Spread the love

Writing can be a discouraging business. Lately, it seems like readers are more harsh in their reviews, picking out inconsequential details to slant a review toward the negative. An author on Facebook recently said she received a complaint from a reader who’d purchased one of her books on an illegal download (I refuse to romanticize them with the term ‘pirate’) site, discovered there was only one page in the ebook, and blamed the author.

By the way, this is only one of the many reasons not to use illegal sites. Many times, the ebooks offered contain malware and viruses. Not to mention that the author is obviously not getting compensated for their hard work. And if you think writing isn’t hard work, try spending months and months – if not years - crafting your own story. It’s a labor of love, but not easy.

The industry itself can be overwhelming, with reports of overall sales declining. On social media, I’ve noticed more posts by discouraged writers who are on the verge of giving up, or have already done so.

I’m one of those writers who can’t help myself. Ideas strike me, and my mind spins with details, working out all the threads. If I’m not able to write for an extended period, I’m miserable. I NEED to write. It’s simply part of my life, and has been since I hit double digits.

In any case, bits of encouragement, scattered though they may be, are like stepping stones that keep us afloat. So if you read a book and it left you satisfied, or (better yet) wanting more, reach out to the author and say so. Believe me, you’ll make their day.

I even appreciate a nicely worded rejection. Last week, an agent responded to my query by saying that my novel wasn’t right for her, but that I was a talented writer and should keep querying other agents. Rejections can be difficult, but that’s the best kind to receive.

How else can you ensure the writers you love keep writing? Tell your friends about their books. Write an honest review on Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes and Noble, or other book seller sites where other readers will view it.

The author will be more grateful than you know.

In a state of flux

Visit The Susquehanna Writers blog and let me know what you think about the changes in the publishing industry.

The perils and pitfalls of publishing

When I entered the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest earlier this month, part of the process called contestants to include a 10k excerpt. The first ten thousand words of the novel would be available for preview by reviewers and anyone who cared to read it. This made me pause. Putting it out there makes me uncomfortable, frankly. And not because I’m afraid someone won’t like it.
Harper Collins recently launched Authonomy, similar to the above, except authors post their entire manuscript there. According to a recent GalleyCat post, HarperCollins purchased three novels “straight from their online manuscript site.” Technically, no, according to the comments that follow the post. One was an agented submission, and the editor didn’t know until after HarperCollins accepted the book for publication that it was one of the novels posted online. Still, good for the other two, right? Absolutely. It’s better than winning the lottery.
But what about all the other manuscripts posted out there, in their nakedness for all the world to see? Will posting the mss on Authonomy make it a pariah in the land of publishing? A leper that no other publisher will touch? An author friend of mine likened the process to the literary version of American Idol. My friend also said the Christian market has a site similar to Authonomy, but charges $90 to host your manuscript for six months. Oh no. No, no, no. Never never never never never pay a fee. Never. Remember that word. When someone holds their hand out, you can shake it but walk away with your money still in your wallet.
Authonomy’s blog includes an interesting peek inside the publishing biz from Louise, HC’s Publishing Operations Director, as well as several authors. Something to watch, I suppose. Look before you leap, my friend.

The publishing evolution continues

I have to admit: when I first signed a contract with the Wild Rose Press and it required me to begin a blog to promote my stories, I wasn’t much in favor of the idea. Having worked in the news industry and in government, bloggers annoyed me. Some bloggers tried to pass themselves off as reporters – though they had no journalism training whatsoever. I’d seen some blogs that were complete ramblings, no better than mental excrement. Then I did a little research, and found some very instructive blogs. Some were very artistic. Some were both. It gave me a new perspective, and changed my mind.
But my mind hasn’t been changed enough to agree that blogs are the new books (based on Why buy the cow? 27 popular websites that became books). My opinion: No, blogs are not the new books and will never take the place of books. There is a reason for editors. Hence, the coffee-table book versions of the blogs - which I’m guessing are greatly enhanced versions of the blogs. Critiqued and edited, and evolved from the stream-of-consciousness post.
In his article, Does Free Pay? , Chris Anderson predicts the principle of freeconomics will rule, and that people should give away their books. But I noticed Amazon lists the pre-order price of his book on this principle at $17.81. Hmm. Anderson says he’ll make his book available by any means possible but doesn’t specify it will be available gratis, so technically, I guess it’s not false advertising.
Bob Sacks writes It’s a Digital World Now. I partly agree, but e-publishing’s just gotten started. As Sony’s eReader and Amazon’s Kindle become more widespread, e-publishing will one day rival print, but I doubt it will overtake it. I’m all in favor of e-publishing. I love the versatility of the submission guidelines – with no layout restrictions, the word count can range from 7,500 on up at The Wild Rose Press, and above 65,000, novels are in print, too. Other e-pubs accept shorter pieces, such as Shadowfire Press, which will publish my Halloween short in October 2009.
E-publishing’s drawbacks are few, which is not to say insubstantial. For instance, e-pubbed romance authors are barred from certain awards. Which makes absolutely zero sense, as it’s not about the format of the story, but the writing. Second, I admit I long to hold a print copy of my story in my hand. Pass it around to others. Hard copies prevent piracy, though hard copies can be resold, too, sometimes for as little as a few pennies. (I’ve bought used books at that price, I admit.)
And if, as one author posits, reviewers such as the NY Times are biased against mass market books, will they even deem e-pubs worth a look? Doubtful. Yet, even as the Grey Lady herself had to be dragged, kicking and screaming, into the digital realm and now has an amazing array of interactive online features, I believe the NY Times reviewers will eventually see the e-publishing light. If e-pubbed authors are ineligible for traditional print awards, new awards will become available, and already have: The EPPYs, the Coveys (for book covers) , and I’m sure there are others.
E-publishing will evolve, but don’t sound the death knell for print just yet.

Books are great gifts - buy some this Christmas!

In the wake of the publishing industry’s Black Wednesday, execs at Thomas Nelson and literary agent Janet Reid are among those keeping their candles of hope lit for better days.
Mine is lit, too. I’m counting on the industry not tanking, just when I have a great urban fantasy that could be a bestseller, if such a thing exists any more. But how to prove it won’t be one of the dreaded middle marked for early death? Publishing is such a subjective business as it is, based on the yay or nay of a mere few. Even they could not have predicted the success of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight saga, I bet.
According to Richard Curtis, trade book publishing has been hurting for more than ten years, and returnables are to blame. As an author who has basically worked for nothing this past year, I can’t condone holding back advances to an author, who depends on an income to survive. I have no experience in this arena – yet – so have no first-hand frame of reference in the print world. I wish I had a helpful suggestion to keep the industry afloat, believe me. I’ve had contracts for epubs, but again, none have yet seen release, so I’m woefully inexperienced in all arenas. According to TeleRead, ebooks have seen gains where print pubs have seen declines. Writer’s Digest’s article E-books: Take 2 concurs. Good news for authors, though I still want to know the feel of my own printed book in my hands. Not to mention the fact that e-piracy is a huge issue that begs to be resolved (by me and most e-pubbed authors).
My experience with The Wild Rose Press is similar to that of Candace Morehouse, who lists The Top 10 Benefits of E-Publishing. The editors have been tough yet caring, the cover artists outstanding, and the standards of quality are high – maybe tougher than print. Wild Rose authors are award winning, and five are currently EPPIE finalists.
No matter what the format, books will endure. To help the effort, Jon Stewart is promoting the Association of American Publishers’ campaign, Books Are Great Gifts.
I couldn’t agree more. Why not fill those stockings with books this year? While you're at it, buy a few for yourself. You know you want to.

Stephen King's publishing innovation

I am continually fascinated by the ongoing evolution of publishing. In the latest innovation, Stephen King's collection of short stories, "N" is available in "mobisodes" - mobile episodes of a story series available on iTunes and Borders. King describes it as a hybrid between an animated feature and a comic book. The 25 two-minute mobisodes are clustered with King's interview on the Borders site. To me, it seems like graphic lit narrated and packaged in an electronic format. But it's an interesting milestone in publishing, as it's never been done before. Just one of the many tangents into which the world of publishing has veered. Which direction next?

The future of book publishing

In 2006, Forbes magazine predicted the death of books, to paraphrase Mark Twain, was greatly exaggerated. According to its research, people were reading more, not less.
This bears out in 2008 as well. But in what format will they survive?
In June, Publishers Weekly reported that electronic stories have boosted readership and sales. It specifically mentioned Wild Rose Press, where I have several stories due out soon, as having more success rather than less.
Apparently New York Magazine thinks the bell is already tolling for traditional publishing, as it describes in its article, The End.
But is e-publishing a good deal for authors? An article in Conde Nast’s Portfolio called Engineering the Risk out of Book Publishing explains the idea behind HarperCollins’ new unit, HarperStudio. Not having had a book published (yet!), I have no frame of reference so can’t render any personal pearls of wisdom, but merely pass on what others have said. For instance, author L.J. Sellers sees it as a positive move. Her blog even caught the attention of a HarperCollins exec, who rebutted another’s comment that the move would cheat authors, saying HarperStudios still allows up to $100,000 in advances and pays fifty percent of the net profits.
Delivery systems such as Sony’s E-Reader and Amazon’s Kindle have made e-books portable, further boosting their appeal. And not just for erotica, as Publishers Weekly seems to think.
It certainly seems as if e-books will be a serious competitor, if not overtake, traditional publishing. The Telegraph UK’s 2007 article, Electronic books the future of publishing, states that the Booker Prize Foundation intended to release ebook versions of the shortlisted book titles, though it laments that (as of Oct. 2007) ebook readers had not yet become available in the UK.
In Galleycat’s blog, author Bill Tancer has some intriguing ideas about what data culled from the Internet might reveal to publishers (watch the video).
I’m no expert, but I think nothing can be ruled out, at this point. If readers want more interactive content, as Tancer says, then there are many more avenues for publishers – and authors – to pursue. Some of which are already done today, such as books being remade into video games. So who knows where it will all end up? Stay tuned.