how many poorly edited ones are sharing shelf space with them? I'm afraid it's quite a few.

Okay, so #4 -- Editors undergo rigorous training. I've never assumed such a thing. #5? Publishers fact check. Two words: James Frey. #6 -- Bestseller lists feature bestsellers. Paradoxical, yes, but most of us know this is a kind of myth in the sense that simply selling more books to readers won't necessarily put you on these lists. Every author knows the New York Times bestseller list is based on mysterious factors that may or may not reflect actual popularity. And I find the distinction between sales velocity and aggregate sales interesting, but the idea that sales velocity trumps aggregate sales is rather sad.

However, #7 gives one reason to pause: 

7. Publishers lose money on books with unearned advances.

This is one of those misperceptions that seem to confirm common sense, but the fact is that a publisher can make money on a book where the author never earns back the advance against royalties.  Remember that the publisher is receiving about half the retail price of the book and paying to the author’s royalty account only at most 30 percent of that revenue.  If the publisher keeps its costs down, it can use a portion of the 70 percent that’s left to write off the author’s advance and still make money.

Um, okay. So, you're telling me that all these midlist authors I know who've gotten piddling (by comparison) advances COULD have gotten bigger ones and their publishers still would have made a profit? If that's so, then how come there's so much pressure on midlist authors to improve their sales numbers? How come failure to make sufficient sales is cited as reason for dropping an author?

Hold on. Here's a thought. Whose costs are the publishers keeping down, in order to make money despite inability to earn back large advances? Think hard. I think I may have mentioned them earlier in this post. (You know, that conspicuously absent list that starts with "m"?)

Okay, so #8 -- A big unearned advance will kill your next book deal. Sure, it might not kill your next book deal, but how likely is it that you'll get another big advance? Not very, I'd think. So saying "the fact that your last publisher made a massive miscalculation shouldn’t — and usually doesn’t — influence what happens to the next work" seems like a bit of an overstatement to me.

On to #9 -- Big advances guarantee publisher support. Apparently not, particularly in light of #7. And thanks for clearing up that misperception. Here I actually thought there was a valid reason publishers were such cheapskates about midlist author advances.

As for #10 -- Authors are rich. -- Haha.Hahaha!! HaHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!

Then on to:

11. Agents are insiders.

If the market is a herd of elephants, booksellers are underneath being trampled to death while the sales force wipes the blood off their faces and other members of the publishing team stand nearby wringing their hands.  In this (really bad) metaphor, agents are a mile away, trying to figure out what’s going on by putting their ears to the ground.

Oh, wow. I love this metaphor. I guess it's supposed to mean agents don't understand selling trends anymore than anyone else. But ... wait a minute. What was the question?

And finally:

12. The cost of paper determines book prices

The price of a book — like the price of every created thing — rests upon what the market will bear.  As for costs, printing, paper and binding are often the least of it.  In a business that relies on the intelligent and highly educated, people are the most expensive input. This explains why big publishers are in a flat-out panic over e-books.  If a $9.95 e-book displaces a $29.95 hardcover because that’s what the market will bear, the revenue differential isn’t commensurate with the savings on printing, paper and binding.  One solution to this dilemma would be to pay those intelligent, highly educated people smaller salaries and relocate them to Bangalore.  A more palatable solution might be to find a really rich guy who’s bored with his sports team.

Hmm. Those seem like rather limited and extreme options. Have you considered lowering the price of your ebooks to increase sales? It's worked for a lot of indie authors.

Quotation for the Week of December 5

"Is sloppiness in speech caused by ignorance or apathy? I don't know and I don't care."
-- William Safire

Roundup of Helpful Web Resources for Authors

Here are a few helpful (random and sundry) resources for authors I've run across on the Web recently.

First, from Joe Konrath's blog, a quick guide to monetizing your online content. Covers everything from publishing ebooks to the Amazon Associates program.

Also, a Kindle self-publishing guide presented here for what it's worth. (A fine overview of some of the basic information, though I thought the Kindle self-publishing PPT slideshow was of minimal assistance. Even so, complete newbies may find some of the links helpful.)

In addition, authors can find opportunities to promote themselves by acting as blog tour hosts, running book reviews, posting interviews, holding contests and so forth. Author AdvenTours is a site where bloggers can sign up to host tours and otherwise promote authors. An arrangement that can be mutually beneficial, in my opinion.

Further, talk about an author who already has a platform. (Okay, not such a helpful resource. Just something to lighten the mood.)

Finally, a list of "the best literary agents on Twitter" (at least, according to the headline). Why are they the best? I dunno. Because they said so?

Quotation for the Week of November 28

"I hope that when I die, people say about me, 'Boy, that guy sure owed me a lot of money.'"
-- Jack Handey

Thankful I'm an Indie Author

Today I thought I'd write a post about feeling grateful for being an indie author. It is Thanksgiving, after all, and I'm in the States where we celebrate it.

First, I'd like to point out for those who may have missed it, John Shore's awesome article from the Huffington Post called Why You Want a Big Book Publisher to Reject Your Book.

It's all about how agents and publishers only want authors with platforms. Yet authors with platforms no longer need them. Paradoxical much?

Anyway, just read it. It's so true. And hilarious.

Second, I (just today) got my first four-figure royalty payment from Amazon from my ebook sales of IDENTITY CRISIS and FIVE UNEASY PIECES. My biggest chunk of change from writing fiction ever. Done without benefit of publisher or agent. On my first novel and short story anthology. Thank you. So, yes, I am feeling grateful.

So happy Thanksgiving to all of you celebrate the day!

Quotation for the Week of November 21

"Why are our days numbered and not, say, lettered?"
-- Woody Allen

Announcing Amazon Studios

In what seems to be a case of really, really odd coincidence, I recently attended a conference for aspiring filmmakers and screenwriters called ScriptDC. In a session about indie film production, I learned that most indie films are distributed through 1) viewings at film festivals; 2) Netflix; or 3) another service so obscure I can't remember it.

I leaned toward the person sitting next to me and said, "Indie filmmakers need an Amazon." She agreed.

Now, it seems the tables have turned. Amazon is seeking indie filmmakers.

Earlier this week, Amazon announced the launch of Amazon Studios, an online venture offering $2.7 million in award money for feature film and screenplay submissions to its site. Check the details. It all sounds very interesting.

This seems to do for indie films what the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award does for indie authors.

Read all about it. And make your submissions here.

ADDENDUM: Check the comments for major caveats.

Quotation for the Week of November 14

"Time sneaks up on you like a windshield on a bug."
-- John Lithgow

Book Publishing: An Industry (To Be) Most Digital

As most of us know, ebooks are all the rage. It's clear they're growing in popularity. But if you need further convincing that ebooks are probably going to become really super big much sooner than we expect, then read this article on why the book business may soon be the most digital of all media industries.

Like any article about predictions, you may or may not agree with all of it. But surely, it will get you thinking. As will this bit of news about a certain newspaper's decision to publish bestseller lists for ebooks.

The Top 5 Reasons Why Today's Author Chooses to Self-Publish

By Guest Bloggers Andrea Costantine and Lisa Shultz

The publishing industry has changed greatly in recent years, opening more options for today’s author. While being accepted by a publisher may still come with increased credibility for your work, the public is widely embracing self-published authors more than any other time in history.

But why are so many authors choosing the self-publishing route instead of waiting for a publisher to come along? The answer lies in these top five reasons.

1.  Saves time! One of the biggest reason self-publishing is such a hit is because of its ease of use. Traditional publishing could take years to get your book on the shelf, whereas a self-publishing author can finish the process in just months.  If you are building a business or a brand around your book, this gives you faster access to potential clients and ability to earn money back sooner.

2.  You’ve got to market yourself anyways. I’m always a bit concerned when I hear an aspiring author believing that a publisher will do all of the marketing for their book. In reality, the success and marketing of your book is really up to you.  A publisher will start marketing your work ONCE you’ve proven that you can get the sales. I say, if you’ve got to market your book anyways, why not take the credit for it and self-publish.

3.  You get final say in just about everything. Want to choose your cover artist? Know an exceptional layout designer or editor? When you self-publish you retain 100% control over your work.  If you choose professionals to support you, you can create a stellar book on your own. If you decide to update and print a new-edition or simply change a few things, it’s a relatively easy process as well.

4.  The royalties are higher. When you self-publish you will typically earn a few extra dollars in royalties per book. Those extra few dollars can add up to a lot of extra cash over the lifetime of your book.

5. You can get picked up by a publisher later on in your career. One of the greatest things new authors forget is that you can always get picked up by a publisher later. I love the story of the author who wrote The Shack, who sold millions of copies on his own and then signed on with a publisher for a very delicious price.

Self-publishing is a rewarding option for today’s entrepreneurial minded authors.  With faster publishing options, increased exposure through the internet, and a little elbow grease, your self-publishing efforts can take you a long way in the book world.

And if you are ready to take the leap and write your book this year, then check out Andrea Costantine and Lisa Shultz’s latest book… http://www.bringyourbooktolifethisyear.com – Grab your copy today and receive two months accountability and writing support in their monthly mentoring group and other bonuses valued at $150.

Quotation for the Week of November 7

"Do you realize if it weren't for Edison we'd be watching TV by candlelight?"
-- Al Boliska

Does This Make Sense?

All right. We're at a point where publishers have persuaded (read: forced) Amazon to adopt the agency pricing model (allowing ebooks to be priced as high as $12.99 to $14.99). So, we've ended up with some ebooks priced higher than hardcovers (in some cases, as high as $19.99). Readers write one-star reviews in protest (and also, I've noted, added tags like "9.99 boycott" and "overpriced" and so on to the order page). However, as noted here, the joke may be on consumers since these tactics don't seem to have much real effect on sales.

Publishers have argued that producing ebooks with DRM protection is, in fact, a somewhat costly process. This is supposed to justify their ebook pricing.

If that's the case, how do you explain this? I'm happy that Random House is splitting the proceeds from the sale of so many of its ebooks for a good cause. However, in order to have proceeds, I assume you need to make a net profit. And these ebooks are being sold for less than $5.

Am I the only one scratching my head?

Quotation for the Week of October 31

"Given a choice between two theories, take the one which is funnier."
-- Blore's Razor

Dear MWA: What's the Problem with POD?

First, I'd like to say that I am a member of Mystery Writers of America (and damn proud of it, thank you). I know people with the organization and consider them friends. The opinions expressed here have nothing to do with that. They are, in fact, suggestions made with the best of intentions and without malice.

Do I protest too much? I hope not.

In any case, as a card carrying member of MWA, I received the following notice (quoted in pertinent part):

"The National Board of Mystery Writers of America voted unanimously on October 6, 2010 to remove Dorchester Publishing from our list of Approved Publishers, effective immediately, primarily because the company no longer meets two of our key criteria.

"First, the initial print run by the publisher for a book-length work of fiction or nonfiction must be at least 500 copies and must be widely available in brick-and-mortar stores (not "special order" titles). In other words, print-on-demand publishers and Internet-only publishers do not qualify."

The second problem was failure to pay advances and royalties. An obvious no-no. But what is the problem with print-on-demand (POD) publishing?

I'd like to (respectfully, of course) make the following suggestion to MWA: POD publishing may not be all that evil.

Here are a few considerations in its favor:

1. It saves resources. By printing copies of books only as needed, paper and ink are preserved. In addition, the energy that goes into the production of print runs is conserved, as well. There's also the energy costs associated with transportation and warehousing the printed books to consider. With POD, books are ONLY produced as needed, when needed for whoever needs them. This eliminates the need for warehousing all those extra copies that don't get picked up by bookstores or other retail outlets.

2. Print runs put pressure on your authors. Yeah. Sell-through. How many presses out there are doing printings of 500 copies? Maybe a few. But not the kind with the resources to actually get them into stores. And to the extent print runs (of whatever size) do get into stores, the pressure is on the author to make sure they sell. Or guess what? They get penalized. It's the authors who bear the brunt of the 100% refund the booksellers get if the books are returned to the publisher. (Not to mention the waste of resources of returning books with torn-off covers. See #1.) This could be avoided, of course, with a business model based on POD. (Radical thought? Just wait ...)

3. Print runs perpetuate an old (and failing) publishing model. Let's face it. Despite the fact that print books still hold the lion's share of the market, that's not going to be true forever. The future (as I keep repeating, over and over) is in ebooks. Now, why would a publisher continue to cling to an old way of doing business when a new paradigm of doing business is emerging? Doesn't it simply make sense to shift to a POD model for producing print books, if ebooks are becoming more popular?

Don't believe me? Have you checked the Amazon rankings for Laura Lippman's latest release? Almost the minute it was released, the ebook version of I'D KNOW YOU ANYWHERE jumped right out of the gate and outsold its hardcover counterpart by leaps and bounds. The book was in the Top 100 in Paid Amazon for weeks. At $12.99 per download, no less. Now that's SAYING something.

You know Laura, right? I believe she's your president.

Quotation for the Week of October 24

"If you're going through hell, keep going."
-- Winston Churchill

Quotation for the Week of October 17

"Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much."
-- Oscar Wilde

Two Interesting New Digital Book Developments

I'm in a bit of a quandary, because I find myself with two interesting new developments in the ebook and digital publishing world that I'd like to talk about.

Since they're both rather interesting, I'll tackle both subjects.

First, there's Amazon's announcement of its "Kindle Singles" program. (Is it a program? Is it a service? Does it really matter? Okay, whatever.) According to eBookNewser, "A Kindle single is defined by Amazon’s press release as 'Kindle books that are twice the length of a New Yorker feature or as much as a few chapters of a typical book.'

"These new books, which are categorized as between 10,000 and 30,000 words – or about 30-90 pages – will have their own section in the Kindle Store and be priced less than a typical eBook. Amazon did not yet say how much these works would cost, but perhaps $.99  – the typical price of an iTunes single – would be too low."

While I'm not entirely clear on the significance (or, indeed, of the benefit) of putting short fiction in its own section of Amazon, I think it is an interesting development. Will it have the effect of raising short fiction price points? Will it make it easier for readers to find? Again, I have no idea. Opinions, anyone?

Second, I thought it was most interesting that (according to Bookseller.com) the Orange Award for New Writers is being dropped and replaced with a "an Orange Book Club and a new books website, which will highlight 'future' Orange Prize for Fiction contenders, including one new writer a month."

Basically, the Orange Prize for Fiction "will focus on promoting the books across a wider range of digital platforms. As part of these plans, Orange confirmed it will be able to support a greater number of first time writers in a year long campaign, which will replace the current Orange Award for New Writers." Read all about here.

Can you feel the ebook and digital distribution love?

Quotation for the Week of October 10

"People who get nostalgic about childhood were obviously never children."
-- Bill Watterson

Publishers Still 'Out to Lunch' on Ebooks

Rather than recap what's already written, I'm going to quote the following bit about the Frankfurt Book Fair from yesterday's Publisher's Lunch (with my comments in brackets, of course):

"A Frankfurt hallmark is that some things never change (from booth locations to standing spots on the party schedule, etc.), but change is certainly in the air this year and on the floor. Booths of the biggest publishers sport elevated video screens (Penguin wins, with nine-panel jumbotrons for both Penguin and Pearson, with HarperCollins' six-panel display in second) [Jesus Christ! And these guys have the stones to complain that they're NOT making money!] and iPads have clearly won over the publishing crowd, seen driving meeting displays and note-taking all over [Well, how f*cking trendy -- good for you]. The fair introduced formal on-the-floor discussion stages and an ereading device display and cluster in Hall 8. And since many of the events and conferences are digitally focused, so is much of the coverage, even though the ebook market has yet to become real in most of the world. [Well, it's pretty f*cking real here in the U.S., let me tell you!]

"One well-attended on-the-floor discussion panel featured Google's Tom Turvey querying four executives on the digital transition. 'There's been a sea change in the past few months,' HarperCollins ceo Brian Murray said, [Hey, ya think???] now that for new bestsellers, 'in some cases, on some books, the ebooks are outselling the hardcovers.' [Gee, wonder why. Duh!] On digital royalty rates, Murray said '25 percent is fair and appropriate right now' [there's nothing I can say here that won't be completely obscene!] and he doesn't 'see anything on the horizon that makes me think that's going to change.' [Fine. You f*cking moron ...]

"Bloomsbury executive Evan Schnittman added, 'the real royalty rates are much higher' once you factor in unearned advances. [Uh, yeah. Tell me another one. I think this man would disagree.] 'What needs to be addressed is the entire cash-flow process, which is very different in digital than it is in print.' [Right. More bullsh*t. Thanks.] He added, 'I don't think anyone wants to have that conversation.' [Oh, yeah. I'll bet you don't!] Perseus executive Rick Joyce quipped that 'fighting over points is the hallmark of a non-growth business' and suggested that focusing on growth was the best solution. [Um, yeah, right. Whatever. The question is, what's in it for the authors? You know, those funny little people who write the damn books?]

"Turvey tried to explore the territorial rights issues raised by ebooks, but there were few takers. [Gosh, wonder why. Like anyone really knows this sh*t.] Schnittman said that 'language rights globally will be the dominant model' over time. Were where [sic] the agents during these remarks? Two halls away in the bigger-than-ever rights center making deals." [God help me, I'd certainly hope so. That's their f*cking job. Not listening to more bullsh*t from publishers.]

Okay, I think my work is done here. :)

Quotation for the Week of October 3

"All the war-propaganda, all the screaming and lies and hatred, comes invariably from people who are not fighting."
-- George Orwell

Has Self-Publishing Finally Become Cool?

You know, it's one thing when you see blog posts like this one from indie-turned-Big Six published author Karla Brady (whose book THE BUM MAGNET has led to a deal with Simon & Schuster) that ask whether self-publishing is in. She raises many good points about the opportunities that have opened up for the self-published (or indie, if you prefer) authors. She encourages writers not to think of self-published as second best or disadvantaged. Quite the opposite.

But what really got my attention was a couple of posts from Alan Rinzler, who writes a blog called The Book Deal: The Inside View of Publishing. (Rinzler is a "consulting editor" who -- as you can see from his bio -- qualifies as an industry insider.) The first post, called "The Last Laugh: If Self-Published Authors Owned the Midlist," made such amazing statements as the following:

"Mega publishers like Simon and Schuster and Random House could someday cede the midlist to a vast army of self-published authors.

"In that scenario, they'd focus instead just on blockbuster books by brand-name authors and celebrities.

"All the rest — the literary fiction, the cookbooks, the self-help books, the bread and butter midlist books that now make up 80 percent of every publisher's list — those books they'd cherry pick from self-published authors who'd already tested the market and had the credible sales to prove it."

Whoa, Nellie! This from a publishing industry insider. But wait -- keep reading:

"If you're tired and exasperated at waiting, waiting, and then waiting some more for agents and publishers to wake up and pay attention to your book…take a look at self-publishing.

"It's not what it used to be. Self-publishing has grown exponentially and achieved an unprecedented degree of legitimacy.

"This approach has emerged as a powerful and effective way to prove the quality of your content and show that you can self-market.  And most significantly, if you can achieve a threshold of sales, say from 5-10K copies on your own, a traditional publisher may offer you a deal to take over the book for their list.

"This isn't some future-tense scenario hyped up by self-pub marketing enthusiasts.  It's real, and it's happening now.

"I know this because I'm starting  to receive more agented submissions of books from self-published writers.  And I've signed up several."

OMFG! I feel faint. This is an industry insider talking! Stop and take a breath before I swoon. There. Much better.

But I must push onward to the post he wrote after that, with a title nothing less startling than: "Literary Agents Open the Door to Self-Published Writers."

Oh, dear! Not again. (Where are my smelling salts? LOL) Anyway, here's what Rinzler had to say about this startling development:

"The top dog at one of the most successful literary agencies in New York says he's in hot pursuit of self-published books to represent to mainstream publishers.

"'Absolutely, yes!'  That was Jim Levine’s unequivocal answer when I asked him recently if he was accepting self-published submissions.

"Levine is a founding partner at Levine Greenberg Literary Agency, among the top five overall most active agencies in the business, according to Publishers Marketplace.  And he's on the crest of a wave of agents beginning to represent authors who've self-published and are seeking mainstream commercial publication."

Jeez Louise! Have I died and gone to indie author heaven?

But wait. Gotta keep going because there's more:

"Levine's attitude is a notable shift, since in the past, most agents shunned self-published books as tainted goods and a tough sell. Levine says that's changing.

"'Usually when we take on a self-published book we sell it,' he said. 'We sold Jason Kaplan's Things That Suck to Andrews McMeel Publishing, Jeff Rivera's Forever my Lady to Grand Central, Dane Sanders' Fast Track Photographer to Random House, and Ivan Sanchez's Next Step to Simon & Schuster. And that's just off the top of my head.

"'So we're happy to take a look at self-published books. Of the more than 10,000 proposals we get every year, a few hundred are self-published and that number is growing. Sales track is key. If the author has sold 5,000 copies in the previous year, it interests publishers.  And if an author has sold that many, she or he probably has some sort of platform.'"

Did you see that? "Happy to take a look at self-published books." (Pinch me. I must be dreaming.)

I wonder if they'd be interested in a novel that's at the top of the hardboiled mystery category on Amazon (including several weeks at #1) and that's sold almost 10,000 downloads since June 2, 2009. Hmm ... now, which one could I mean?

Hint, hint ... :)

Quotation for the Week of September 26

"I told the doctor I broke my leg in two places. He told me to quit going to those places."
-- Henny Youngman

A Golden Age of Entrepreneurial Writers?

With the sea changes in writing and publishing of all types, you have to wonder if this is indeed a new golden age of entrepreneurial writers.

Apart from the rise (in number and status) of self-published fiction authors (which Karla Brady notes in her blog post called "Self Publishing is ... IN?"), there's also a new place for the entrepreneur in journalism. This is evident, not only due to new and unusual college journalism programs that focus on the business aspects of writing, but also the fact that these days buying a newspaper or radio station is seen as akin to investing in a biotech company.

But one of the most telling indicators is the amazing success of fiction authors like Seth Harwood and Karla Brady (and, BTW, I love the name of Karla's old blog :)), both of whom have landed publishing contracts after self-publishing. And, of course, the amazing success story of Joe Konrath who as of Sept 21, 2010, sold 103,864 ebooks!

This isn't to say that all self-published authors will land publishing contracts (or even want to). This isn't to say that all self-published authors can repeat Joe Konrath's absolutely stunning ebook sales success.

This is only to say that writers (of whatever sort) have more viable options now for getting their work out than ever.

Writers, in fact, have more power than ever. Time to exercise it.

Quotation for the Week of September 19

"Progress isn't made by early risers. It's made by lazy men trying to find easier ways to do something."
-- Robert Heinlein

Opportunities to Submit Fiction and Enter Contests

I recently discovered a really awesome blog that asks fiction periodical publishers six questions about their submission processes. The blog recently featured The Back Alley (where my Derringer-nominated short story "The Right to Remain Silent" (click on the link and scroll down to hear the podcast) was published last year; the same story that was reprinted this year in my anthology, FIVE UNEASY PIECES (note the awesome cover to the left) -- okay, commercial over :)) and Spinetingler Magazine, which are both approved by the Mystery Writers of America (i.e., if your story is published there, it qualifies for Edgar Award consideration, plus the money you earn counts toward full MWA membership-- nice perks).

And, if you're into writing short stories, don't forget the Writer's Digest Short Story Competition is coming up. The deadline is November 1, 2010, so prepare to enter your 4,000-word or less short story (in one of five specified genres) soon.

Finally, MediaBistro is holding an eBook Summit Book Pitch Contest. If you're a self-published author seeking an agent or publisher and looking to hone your pitch, you may want to consider this. If nothing else, it'll give you an excuse to take a trip to New York City and hang out with a bunch of publishing people. Hey, it's a write-off ... :)

Quotation for the Week of September 12

"If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one?"
-- Abraham Lincoln

Anyone Else See the Irony?

I'm old enough to remember when USA Today published its first edition. I was in journalism school at the time, and as I recall, people were treating it as some kind of harbinger of doom.

You'd have thought the sky was falling, because USA Today had the temerity to produce a newspaper made up primarily of short articles. (The paper earned the moniker McNews that way.) It used colored ink and featured splashy color photos on the front page.

As budding journalists, my fellow students and I found this shocking, disturbing even. I'm sure our professors and professional journalists were equally rattled. Boy, we had no idea what the future had in store, did we?

Now USA Today is the one scrambling to catch up and remake itself as a digital operation. How ironic is that?

Even a former USA Today reporter can spot the irony. Toni Locy states in the article, "USA Today used to be the trendsetter in the business ... Nobody had color before USA Today. Nobody had a weather map. And USA Today has lost a step in the last five or six years. So I think they’re right to try to regain the ground they’ve lost."

And if that isn't ironic enough, try a print article that says the Web is dead, which got a lot of buzz after it was posted online. Hmm.

And, even if this isn't particularly ironic, I thought it was interesting that you can buy a newspaper business for a buck these days. Especially if it's the Washington Times, I guess. (Or Newsweek???)

Got a buck? To paraphrase Charles Foster Kane, it might be fun to run a newspaper.

Quotation for the Week of September 5

"Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing."
-- Redd Foxx

Last Chance for Free Business Cards!

While I don't normally post here on Saturday, I wanted to spread the last-minute word about a contest my friend Kathy Kehrli is holding on her blog. Kathy's blog is called The Irreverent Freelancer. Well, that's the nice name. :) Actually, it's called Screw You! -- the daily (or thereabouts) diatribes of a frenzied freelancer.

Anyway, Kathy's got a contest to win free business cards going on there. So don't miss out. The deadline is 11:59 p.m. Monday (Labor Day here in the U.S.). Check Kathy's post for details.

And have a great Labor Day weekend. That is all.

The NOTY Award

I found out about this through an unsolicited email. A press called CovingtonMoore Publishing House is accepting queries for the Novelist of the Year (NOTY) Award. Well, this is a new one on me.

I Googled CovingtonMoore Publishing House and could find little help there. So I checked Preditors & Editors and Writer Beware. I could find no mention in either place. That doesn't tell you much, does it?

I can tell you that CovingtonMoore Publishing House appears to publish only works by an author named Ara 13 who (according to his bio) won an IPPY Award for "Outstanding Book of the Year" (doesn't say which year, but you can verify here that his book DRAWERS AND BOOTHS won a bronze for "Story Teller of the Year" in 2008).

And I see that the Writer Beware blog suggests here that the IPPY is a "more established" award geared toward "independent publishers and self-published authors." Well, that's nice for Ara 13. However, that same post cautions against paying steep entry fees like $75 per title to compete in another contest, called the Next Generation Indie Book Awards. But like I said, nothing specific there about NOTY that I could find (and I wish there were a search function on that blog).

So I checked out the NOTY entry guidelines. The $80 fee isn't exactly chicken feed. Especially for a contest I've never heard of sponsored by a publisher who I've also never heard of that seems to publish only one author.

And the prize for winning? You guessed it. A publishing contract with CovingtonMoore Publishing House.

Um, okay. I'll leave it to your judgment. But I'm taking a pass on this one.

And, of course, if you have any information on this, please feel free to leave a comment.

Quotation for the Week of August 29

"A man can sleep around, no questions asked, but if a woman makes nineteen or twenty mistakes she's a tramp."
-- Joan Rivers

Random House-Wylie Pact Births New Ebook Royalty Rate

Yes, strictly speaking, that headline is true. Random House and The Wylie Agency have reached an understanding about who gets to publish the ebook versions of Random House's backlisted titles (i.e., Random House won). You can read more details about the dispute here.

This came to light last Tuesday after Random House and Wylie issued a joint statement on the matter, which said that "Random House shall be the exclusive e-book publisher of these titles for those territories in which Random House U.S. controls their rights. [Um, and if the contracts don't address e-rights, how do they determine if Random House controls those rights? Oh, never mind.] The titles soon will be available for sale on a non-exclusive basis through all of Random House's current e-book customers. Random House is resuming normal business relations with the Wylie Agency for English-language manuscript submissions and potential acquisitions, and we both are glad to be able to put this matter behind us."

The article goes on to say a lot of stuff about Odyssey, talks with literary agents, blah, blah, blah. But let's get to that "new royalty" bit, shall we?

According to one source, "Random is offering a royalty, on digital editions of backlist titles, built around a sliding schedule that can approach 40% 'rather quickly.' [What's that mean? I don't know.] The source explained that the royalty is based on a certain number of books selling over a specified period of time and, depending on what's negotiated, the rate will rise per the rate of sale."

So, if your agent is a good negotiator and you sell enough ebooks, an author could get as high as a 40% royalty? (I guess. And is that before or after the agent's cut? Again, I don't know.)

The article goes on to state:

"The presumption is that Random House's improved offer on backlist digital royalties--the source said this new approach is a 'good rate' and notably better than the standard 25%--will spark the other major houses to follow suit with similar offers."

Well, isn't that nice? But, um, 25% was piss poor to begin with and 40% still doesn't beat the 70% royalty offered by Amazon (subject to certain conditions) if authors self-publish their ebooks. A sum that goes entirely to the author.

I'm not knocking agents. I know agents often handle other deals involving ancillary rights (e.g., audiobooks, foreign translations, movie adaptations and so on), making them useful. I just think that if you're going to have an agent, make sure there's something more to be gained than a (possibly) 40% (possibly gross) royalty on your ebooks.

Just saying.

Quotation for the Week of August 22

"The squeaking wheel doesn't always get the grease. Sometimes it gets replaced."
-- Vic Gold

The Great Kindle Smackdown - Redux

Way back in February, I did an informal market survey of various authors' ebooks and rankings (noting the price of each ebook, since I thought that might be a significant factor with respect to generating sales). For four weeks, I kept track of the rankings of the bestselling book by three unidentified authors (adding in a New York Times bestselling author at week #4, just for kicks).

You may also recall that Author Y believed that there were three major criteria for achieving ebook success: 1) have a good-looking cover, 2) set the right price ($1.99, at that time) and 3) have "an established reputation . . . as a writer."

You can read the original post for the details about the different authors, but to put it in a nutshell, Author X is traditionally published and has a highly respectable industry track record (in terms of reviews, etc.), Author Y is a relatively well-known author (respected within the industry) who markets like crazy and Author Z is a new, relatively unknown indie author with good to great reader reviews who markets like super-crazy (and priced the book at 99 cents). (Author A is the New York Times bestseller. A-list. Ha ha. Okay.)

I decided to do another study of these same authors. Now, here's where it gets interesting. At week #3, Author X lowered the ebook's price by a dollar. Probably (I'm guessing) to boost sales and rankings. At week #4, Author Y put up a new book cover. One (it was hoped) that would encourage more people to buy the book.

Oh, and Author A's ebook is a recent bestseller priced at $7.99.

Let's take a look at the results (again, comparing average ranks over the course of four weeks):

Week 1 Avg. Rank: Author X #52,383 - Author Y #645 - Author Z #457 - Author A #15,615

Week 2 Avg. Rank: Author X #72,370 - Author Y #460 - Author Z #436 - Author A #17,104

Author X lowers ebook price by $1.00.

Week 3 Avg. Rank: Author X #46,030 - Author Y #581 - Author Z #449 - Author A #15,740

Author Y changes cover.

Week 4 Avg. Rank: Author X #45,293 - Author Y #943 - Author Z #349 - Author A #11,087

Wow. The drop in price appears to have improved Author X's sales, but not by much. And the cover change to Author Y's book was, oddly enough, followed by a marked drop in rank.

In the interest of fairness, I figured the rank may have dropped due to some strange intangible factor associated with changing covers. I decided to wait a few weeks and check again. Here's what I found:

Week 5 Avg. Rank: Author X #57,543 - Author Y #1,439 - Author Z #304 - Author A #5,427

Okay, it looks as though matters have deteriorated further for Author Y with the new cover. Weird. It could be that there's no connection between the cover and sales at all. Which leads me to believe that the emphasis on cover is misplaced, along with reputation and traditional publishing record.

Author A is doing relatively well with the $7.99 ebook, but this IS a New York Times bestseller and something of an outlier, anyway. Even so, at least at this point, Author Z is cleaning everyone's clock.

Bottom line on ebooks: worry more about the quality of your content than the look of your cover; lower prices sell more books; strong marketing/promotion and happy readers (i.e., good word of mouth) trump traditional publishing track records.

Quotation for the Week of August 15

"Let us make a special effort to stop communicating with each other, so we can have some conversation."
-- Judith Martin

Reports of the Print Book's Demise Are Highly Exaggerated

You heard me. (Or, to be more precise, read me.) Yes, ebook popularity is exploding. Print sales have declined, enough to cause this latest stir. Oh. My. God. Did you see that headline? "Mass Paperback Publisher Goes All Digital" -- is this the part where I should gnash my teeth or rent my clothes in a panic?

First, as Douglas Adams so delightfully put it, don't panic.

Second, the headline fails to mention a small (but not unimportant) detail in the lead paragraph. And I quote:

"As digital books continue to gain market share, one of the country's oldest mass paperback publishers is abandoning its traditional print books and making its titles available in digital format and print-on-demand only."

Huh? Did you see those last two words? Print-on-demand only. So, in fact, this publisher is NOT abandoning print publishing entirely. The headline is completely wrong. Bollixed. F*cked up.

If print sales are down, it stands to reason that a publisher would choose to publish using print-on-demand technology. It's cheaper. It's more flexible. It eliminates the need to warehouse large numbers of books that may not sell. Blah, blah, blah. It also shows that print isn't dead just yet.

A few ages ago (in Internet time :)), I did a guest blog post on Poe's Deadly Daughters called "Print Books Will Never Die." I still believe that this is true. They may become a smaller part of the market, but I don't think they're going to die.

You can read the post here (along with some of the most spectacularly weird spam comments ever) and see what you think for yourself.

I'm not saying that ebooks aren't important. I'm personally doing quite nicely selling (and reading) ebooks myself. All I'm saying is that I don't think they spell the absolute end for print books.

The continued interest in this contraption suggests that print books are still hanging onto life. Talk about your print-on-demand technology!

This Newsweek article raises some of the same issues I did, without going so far as to make a brash prediction. (But, hey, no one listens to me. So I can make any brash prediction I like.) (And, just as an aside, even if ebooks supplanted print ones, that wouldn't necessarily put libraries, which are starting to offer ebook downloads out "on loan," out of business. Ugh, those headline writers! But I digress ...)

And I can't seem to find the article, but I know I read somewhere about a middle-aged man with a young daughter who preferred print books to ebooks and was scandalized at the thought that she would only read ebooks in the future. I have heard that most e-reader users are in the 35 to 50 age group (or thereabouts). They're the people who can afford to buy these contraptions, right?

Anyhow, I will leave you with one last image. And another reason why print books should continue to exist.

Quotation for the Week of August 8

"Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what's for lunch."
-- Orson Welles

Quotation for the Week of July 25

"Time spent with cats is never wasted."
-- Colette

Clash of the Titans?

Random House, the country's biggest trade publisher, announced today that it will no do more English-language business with the Wylie Agency. This parting of ways was brought on by Wylie's decision to launch an e-book line through Amazon alone.

At the heart of this dispute are e-rights to books that were published before e-rights became an issue.

Kindle Nation Daily has a take on this that's well worth the reading.

According to them: "Random House, which owns the print rights to many of the newly published ebooks, sent a letter last December to literary agents claimed that it owned digital rights to the entire Random House print catalog even if those rights weren't specified in the publisher's contract. While that sounded like a warning salvo from Random House foreshadowing litigation against authors and agents' disaggregation efforts concerning ebook rights, the publisher has yet to file any lawsuits and has instead focused on negotiating agreements with agents to publish backlist titles in digital form."

Hmm. Asserting ownership of unspecified e-rights? Sounds like the e-version of a land grab to me.

So, not exactly a huge surprise that Random House hasn't filed suit and is focusing on negotiating agreements on e-rights (after the fact).

Wylie's move has been called "visionary" by other literary agents. To quote Steve Ross, a former publisher who now works as an agent with Abrams Artists Agency, "As e-book sales continue to grow and platform and distribution options continue to evolve, the role of the agent as a provider of full service to their clients is going to have to evolve with it."

Uh, yeah, I'd think so.

As for Amazon, what else could you consider this except a smart business decision?

UPDATE: Here's Amazon's press release about this. Notice the slightly different spin.

You're Invited to an Ebook Launch

In case you don't read my other blog, My Life on the Mid-List, I just wanted to inform you all that I'll be having an Amazon book launch for my ebook short story collection. The book is called FIVE UNEASY PIECES and you're hereby invited to attend. The launch starts tomorrow (July 20, 2010) and will be an all-day online event (all-day for me, anyway lol).
BTW, if the ebook hits #1 in the Kindle Store before the end of the day tomorrow, there will be a random drawing to give away prizes to one lucky winner.
If you're interested, just click here for details about the launch, the prizes and how to enter the random drawing.
Then feel free to follow along as I post the book's rank every hour on Facebook and Twitter (look for the hashtag #5UP), as well as mention significant developments on my other blog.
And, with any luck, the book's launch will go something like this ...

Thanks! Hope to see you.

Quotation for the Week of July 18

"If all the world's a stage, I want to operate the trap door."
-- Paul Beatty

Death to the Dedicated E-Reader?

Well, despite the amazing success some authors are having selling ebooks for Kindle, at least one person (and probably more) is predicting that dedicated e-readers are going to be history soon. In fact, the article says they'll be gone in a year, if not sooner. Well, good heavens.

Part of the reason is that whatever a dedicated e-reader can do, the Apple iPad can apparently do better (or so this writer says), plus it does much more.

Now, having said that, the writer does acknowledge the matter of cost. On this point, the article states:

"Of course, an iPad is expensive. In fact, it's a lot more expensive. The cheapest iPad is $499 compared to the new Nook's bottom line of $149 and the Kindle's lowest priced model is now $189. But, it's not going to stay that way. Historically, Apple drops the price of its earlier models when it introduces a new one."

Along with that, Borders is setting up its e-bookstore so the downloads offered are "device neutral," i.e., capable of being read on any device. By doing so, Borders hopes to secure "about a 17 percent eBook market share by this time next year."

The Christian Science Monitor poses the question: can Borders do it? While Borders may be late getting into the game, is it better late than never?

I don't know, but Borders' recent ebook giveaways may help.

Whatever happens, I have to agree with Paul Levine when he says "move over Gutenberg!"

Quotation for the Week of July 11

"If I had to live my life again, I'd make the same mistakes, only sooner."
-- Tallulah Bankhead

E-Readers and Apps: Gloves Off Competition

For a while now, things have been heating up on the e-reader front. However, now they're getting red hot. When Barnes & Noble announced it would drop the price of its Nook reader device below $200, Amazon responded by undercutting them.

Both of them, of course, are reacting to the threat the iPad poses. Even so, what's to worry? Both companies have iPad apps for their ebooks. However, Kindle and Nook apps are just two of many.

Hey, even Borders is trying to get in on the act with its Kobo reader.

Meanwhile, Sony is lagging behind the B&N and Amazon behemoths. And the even smaller fry are suffering more.

Even so, PocketBook has come out with its own line of e-readers (one of which is priced under $200).

And, if you think that's a great deal, then check out Books-A-Million. Giving away an e-reader a day throughout July. Talk about competitive.

Quotation for the Week of July 4

"Hard work never killed anybody, but why take a chance?"
-- Edgar Bergen

Be on the Lookout for B&N's PubIt!

A word to the wise for all you ebook authors. Be looking out for Barnes & Noble's launch this summer of the ebook publishing platform called PubIt! (Yes, the exclamation mark is part of the name.)

As many of you probably know, B&N announced its intent to provide a digital publishing platform similar to that of Amazon's not so long ago. I don't know about you, but I await this with eager anticipation.

Not only will PubIt! provide yet another means to create and distribute ebooks, but it will provide competition to Amazon -- with the clout of B&N behind it. This clout should be considerable.

Why? Well, apart from the fact that B&N is (self-described as) the world's #1 bookstore and reportedly holds 20% of the ebook market, ebooks on PubIt! will be readable on a wide variety of devices. (Matching Amazon's availability for Kindle and through apps for other devices.)

According to PubIt!'s FAQs, "Customers will be able to read your eBooks on hundreds of devices, including NOOK by Barnes & Noble, PC, Mac®, iPad(TM), iPhone®, BlackBerry®, and more."

So, even if Amazon has a leg up on B&N in the e-reader device department, if the NOOK should catch on (not to mention B&N's apps for all those other devices), things could get really interesting.

Quotation for the Week of June 27

"If we don't change direction soon, we'll end up where we're going."
-- Professor Irwin Corey

E-Books 101: Part 5 - Reviews

Right now, it's kind of tough for authors who write nothing but ebooks to get their work reviewed. Of course, readers can post reviews online. However, finding readers who devote themselves to reviewing ebooks is difficult.

Happily, this is changing. With the rise in ebook popularity, a few hardy souls have come forward and taken up the slack.

I'll give a few names and contact information here.

The first is Red Adept. Her submission guidelines are on Red Adept Reviews.

The second is Misty at KindleObsessed. Check in the right-hand column for the link "Author Review Request."

Finally, there's Karen at Books on the Knob. Her contact information is here, and her email address is booksontheknob@gmail.com.

This is all public knowledge available on the Internet. I've just put it in one place.

You're welcome.

Quotation for the Week of June 20

"I have a rock garden. Last week three of them died."
-- Richard Diran

Rumors That Content Has Been Dethroned May Be a Bit Exaggerated

I ran across an article recently called Content Is No Longer King: Curation Is King. Naturally, with a headline like that, I had to take a look.

What I saw was a discussion about how content has become ubiquitous and unfiltered. Content can be created by almost anyone now (any semi-literate person with an Internet connection can create online content).

But does that mean that content is no longer king? I'd have to say no.

What it does mean is that there's an awful lot of content to choose from. Thus, the importance of curation. Separating wheat from chaff and getting the good stuff in front of enough eyeballs.

Ah, but who makes the determination of what's eyeball-worthy? That's the question.

The article refers to "pressures" the overabundance of content creates on certain institutions. They include publishing, experts, advertising and search. (Um, when did search become an institution? Oh, never mind ...)

In the interests of brevity, I'll focus on publishing. (Even though, as a lawyer, I could go off on the subject of so-called experts. Especially people who finagle the system to appoint themselves as such. But I digress.) I'll also focus on the quality of the writing, as opposed to the accuracy of the information (a topic which, as a librarian, I could also write a book about).

With respect to publishing, the article notes: "In a world where everyone makes content, publishing is no longer able to lay claim to being the 'best' maker of quality content in their field. In fact, content creation is [sic] costly and painful though this may be, may not result in measurably better content than content curation. Mixing creation and curation is essential for survival. Check out Huffington Post for a mix of created, curated, and crowd-sourced content."

Okay, maybe the notion that publishers could "lay claim to being the 'best' maker of quality content" was a bit specious to begin with. In any case, publishers have always chosen the content that writers create. The notion of curation is nothing new in that sense. The difference is that now content is widely (and often freely) available. Increasingly, if anyone gets to choose what's the "best" content, it's the people who read it.

What's interesting is the paragraph starts with a notion I find a bit specious and morphs into something I might even agree with.

In a sense, this represents a loss to some people who feel someone with a depth of editorial experience should be making decisions about what's available. However, in another sense, it represents the possibility that good quality content can be distributed and noticed without a formal stamp of approval.

This lowers the threshold for writers who are good at putting out the work and allows readers to render judgment about the quality.

Does all this mean that content is no longer king? Hardly. If anything, creating good content is even more imperative. How will the curation decisions be made otherwise? (Check the article's comments. I think the point is raised there, too.)

And though (for good or ill) effective promotion and marketing play an essential role, haven't they always? Surely, the cream of the writing crop haven't always gotten their due in terms of notice and success. This was true even back in the day, before print-on-demand technology, the Internet and ebooks lowered the bar for entry into publishing.

So, while we may be drinking content from the proverbial fire hose, I have to think that people will notice if the waters are tainted. I think readers can decide whether the content is champagne or vinegar.

If content is no longer king, I'd say it's been promoted to emperor.

Quotation for the Week of June 13

"Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest."
-- Mark Twain

Post-BEA Thoughts (and Poetry?)

Even though I went to Book Expo America this year and blogged about my personal experience elsewhere, I ran across a couple of articles about the event that I wanted to share.

The first is about ebooks (what a surprise). Needless to say, ebooks were a hot topic at BEA, as you can see from reading the article.

In addition, The Writer Magazine had a great roundup of post-BEA articles you might find interesting. Along with the roundup, the article touched briefly on DIY publishing (another hot topic).

Finally (and apropos of nothing else in this post), I just wanted to make any aspiring poets aware of Comment Magazine's second-annual "Making the Most of College" poetry contest, which runs until July 1st, 2010.

Quotation for the Week of June 6

"I'm sick of following my dreams. I'm just going to ask them where they're going and hook up with them later."
-- Mitch Hedberg

Will Publishers Become Irrelevant?

The question (which I implied years ago) is finally being raised openly. Authors like Joe Konrath are giving DIY workshops on publishing, despite years of toiling in the fields of traditional publishing. His amazing success with publishing on Kindle has opened his mind a bit on the whole self-publishing thing (at least, with respect to ebooks). He even recognizes others who've never had traditional publishers who've done as well or even better.

Of course, not everyone is embracing this new approach to publishing. Garrison Keillor has bemoaned where this will lead. Rather than restate his position, I'll quote some relevant passages.

"I grew up on the windswept plains with my nose in a book, so I am awestruck in the presence of book people, even though I have written a couple books myself. These are anti-elitist times, when mobs are calling for the downfall of pointy-head intellectuals who dare tell decent people what to think, but I admire the elite. I'm not one of them — I'm a deadline writer, my car has 150,000 miles on it — but I'm sorry about their downfall. And this book party in Tribeca feels like a Historic Moment, like a 1982 convention of typewriter salesmen or the hunting party of Kaiser Wilhelm II with his coterie of plumed barons in the fall of 1913 before the Great War sent their world spinning off the precipice."

Clearly, Keillor enjoys the "reader be damned" notion of publishing being ruled by elitists. Okay, fine. Whatever. Back to Keillor.

"[Now] if you want to write, you just write and publish yourself. No need to ask permission, just open a website. And if you want to write a book, you just write it, send it to Lulu.com or BookSurge at Amazon or PubIt or ExLibris and you've got yourself an e-book. No problem. And that is the future of publishing: 18 million authors in America, each with an average of 14 readers, eight of whom are blood relatives. Average annual earnings: $1.75."

Um, I think Keillor's a bit confused. He names several POD and/or vanity publishers who produce print books, but confines their output to ebooks.

Anyway, we'll overlook that. The larger issue is that he assumes self-published work will only be read by a handful of blood relatives. Well, hello. Tell that to Karen McQuestion or Elisa Lorello, neither of whom have had traditional publishers and both of whom have been Kindle bestselling authors. (Karen McQuestion has even signed a movie deal.)

We could talk about Karla Brady, an up-until-now indie author (in print and ebook format) who's recently landed a two-book deal with Simon & Schuster.

I could talk here about my own book, IDENTITY CRISIS, which enjoyed remarkable ebook sales earlier this year. It's gotten some really awesome reviews in online and print publications, as well as from readers (none of whom are blood relations and most of whom I've never met).

Oh, and speaking of self-publishing ebooks, now Apple is getting in on the act. And even the Wall Street Journal is questioning the publishing industry's chances of surviving a brave new world of digital publishing. (Jeez! What took them so long to catch on?)

But back to Keillor's concluding thoughts.

"Self-publishing will destroy the aura of martyrdom that writers have enjoyed for centuries. Tortured geniuses, rejected by publishers, etc., etc. If you publish yourself, this doesn't work anymore, alas.

"Children, I am an author who used to type a book manuscript on a manual typewriter. Yes, I did. And mailed it to a New York publisher in a big manila envelope with actual postage stamps on it. And kept a carbon copy for myself. I waited for a month or so and then got an acceptance letter in the mail. It was typed on paper. They offered to pay me a large sum of money. I read it over and over and ran up and down the rows of corn whooping. It was beautiful, the Old Era. I'm sorry you missed it."

I'm sorry, but is this not the publishing equivalent of "I used to have to walk five miles in the snow to get to school"?

And who says the self-publishing process was a quick and easy way to (successfully) break into the business?

Got news for you -- each way involves hard work, patience and persistence.

Sure, Mr. Keillor. I'm really missing out on all that martyrdom.

Like I'm missing out on using leeches instead of medicine.

Quotation for the Week of May 30

"It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument."
-- William G. McAdoo

Great Article from the IBPA

I normally post to this blog on Thursdays, but was so wiped out by my Book Expo America trip, I never got around to it.

Instead of my usual post, I offer this great article from the Independent Book Publishers Association.

"Marketing in Today's Turbulent Publishing Environment" is a must-read for authors. Be sure to check the list of tips at the bottom.

The future is coming much faster than anyone expected.

Quotation for the Week of May 23

"I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones."
-- John Cage

Book Sales Data in an E-Publishing World

This announcement comes straight from Publisher's Lunch:

"After years of compiling separate but equally incomplete publishing industry statistics, the AAP [Association of American Publishers] and Book Industry Study Group (BISG) have finally found common ground and will pool their resources in the future. Their goal is 'to develop a new data model to track book publishing industry statistics and to dramatically improve our capacity to estimate the size of market sectors and the industry as a whole.'

"Over the next few months the two organizations will interview and survey their members and other interested parties to refine their plan. Management Practices, Inc. which has collected data for the AAP for years, will develop the new prototype data model.

"The organizations 'expect to have a comprehensive, joint statistical resource product in place by January 2011.' They anticipate this new compilation will replace the BISG's once-useful annual Trends report.

"As a result of the transition, BISG will not issue a Trends report this spring for 2009 data. BISG deputy executive director Angela Bole notes 'the importance of this critical data has not changed, but the requirements for its collection and dissemination have. Also, since we expect the joint AAP/BISG product to be in place by January 2011, we didn't see need to release Trends a mere six months earlier.' She underscores that 'we believe this collaborative effort will do more than update the data on book sales: it will provide new and valuable analysis of a rapidly changing industry.'"

I wonder how this new data model will track things like this:

Barnes & Noble to Launch Publishing Service for Indie Pubs and Self Publishing

Barnes & Noble pubit! Page

AmazonEncore: Unearthing Exceptional Books and Emerging Authors for More Readers to Enjoy

Amazon Launches Translation Imprint, AmazonCrossing

I'd say things are getting very interesting.

Quotation for the Week of May 16

"A man may be so much of everything that he is nothing of anything."
-- Samuel Johnson

E-Craziness and E-Reader Device Wars

Man! For something the publishing world hasn't taken terribly seriously (up until recently, of course), things are really hopping now in the world of ebooks and digital publishing. Mainly (and, perhaps, most significantly) among retailers.

Take for instance, the partnership between (of all companies) Hewlett-Packard and Barnes & Noble. They're putting their heads together to create a link between HP computers and B&N ebooks.

Here's the press release announcing the partnership.

Not only that, but Google and Verizon Wireless are working together on a tablet computer to rival the iPad.

But that's not all. Besides Amazon, Google and B&N, now Borders is jumping on the e-reader and ebookstore bandwagon. Borders is taking pre-orders for the Kobo eReader, which will be delivered to customers starting June 17. Borders also plans to launch its eBook store in June.

Whew! You need a serious scorecard to keep up with these players.

Quotation for the Week of May 9

"Save a little money each month and at the end of the year you'll be surprised at how little you have."
-- Ernest Haskins

More Fabulous Ebook News and the End of Days

This week got off to a bang with the announcement that Google is getting into ebook publishing. Its publishing arm, Google Editions, will jump right into the fray. Not only will Google Editions make ebooks available for an e-reader device to be developed, but its ebooks will be capable of being read on many devices, unlike Amazon's only-for-Kindle ebooks.

Here's an announcement on YouTube about this (taken from an Examiner article):



Now, what with Apple selling a million iPads, plus all the competition between Amazon's Kindle, B&N's Nook and the Sony e-reader, is it any wonder people are predicting things like this?

So publishing's going down in 2012? Isn't that when the world ends, anyway?

I'm not one to make exact predictions about such things. However, you really have to wonder how the publishing industry's going to survive the onslaught. What will publishers have to offer when authors can simply publish their own work online? Editing? No, you can hire a freelance editor for that. Formatting? Ditto. In fact, you can outsource pretty much any service a publisher could provide.

And distribution? No longer a problem. Online sales and distribution eliminates the one real benefit most publishers offer authors.

Reviews? A new breed of online reviewers is springing up to take the place of the old guard. (Mind you, we could use more of them.)

In any case, isn't good word of mouth better than a review, anyway?

Okay -- so is there any other reason for the traditional publishing industry to keep going? (Coffee table books, maybe?)

My Amazon Book Launch

At this moment, it's about eight hours until the Amazon book launch for IDENTITY CRISIS takes place.

For those of you who don't read my blog, here's how the Amazon launch works. On Tuesday, May 4, 2010, at around 8 a.m. EDT, I'll post a link on this blog (as well as Facebook and Twitter) which will let anyone who buys my novel IDENTITY CRISIS on Amazon confirm their purchase and get free bonus gifts. (Yes, free bonus gifts is incredibly redundant adspeak for FREE STUFF.) This FREE STUFF is valued in excess of $1,000. (Yes, that's a one with three zeroes after it.)

So, to recap, if you buy my novel on May 4, you can get FREE bonus gifts valued at more than $1,000. (Just like it says here.)

Just check in on this blog (you know, one of those others I write). And please buy my book, so it can (with any luck) reach #1 on Amazon.



Go! Go! Go! Shoot for the moon!