Vincent Zandri's Blog - Posts Tagged "on-publishing"
PART II of my Q&A with J.Carson Black: Is it Possible to Achieve Multiple Climaxes?
Ok, get you're mind out of the gutter.
This is a family show after all.
But what J.Carson Black has me exploring this time is this: Is it possible for an indie author experience multiple climaxes with his or her books or, what's known as "spikes" up the E-Book, Kindle, and NOOK bestseller lists?
My simple answer is "yes."
While in traditional publishing, it's more common to have a single spike after which the book will slow down and hopefully enjoy steady sales (as Black points out in her query to me), it's more likely that with the indie publishing model, our books can enjoy multiple spikes for as long as we live, or for as long as E-Readers are sold to the reading public, which will be forever and ever.
Unlike in traditional publishing, we authors can better control our pricing (in my case, I consult with my publisher, Aaron Patterson, at StoneGate Ink, who is always receptive to price changes if it's worth it). Take THE INNOCENT for instance, which reached No. 3 on the Amazon Kindle E-Book Bestseller list last month, and stayed in the Top 10 for more than a month. It rose up like a rocket after we changed the price from $2.99 to $.99. But what also fueled this fire was that the novel had just been the subject of a month long virtual tour, and the cyberwaves were full of fresh reviews and interviews regarding the book.
Since May 1st, 'Innocent' has been priced at either $3.99 or back to it's $2.99, and it's never descended lower than 270 or so. Which means we're probably making more money by not being priced at $.99 and holding our own in the top 10. While I'll sell somewhere around 12K copies of 'Innocent' this month, I'd have to sell around 70K in order to receive the same cash payout at the $.99 price. That's a lot of books.
But...and this is a big BUTTTT....Books that are able to reach not only the Top 100 of the Amazon Kindle Bestseller List, but the Top 25, help propel your other higher priced books. Just take a look at Black's novels. Incredibly, she has something like 4 books in the Top 100 right now, and these books are almost certainly fueling one another. With a $.99 price tag, they are priced to sell, netting her a very nice payday. If she were to price some of her novels at $2.99 or even $3.99, they might not reside in the T0p 100 but they would certainly generate a whole lot of pretty green for her.
So can THE INNOCENT achieve a multiple climax?
Almost certainly.
There are certain books that will drag ass no matter how much you push them. There are other books that will sell steadily at a certain range and not move too far up or down no matter what you do (those are you money makers...your bread and butter books)). Then there are those books that will do better than others if given the slightest nudge, and THE INNOCENT seems to be one of them. Right now it's selling at around 200, making us a nice, fair profit. But I'm certain StoneGate will run a special at some point in the future and when it does, the novel will likely work it's way into a hot, loud, screaming climax.
But remember folks, it ain't all about pricing. It's more about great writing, and putting out a lot of books. You never know which ones are going to take off. So concentrate more on the writing as a craft and you will succeed. Inevitably, it's your best marketing tool. If the writing is no good, you'd better plan on getting a real job.
Get this blog and others like them at The Vincent Zandri Vox:
http://vincentzandri.blogspot.com/201...
Concrete Pearl
This is a family show after all.
But what J.Carson Black has me exploring this time is this: Is it possible for an indie author experience multiple climaxes with his or her books or, what's known as "spikes" up the E-Book, Kindle, and NOOK bestseller lists?
My simple answer is "yes."
While in traditional publishing, it's more common to have a single spike after which the book will slow down and hopefully enjoy steady sales (as Black points out in her query to me), it's more likely that with the indie publishing model, our books can enjoy multiple spikes for as long as we live, or for as long as E-Readers are sold to the reading public, which will be forever and ever.
Unlike in traditional publishing, we authors can better control our pricing (in my case, I consult with my publisher, Aaron Patterson, at StoneGate Ink, who is always receptive to price changes if it's worth it). Take THE INNOCENT for instance, which reached No. 3 on the Amazon Kindle E-Book Bestseller list last month, and stayed in the Top 10 for more than a month. It rose up like a rocket after we changed the price from $2.99 to $.99. But what also fueled this fire was that the novel had just been the subject of a month long virtual tour, and the cyberwaves were full of fresh reviews and interviews regarding the book.
Since May 1st, 'Innocent' has been priced at either $3.99 or back to it's $2.99, and it's never descended lower than 270 or so. Which means we're probably making more money by not being priced at $.99 and holding our own in the top 10. While I'll sell somewhere around 12K copies of 'Innocent' this month, I'd have to sell around 70K in order to receive the same cash payout at the $.99 price. That's a lot of books.
But...and this is a big BUTTTT....Books that are able to reach not only the Top 100 of the Amazon Kindle Bestseller List, but the Top 25, help propel your other higher priced books. Just take a look at Black's novels. Incredibly, she has something like 4 books in the Top 100 right now, and these books are almost certainly fueling one another. With a $.99 price tag, they are priced to sell, netting her a very nice payday. If she were to price some of her novels at $2.99 or even $3.99, they might not reside in the T0p 100 but they would certainly generate a whole lot of pretty green for her.
So can THE INNOCENT achieve a multiple climax?
Almost certainly.
There are certain books that will drag ass no matter how much you push them. There are other books that will sell steadily at a certain range and not move too far up or down no matter what you do (those are you money makers...your bread and butter books)). Then there are those books that will do better than others if given the slightest nudge, and THE INNOCENT seems to be one of them. Right now it's selling at around 200, making us a nice, fair profit. But I'm certain StoneGate will run a special at some point in the future and when it does, the novel will likely work it's way into a hot, loud, screaming climax.
But remember folks, it ain't all about pricing. It's more about great writing, and putting out a lot of books. You never know which ones are going to take off. So concentrate more on the writing as a craft and you will succeed. Inevitably, it's your best marketing tool. If the writing is no good, you'd better plan on getting a real job.
Get this blog and others like them at The Vincent Zandri Vox:
http://vincentzandri.blogspot.com/201...
Concrete Pearl
PART II of my Q&A with J.Carson Black: Is it Possible to Achieve Multiple Climaxes?
Ok, get you're mind out of the gutter.
This is a family show after all.
But what J.Carson Black has me exploring this time is this: Is it possible for an indie author experience multiple climaxes with his or her books or, what's known as "spikes" up the E-Book, Kindle, and NOOK bestseller lists?
My simple answer is "yes."
While in traditional publishing, it's more common to have a single spike after which the book will slow down and hopefully enjoy steady sales (as Black points out in her query to me), it's more likely that with the indie publishing model, our books can enjoy multiple spikes for as long as we live, or for as long as E-Readers are sold to the reading public, which will be forever and ever.
Unlike in traditional publishing, we authors can better control our pricing (in my case, I consult with my publisher, Aaron Patterson, at StoneGate Ink, who is always receptive to price changes if it's worth it). Take THE INNOCENT for instance, which reached No. 3 on the Amazon Kindle E-Book Bestseller list last month, and stayed in the Top 10 for more than a month. It rose up like a rocket after we changed the price from $2.99 to $.99. But what also fueled this fire was that the novel had just been the subject of a month long virtual tour, and the cyberwaves were full of fresh reviews and interviews regarding the book.
Since May 1st, 'Innocent' has been priced at either $3.99 or back to it's $2.99, and it's never descended lower than 270 or so. Which means we're probably making more money by not being priced at $.99 and holding our own in the top 10. While I'll sell somewhere around 12K copies of 'Innocent' this month, I'd have to sell around 70K in order to receive the same cash payout at the $.99 price. That's a lot of books.
But...and this is a big BUTTTT....Books that are able to reach not only the Top 100 of the Amazon Kindle Bestseller List, but the Top 25, help propel your other higher priced books. Just take a look at Black's novels. Incredibly, she has something like 4 books in the Top 100 right now, and these books are almost certainly fueling one another. With a $.99 price tag, they are priced to sell, netting her a very nice payday. If she were to price some of her novels at $2.99 or even $3.99, they might not reside in the T0p 100 but they would certainly generate a whole lot of pretty green for her.
So can THE INNOCENT achieve a multiple climax?
Almost certainly.
There are certain books that will drag ass no matter how much you push them. There are other books that will sell steadily at a certain range and not move too far up or down no matter what you do (those are you money makers...your bread and butter books)). Then there are those books that will do better than others if given the slightest nudge, and THE INNOCENT seems to be one of them. Right now it's selling at around 200, making us a nice, fair profit. But I'm certain StoneGate will run a special at some point in the future and when it does, the novel will likely work it's way into a hot, loud, screaming climax.
But remember folks, it ain't all about pricing. It's more about great writing, and putting out a lot of books. You never know which ones are going to take off. So concentrate more on the writing as a craft and you will succeed. Inevitably, it's your best marketing tool. If the writing is no good, you'd better plan on getting a real job.
Get this blog and others like them at The Vincent Zandri Vox:
http://vincentzandri.blogspot.com/201...
Concrete Pearl
This is a family show after all.
But what J.Carson Black has me exploring this time is this: Is it possible for an indie author experience multiple climaxes with his or her books or, what's known as "spikes" up the E-Book, Kindle, and NOOK bestseller lists?
My simple answer is "yes."
While in traditional publishing, it's more common to have a single spike after which the book will slow down and hopefully enjoy steady sales (as Black points out in her query to me), it's more likely that with the indie publishing model, our books can enjoy multiple spikes for as long as we live, or for as long as E-Readers are sold to the reading public, which will be forever and ever.
Unlike in traditional publishing, we authors can better control our pricing (in my case, I consult with my publisher, Aaron Patterson, at StoneGate Ink, who is always receptive to price changes if it's worth it). Take THE INNOCENT for instance, which reached No. 3 on the Amazon Kindle E-Book Bestseller list last month, and stayed in the Top 10 for more than a month. It rose up like a rocket after we changed the price from $2.99 to $.99. But what also fueled this fire was that the novel had just been the subject of a month long virtual tour, and the cyberwaves were full of fresh reviews and interviews regarding the book.
Since May 1st, 'Innocent' has been priced at either $3.99 or back to it's $2.99, and it's never descended lower than 270 or so. Which means we're probably making more money by not being priced at $.99 and holding our own in the top 10. While I'll sell somewhere around 12K copies of 'Innocent' this month, I'd have to sell around 70K in order to receive the same cash payout at the $.99 price. That's a lot of books.
But...and this is a big BUTTTT....Books that are able to reach not only the Top 100 of the Amazon Kindle Bestseller List, but the Top 25, help propel your other higher priced books. Just take a look at Black's novels. Incredibly, she has something like 4 books in the Top 100 right now, and these books are almost certainly fueling one another. With a $.99 price tag, they are priced to sell, netting her a very nice payday. If she were to price some of her novels at $2.99 or even $3.99, they might not reside in the T0p 100 but they would certainly generate a whole lot of pretty green for her.
So can THE INNOCENT achieve a multiple climax?
Almost certainly.
There are certain books that will drag ass no matter how much you push them. There are other books that will sell steadily at a certain range and not move too far up or down no matter what you do (those are you money makers...your bread and butter books)). Then there are those books that will do better than others if given the slightest nudge, and THE INNOCENT seems to be one of them. Right now it's selling at around 200, making us a nice, fair profit. But I'm certain StoneGate will run a special at some point in the future and when it does, the novel will likely work it's way into a hot, loud, screaming climax.
But remember folks, it ain't all about pricing. It's more about great writing, and putting out a lot of books. You never know which ones are going to take off. So concentrate more on the writing as a craft and you will succeed. Inevitably, it's your best marketing tool. If the writing is no good, you'd better plan on getting a real job.
Get this blog and others like them at The Vincent Zandri Vox:
http://vincentzandri.blogspot.com/201...
Concrete Pearl
Reason for Going Indie? Control, Control, Control...
The following was originally published at The Vincent Zandri Vox: http://vincentzandri.blogspot.com/201...
I love these stories.
Stories about old "legacy" model published authors switching to the indie publishing model (be it self-publishing or traditionally based small indie), and achieving so much success they can then make a good living from their fiction.
Terry ODell is one such author who, previously published by Five-Star/Gale is now pursuing self-publishing. In her newest blog at Terry's Place (http://terryodell.blogspot.com/2011/0...), ODell spells out the pros and cons of making the move from the old publishing model to the new indie model. I'm repeating them here. And even though they are specific to her individual circumstances, I'm sure these pros and cons will speak to each and every author who frequents the Vox:
Pros:
No lengthy wait time.
Keeps "new" material in front of readers.
Royalty payments come directly to me.
It's not as much of a 'suspense' as the other books, and the 'covert ops' side of things is less of a focus, so it's quite likely the publisher wouldn't have acquired it anyway, since they no longer have a romance imprint.
Cons:
To ensure quality, I paid a free-lance editor and a cover artist out of pocket. I also made the decision to keep the cover "similar" in tone to the other Blackthorne books, even though it's not an obvious "romantic suspense." And because I used photographs I'd taken, I saved some money there.
I had to deal with the other things a publisher normally does. In the case of an e-book, that means formatting it for the various outlets (and there are different requirements for each). It also means I'm solely responsible for marketing.
Regardless of what's pro about ODell's situation or con, the one thing that sticks out most of all is the control she now has over her books. From writing, to bringing them to market, to editing, to cover design to marketing, she is solely responsible. No longer is she at the mercy of a publisher who might take three months to consider her new material only to reject it in the end, or what could even be worse, accept it but not publish it for a a year to two years and then hang on to the rights for a decade beyond that.
One thing I'll suggest to Terry is that if she considers editing and marketing a "con" she might think about submitting her material to a popular maverick indie press like StoneHouse/StoneGate Ink. It's true she would be expected to market like crazy on her own, but their marketing efforts would also increase her chances of breaking into the Top 100 Kindles and/or Nooks exponentially. She also wouldn't have to worry about editing, formatting, conversions, covers, etc. They would naturally do all that for her, allowing her more time and, more control over that time.
Time better spent writing.
GET CONCRETE PEARL, the New Bestselling Thriller by the No. 1 Internationally Bestselling Kindle Author, Vincent Zandri!!!!
WWW.VINCENTZANDRI.COM
Concrete Pearl
I love these stories.
Stories about old "legacy" model published authors switching to the indie publishing model (be it self-publishing or traditionally based small indie), and achieving so much success they can then make a good living from their fiction.
Terry ODell is one such author who, previously published by Five-Star/Gale is now pursuing self-publishing. In her newest blog at Terry's Place (http://terryodell.blogspot.com/2011/0...), ODell spells out the pros and cons of making the move from the old publishing model to the new indie model. I'm repeating them here. And even though they are specific to her individual circumstances, I'm sure these pros and cons will speak to each and every author who frequents the Vox:
Pros:
No lengthy wait time.
Keeps "new" material in front of readers.
Royalty payments come directly to me.
It's not as much of a 'suspense' as the other books, and the 'covert ops' side of things is less of a focus, so it's quite likely the publisher wouldn't have acquired it anyway, since they no longer have a romance imprint.
Cons:
To ensure quality, I paid a free-lance editor and a cover artist out of pocket. I also made the decision to keep the cover "similar" in tone to the other Blackthorne books, even though it's not an obvious "romantic suspense." And because I used photographs I'd taken, I saved some money there.
I had to deal with the other things a publisher normally does. In the case of an e-book, that means formatting it for the various outlets (and there are different requirements for each). It also means I'm solely responsible for marketing.
Regardless of what's pro about ODell's situation or con, the one thing that sticks out most of all is the control she now has over her books. From writing, to bringing them to market, to editing, to cover design to marketing, she is solely responsible. No longer is she at the mercy of a publisher who might take three months to consider her new material only to reject it in the end, or what could even be worse, accept it but not publish it for a a year to two years and then hang on to the rights for a decade beyond that.
One thing I'll suggest to Terry is that if she considers editing and marketing a "con" she might think about submitting her material to a popular maverick indie press like StoneHouse/StoneGate Ink. It's true she would be expected to market like crazy on her own, but their marketing efforts would also increase her chances of breaking into the Top 100 Kindles and/or Nooks exponentially. She also wouldn't have to worry about editing, formatting, conversions, covers, etc. They would naturally do all that for her, allowing her more time and, more control over that time.
Time better spent writing.
GET CONCRETE PEARL, the New Bestselling Thriller by the No. 1 Internationally Bestselling Kindle Author, Vincent Zandri!!!!
WWW.VINCENTZANDRI.COM
Concrete Pearl
Amazon Tags: The Good News & The Good News
The following Blog originally appeared at The Vincent Zandri Vox: http://vincentzandri.blogspot.com/201...
________________________________________
Some of us took it on the chin last week. Us authors published by indie outfits like StoneHouse/StoneGate Ink and some of you self-pub'd authors, that is. Amazon decided to remove the tags that can lead readers to our books whenever they search for a certain type of read, be it hard-boiled or romantic suspense or a book that's a lot like James Patterson's books for that matter. Combine that with some sales reporting glitches and a summer special concocted by Amazon in which they selected 600 novels (most of which are published by the major houses in New York), discounted them to $2.99 or less to make them as attractive as indie books, and it all came together to create a major slowdown in our sales.
I did some blogging on the tag topic last week and received more comments than ever before. Tagging, although not essential for selling novels is nonetheless, a valuable tool in helping potential readers and hopefully would-be fans find your work. One of the comments by a fellow indie pub'd author was quite revealing and came as a bit of a relief. He pointed out the fact that the tags are not gone at all. They are just no longer posted beneath a particular book's product description. Which means Amazon has decided that only books that you purchase can be tagged. What this will do for them is cut down on the amount of "gaming" abuse that can occur with tags, and perhaps put a halt to what they and the the Big Six Legacy Pubs consider the worst tag of all: "Boycott $9.99" Kindles."
So, if you want to find your tags, here's what you do:
-Go to your Customer Account (not your Author Central Account)
-Scroll down to "Improve Your Recommendations"
-BAM! Your tags will appear for you in the form of books you have purchased.
So that's it, for now.
Word on the street from some of my other blog readers is that Amazon Support has promised that the tags are to return to the main Kindle E-Book pages and that what's happened is in fact, a glitch in the system. But considering the timing of the "600 Kindle Titles Special," I don't know if I'm buying it.
The good news is that all games aside, the indie titles are slowly gaining back the ground they lost last week, and even re-entering the "Movers and Shakers" list. Which means that no matter what kind of battles the head honchos of the Big Six and stores like Amazon decide to wage against us indies, the overall war will be won by us.
Why?
Because we can offer great work for an affordable price and we can do it forever and ever, Amen.
_______________________________________
To buy Zandri's Top 100 Bestselling Kindle E-Books like THE INNOCENT and GODCHILD (both only $.99 for a limited time) head on over to WWW.VINCENTZANDRI.COM
The Remains
________________________________________
Some of us took it on the chin last week. Us authors published by indie outfits like StoneHouse/StoneGate Ink and some of you self-pub'd authors, that is. Amazon decided to remove the tags that can lead readers to our books whenever they search for a certain type of read, be it hard-boiled or romantic suspense or a book that's a lot like James Patterson's books for that matter. Combine that with some sales reporting glitches and a summer special concocted by Amazon in which they selected 600 novels (most of which are published by the major houses in New York), discounted them to $2.99 or less to make them as attractive as indie books, and it all came together to create a major slowdown in our sales.
I did some blogging on the tag topic last week and received more comments than ever before. Tagging, although not essential for selling novels is nonetheless, a valuable tool in helping potential readers and hopefully would-be fans find your work. One of the comments by a fellow indie pub'd author was quite revealing and came as a bit of a relief. He pointed out the fact that the tags are not gone at all. They are just no longer posted beneath a particular book's product description. Which means Amazon has decided that only books that you purchase can be tagged. What this will do for them is cut down on the amount of "gaming" abuse that can occur with tags, and perhaps put a halt to what they and the the Big Six Legacy Pubs consider the worst tag of all: "Boycott $9.99" Kindles."
So, if you want to find your tags, here's what you do:
-Go to your Customer Account (not your Author Central Account)
-Scroll down to "Improve Your Recommendations"
-BAM! Your tags will appear for you in the form of books you have purchased.
So that's it, for now.
Word on the street from some of my other blog readers is that Amazon Support has promised that the tags are to return to the main Kindle E-Book pages and that what's happened is in fact, a glitch in the system. But considering the timing of the "600 Kindle Titles Special," I don't know if I'm buying it.
The good news is that all games aside, the indie titles are slowly gaining back the ground they lost last week, and even re-entering the "Movers and Shakers" list. Which means that no matter what kind of battles the head honchos of the Big Six and stores like Amazon decide to wage against us indies, the overall war will be won by us.
Why?
Because we can offer great work for an affordable price and we can do it forever and ever, Amen.
_______________________________________
To buy Zandri's Top 100 Bestselling Kindle E-Books like THE INNOCENT and GODCHILD (both only $.99 for a limited time) head on over to WWW.VINCENTZANDRI.COM
The Remains
"YOU CAN WRITE ON THE SIDE!"
The following blog is now appearing in The Vincent Zandri Vox: http://vincentzandri.blogspot.com/201...
_________________________________________
I just read a great blog by bestselling thriller author Aaron Patterson, who also happens to be my publisher at what might arguably be the most successful indie press in business right now: StoneHouse/StoneGate Ink. In his blog he talks about WORK, and how there's no real magic bullet when it comes to sales other than old fashioned hard work, the ability to adjust to new trends and circumstances, and personal character development that will allow you to ride out storms and low periods with a certain grace. Because after all, publishing is a cyclical business of terrific bursts of sales in which it seems the whole world is buying up your novels, and other periods of relative disinterest where you can't even get your mom to purchase a copy.
This afternoon, I will have a meeting with my agent to discuss interest from the major publishers in my new novel or novels. As many of you know I've published with the majors before, and recently, two of those novels, THE INNOCENT and GODCHILD have gone on to become major Amazon Kindle E-Book Bestsellers, both having hung out in the Top 100 for more than two months, and the former in the Top 10 for an equal amount of time. In fact, in three months time, I've moved around 200,000 of these E-Books. Which of course makes me, Vincent Zandri, Inc. register, or in this case re-register, on the radar of the biggies.
As many of you know, I believe that an author is best served by maintaining a mix of both indie press published books, self-published books, and traditional legacy published books. It seems to me the best way to maximize your sales and marketing potential while assuring you a nice financial cushion to rest your laurels on while you write. But the only thing I will be wary of when talking to my agent about a major deal is this: how long will my rights be tied up for? How much of an advance can I expect? What would be the advantages of a traditional deal over that of the deals I've struck up with my present publisher? What kind of lag time will there be between a contract offer and date of publication? What kind of royalty can I expect on E-Book publication? And how much will a traditional publisher charge for said book? (WARNING: I can name at least two very successful indie authors who signed with the biggies and who now, do not sell!!! Yikes!)
As I write this I can't help but think of those horrible couple of years I endured during the middle part of the last decade, when I couldn't get a book published if I pressed a pistol barrel to an editor's head. I was living in a big house in a suburb of Albany (my father in-law put up the down payment) with a woman I loved but who could no longer bear the writer's life, such as it was. Her parents were practically yelling at me to get a job or go back to work in my dad's construction business. "You can write on the side!" they insisted, with scowls on their faces. Even my wife insisted that I was selfish. And when she looked at me coldly and said, "I'm sorry the writing thing didn't work out," I knew that the time had come for me to get back to work writing the best book I could, even under circumstances that were pure domestic hell.
Even though my choices cost me my marriage, I've never regretted making the decision to remain a writer. In a real way, I don't feel that I had a choice but to remain a writer. For me, there is no other way to be; no other way for me to identify with myself. And today, I'm back to making a great living not only as a journalist, but mostly as a novelist. Now it's possible I'll be publishing with a major outfit once again. Of course, nothing here is a sure bet, and for all I know, the renewed interest in my work from NYC will fade away.
But somehow, I don't think so.
Somehow I believe I'm going to have to sit down with my friends God and Conscience and do some serious soul searching over the next few weeks. In any case, one thing will be for certain: I will continue to publish with my family at StoneHouse/StoneGate Ink for as long as they will have me , and I will one day (I know, I know, I keep saying it...) take the plunge and self-publish one or two of my novels. And, who knows, one day soon, I might sign on with a traditional publisher once again, for a book or two. If I do that, I will have come full circle.
Oh, and by the way, I ran into my former in-laws this past weekend at a play my six year old daughter was in. They are very nervous in front of me these days, and they can't find the strength to look me in the eye. As we exited the theater, I happened to mention about how I'd worked on the building many years ago "back when I was in the construction business." "Thank God I don't have to do that kind of work anymore," I added with a laugh. I guess I kind of expected a response. But they both just put their heads down, and walked quietly away.
(TO BE CONTINUED...)
Concrete Pearl
_________________________________________
I just read a great blog by bestselling thriller author Aaron Patterson, who also happens to be my publisher at what might arguably be the most successful indie press in business right now: StoneHouse/StoneGate Ink. In his blog he talks about WORK, and how there's no real magic bullet when it comes to sales other than old fashioned hard work, the ability to adjust to new trends and circumstances, and personal character development that will allow you to ride out storms and low periods with a certain grace. Because after all, publishing is a cyclical business of terrific bursts of sales in which it seems the whole world is buying up your novels, and other periods of relative disinterest where you can't even get your mom to purchase a copy.
This afternoon, I will have a meeting with my agent to discuss interest from the major publishers in my new novel or novels. As many of you know I've published with the majors before, and recently, two of those novels, THE INNOCENT and GODCHILD have gone on to become major Amazon Kindle E-Book Bestsellers, both having hung out in the Top 100 for more than two months, and the former in the Top 10 for an equal amount of time. In fact, in three months time, I've moved around 200,000 of these E-Books. Which of course makes me, Vincent Zandri, Inc. register, or in this case re-register, on the radar of the biggies.
As many of you know, I believe that an author is best served by maintaining a mix of both indie press published books, self-published books, and traditional legacy published books. It seems to me the best way to maximize your sales and marketing potential while assuring you a nice financial cushion to rest your laurels on while you write. But the only thing I will be wary of when talking to my agent about a major deal is this: how long will my rights be tied up for? How much of an advance can I expect? What would be the advantages of a traditional deal over that of the deals I've struck up with my present publisher? What kind of lag time will there be between a contract offer and date of publication? What kind of royalty can I expect on E-Book publication? And how much will a traditional publisher charge for said book? (WARNING: I can name at least two very successful indie authors who signed with the biggies and who now, do not sell!!! Yikes!)
As I write this I can't help but think of those horrible couple of years I endured during the middle part of the last decade, when I couldn't get a book published if I pressed a pistol barrel to an editor's head. I was living in a big house in a suburb of Albany (my father in-law put up the down payment) with a woman I loved but who could no longer bear the writer's life, such as it was. Her parents were practically yelling at me to get a job or go back to work in my dad's construction business. "You can write on the side!" they insisted, with scowls on their faces. Even my wife insisted that I was selfish. And when she looked at me coldly and said, "I'm sorry the writing thing didn't work out," I knew that the time had come for me to get back to work writing the best book I could, even under circumstances that were pure domestic hell.
Even though my choices cost me my marriage, I've never regretted making the decision to remain a writer. In a real way, I don't feel that I had a choice but to remain a writer. For me, there is no other way to be; no other way for me to identify with myself. And today, I'm back to making a great living not only as a journalist, but mostly as a novelist. Now it's possible I'll be publishing with a major outfit once again. Of course, nothing here is a sure bet, and for all I know, the renewed interest in my work from NYC will fade away.
But somehow, I don't think so.
Somehow I believe I'm going to have to sit down with my friends God and Conscience and do some serious soul searching over the next few weeks. In any case, one thing will be for certain: I will continue to publish with my family at StoneHouse/StoneGate Ink for as long as they will have me , and I will one day (I know, I know, I keep saying it...) take the plunge and self-publish one or two of my novels. And, who knows, one day soon, I might sign on with a traditional publisher once again, for a book or two. If I do that, I will have come full circle.
Oh, and by the way, I ran into my former in-laws this past weekend at a play my six year old daughter was in. They are very nervous in front of me these days, and they can't find the strength to look me in the eye. As we exited the theater, I happened to mention about how I'd worked on the building many years ago "back when I was in the construction business." "Thank God I don't have to do that kind of work anymore," I added with a laugh. I guess I kind of expected a response. But they both just put their heads down, and walked quietly away.
(TO BE CONTINUED...)
Concrete Pearl
Sales, Slips, and Slowdowns...Oh My!
The following blog is now appearing at The Vincent zandri Vox:http://vincentzandri.blogspot.com/201...
There are reasons I don't get into publishing and this is the main reason why: Success is a guessing game more synonymous with luck than solid business practices or science.
My books took a bit of dip this month compared with rocket-propelled sales of the past three months in which I sold over 100,000 Kindle E-Books of one single title alone: THE INNOCENT. That book was purposely priced at $.99 for a period and we (meaning myself and my pub StoneGate Ink), believe that the special price propelled the sale initially. And then, once it reached a certain rank (say below 50, sales snowballed) It also served to expand my audience by enormous numbers.
However, when you price a book that cheaply you also pretty much give away the store. Even so, I made a personal profit of over $15,000 for that one book. Not bad change. But in May, when we changed the price to a more realistic and reasonable $3.99 and later, $2.99 (remember folks, I am traditionally published and receive only a 50% commission for which an agent takes 15%), we then earned a very reasonable profit from a book that was once acquired by Delacorte Press and blurbed by the likes of Harlan Coben and Don Winslow. We sold something like 13,000 copies during May which we were happy about. The irony? If Random House had held onto the E-Rights for both THE INNOCENT and GODCHILD (which also hit the Top 30), I would have finally earned out my mid-six figure advance with them. Bad timing on their part, great timing on mine.
The final sales strategy analysis? According to indie publisher and bestselling author Aaron Patterson (who is also my publisher) "The end result was about a 5k increase to the bottom line, but a hugs loss on the people reached. The question is: Is it better to reach a huge amount of people for a time and give up sales, or try to make as much as you can no matter how many sell? I believe in both. Put books on sale, test the market as each author will have different stats. Some will sell well at a buck and others it wont matter. I have one author that sells just as good at 2.99 as she does at 8.99. So we keep it at 8.99. "
Then came June, the Amazon Summer Sizzler thing, the tag debacle and who knows what else, and sales dropped off significantly no matter what the price. Apparently, a lot of indie authors and no doubt, legacy published authors as well, began scratching their heads as early as June 2nd at the virtual tanking of their ranks. Since this was an across the board phenomenon much has been written and speculated about what happened. Indie expert and bestselling author Joe Konrath addressed this issue yesterday in his blog by pointing out the following:
"Summer is slow. But once the holiday season comes around again, there will be another boost in sales across the board. This year should be bigger than last year, as ereader prices come down and move from early adopters into the mainstream. In other words, no one needs to panic. No business has constant, unstoppable growth. Sales fluctuate. This is normal."
This a is a rapidly changing and emerging business. Which is why I'm a full-time writer and not a publisher. E-Books are still in their infancy, and for any of you who have children, you know how everyday can be an adventure when you have a baby hanging around. One minute the cuddly little kid is cooing in your arms, snuggled up all warm and cozy in the nape of your neck, and next, he's projectile hurling chunks all over your new gaberdine suit.
So what to do?
Listen the experts when they tell you not to worry about minute-by-minute sales. Like Konrath says, this is "a marathon not a sprint." It's E-Books. Our books aren't about to be removed from the shelves anytime soon. Like Patterson says, keep experimenting with prices until you find that "sweet spot." You don't have to be in the Amazon Top Ten in order to make a good living (although it is rush for the ego, believe me..., but again quoting Joe, "what goes up must come down").
But also listen to your heart...Your writing heart that is. No doubt it will tell you to write more books, and to write them as well as you are humanly capable. There is no better way to guarantee excellent sales than by introducing a new book to your fans and future fans.
Concrete Pearl
There are reasons I don't get into publishing and this is the main reason why: Success is a guessing game more synonymous with luck than solid business practices or science.
My books took a bit of dip this month compared with rocket-propelled sales of the past three months in which I sold over 100,000 Kindle E-Books of one single title alone: THE INNOCENT. That book was purposely priced at $.99 for a period and we (meaning myself and my pub StoneGate Ink), believe that the special price propelled the sale initially. And then, once it reached a certain rank (say below 50, sales snowballed) It also served to expand my audience by enormous numbers.
However, when you price a book that cheaply you also pretty much give away the store. Even so, I made a personal profit of over $15,000 for that one book. Not bad change. But in May, when we changed the price to a more realistic and reasonable $3.99 and later, $2.99 (remember folks, I am traditionally published and receive only a 50% commission for which an agent takes 15%), we then earned a very reasonable profit from a book that was once acquired by Delacorte Press and blurbed by the likes of Harlan Coben and Don Winslow. We sold something like 13,000 copies during May which we were happy about. The irony? If Random House had held onto the E-Rights for both THE INNOCENT and GODCHILD (which also hit the Top 30), I would have finally earned out my mid-six figure advance with them. Bad timing on their part, great timing on mine.
The final sales strategy analysis? According to indie publisher and bestselling author Aaron Patterson (who is also my publisher) "The end result was about a 5k increase to the bottom line, but a hugs loss on the people reached. The question is: Is it better to reach a huge amount of people for a time and give up sales, or try to make as much as you can no matter how many sell? I believe in both. Put books on sale, test the market as each author will have different stats. Some will sell well at a buck and others it wont matter. I have one author that sells just as good at 2.99 as she does at 8.99. So we keep it at 8.99. "
Then came June, the Amazon Summer Sizzler thing, the tag debacle and who knows what else, and sales dropped off significantly no matter what the price. Apparently, a lot of indie authors and no doubt, legacy published authors as well, began scratching their heads as early as June 2nd at the virtual tanking of their ranks. Since this was an across the board phenomenon much has been written and speculated about what happened. Indie expert and bestselling author Joe Konrath addressed this issue yesterday in his blog by pointing out the following:
"Summer is slow. But once the holiday season comes around again, there will be another boost in sales across the board. This year should be bigger than last year, as ereader prices come down and move from early adopters into the mainstream. In other words, no one needs to panic. No business has constant, unstoppable growth. Sales fluctuate. This is normal."
This a is a rapidly changing and emerging business. Which is why I'm a full-time writer and not a publisher. E-Books are still in their infancy, and for any of you who have children, you know how everyday can be an adventure when you have a baby hanging around. One minute the cuddly little kid is cooing in your arms, snuggled up all warm and cozy in the nape of your neck, and next, he's projectile hurling chunks all over your new gaberdine suit.
So what to do?
Listen the experts when they tell you not to worry about minute-by-minute sales. Like Konrath says, this is "a marathon not a sprint." It's E-Books. Our books aren't about to be removed from the shelves anytime soon. Like Patterson says, keep experimenting with prices until you find that "sweet spot." You don't have to be in the Amazon Top Ten in order to make a good living (although it is rush for the ego, believe me..., but again quoting Joe, "what goes up must come down").
But also listen to your heart...Your writing heart that is. No doubt it will tell you to write more books, and to write them as well as you are humanly capable. There is no better way to guarantee excellent sales than by introducing a new book to your fans and future fans.
Concrete Pearl
Sunday Blog in Bed: The Eye of the Reader
The following blogs is "now appearing" at The Vincent Zandri Vox: http://vincentzandri.blogspot.com/201...
----------------------------------
This isn't the first time I've blogged about the new importance of book covers....E-Book covers that is...and I'm sure it won't be the last. Never before has a reader's initial impression of a possible read been more important. Everyday dozens (or is it hundreds? Thousands?) of new E-Books are uploaded and/or published and everyday those same books must attempt to catch the eye of the reader. Because in this day and age, you damn well can and in some cases, should be able to judge a book by it's cover.
The power of covers has never been so well demonstrated as it has been with the recent success of John Locke whose thriller series all sport a very recognizable set of sexy legs on the covers. What do these legs have to do with the story itself? Prior to having read his work, I simply wasn't sure. But I can tell you this: those legs did tempt me into buying a couple of his titles. And now, whenever I come across one of those leggy covers, even if it's a brand new one, I know precisely who the author is and that no doubt the book will be a major bestseller. That's what's commonly known in the business as "branding." As authors, we all are creating our own unique brand of writing. Readers will come to rely on that brand for it's particular qualities (Pay attention newly graduated graphic designers. There's a ton of new work out there for you).
Another writer whose covers have the power to draw me in towards that "BUY NOW WITH 1-CLICK" button, are those of J. Carson Black. Her covers are not only rich in color and texture but utilize photographs and words to convey the dark thriller within (So do the "dark" titles).
Darkness on the Edge of Town is one such thriller that is a runaway bestseller (Carson is currently smoking my sales numbers). What makes this novel enticing initially is the cover. Its depiction of a neon lit street corner screams noir. The image has depth and wickedness in it, and mucho suspense. Words appear floating over the image...words that appear to have been typed on an old fashion Smith Corona typewriter. The kind Dash Hammett might have used when writing The Maltese Falcon, or when typing up a grocery list for his mistress Lillian Hellman which no doubt included several bottles of gin.
One word in particular shoots out at the reader: "Girl12." That, combined with a great quote by T. Jefferson Parker and you have a cover that not only draws, it provides information and tells a story about the story you will no doubt be compelled to purchase.
I was shocked to learn the Black and her husband produce these covers on their own. I've spent the past year bragging about my own covers on my own books like The Innocent and The Remains and how instrumental they have been in making those books Amazon bestsellers. But then, I had no part in creating them. They were made for me by my publisher.
The only cover of mine I've never been quite sure of is Godchild, since it's so dark and mobsterish looking, when in fact, it is the sequel to The Innocent (the book is presently about to be repackaged and retitled to The Guilty...Please make a note of it). In any case, whether you DIY or publish traditionally, beware of getting the cover wrong since it risks sending off an unintended message. Covers these days must convey precision. The images and layout must be specific to the story or the reader will barely get through only a few pages before deleting it from his or her E-Reader or prematurely shelving the trade paper version. No one likes a bait and switch.
That's why I love Black's covers so much. You know what you're getting just by gazing into the image and reading her non de plume ("Black" is not an indiscriminate choice) . Her covers create a different reality for me that I can't wait to enter into. The same can be said for the covers of Aaron Patterson (especially Sweet Dreams), Joshua Graham, Dave Zeltserman, Charlie Huston, Simon Wood and so many others. You recognize a specific brand of writing when you look at their covers. You know what you're getting.
Of course the cover just gains you admission to the show. Inevitably, a good price, product description, and most of all, damn good writing, will mean the difference between a reader who reads only one of your novels and one who can't wait to read the mother load.
WWW.VINCENTZANDRI.COM
The Innocent
----------------------------------
This isn't the first time I've blogged about the new importance of book covers....E-Book covers that is...and I'm sure it won't be the last. Never before has a reader's initial impression of a possible read been more important. Everyday dozens (or is it hundreds? Thousands?) of new E-Books are uploaded and/or published and everyday those same books must attempt to catch the eye of the reader. Because in this day and age, you damn well can and in some cases, should be able to judge a book by it's cover.
The power of covers has never been so well demonstrated as it has been with the recent success of John Locke whose thriller series all sport a very recognizable set of sexy legs on the covers. What do these legs have to do with the story itself? Prior to having read his work, I simply wasn't sure. But I can tell you this: those legs did tempt me into buying a couple of his titles. And now, whenever I come across one of those leggy covers, even if it's a brand new one, I know precisely who the author is and that no doubt the book will be a major bestseller. That's what's commonly known in the business as "branding." As authors, we all are creating our own unique brand of writing. Readers will come to rely on that brand for it's particular qualities (Pay attention newly graduated graphic designers. There's a ton of new work out there for you).
Another writer whose covers have the power to draw me in towards that "BUY NOW WITH 1-CLICK" button, are those of J. Carson Black. Her covers are not only rich in color and texture but utilize photographs and words to convey the dark thriller within (So do the "dark" titles).
Darkness on the Edge of Town is one such thriller that is a runaway bestseller (Carson is currently smoking my sales numbers). What makes this novel enticing initially is the cover. Its depiction of a neon lit street corner screams noir. The image has depth and wickedness in it, and mucho suspense. Words appear floating over the image...words that appear to have been typed on an old fashion Smith Corona typewriter. The kind Dash Hammett might have used when writing The Maltese Falcon, or when typing up a grocery list for his mistress Lillian Hellman which no doubt included several bottles of gin.
One word in particular shoots out at the reader: "Girl12." That, combined with a great quote by T. Jefferson Parker and you have a cover that not only draws, it provides information and tells a story about the story you will no doubt be compelled to purchase.
I was shocked to learn the Black and her husband produce these covers on their own. I've spent the past year bragging about my own covers on my own books like The Innocent and The Remains and how instrumental they have been in making those books Amazon bestsellers. But then, I had no part in creating them. They were made for me by my publisher.
The only cover of mine I've never been quite sure of is Godchild, since it's so dark and mobsterish looking, when in fact, it is the sequel to The Innocent (the book is presently about to be repackaged and retitled to The Guilty...Please make a note of it). In any case, whether you DIY or publish traditionally, beware of getting the cover wrong since it risks sending off an unintended message. Covers these days must convey precision. The images and layout must be specific to the story or the reader will barely get through only a few pages before deleting it from his or her E-Reader or prematurely shelving the trade paper version. No one likes a bait and switch.
That's why I love Black's covers so much. You know what you're getting just by gazing into the image and reading her non de plume ("Black" is not an indiscriminate choice) . Her covers create a different reality for me that I can't wait to enter into. The same can be said for the covers of Aaron Patterson (especially Sweet Dreams), Joshua Graham, Dave Zeltserman, Charlie Huston, Simon Wood and so many others. You recognize a specific brand of writing when you look at their covers. You know what you're getting.
Of course the cover just gains you admission to the show. Inevitably, a good price, product description, and most of all, damn good writing, will mean the difference between a reader who reads only one of your novels and one who can't wait to read the mother load.
WWW.VINCENTZANDRI.COM
The Innocent
ThrillerFest Report No. 1
The following blog is now appearing at The Vincent Zandri Vox: http://vincentzandri.blogspot.com/201...
I've never been a huge fan of organized travel tours.
You know, eat when you're told, sleep when you're told, get off the bus and shop when you're told, use the bathroom when you're told.
For me, most of the fun and adventure of travel is getting lost and emersing yourself in the customs and lifestyles of the foreign destination you've landed in.
The same can be said of writers conferences.
I generally avoid them because it's one of those things where you have to be "on" all the time and subject to a schedule. You know, kind of like hanging out at the in-laws for the weekend. Anyone who's ever been married or close to me knows that I abhor schedules. I haven't had a proper job in almost two decades and when it comes to being on-time or one of the go-with-the-flow guys during the weekend college buddy get-together-on-the-golf-course, I can be relied upon about as much as the location of the next funnel cloud. I don't golf. It's too boring.
Ok, that said, I am however looking forward to this year's Thrillerfest in NYC, ITW's featured annual event of some pretty heavy hitting thriller writers. Naturally some of the attraction is NYC itself. The concrete jungle is one of my homes. I'm going to be speaking on the panel for "Foreign Destinations" at 3:00PM on Saturday, and I have a lunch set up with an editor on Friday, plus my publisher will be there, but otherwise, I will look forward to hanging at the bar with a bunch of other cool writers, and taking in some awesome restaurants, like Deux Amis on 51st street and second ave tonight.
This is a great year of change not only for writers but publishers, agents and marketing people also. So no doubt there will be some pretty lively discussions about our future. Things are so hot right now in the industry I wouldn't doubt it if some tempers begin to flair. But I would imagine all arguments will be friendly. Unlike visual artists, writers always seem to be in competition with one another, but organizations like ITW (and believe me, I usually stay away from organizations or any kind, including religious, academic and political) have a real benign way of bringing everyone together for a good cause and good time.
So "solidarity" is the word of the weekend at this year's ThrillerFest!!!!
More to come tomorrow when I will no doubt be nursing one of several anticipated hangovers!
Ciao Ciao for now!
Concrete Pearl
I've never been a huge fan of organized travel tours.
You know, eat when you're told, sleep when you're told, get off the bus and shop when you're told, use the bathroom when you're told.
For me, most of the fun and adventure of travel is getting lost and emersing yourself in the customs and lifestyles of the foreign destination you've landed in.
The same can be said of writers conferences.
I generally avoid them because it's one of those things where you have to be "on" all the time and subject to a schedule. You know, kind of like hanging out at the in-laws for the weekend. Anyone who's ever been married or close to me knows that I abhor schedules. I haven't had a proper job in almost two decades and when it comes to being on-time or one of the go-with-the-flow guys during the weekend college buddy get-together-on-the-golf-course, I can be relied upon about as much as the location of the next funnel cloud. I don't golf. It's too boring.
Ok, that said, I am however looking forward to this year's Thrillerfest in NYC, ITW's featured annual event of some pretty heavy hitting thriller writers. Naturally some of the attraction is NYC itself. The concrete jungle is one of my homes. I'm going to be speaking on the panel for "Foreign Destinations" at 3:00PM on Saturday, and I have a lunch set up with an editor on Friday, plus my publisher will be there, but otherwise, I will look forward to hanging at the bar with a bunch of other cool writers, and taking in some awesome restaurants, like Deux Amis on 51st street and second ave tonight.
This is a great year of change not only for writers but publishers, agents and marketing people also. So no doubt there will be some pretty lively discussions about our future. Things are so hot right now in the industry I wouldn't doubt it if some tempers begin to flair. But I would imagine all arguments will be friendly. Unlike visual artists, writers always seem to be in competition with one another, but organizations like ITW (and believe me, I usually stay away from organizations or any kind, including religious, academic and political) have a real benign way of bringing everyone together for a good cause and good time.
So "solidarity" is the word of the weekend at this year's ThrillerFest!!!!
More to come tomorrow when I will no doubt be nursing one of several anticipated hangovers!
Ciao Ciao for now!
Concrete Pearl
The Future of Publishing: An Insider's Scoop
The following blog is "now appearing" at the Vincent Zandri Vox: http://vincentzandri.blogspot.com/201...
Just back from Thrillerfest sponsored by ITW, and my head is spinning with all that I learned "behind the scenes" from some pretty heavy-hitting insiders. I'm not going to name names or anything like that because most of what I'm about to tell you you already know or have surmised in your thoughts. But to hear these things spelled out and confirmed by some heavy-hitting legacy authors, editors, and agents hits home.
1. The mass-market paperback will become extinct in 2012. It will give away to the more popular E-Book.
2. Legacy publishers are smartly acquiring the E-Rights to their author's back-lists.
3. Many legacy publishers will be publishing E-Books beginning in 2012 at an average price of $2.99 in order to make them better able to compete in the marketplace. These E-Books will effectively replace mass market paperback.
4. More agents will become E-Book publishers in 2012
5. More agents will drop out of the business altogether in 2012
6. Many legacy editors who have been working in the business for 20 years or more, will become freelance editors.
7. Google E-Books will be the one online store to give Amazon Kindle some serious competition (maybe).
8. Barnes and Nobles will close more stores.
9. More traditionally published authors will explore both indy and self-publishing via E-Book in order to increase their bottom lines. At the same time, they will be reluctant to hand over E-Book rights to the legacy publishers.
10. The 2012 book signing phase of ThrillerFest will include technology that will make it possible for authors to sign E-Books.
11. E-Book Kiosks will soon become as common as Coke machines.
Well, that's just of a few of the changes coming down the pike. Like I've always said however, I believe it's in an authors best interest to engage in a variety of publishing. 1/3 legacy; 1/3 indy; 1/3 self. In a perfect world, that is. I'm still heavy on the traditionally based indy, but I remain open to the future of publishing and the tremendous opportunities that will be available to us as full-time authors.
Concrete Pearl
Just back from Thrillerfest sponsored by ITW, and my head is spinning with all that I learned "behind the scenes" from some pretty heavy-hitting insiders. I'm not going to name names or anything like that because most of what I'm about to tell you you already know or have surmised in your thoughts. But to hear these things spelled out and confirmed by some heavy-hitting legacy authors, editors, and agents hits home.
1. The mass-market paperback will become extinct in 2012. It will give away to the more popular E-Book.
2. Legacy publishers are smartly acquiring the E-Rights to their author's back-lists.
3. Many legacy publishers will be publishing E-Books beginning in 2012 at an average price of $2.99 in order to make them better able to compete in the marketplace. These E-Books will effectively replace mass market paperback.
4. More agents will become E-Book publishers in 2012
5. More agents will drop out of the business altogether in 2012
6. Many legacy editors who have been working in the business for 20 years or more, will become freelance editors.
7. Google E-Books will be the one online store to give Amazon Kindle some serious competition (maybe).
8. Barnes and Nobles will close more stores.
9. More traditionally published authors will explore both indy and self-publishing via E-Book in order to increase their bottom lines. At the same time, they will be reluctant to hand over E-Book rights to the legacy publishers.
10. The 2012 book signing phase of ThrillerFest will include technology that will make it possible for authors to sign E-Books.
11. E-Book Kiosks will soon become as common as Coke machines.
Well, that's just of a few of the changes coming down the pike. Like I've always said however, I believe it's in an authors best interest to engage in a variety of publishing. 1/3 legacy; 1/3 indy; 1/3 self. In a perfect world, that is. I'm still heavy on the traditionally based indy, but I remain open to the future of publishing and the tremendous opportunities that will be available to us as full-time authors.
Concrete Pearl
Steve DeWinter is a Hot New Indie Author
The following blog is "Now Appearing" at the Vincent Zandri Vox:
His name might literally mean "of Winter" but this bestselling indie author is becoming hotter and hotter with books like Inherit the Throne. I met Steve DeWinter in person at the recent ITW Thrillerfest in NYC and we hit it off smashingly as they say in Londontown. We tipped a few, cruised into the heart of Hells Kitchen for some Asian along with my girlfriend and publisher Aaron Patterson, and just generally laughed a lot at some silly stuff. Oh, did I tell you that despite his serious talent, dude's as silly as I am?
Ladies and gentlemen I'm happy to introduce to you for the very first time, Steve DeWinter:
Publishing is a lot like baseball.
There are seasoned professionals who have been playing the game for a long time and then there are the rookies who are just starting out. The same can be said for published authors.
For the sake of argument, let’s consider those authors who go through publishing houses as seasoned professionals. Now before you get your panties in a bunch, let me just say that the reason I have put authors who have signed on with traditional publishers (and a growing number of indie-publishers like StoneHouse Ink) in the professional category, is that these publishers invest in the books they publish. Money has been spent, prior to publishing the book, to ensure that all the spelling, punctuation, grammar and word usage (hear vs here) errors have been vetted and eradicated. These books are put through a rigorous editing and proofing phase before they are released for public consumption.
Now that I have qualified the professionals, I'm sure we can all guess who the rookies are? I'm not saying that a rookie author can't write a great story, but if you are the type of reader who is jarred by the occasional misspelling, and cannot enjoy a book because of it, you will want to stick with the professional authors. But here is your quandary. With online retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble opening up the floodgates and letting just anyone publish their eBooks for Kindle and Nook, how can you, the reader, tell the difference between the seasoned professional and the rookie?
By the editing.
There are two forms of editing that can be done for a book. There is objective editing and subjective editing. What’s the difference you might ask, editing is editing. Not quite. Objective editing is based on hard and fast rules of spelling, punctuation and grammar. As an author, you will never find yourself arguing with an editor over the spelling of a word. There is only one way a word is spelled correctly; and that is that. It is the subjective editing that pits author against editor all too often. Subjective changes (story flow, funnier dialogue, etc.) are changes that all boil down to a matter of personal taste. And these changes are not necessarily improvements, just changes.
If an author has done their homework and learned the craft of writing, all they really need is an objective edit by a proofer. Someone who will check to make sure that the spelling, punctuation and grammar (the objective and unquestionable changes) is perfect in their book. Everything else is subjective.
But what if I don’t want to waste my money on a rookie author’s book filled with spelling and grammar errors, what do I do? One of the easiest ways is to read the comments written by other readers and reviewers. Don’t worry about how many stars someone gave in their rating, which is all subjective anyway, just read the comments. All the comments. Even the comments on the comments.
And here is what you are looking for: Feedback about spelling and grammar. Look for this type of feedback even in the five-star reviews. I can guarantee that if there are no mistakes, it will not be mentioned. Nobody ever puts in their review, "I was pleased to find that every word in this book was spelled correctly."
In baseball, it takes years of practice for the rookie player to become the seasoned professional.
Thank goodness publishing is not exactly like baseball.
After being dinged by reviewers early in my published career for the handful of spelling and grammar mistakes in my debut thriller, I realized I needed to elevate myself above rookie status and invest in my books. I needed to be more than self-published; I needed to be a self-publisher. By hiring a solid objective editor (a proofer), I would propel myself out of the ranks of being another rush-to-self-publish rookie and into the professional category of authors.
And do you know who really wins? My readers!
I want to write the best stories possible, but I don't want to make it hard for my readers to enjoy my books by publishing them filled with rookie mistakes.
Concrete Pearl
His name might literally mean "of Winter" but this bestselling indie author is becoming hotter and hotter with books like Inherit the Throne. I met Steve DeWinter in person at the recent ITW Thrillerfest in NYC and we hit it off smashingly as they say in Londontown. We tipped a few, cruised into the heart of Hells Kitchen for some Asian along with my girlfriend and publisher Aaron Patterson, and just generally laughed a lot at some silly stuff. Oh, did I tell you that despite his serious talent, dude's as silly as I am?
Ladies and gentlemen I'm happy to introduce to you for the very first time, Steve DeWinter:
Publishing is a lot like baseball.
There are seasoned professionals who have been playing the game for a long time and then there are the rookies who are just starting out. The same can be said for published authors.
For the sake of argument, let’s consider those authors who go through publishing houses as seasoned professionals. Now before you get your panties in a bunch, let me just say that the reason I have put authors who have signed on with traditional publishers (and a growing number of indie-publishers like StoneHouse Ink) in the professional category, is that these publishers invest in the books they publish. Money has been spent, prior to publishing the book, to ensure that all the spelling, punctuation, grammar and word usage (hear vs here) errors have been vetted and eradicated. These books are put through a rigorous editing and proofing phase before they are released for public consumption.
Now that I have qualified the professionals, I'm sure we can all guess who the rookies are? I'm not saying that a rookie author can't write a great story, but if you are the type of reader who is jarred by the occasional misspelling, and cannot enjoy a book because of it, you will want to stick with the professional authors. But here is your quandary. With online retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble opening up the floodgates and letting just anyone publish their eBooks for Kindle and Nook, how can you, the reader, tell the difference between the seasoned professional and the rookie?
By the editing.
There are two forms of editing that can be done for a book. There is objective editing and subjective editing. What’s the difference you might ask, editing is editing. Not quite. Objective editing is based on hard and fast rules of spelling, punctuation and grammar. As an author, you will never find yourself arguing with an editor over the spelling of a word. There is only one way a word is spelled correctly; and that is that. It is the subjective editing that pits author against editor all too often. Subjective changes (story flow, funnier dialogue, etc.) are changes that all boil down to a matter of personal taste. And these changes are not necessarily improvements, just changes.
If an author has done their homework and learned the craft of writing, all they really need is an objective edit by a proofer. Someone who will check to make sure that the spelling, punctuation and grammar (the objective and unquestionable changes) is perfect in their book. Everything else is subjective.
But what if I don’t want to waste my money on a rookie author’s book filled with spelling and grammar errors, what do I do? One of the easiest ways is to read the comments written by other readers and reviewers. Don’t worry about how many stars someone gave in their rating, which is all subjective anyway, just read the comments. All the comments. Even the comments on the comments.
And here is what you are looking for: Feedback about spelling and grammar. Look for this type of feedback even in the five-star reviews. I can guarantee that if there are no mistakes, it will not be mentioned. Nobody ever puts in their review, "I was pleased to find that every word in this book was spelled correctly."
In baseball, it takes years of practice for the rookie player to become the seasoned professional.
Thank goodness publishing is not exactly like baseball.
After being dinged by reviewers early in my published career for the handful of spelling and grammar mistakes in my debut thriller, I realized I needed to elevate myself above rookie status and invest in my books. I needed to be more than self-published; I needed to be a self-publisher. By hiring a solid objective editor (a proofer), I would propel myself out of the ranks of being another rush-to-self-publish rookie and into the professional category of authors.
And do you know who really wins? My readers!
I want to write the best stories possible, but I don't want to make it hard for my readers to enjoy my books by publishing them filled with rookie mistakes.
Concrete Pearl
