Will Amazon’s ebook reader re-Kindle sales?

After a decade of watching various formats vie for dominance I’m convinced that most people don’t want to read fiction in any way other than on paper. Despite ten years of reports to the contrary, the sale of e-books still doesn’t come close to the sale of physical books. So you may wonder why I’m putting my novels on Amazon’s Kindle.

Webster defines Kindle as a noun meaning, among other things, “to stir up.” And while I don’t think Amazon’s new machine will cause the downfall of paper books, I do think it will stir up considerable sales, even at $359 a pop.

The Amazonians have figured out the natural advantages of ebooks: they're never out of stock, they never go out of print, there’s no warehouse needed, and a couple hundred books fits in a handheld device about the size and weight of a paperback.

But then they realized the downside of e-books. Your reader has to be attached to a computer to get new material. So the Amazon folks designed a reader, The Kindle, which lets you browse, order and download wirelessly. So when you’re vacationing on the beach or commuting on the subway (this is, after all, where people read novels) you can get new books easily.

I’ve posted two of my novels as Kindle books. Thanks to Echelon Press, Blood and Bone is already available as an e-book from Fictionwise in a dozen formats including one that’s Kindle compatible. I haven’t seen many sales at Fictionwise, but then it doesn’t have the visibility of Amazon.com. Let’s face it, NOTHING has the visibility of Amazon.com. That alone might make this the place to be, electronically.

Still, it’s a real scavenger hunt to figure out how much you make on a Kindle sale, or how many you’ve had. And there’s no way to know how many Kindles are out there. Amazon isn’t very free with information. There is also one negative way that Kindle differs from any other publishing I’ve done. There’s no proof copy to check. As near as I can figure there is no way to see what my Kindle books really look like, unless of course I buy a Kindle, which is very unlikely. At these prices, I’ll stick to paper for a while.

Push and Pull

When I started out as a writer I thought that the publishing business worked on a push system. A writer would come up with an idea for a story, write a novel from that idea and then send it to every agent and publisher alive until someone understood his or her vision and published it.

Well it does work that way sometimes, but when you get to play in the majors it is just as often a pull system. Agents and publishers decide what they want to get published and call on an author they know to write it. One reason we attend conferences is to become an author they know.

My story thus far: On June 11th my agent called. During that conversation she mentioned that in the wake of the success of Jim Butcher and Laurell K. Hamilton, editors she works with were asking for urban fantasy. Based on my writing style in mysteries and thrillers she thought I could write one.

I accepted the challenge, but I’m not a horror or fantasy writer, so the next day I contacted my old friend Meloney, AKA the Horror Chick. Back in the 90s Meloney established a line of top-selling horror comics for Harris Comics, including the revitalized Vengeance of Vampirella. These days Meloney splits her time between working as a counselor for the Oregon Attorney Assistance Program and writing licensed trading card sets based on properties including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, LOST and Supernatural for INKWORKS. What better collaborator could there be for urban fantasy?

On July 10th I attended Thrillerfest in New York where the publishing industry, and my agent, live. Sitting in the bar of the Grand Hyatt I presented a six-page proposal for a series, which resulted in a happy agent requesting a full outline and the first 100 pages of a manuscript so she could start selling it.

I’ll keep you posted on progress. In the meantime, get out there and show your face as well as your work. Networking is almost as important a skill in this business as wordcraft and plotting.

So what do YOU think? (Author's Spouse)

Have you ever sat through a panel or presentation that your writer was involved in and half way through you wanted to leave because you were bored or embarrassed by it?

I have!

Austin is one of the most interesting and lively presenters around, that goes without saying, but the panels and the topics he is asked to speak on aren’t always great. Even though he may try to make something out of them it doesn’t always work.

So while you are sitting there being bored here are some things that you can do to help for the next time:

Conference coordinators try very hard to come up with interesting ideas for panels and discussion groups, but if you have bad speakers or the topic just doesn’t catch it won’t work. Do you have ideas for panels? Tell your author what you think their strengths are. Let them know what you think is their best speech or topic to speak on. Then suggest them to the conference coordinators. They are always looking for fresh ideas.

On a panel is your author engaging the audience and the other panelists? If not tell them ways that you think might make their presentation better. You are audience so let them know why you were bored, what would have made it better. Was their appearance bland? Give them suggestions on how to spice it up. Are they writing a period book? If so give them suggestions for props or costume dress that might make the audience more interested in the topic or novel. Are they writing non-fiction? Give them some feedback for ways to make the audience more involved and engaged.

Years ago at one of the first conferences Austin attended he was asked to come up with an impromptu luncheon speech because the hired speaker was unable to make it. He did a very interactive and engaging speech on public speaking. He had no notes, nothing rehearsed and it is to date my favorite speech. Why? Because he was speaking about what he knows best. He is an expert at broadcast journalism and public speaking. He doesn’t need notes or rehearsal to speak about what is second nature to him.

My point is this…you are the one who has the opinions that count so don’t be afraid to tell your writer what was bad or good about their presentation, and also give them ideas for panels and presentations that they would excel at.

Writers…if your spouse comes to you with ideas don’t disregard them. Listen to what they have to say. You may not agree with the ideas or the suggestions, but listening can’t hurt and they may come up with something that you never thought of. But when they do give you an idea or suggestion that will work be sure and thank them for giving it to you. You’d be amazed how far that bit of recognition will go and when you are both involved in this beast they calling writing together it makes your relationship stronger as well.

Spouses…every suggestion or idea you come up with is not going to work for your writer so don’t get offended if they don’t use them all. You are planting a seed and believe it or not seeds do grow. Some idea you have given them will be the basis for a change in appearance, change in style, change in delivery, change in topic. And when they do thank you for that seed that you have planted be gracious and don’t get all big-headed about it. This is a team you are helping to build.

Until next time…don’t let their obsession become your undoing!

Denise

Working with an author

Today we have a guest blogger of whom I am very proud - my good friend Cyndi, who is responsible for my busy signing schedule and other promotional successes.


I had never written a blog, but Austin asked if I’d be willing to give it a shot. Me, being somewhat adventurous, agreed even though writing is not something I’ve ever considered as a personal strength. Maybe that will change. My name is Cyndi, and I’ve been working with Austin for a while now as his publicist / branding manager, calling bookstores to schedule signings, contacting blog managers to have him as a guest blogger, and doing some proofreading when he finishes a new book.

If you are new at working with an author, like I am, it can be very enlightening. During the past year and a half or so that I’ve been making calls, sending emails and scheduling book signings, I’ve learned a lot about the writing & publishing business. (I had no idea what an ISBN was, or that POD wasn’t a “nu metal” band) Even though it can be very interesting and intriguing, it can also be stressful. There are deadlines, uncooperative and inexperienced bookstore managers, and downright rude people to deal with occasionally. I admit there have been several times when the frustration level caused a few thin spots in my hair.

There are several things that I’ve learned are very important skills to have (and have surprised myself on many occasions). Number one is organization. If you’re not organized with the contacts and schedule, it is next to impossible to avoid confusion and double bookings. It also makes the writer seem disorganized as well, especially if a bookstore sees scheduling a signing as a big hassle.

The second thing is having an approachable and friendly attitude, and developing good professional relationships with the managers of the stores. It’s nice to know that I am remembered by various managers who are always willing and anxious to be included in the events when they get a call or email from me. It’s especially nice when a manager contacts me, out of the blue, to say they’d like to schedule an event. Remembering even small details about them, such as a recent birth, makes them feel special and not just like another name on the list. That’s where keeping good notes comes into play.

Finally, it is extremely important to follow through with the contacts you’ve made along the way. If you tell someone that you’ll call them back on a certain day, be sure to do that, or be ready to apologize that you weren’t able to touch base with them because something came up. In my experience, most of them will understand.

I’ve often teased Austin that he’ll never have a summer weekend away at the beach with his wife if he keeps wanting me to schedule signings for him. Sometimes I’m sure it seems that it is my personal challenge to see how busy I can keep him. So far so good.

Another blog on how to blog

A while back I shared some valuable tips from my friend and fellow blogger CM Mayo on how to create a good blog. Since it’s a big subject, I thought I’d share more of her valuable advice here, because if a writer is going to have a blog, it needs to be a good one! Here are some more great ideas and suggestions.

#1. Offer Beefy Blogrolls.Writes Tom Christensen, "Your ‘link neighborhood,' the constellation of sites you link to and that link to you, says a lot— both to your readers and to the search engines— about the nature of your blog. It's karmic— if you are generous with credit, praise, and links, I promise you will be repaid."

#2. Offer RSS feed.RSS means "Really Simple Syndication" and, basically, it is a way for readers to subscribe to your blog's updates (or "feed") without their having to actually go into your website and without your having to take their e-mail address.

#3. "Bookmark" and/or "tag" your posts.If you have time, bookmark your posts to bring in more traffic. For more about this and how it works, see Blogging for Dummies.#4. Don't use the free blogging programs and hosting--- get your own.Otherwise, you don't control your own blog. (As you can see, I need to take this advice more seriously.)

WORST PRACTICES

#1. Blogging that's nothing but floggingLeslie Pietrzyk, guest-blogging on "Madam Mayo" wrote: "I'm happy you have a book out; I really am. But if it's all there is to your blog— YOUR book, YOUR readings, YOUR conferences, YOUR mother loving the book— I am going to move on. Please learn to promote yourself shamelessly in a discreet way." Writes Tom Christensen, again on "Madam Mayo," "Try to look at the blog as the product, not as a vehicle for promoting the product: that is how your readers will look at it."

#2. Endless self-referential navel-gazingTom Christensen, guest-blogging on "Madam Mayo" wrote, "being too self-referential is a common, and deadly mistake."

#3. Opening a blog post with an apology"Sorry not to have been posting as I should"— oh, yecch. Just blog.

#4. Long strings of ginormous jpegsI'm talking about pictures here. I love to find them, and I love to include them— but when a blog post has several of them, and I'm on dial-up, and they take eleven cen-tu-rie-sssss to doooooooown-n-n-n-n-load, I've surfed away, click.#5. Black or dark backgroundsThese may look lovely, but they are a strain to read. Be kind to your readers, use a white or very (and I mean very), pale background.

#6. As a header, using the generic forms provided by the hosting service Try to get something original in there that presents you and your blog in the way that best serves your purposes.

RECOMMENDED READING

Blogging for Dummies, by Susanna Gardner and Shane Birley, Wiley Publishing, 2007
See also "Madam Mayo" on www.cmmayo.com which has an extensive archive of posts on blogging and writers's blogs.

TOP HOSTED BLOG SERVICES

Blogger www.blogger.com, WordPress www.wordpress.com, Typepad www.typepad.com

For more about choosing blogging software and services, see Blogging for Dummies.

SELECTED WRITERS'S BLOGS (All Very Different From One Another)

#1. Design expert and author Edward Tufte's Ask E.T.He calls it a moderated forum. Yeah, I'm calling the page a blog because I want to.

#2. Novelist and journalist James Howard Kunstler's Clusterfuck NationOnce a week, a zippy op-ed style essay.

#3. Novelist and creative writing teacher Leslie Pietrzyk's Work-in-ProgressHighly focused and meaty with helpful information. Frequently updated and features many guest-bloggers.

#4. Poet and literary magazine editor Deborah Ager's 32 PoemsWide-ranging, quirky, frequently updated. Big on Web 2.0 tools.

#5. Childrens writer Erica Perl's PajamazonChildrens' book recommendations (and a bit more). Part of Offsprung news.

#6. Travel writer Rolf Potts' VagabondingFun, daily updates, multiple bloggers working for him.

#7. Professor of History, Middle East expert and author Juan Cole's Informed CommentOne of the go-to places for news about Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East. Updated daily with multiple links and commentary. (Boy howdy does he sell ads!)
#8. Novelist Laila Lailami's Moorish GirlShe's been around almost from the time blogging began.

#9. Editor, graphic designer, translator and writer Tom Christensen's Right-reading Eclectic quality links, and he encourages both mail and comments.

#10. A cabal of crime novelists's Naked AuthorsRegular posting by Paul Levin, Patricia Smiley, James O. Born, Jacqueline Winspear, and Cornelia Read.

#11. Fiction writer and editor Maud Newton News, opinion, a charming miscellanea--- hers is one of the longest-standing and most respected lit-blogs.

#12. Novelist and essayist Jane Smiley (on the Huffington Post)One of our finest novelists. Her blogging, however, is focused on politics.

#13. Fiction writer and journalist David Lida's Mostly Mexico CityInteresting photos of Mexico City with brief commentary.

#14. Novelist M.J. Rose's Buzz, Balls & HypeShe's the author of some steamy best-sellers; the blog supports her "AuthorBuzz" advertising business.

#15. C. Monks's Utter WonderQuirky, elegant design.

Publishing’s Inconvenient Truth?

Regular visitors to this site know that I am a supporter of self-publishers, small publishers and even Print On Demand authors. After all, I am or have been all of the above. I always believed that having my book out there would be a plus, and that a track record of sales would make me more attractive to publishers. Besides, with a book published I can demonstrate how hard I’m willing to work to sell books.

The truth may be someone different. I’ve spoken with several agents lately and been told some things that, if true, I wish someone had told me a lot sooner. Some things that POD Publishers and small presses would NOT want you to know.

For example, I’ve been told that some agents automatically reject any manuscript from an author who wants to step up to a bigger house, or wants a chance at a wider readership once he or she is already published. They say that publishers prefer the unknown risk of debut authors to the known potential of established authors who have shown they’ll promote their work, unless those authors have sold more than 50,000 copies.

For years I’d heard that large publishers would pick up books that had been successful at a small house or POD, but until now no one every defined “successful” for me. (This particular agent, Janet Reid, was speaking in the Sisters-in-Crime newsletter.)

Agents also report that most publishers aren’t interested in taking on a series that is already started. They might look at a new series by an author with a series already published, but only if they see the new series as potentially a big breakout hit.

So the advice from these agents is, keep submitting everywhere because if you self-publish, publish POD or go with a small press it could spike your chances at a career as an author for one of the big houses. Ms Reid says that until you’ve queried 50 agents with three separate books, it’s too soon to consider the other options.

It’s hard to say to what extent this is just information that small presses and POD companies just don’t want you to hear, since their livelihood is based on getting writers to publish with them. There is also quite an industry that has sprung up around selling products and services to self-publishers and POD authors. They don’t want you to think it’s pointless, or worse, counter-productive to try.

But it’s also hard to say to what extent this information is self-serving for the agents, whose livelihood depends on selling manuscripts to companies that pay an advance big enough to make 15% worth having.

As there are no disinterested parties in this business, we must all still use our best judgment: publish now and risk never being considered by the big guys, or keep submitting, knowing that you may never be considered by the big guys.

Mainstream VS Self-Publishing by Denise Camacho

I want to talk this time about the pros and cons of self-publishing.

Let’s begin with the pros. There are a lot of reasons why you might want to self-publish. Key among these is the ability to control your product and not give it over to a publisher that might change particular aspects of it that you hold near and dear.

There are other reasons such as being able to revise it at will. This is possible if you go with a printing company such as Lightning Source. With Lightning Source you can upload new revisions to your product whenever you like for a small fee. In addition, with a number of companies you can print short runs of 25 at a time. This keeps you from having to buy 100s or 1000s of copies of the books and the possibility of never getting your money back.

And one of the best reasons to self-publish is because you can make a lot more money from it. A mainstream publisher will take the bulk of the profits leaving you with a mere 7% or so. However if you self-publish you will garner the bulk of the profit. A typical book priced at $14.95 might cost you around $3.79 to make, a fee to ship and if you are hand-selling it that gives you a profit of about $10. Quite a difference from the $1.45 or so you would make from a mainstream publisher.

Also if you compare it to POD, the POD company will make you pay them to put your product into print, and then they make you pay on average about 60% of the cover price to purchase them. Not a money making prospect from where I stand.

Ok, so now let’s discuss the cons of self-publishing. You won’t get your books into the major bookstores across the country because you won’t have the backing and marketing engine that a mainstream publisher can provide. And because most self-published authors think it is an unnecessary expense to get their product professionally edited it is a real benefit that a mainstream publisher will put forth the expense to have the product edited. This is very valuable and something that more self-published authors should do.

So there are pros and cons for self-publishing, but with the new technology and the fact that better and better novels are being self-published, it would appear that the industry is finally starting to see that they are not the only game in town anymore.