Wednesday, October 28th,
2009 3:23 PM · No Comments No Notes
To write
what is worth publishing, to find honest people to publish it, and get sensible people
to read it, are the three great difficulties in being an author.
—Charles Caleb Colton
Almost anyone can be an author; the business is to collect money and fame from this
state of being.
—A. A. Milne
Publishing is no longer simply a matter of picking worthy manuscripts and putting
them on offer. It is now as important to market books properly, to work with the bookstore
chains to getterms, co-op advertising, and the like. The difficulty is that publishers
who can market are most often not the publishers with worthy lists.
—Olivia Goldsmith
One of the signs of Napoleon’s greatness is the fact that he once had a publisher
shot.
—Siegfried Unseld
Publishers are all cohorts of the devil; there must be a special hell for them somewhere.
—Goethe
As difficult as it is for a writer to find a publisher – admittedly a daunting task
- it is twice as difficult for a publisher to sort through the chaff, select the wheat,
and profitably publish a worthy list.
—Olivia Goldsmith
One should fight like the devil the temptation to think well of editors. They are
all, without exception – at least some of the time, incompetent or crazy.
—John Gardner
If you’ve been following industry chatter, you may have seen some conversations lately
about whether authors need publishers (or vice versa). Plus there’s now a Twitter
tag for the discussion, #publishersmatter
To catch up, you can read these 3 pieces:
Do
Authors Still Need Publishers?
by Mark Coker of Smashwords (e-publishing
service)
What Do
Authors Need?
by Kate Eltham at Queensland Writers Centre (Australia)
Do
Publishers Still Need Authors?
by Guy Gonzalez, my colleague and audience development director for Digital
Book World (My views align closely with Guy’s.)
Aspiring writers and authors can be extremely mistrustful and suspicious of publishers—
creating a group only too eager to join the revolution where writers/authors have
power and publishers become obsolete.
Those who can never get inside the pearly publishing gates feel marginalized and like
they never got the attention they deserve, while those who do break in feel exactly
the same way. As
Daniel Menaker has said:
Many of the most important decisions made in publishing
are made outside the author’s and agent’s specific knowledge. … [Publishing] silently
colludes in trying to ignore the obvious … that the first printing of your book
will be three thousand copies, that it will not have full-color galleys, that no advertising
or tour is planned, and that it has been assigned to a publicist who up until yesterday
worked in the Xerox department. Why the collusion? Because this is a business fueled
largely by writers’ need for attention, and no one wants to crush any writer’s dreams
before a book is even published. Especially since every now and then they actually
come true.
Today, many authors are left out to sea as soon as the book hits store
shelves, a critical moment in the life of many books. By the time the author realizes
what’s happening, the window of opportunity has vanished—that moment when you can
ensure stores/retailers see the book as a quality and profitable item, leading to
a good model (number of copies per store).
Other authors get turned out by their publishers when their books don’t sell, even
if they could’ve been a quality midlist author with more time and investment. (Most
publishers don’t have the luxury of waiting.)
Obviously neither of these phenomenon help the author OR the publisher.
I wonder if successful publishers of the future will attract quality authors mostly
by …
-
the deep reach of their distribution (especially if to a particular audience)
-
their editorial/curation prowess and stable of quality authors
-
the support and service they provide authors
Publishers have done a poor job, at best, in the support and service role.
How many publishers actively support their authors when it comes to teaching them
online marketing and promotion practices? How many will analyze their authors’ efforts
at platform and branding? How many will give them the education, tools, or resources
they need to be true partners with the publisher? How many will—at the very least—provide
clarity on what the publisher will and will not do for the author, or explicitly convey
their own strengths and weaknesses, so the author goes in eyes wide open?
While publishers of the future need to distinguish themselves by the quality of their
partnerships, the quality of their audience reach (community), and the quality of
their curation, I bet there will be publishers who become known for support and service,
and attract quality authors like bees to honey—and be more successful because of it.
What do you say?
Tags: writing
Friday, October 23rd,
2009 10:38 AM · No Comments No Notes
There’s such a wonderful comment on yesterday’s post that I wanted to bring attention
to it (slightly modified to apply to all genres). Thank you, Banana the Poet (aka
Michele Breton)! Follow her on Twitter or visit
her site.
Simple Checklist for Getting Known, Getting Readers, Building Platform
-
Blog your work and gather readers (Michele blogged for three years)
-
Start publishing company (optional, but great route for poets)
-
Release poetry book (possible to accomplish for free and with little or no technical
expertise, through services like Smashwords, Lulu, Scribd)
What other steps would you add, or have you found to be critical?
Tags: writing
Thursday, October 22nd,
2009 7:39 PM · No Comments No Notes
This is a story about an energetic author who deserves an award for truly living by
the adage, "There Are No Rules." In fact, I shall start an honorable group, "There
Are No Rules Crown Club," for people who live up to this moniker, starting with
Al Katkowski.
Al e-mailed me over the summer and suggested that he might be a valuable speaker at our
annual conference in NYC. I agreed, and he spoke about his success in transforming
his book, Question of the Day (self-published),
into an iPhone App that now ranks as one of the Top 25 book apps and has been downloaded
more than 80,000 times.
I asked him to answer some questions that would give you an idea of how you can accomplish
something like this too. You
might also want to read this other article he penned for Teleread.
So at first you were initially skeptical if turning your book into an iPhone app was
a good use of your time and energy. But ultimately you decided to go for it. What
did that process look like, e.g., how long did it take, what resources did you need,
and how much did it cost?
The process of building the first version of the App occurred over a six-week period.
This was with Daniel, who was simultaneously working a 60-plus hour work week, and
had previously committed to other outside work. It needn’t take that long. The work
came in between $500 and $1,000 total, but there is more work to be done [for another
version].
For authors, I would say keep in mind that the improvements I am about to take on
fall further and further away from the presentation of a book, and don’t necessarily
reflect the amount of work that any author needs to take on. However, your App must
"do tricks." This is iPhone, not Kindle—you’re competing with Tetris for attention.
That’s why I wisely got into the Books category [for iPhone apps], and left Entertainment!
What are some practical steps that an author can take to launch their book as a successful
iPhone App?
We’ve been studying this for a long time, listening to experts in the field and watching
what authors and publishers are bold enough to do, and what they are afraid to do.
I recommend putting out two thirds of your content for free, perhaps more.
The publishing world is currently focused on how to move into the digital domain while
minimizing the threat of piracy. They do need to be addressing this. So the idea of
increasing the release of free content is, well, freaking them out. Yet, it is exactly
what they need to be dealing with.
Free content is part of the glue of "tribes", as Seth
Godin might say. Understanding the true ratio between free content and paid ensures
a healthy, continuous relationship with customers.
Thinking about preparing for the future when it’s already here is like preparing for
a flood when you’re already drowning. They’re doing too little, and it may already
be too late. They’ve begun to release one free book of an author, or of a series,
to promote interest in the rest. What if you’re a first-time author, with only one
book?
Lite versions of apps fall into a great literary tradition: generating enough interest
to facilitate purchasing the next installment. The classic example is "A Tale Of Two
Cities", which was originally published as part of a literary journal, in installments.
Pick it up and pay attention to the end of each chapter, the way things are summed
up.
I want to recommend three operable models here for the first time, for fiction writers:
1. Release a lite (free) version chapter by chapter. Every
four to six weeks, update your App with a new chapter. There will be a push notification
through the App Store that your book has added a new chapter; iPhone users love updates
of their favorite Apps. Whether your App was pay or not, updates are always free.
Some people don’t update right away. But you can track the amount of updates on a
daily basis to see how many people are actively keep up with your new additions.
After updating the app to Chapter Seven of your ten-chapter book, that’s it. Game
over. Now, at the same time, release your full pay app version for purchase. They
can pay now.
2. Release a lite (free) version with somewhere between 60% to 80% of the content.Less
than that may engage them, but that amount will really seal the deal. If they like
what they’ve seen, they will pay for the rest. If you give away too much, they may
pick up your book somewhere and check the last five pages for the ending.
3. Have you begun podcasting? I’ve spoken to best-selling authors whose hands
are tied; they are not permitted by their publishers to put out iPhone versions of
their books. One of these is a very well known podcaster.
You can create first-time integrated experiences for your readers. This author should
have been the first to do this, but instead, it could be you. At the top of the page,
a choice in media:
"Chapter 4: Would you like to read, or would you like to be read to?"
We’ve all had to discontinue reading before we’ve felt like it. In this
format, you could offer your reader the option of plugging their iPhone into the car
stereo and reading to them at the point where they had to stop reading on their own.
What’s been most surprising about the experience?
That major publishing houses are nowhere near me [in the iPhone app rankings]. One
James Patterson book came close for a while. I’m at number 23 today, he’s at 53. We’re
both free. I’m also surprised by the fact that the other apps that are near me are
compendiums, reading apps, etc … no actual print books.
It surprises me that people are impressed that I got the Apple Store event dates.
Again, is anyone even trying?
The acceleration of Books within the App Store is surprising and even a little shocking.
When I got in in April, there were 3,000 book apps. Check this out: on September 7,
the books category hit the 10,000 mark. On October 7, it hit 12,000, a full 20% growth
in only one month. That’s staggering, and you can’t tell me that people aren’t paying
attention to the potential of books within the iPhone format.
When you spoke at our conference, you said that you weren’t quite ready to be looking
for an agent on the print edition, even though QotD has been downloaded more than
80,000 times, and currently in the Top 25 out of over 12,000 titles in the Book App
category. What benchmark are you waiting for? OR, are you waiting to be approached?
I walked into the conference thinking that I had something going for myself, but that
there were a lot of people in the business who either think nothing of it, aren’t
aware of it, or don’t understand the value of it. These feelings were confirmed and
magnified at the conference. Several respected industry people told me that I have
a huge platform now. I did, in fact, meet up with an agent who was enthused about
what I’m doing. She sees "huge" potential, and doesn’t think that others in the biz
see it that way. We’ll stay in touch, and that’s a good thing.
Industries won’t change until they see money flowing into someone else’s pockets.
If industries can’t create money flow, they will certainly follow it. They are forcing
me to grow. And that is a good thing.
The next time I update, it will be like tapping over 80,000 people on the shoulder.
They love their apps. They are going to listen. And here’s the kicker: I asked about
a hundred people to download my app. The rest found me. It’s a marketer’s dream. How
can you not see the value in that?
You’ve had some tremendous success without any mainstream or “traditional” assistance
(or that’s my impression?). What advice do you have for others who may be pursuing
an indie path?
The main thing I had to do was to get right with myself, and my answers are based
on that.
First of all, if you need to write and be read, and selling thousands of books is
not a major concern, don’t let anyone tell you you aren’t serious.
For the rest of us:
People often do things like self-publishing without fully realizing why they did it.
It serves to make them feel good about themselves, temporarily. It is exactly like
when someone you work with or go to school with loses weight. They needed to do it,
it was a lot of work, they feel a feeling of satisfaction and they get a lot of compliments.
After a while, they don’t get compliments and they still have to give up the Twinkies.
Are you kidding? What kind of rip-off is that? A total rip-off! A few weeks later,
the Nordic Track gets parked in the garage. They quit as soon as it stops feeling
good.
I always say, "Know what’s driving you." Why are you doing this, and is that driver
enough to get you through rejections, confusion, boredom and that lost in the woods
"what do I do next" feeling? You need to know, but there will be tough moments when
even the drivers leave the room, and you’ll really want the Twinkies. Starting at
that moment, every little thing you do for your self is a huge victory. The down feeling
will go away, something will turn in your favor, and then "perseverance" is
not just a word anymore.
So, know your drivers, know that you will change course many times, and be ready to
divorce your naysayer friends in a split second. Some people keep them around as motivation,
but to me, they are poison. You can’t afford the time it will take to figure out why
they give with one hand, and slap with the other. You don’t know why, and they don’t
know why. And they’re not going to stop. They don’t need to change, but your environment
needs to change. You’re doing something much riskier and more difficult than most
of the people people you know. Distance, immediately!
Every day that you recognize that something is off course, and you don’t initiate
work on a solution, you’re blowing it. You may as well quit and start to like working
for somebody else, because you are not being true to yourself, and your babies are
dying. You are killing them with inattention.
I’m fairly easy going, but I have a pretty big ego. As a creative person, I know that
my ideas are my life blood. I did create Question
Of The Day, but making it into a book was not my idea, and neither was the iPhone
App. My indebtedness to others teaches me a lot.
There will always be a right time to jump from "indie", whether it means hiring staff
and becoming a startup, or going with a publishing house. Your ideas will always be
your own, but you can never achieve as much by yourself as you can with other people.
What are your next steps, let’s say in the next year? Do you have any longer range
plans or goals?
Question Of The Day will remain
a free app. Not a "lite" version, but a full version that is free. We are now putting
together a companion pay app, built from suggestions of QotD downloaders. This version
will have twice as many videos, and I am also weighing the possibility of adding half
of the questions from the next book, which is already written.
We are planning a social networking version, where people who are playing with the
app can locate and communicate with others playing with the app, and play together.
At their option, they will be able to see each other’s location in the world on a
map.
Ultimately, I’d like this to do well enough so that I can put it behind me and focus
entirely on music. In one way or another, I’ll always have something to do with Question
Of The Day, but I have to get back to what I was doing before I got here. Not that
I’m not working on it, but it really needs my full attention. I need to be doing it
all the time, like I was.
–
My indebtedness to Al for sharing these thoughtful, thorough answers (and also thanks
for his enduring patience). And to all iPhone users: Go download that app! (I did,
and it’s wonderful.)
So, for readers, does this raise more questions for you? What do you think the big
surprise is? Let’s hear it in the comments!
Tags: writing
In my role at Writer’s Digest I balance
a two key objectives that’s an odd, meta-publishing endeavor:
-
Help aspiring writers succeed in the publishing arena
-
Keep the Writer’s Digest business—as a publishing and/or content business—viable
Because of my position within the publishing industry, I see up-close the effects
of hard economic times, transformational technology, and increased pressure to produce
more with less. Friends lose jobs, businesses fold, we try to follow the cliche "work
smarter, not harder," and remind ourselves of the heartfelt reasons we’re in the business
in the first place.
Here are some recent thoughts from others, from a variety of perspectives:
Daniel Menaker (former Executive Editor-in-Chief of Random House)
I believe that this impending Gutenberg-level shift
in reading culture, along with the economic disasters of the last two years, render
the challenges of present-day hard-copy publishing all the more agonizing, immediate,
and dramatic. At least in the abstract, and especially in this economic climate, most
other professions pose some of the same problems for those who pursue them, no doubt.
But the tectonically opposing demands on publishing — that it simultaneously make
money and serve the tradition of literature — and its highly unpredictable outcomes
and its prominence in the attention of the media have made it a kind of poster adult
for capitalism and the arts in crisis. [click
here for full article]
Guy Gonzalez (F+W community leader behind Digital
Book World)
For all the talk of publishing’s supposedly imminent
demise, there are far too many passionate people working in and around the industry,
at every level, to let that happen. And whether they realize it or not, it doesn’t
matter if they’re working for one of the major publishers or an independent press,
in senior management or as an editor, author or bookseller — there’s a wide and fertile
common ground we all share and it’s best represented by the community we all
serve: the readers.
Ultimately, it’s readers’ changing habits that are driving the
fundamental changes in the publishing industry – everything from the types
of books they’re reading to the formats they prefer reading them in – and
as a result, it’s the current business model of most publishers that’s under
stress, not the community service of publishing itself.
[click
here for full post]
From Mark Barrett at DitchWalk.com
Everyone in the new content pipeline must demonstrate
added value in order to be embraced by both authors and readers. As an author, if
you are not helping me monetize my content in some way, I have no valid business reason
for partnering with you or hiring you. As a reader, if you are not providing me a
service I need at a competitive price I will simply go elsewhere.
… As a writer, questions of cost and profit and revenue are of interest to me because
I now have a direct pipeline to readers. I know I can reduce my costs to something
approaching zero, so the question of most concern to me is how to generate revenue.
I know I need help to monetize my content. I need sites that will host it and promote
it, readers that will recommend it, and publishers who will do the same if I want
to reach the widest possible audience.
I want to make deals with business partners in order to accomplish these goals. I
want to have the money to hire professionals like editors and designers to help me
produce the best work I can. And I want publishers to help me reach the widest market
if that makes sense to both of us. [click
here for full post]
***
I frequently encounter these two groups:
-
The writers/authors who read all of this, who do comprehend what’s going on, but seem
unwilling or unable to adjust their expectations of a publisher or their own responsibility
for success
-
The agents, editors, and other publishing insiders who also comprehend what’s going
on, yet expect or demand business as usual when it comes to book deals, contracts,
and other partnerships
There are also the people who say, quite rightly, that writing and publishing a "real"
book is still the big dream, and people will keep chasing that dream no matter how
much we all argue that the book is dead, that times have changed, that no one reads
any more, etc.
Yes, the dream will always remain. As far as I can tell, it has been a dream for more
than a century (The Writer, a competitor to
Writer’s Digest, has been in business for more than 120 years).
But achieving that dream is going to take many more shapes, and look a lot different,
than it did even 5 or 10 years ago.
Most of all, I want YOU to see, really see, what’s possible (now in the future—see The
Art of Possibility), identify what you can achieve, and understand tactics to
get things done.
I’m trying to do these things, too—along with care for the morale of the people I
work with at Writer’s Digest and F+W.
I am reminded of Kenny
Moore’s words:
Morale continues to remain dismal in most companies
and employee surveys reveal three disturbing trends: nobody trusts, workers don’t
believe senior management and employees are too stressed out to care. Problems with
trust, belief and caring. When I lived behind the cloistered walls, we referred to
these dynamics as a crisis of Faith, Hope and Charity. As the Recession continues
to take its toll, the business world is facing a spiritual problem as much as a fiscal
one. Napoleon once said that leaders are dealers in hope. That sounds like a
sacred quality to me.
Photo credit: benefit
of hindsight
Tags: writing
I recently received the "One Lovely Blog Award" from Jillian Livingston (go check
out isdisnormal—and you must if you are
a mom). My thanks to her for introducing me to this concept.
As a result of being honored, I’ve been asked to note 15 blogs I recently discovered
that I find worthy of the award.
(Photo above: A sign at a Buddhist temple advises that those with good eyes are inclined
to fall into deep wells—which is how I feel when I discover a great new blog!)
So: here are blogs I’ve added lately to my Google
Reader. (You can see my
shared items from Google Reader here, and I accept sharing requests too if you
use Google Reader.)
(1) Digital Book World
This is the newest blog launch from F+W, but
it’s backed by the inimitable Guy Gonzalez.
A good read for savvy writers who want a larger understanding of publishing industry
challenges. (Note: Digital Book World is offering a
free webinar on "The Truth About eBooks" on October 21.)
(2) When Fridays Were Fridays
Written by someone who started working for a large company right out of college and
stayed 30 years. I feel a cosmic connection to this person, because in 17 years, I
wonder if my "About Me" will look exactly the same. I particularly like her post Have
You Ever Faked It?
(3) What Consumes Me by Bud Caddell
You’ll love it at first sight.
(4) Kenny Moore
Kenny is the co-author of The
CEO and the Monk. I love how compassionate and human his advice is, while
still being practical and appropriate for a corporate setting.
(5)Start Up Blog
I feel like I’m getting a better business training here than I would at a university.
(6) Self-Publishing Review
A site that benefits from a multitude of contributors. Professional and quality information,
with a bit of magazine style to it (lead stories, resources, features).
(7)Fiction Matters
And it’s not here just because they complimented me lately (or because of a bourbon
affinity discovered on Twitter … well, maybe a little). Check
out their guidebook, then peruse tips.
(8) My Name Is Not Bob
By the charming Robert Brewer, editor of WritersMarket.com.
He is also blogger at Poetic Asides, but this is his
personal blog, just launched on August 14. He’s been a little quiet lately, but I
know he’ll be active again.
(9)The Sound and Furry
And this one is by the customer service rep behind WritersMarket.com,
who is herself an aspiring children’s writer. Great tips here for writers, plus cats
(a great accent for every blog).
(10) Information Is Beautiful
Always amazing and share-worthy posts.
(11) Clay Shirky
Very infrequent posts, but outstanding quality when it comes to contemplating the
future of media.
(12) The Book Oven
Something for everyone—especially writers—to keep an eye on.
(13) Publishing Trends
Their best content will cost you, but they still post really wonderful insider information
for free.
(14) Bad Pitch Blog
While not directly tied to writing/publishing, read this long enough and you’ll become
a better salesperson and promoter of your ideas. A totally new find and I love it.
OK, I purposely stopped at 14. You tell me what No. 15 should be—based on the best
last blog that’s been added to your RSS reader or bookmark list. (Wondering
about RSS readers? Read my tip on how to save time with an RSS reader.)
Tags: writing
Tuesday, October 6th,
2009 12:35 PM · No Comments No Notes
Tags: writing
Tuesday, September 29th,
2009 7:04 PM · No Comments No Notes
When I started at Writer’s Digest in 2001, my first assigned beat was the self-publishing
scene. I was given Dan Poynter’s Self-Publishing
Manual and The
Complete Guide to Self-Publishing by Marilyn & Tom Ross, as primers on the
topic.
I edited the magazine’s column on self-publishing (discontinued), the newsstand-only
special issues on self-publishing (also discontinued), and helped coordinate the judging
for the Self-Published Book Awards (still
going strong).
Back then, one of the biggest hurdles for any self-published author was securing
bookstore distribution for a printed book—a near impossibility unless you could
strike a deal with a wholesaler or distributor (also nearly impossible).
Much of the advice we gave in the magazine, and elsewhere, focused on how you could
distribute and sell your book directly to readers, or through specialty sales channels.
(Fortunately, 50% of books sold in this country are through specialty and mass-merchant
accounts. A few examples of a specialty account: Michael’s craft store, salons, gift
shops.)
The indie scene is much different now for a few reasons:
(1) It is easier to take a risk on self-publishing your work electronically
since there is usually very little upfront investment.
(2) You can e-publish your work for a variety of channels
(including the free-to-use Amazon DTP program),
without securing an ISBN, and without granting exclusivity to any one channel or retailer.
(3) Avid readers are beginning to buy and even prefer books in electronic format,
whether through Kindle, Sony Reader, or mobile devices.
That said, don’t take this as a sign that it’s easy to realize overnight success through
self-publishing options, whether electronically based or not. I really love Christina
Katz’s "back to reality" advice, Good-bye,
Cinderella: Self-Publishing Isn’t the Only or Always the Best Choice for Writers.
There are many viewpoints, and there are just as many changes taking place daily in
the industry. Just take the latest announcement today from Smashwords, Sony
Reader, and AuthorSolutions. People
who use Smashwords or AuthorSolutions to publish their work can have their e-book
made available on the Sony Reader.
I spoke to Smashwords founder Mark Coker yesterday
about the news, and it’s impressive to see what his service can now offer an indie
author (for free!):
-
Your e-book available for sale (or you can make it free to readers) in nine different
formats, including HTML, JavaScript, Kindle (.mobi), Epub, PDF, RTF, LRF (for Sony),
Palm Doc, and plain text (download or online view). This conversion process is totally
automated, very fast (minutes), and based on a Word document that you submit to Smashwords.
-
Automatic distribution to people who use iPhones or Android-based phones.
-
Distribution to BarnesandNoble.com, including Fictionwise and
their eReader app (distribution
to B&N is contingent upon your files meeting format requirements, e.g., having
a proper cover image and copyright page)
-
And, as of today, distribution to people using Sony Reader.
Mark says that he’s in talks with other major online retailers for even more distribution
opportunities. (I bet you can think of at least one major book retailer not listed
above.)
I see physical distribution becoming less of a meaningful barrier as authors can
distribute e-books in all the same places that traditional books are sold.
It doesn’t equate to instant or even easy success, but authors who are able to create
demand for their work, and aren’t afraid of sweat-equity, have the potential for success
if happy readers (fans!) help spread the good word.
Do you have an e-publishing experience to share? Or what questions does this raise
for people who are wondering if this path is worth the time and energy?
For more:
