Second Wind Publishing discussion

What does it take to get you to give a new author a try? A personal recommendation? A good review? An eye-catching front cover design? An interesting back cover blurb? There are hundreds of new authors being published for the first time in e-book format or by small presses. There are dozens of established authors whose works you've probably not read - yet. What does it take to get you to take a chance on a new author and start reading?

As a reviewer, I have a weak spot for new authors. I want to see them succeed. There is so much talent out there and it's hard to decide who to read. One way of introducing me to a new author is if I receive a book through a contest or something. If an author is well promoted then I think in a way, it shows me that the author is serious about their work. If I just go blind into choosing a new author, I have to say the blurb comes first and then the cover. I'm actually thinking of making a blog that focuses on just new authors.

Great idea, Val! Your post was very informative and, speaking as a relative newbie, encouraging. Thanks for being a champion of new authors!

Val wrote: "As a reviewer, I have a weak spot for new authors. I want to see them succeed. There is so much talent out there and it's hard to decide who to read. One way of introducing me to a new author is..."

The sad thing is that new authors, other than those published my major publishing houses, don't ever come to the attention of most readers. So, most readers don't have a chance to give new authors a try because they never hear about them.

As readers, "we" are so used to the ways we hear about big name authors that when we inadvertently hear about an author "nobody's ever heard of," we see that as an indication they're not any good. This isn't true, of course, but in fiction, most general readers think that if an author's obscure, there's "something wrong."


I like reviewing books from small presses. There's so much good stuff to discover there. Plus, I know that most of those small press books will never get reviewed by the places that start word-of-mouth buzz going (PW, Booklist, NY Times, Kirkus), so I want to spread the word, sharing the wonders I've discovered.

Like most readers, I'm influenced by the cover art, the blurb, objective reviews, information about the book's theme and plot. For me to buy a book, it must somehow fit into a complex mental algorithm of variables that makes me lean toward buying it. Price is important, too, though Kindle (etc.) may level the playing field. Without Kindle, most presses doing print-on-demand novels are selling trade paperbacks at a higher price than the hardbacks from major authors and publishers. When this happens, one can't afford to give the new author a try.

Other than price issues, I want to see something that tells me the book is a good story that has well-developed characters within the genres I tend to read. Convince me of that, and I'm likely to buy the book.

Malcolm

I like your attitude, Malcolm. People who write off all authors who are published by small presses are indeed missing out on some truly amazing books. I'm glad there are people like you in the world who have a sense of adventure and wonderment when it comes to trying new authors.

Malcolm wrote: "The sad thing is that new authors, other than those published my major publishing houses, don't ever come to the attention of most readers. So, most readers don't have a chance to give new authors ..."

Sherrie,
I would have to say all of the above. I will always take a good referral from my friends, I do look at the reviews, and I would be lying if i said the cover does not matter.

I myself, like to hunt for new Authors, to me it is fun and always rewarding when I discover a diamond in the rough.

Great Question!

A personal recommendation helps. Also meeting the writer at a book reading and seeing him/her read stimulates me to buy no matter how famous or unknown the writer is. A writer's background is also an interesting factor in selection.
Unfortunately there are more writers than there are readers or reading hours in the day. We seem to be living between two ages in these times: an age of wisdom and expression on the one hand and another of darkness and ignorance on the other (fuelled by consumerism and reality TV, I might add)

All those things give me the push to try new writers. It's mostly through recommendation that I try new reads out. Sometimes just perusing the new releases section of a store or surfing online book sellers will get me someone new to read..

Probably all of the above, although I am a sucker for authors I meet at writers conferences, especially the ones who give a little talk about their work. I also frequent Kindle Boards and find authors that way.

The funniest thing is that for me, you can judge a book by it's cover! The cover is the first thing that catches my eye -- then the eyes move to the title, then to the back for the synopsis of the story. This works both offline, when leafing through the new release section in a bookstore, and online because even when browsing Amazon for new Kindle books I'll cruise through a section until something catches my eye. Then again, cover, title, read the product description -- then if it sounds good I may check the reviews on Amazon but I tend to check the reviews on GoodReads if I check any review at all. I've actually found I have a tendency to give new authors more of a try in Kindle format rather than paper somewhat due to the price.

Using the criteria above, I eliminate all the books I don't want to read and then I read the rest. No, that's not true. If an author is willing to read my books, I'll read hers. She doesn't even have to read mine; she just has to be willing. That may be true.

I agree with Cheryl. But the cover, title, back cover copy only works for me when I am flipping through paperbacks at Copperfield's bookstore. If I discover a new author online, it is often through Goodreads. Recommendations from friends don't always work because my taste is eclectic.

"A diamond in the rough" is a great way to think about it, Sheri!

Sheri wrote: "Sherrie,
I would have to say all of the above. I will always take a good referral from my friends, I do look at the reviews, and I would be lying if i said the cover does not matter.

I myself, lik..."

I love meeting an author in person or hearing them speak, too, Shane. That little connection and having an insight into their person or philosophy or journey to publication makes the book that much more meaningful when I read it, too.

Shane wrote: "A personal recommendation helps. Also meeting the writer at a book reading and seeing him/her read stimulates me to buy no matter how famous or unknown the writer is. A writer's background is also ..."

Personal recommendations top my list, too, Karen. My friends evidently know me pretty well!

Karen wrote: "All those things give me the push to try new writers. It's mostly through recommendation that I try new reads out. Sometimes just perusing the new releases section of a store or surfing online book..."

I agree, Gayle. Hearing an author speak really cinches the deal for me. I've never visited the Kindle Boards. Thanks for the tip!

Gayle wrote: "Probably all of the above, although I am a sucker for authors I meet at writers conferences, especially the ones who give a little talk about their work. I also frequent Kindle Boards and find auth..."

Thanks for your candor, Cheryl. I've definitely been "Guilty" of purchasing a book because it has a castle or a dreamy looking picture on the front cover even if I've never heard of the author. I absolutely love the cover of my third book, Water Lily, and have often thought it's one that I would buy just to have sitting on the coffee table. Hopefully others feel the same way.

Cheryl wrote: "The funniest thing is that for me, you can judge a book by it's cover! The cover is the first thing that catches my eye -- then the eyes move to the title, then to the back for the synopsis of the ..."

Well, Alex - sounds like I need to go and check out your books! :-)

Alex wrote: "Using the criteria above, I eliminate all the books I don't want to read and then I read the rest. No, that's not true. If an author is willing to read my books, I'll read hers. She doesn't even ha..."

I read any book that Oprah recommends. I also read books that friends recommend or that catch my eye as I"m browsing in the library. I will glance at the first few pages of any book I'm thinking of reading and if it catches my interest, I'll read it.

And I will check out yours, Sherrie.

I'm hosting at Clash of the Titles.com later this month, specifically on back cover copy. I'd love to be able to either use some of your comments, or have new ones about what you like and don't like about back cover copy for an article I'll post on Wed May 11.

Personal recommendation definitely helps. I like reviewing books by new authors, and if I'm introduced to someone online (review request, book review, blog interview, etc), I'll often go look at book reviews (on Amazon as the easiest choice), check up what sort of ratings the reviewers give and how many books they've reviewed. Then I'll read the blurb. Then I'll look at the book cover. If there's an excerpt available I'll read that next before deciding if I want to read the book.

In the real world--bookstore--it's definitely the cover that attracts me first; I won't know who's a new author and who's just not known to me till I read the blurb, so first-time authors and long-standing authors (I'm hopeless at names) have just as much chance of attracting my attention.

Sherrie wrote: "What does it take to get you to give a new author a try? A personal recommendation? A good review? An eye-catching front cover design? An interesting back cover blurb? There are hundreds of new aut..."

As another reviewer, the subject matter of the work is paramount for me. Most of what I review is horror-themed fiction, and the book covers there rarely tell me anything about the story. I also have the luxury to pick and choose what I cover, so again subject matter is the most important. I also find a lot of new material to cover at conventions, which is sadly (for me, anyway) replacing the bookstore as the venue of choice for book browsing.

Wonderful comments from people here!

An author's name, the cover, the blurb (especially) all draw me to pick up the book to decide if I want to read it. Recommendations from friends, or reviews is often a deciding factor. When I get the list of new releases from Goodreads, or reviews from Kirkus, etc, it makes me want to read almost every book.

If I could read 4 books a day, I'd never catch up. So it is tricky, figuring out how to draw people to your book. I find when I am out at events, I sell not only print copies, but e-readers ask if I'm on Kindle or Nook.

With brick and mortar bookstores evaporating, it's getting harder to judge a book for yourself. With shrinking shelf space at a premium, bookstores stock only books with proven records, so we have to rely on others for discoveries.

I trust Janet Maslin in the NY Times because I've read books she's raved about and she rarely hypes me into buying a bad book.

I check out reviews on Goodreads, which has a great feature of letting me know what other books that other readers have liked. If I haven't liked your favorites, then we part company as friends.

Log onto fivebooks.com - a great service that has experts and authors list their five favorite books on any subject. Many of the books I've heard of, but there's always a new discovery.

Go to neglectedbooks.com - I found a lot of cool sounding authors I never heard of.

I've found the book sections of English newspapers like the Independant and the Telegraph reliable for discovering authors. They've got reviews and essays where you can discover new authors.

And I websearch subjects like the 100 best mysteries or best sci-fi or best whatever. While there rarely are new authors on these lists, they have motivated me to try books I've skipped before. I figure that if enough people like a book, then that will up the odds I'll enjoy it.

Happy hunting.

I use fantasticfiction.com for authors I know and don't know, plus many of the authors list their favorite books (at the bottom) by authors I don't know and I will read these recommendations just to see what types of books they like to read. Especially my favorite authors.... I love to know what they are reading.

It's fun to discover new titles and new authors and it's still wonderful to open a book by a familiar author.

If only I could make more hours in the day to read as much as I would like too.....

:o)

Hi,
I agree with Malcolm. As a reviewer, I either get books from small presses (P.O.D.) or self published authors. Very rarely do I recieve a book that's totally bad. There are so many people out there who don't know the great reads they're missing because these books aren't really well known or because of their own prejudice (if the book isn't sold in a brick & mortar bookstore isn't any good). I've met people like this & you probably have too. My question is how can we better assist the author to get their book out there?

Hi Deb, The best thing you can do is, when you read a book you like, talk it up to your friends. My genre may or may not be what you're looking for, but I just got a terrific 5-star review on amazon. Here's a link to read more about it: It's available in print and ebook versions.

http://www.susanfleet.com/fleet-diva....

I've read books written by well-known authors for which I didn't care and books by emerging authors for which I didn't. Ditto for books I've enjoyed; however, I do tend to stay away from self-published titles and for good reason: most really aren't that good. Writers today can't stand the thought of a rejection letter and so they're quick to publish on a credit card without taking the time to consider that maybe their work isn't that good. There is more to a good book than an intriguing story. There's more to the art of writing than throwing words onto a blank piece of paper and hoping they arranged themselves into semblance of good fiction. Publishing on a credit card means a writer doesn't have to learn the craft of writing.

Sorry, I know I may be missing some good novels (and I've found a few); but I still tend to stay away from self-published titles.

Well, J ... I have read trad pubbed books that I've thrown against the wall after 50pp. A better criteria might be to read a sample. I have have free samples of both my books on my website. Yes, there are bad self published books out there. But there are also some that are well written. BTW, I don't just throw words onto a page. And I'm also traditionally published in the non-fiction area. More details are on my website.
http://susanfleet.com/

J, You are missing some good stories by not reading self pubbed books. It's true that there are many that are the kind you want to throw against the wall. Then again I've read some very good, well written and well edited books. I think you should give them a chance.

Susan: Sill love the hat! Granted, it’s hit or miss on any book. It either connects with you or it doesn’t. For example, Water for Elephants came to me highly recommended, and while I enjoyed it—it was well-written (I reviewed it here on Good Reads)—it didn’t really connect with me. I didn’t find it particularly memorable.

A lot of famous writers got their start self-publishing; but that was back in the day before credit cards, and they were talented writers who learned their craft.

Susan, I know I’ll miss some good books, and I didn’t say I would never read a self-published title, but I’m mighty selective and very leery of them.

I recently had an exchange with someone on Facebook who claimed everyone has a right to see their work in print. I suppose, from a first and fourteenth amendments perspective, he’s right. However, with more books in print today than there are readers, predatory publishing houses like AuthorHouse take advantage of a lot of writers, promising them the world. The average number of books a self-published author sells is 150, most to family and friends. That’s fine if they want a coffee table book to leave behind for their grandchildren; but it also makes it more difficult for readers to find good books, and it certainly makes it more difficult for all authors, save for the giants, to find an audience.

J, Only 7% of trad-published books sell more than 1,000 copies. (Bowker statistics) And only 17% of all titles published each year are novels. So here's an algebra problem for you. How many trad-published NOVELS sell more than 1,000 copies? Answer: not many, just the best-sellers.

The fact is, novelists like Grisham, Cornwell, King and Child are subsidizing all the trad-published writers whose novels sell LESS THAN 1,000 copies per year. However, there are many self-published ebooks (novels) that sell more than 1,000 copies/year. Part of the reason is price.

Also, many readers buy their print books on amazon, which offers used books at low prices. Last time I checked, we're still in a recession and $$ is tight, especially for seniors who make up a large portion of the print readership. But the author receives NO royalties from the sale of used books. Major chain bookstores are closing. Used bookstores are doing okay. The publishing business is changing rapidly.

Re your last point ... everyone has a right to sell their house too, and put whatever price-tag they want on it. Getting someone to buy it at that price is something else again. Readers are voting with their pocketbooks. Reasonably priced ebooks are selling very well. I love my Kindle. If I'm not sure about a book, I download a sample. If it's badly written, I don't buy it. I've just swapped books with a UK writer so we can review each other's books. His is excellent, well written and suspenseful ... so I'm going to go read some of it now. :)

I understand, Susan, that a handful of novelists like those you mentioned drive the profits for the publishing houses and make it possible for them to take a chance on a few emerging writers a year.

I understand, too, the publishing industry is changing, the result of digital technology and print on demand. The auto industry, they were slow to catch on and now they're scrambling.

As for Kindle, well, Amazon eliminated 40% of the cost of a book with their e-reader and they didn't share a dime with the authors. Unless you're one of the aforementioned giants in the industry who can negotiate whatever they want, most get 8% of a smaller pie. And yes, I understand I can charge what I want, but no one is going to pay $14.99 for book by someone they've never heard of. And frankly, $14.99 for an ebook?

The megastar novelists subsidize ALL other novelists, not just new emerging ones. The "mid-list" authors are being squeezed out, given smaller advances and no marketing help.

As for Kindle? Amazon pays me 70% of the price. [$2.07 of $2.99] The greedy publisher has been cut out of the equation. It's not Amazon that's screwing the authors, it's the publishers. That's why I prefer not to deal with a publisher.

As for "quality" in trad published books, have a look at this WS Journal article. http://is.gd/ztWxWE

But, to address your initial comment once again. Trad publishing now makes it impossible for even above average novelists to be published. The agents are the filters, and they don't make $ unless they sell a book, and in the current market, this is next to impossible for an "unknown" author. Now, if Sarah Palin were to write a novel .... hahahahahhaha

Susan wrote: "The megastar novelists subsidize ALL other novelists, not just new emerging ones. The "mid-list" authors are being squeezed out, given smaller advances and no marketing help.

As for Kindle? Amazo..."

Bravo Susan. Well said......

Personally, I try to find book by mid-list new authors, I find a LOT here on GR's and from recommendations from friends...I say keep trying....

I think publishing houses need to learn that best selling novels are created. They can't just print 3,000 copies and hope they'll disappear from the shelves. The megastar novelists don't need a six-figure advertising budget. Potter will disappear from the shelves with no promotion. It's the mid-list novelists who need the promotion.

Hi J,
You're so right! The big guys, (King, Nora Roberts, J.K. Rowling) don't need promotion since their name is what sells there book with no problem at all. I think I'd add the authors that are just starting out to your list of ones that need promotion.

I give new author's a try just because you don't know how good or bad they are until you read them. Cover art can catch the eye or turn you off. I like to read the blurb on the back and ignore the spam messages by all the favorite reviewers in the front.

My catch - randomly picking a spot here and there in the book to read a few lines and see if it piques my interest.

Do you know what really attracts me to a book? Reading the excerpt inside the book. It's placed right before the story starts. Unfortunately, not all books have this.

Beside the title and the cover catching my eye, I am with Deb... I look on the inside for the excerpt. I like the soft cover titles but I miss the inside blurb.

Hello everyone. I am John Marvin Enore. I have written three poetry collections. they are all sad erotic gay poetry. If you're interested with my books, please send me a message and i can give you a sampler. The tiles are CYPHILIA, ARGELLIUS REX and L'AMOUR DE MOI. I'll be waiting. I will soon give out a free ebook of my short novella entitled The Suicide Pact. It is about how the world was created, why do we die, what horrors did God's children unleashed into this Earth, why suicides get a second chance to live, a failed abortion, cannibalism, violence and someone jumping out of the window. The first person who will give me a review will get a pdf version of one of my poetry collections.

Hello everyone. I am John Marvin Enore. I have written three poetry collections. they are all sad erotic gay poetry. If you're interested with my books, please send me a message and i can give you a sampler. The tiles are CYPHILIA, ARGELLIUS REX and L'AMOUR DE MOI. I'll be waiting. I will soon give out a free ebook of my short novella entitled The Suicide Pact. It is about how the world was created, why do we die, what horrors did God's children unleashed into this Earth, why suicides get a second chance to live, a failed abortion, cannibalism, violence and someone jumping out of the window. The first person who will give me a review will get a pdf version of one of my poetry collections.