tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post4005726869318442084..comments2024-03-18T06:16:18.802-05:00Comments on A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: A Longwinded Screed for Mike ShatzkinJA Konrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-65767576163451870982014-03-01T22:00:40.200-06:002014-03-01T22:00:40.200-06:00Hey, I WAS in Walmart (under a different name), an...Hey, I WAS in Walmart (under a different name), and my book did awesome there. And then my next book...wasn't selected. Seriously. I have no idea why, but it was probably that someone in marketing didn't make the suggestion to the Walmart rep when my second release came out.<br /><br />Sure, it's great to get that kind of exposure, but it isn't reliable until you are a HUGE name and can have people check up on your publisher and throw a fit if it they fall down on the job.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06785192875063085869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-7554514717061818392014-02-09T14:30:34.729-06:002014-02-09T14:30:34.729-06:00Thanks for this column, Joe. You and Barry nailed ...Thanks for this column, Joe. You and Barry nailed it. Over the past 2 years (2012 & 2013) I sold more than 10,000 ebooks. Happily, I now make money doing something I love: writing novels that readers enjoy!<br /><br />For years I tried to become one of the anointed ones, but in 2008 three agents told me my writing was fine, my plot interesting, but there was "too much competition in the thriller market" so they wouldn't take me on.<br /> <br />I self published my first novel in 2008. Absolution won Best Mystery of 2009 [Premier Book Awards]. Natalie's Revenge, my third novel in the series just won Best Mystery --2014 Feathered Quill Book Awards. <br />Thanks again for sticking up for self-published authors. You do us all a service, and as you rightly point out, you don't charge us for your ever-helpful blog.Susan Fleethttp://susanfleet.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-53499139542129276852014-02-07T21:22:53.644-06:002014-02-07T21:22:53.644-06:00I'm sorry, by the time I got to "prize ca...I'm sorry, by the time I got to "prize cattle of the herd" I couldn't stop laughing...(tears)<br />Thanks Joe and Barry for sanity in the face...what would you call this? Legacy cattle rustling.<br />Lisanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-76000467942316844022014-02-06T21:21:30.280-06:002014-02-06T21:21:30.280-06:00I not only find Maass' comments insulting to a...I not only find Maass' comments insulting to authors and their business decisions, but view his comments as another show of panic by those in the NY side of publishings. I don't understand why agents even care how we publish our books. He must be getting his 15% share of his "high class" writers, so why put-down those who chose to self-publish. Seems some live in a bubble removed from the reality of the life of an author. Traditional publishing does not give most authors freedom, excellent royalty rates, cover choices, pricing, and no reserves as we can have with self-publishing. Linda Pendletonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04333787752335329007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-48552081688360621102014-02-06T13:38:31.974-06:002014-02-06T13:38:31.974-06:00The arrogance literally made me I'll. Today, ...The arrogance literally made me I'll. Today, with so much knowledge and sharing, you would think educated people would finally 'get it' and speak with more insight and care. His idea of first class, coach - it's barbaric. Thanks for reminding us why the traditional gatekeepers are evil.Elisabeth Zguta, Authorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10081907532476759685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-58349410301193420722014-02-04T05:56:21.045-06:002014-02-04T05:56:21.045-06:00You made some good points there. I did a search on...You made some good points there. I did a search on the topic and found most people will agree with your blog.<br /><br /><a href="http://broachindia.com/interspace-broaches.htm" rel="nofollow">Broach manufacturer</a><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03850712737090635312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-55847040593502880982014-02-04T05:52:53.930-06:002014-02-04T05:52:53.930-06:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03850712737090635312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-73412774575889118832014-02-03T01:20:43.414-06:002014-02-03T01:20:43.414-06:00First class article, I loved it. Thanks for sharin...First class article, I loved it. Thanks for sharing such a great post. Web Design Bangalorehttp://www.nuvodev.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-44868273708075482722014-02-02T23:22:46.435-06:002014-02-02T23:22:46.435-06:00Maybe you're overthinking this. What about a s...Maybe you're overthinking this. What about a simpler explanation:<br /><br />Readers like the top indie books better...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-59645680471530867262014-02-02T20:42:17.705-06:002014-02-02T20:42:17.705-06:00Big debate happening on the SPRT podcast. You shou...Big debate happening on the SPRT podcast. You should be there Joe. Check your email. R.J. Chastainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04124245589351405516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-15628188834972046372014-02-02T11:57:41.713-06:002014-02-02T11:57:41.713-06:00Hi, Joe, and other smart folk posting here. Questi...Hi, Joe, and other smart folk posting here. Question for you: If you were an unpublished author with a YA fantasy trilogy to sell, would you court a legacy publisher deal, or self-publish?<br /><br />Thanks for your insight!Margaret McGlynnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11503396085183185534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-43627572798711406652014-01-31T08:24:34.354-06:002014-01-31T08:24:34.354-06:00See:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/news/artic...See: <br /><br />http://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/news/article-2547536/Leaving-digital-music-children-Sorry-dies-you.html<br /><br />@Joe: There is obviously a lot of discussion about authors and their rights, and issues that affect them, etc., on this blog, but what about consumers and rights to their ebooks? Printed paper books and ebooks are different in another way as well: consumer ownership - with an ebook, the reader owns a "license," NOT the "book" itself. Do you think that this would affect ebook publishing and author self-publishing in the future?<br /><br />From the above article: "Matthew Strain, partner at solicitors Strain-Keville, says: ‘It boils down to this: you don’t have the same rights as with print books, DVDs and CDs. Rather, you own a licence to use the digital files — so when you die, they expire with you.’" <br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-37394872690950470492014-01-30T17:55:16.909-06:002014-01-30T17:55:16.909-06:00Power reader here... before the internet, I averag...Power reader here... before the internet, I averaged 5 books a week, but now that I have internet, I don't read as many books and I read zero newspapers or magazines... and I used to read many. <br /><br />But I still read books, just on my kindle... I don't power read any longer, but that's primarily becuz I power write, I write every day for hours... and reward myself when I finish a project with a couple books... but I was, in my 20s, definitely a power reader and it's still lurking inside of me.<br /><br />BTW, my thriller CREATURES OF APPETITE is free today and tomorrow, if you'd like to check it out... it has 250 five star reviews. <br /><br />Todd TravisAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-46277122768395003482014-01-30T16:33:49.956-06:002014-01-30T16:33:49.956-06:00>>The top 1000 indie books have *higher* ave...>><em>The top 1000 indie books have *higher* average review scores than the top 1000 big-five published bestsellers.</em><<<br /><br />My guess would be that has everything to do with how they found those authors - via personal recommendations, via blogs, via targeted promotions. Maybe a lot of reviewers are responding to the ebook author's request to leave a review. Those readers feel a bit of a personal connection to the author in a way that never happened before...I know it works that way for me.Scotthttp://scottdyson.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-92219698185709185832014-01-30T10:42:46.410-06:002014-01-30T10:42:46.410-06:00What if someone did a comprehensive apples-to-appl...What if someone did a comprehensive apples-to-apples comparison of Amazon's top-selling indie books and the top-selling big-five-published books?<br /><br />Here's what they would find:<br /><br />The top 1000 indie books have *higher* average review scores than the top 1000 big-five published bestsellers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-49640549010736979722014-01-29T14:55:22.997-06:002014-01-29T14:55:22.997-06:00Cinisajoy,
You left a review on one of my books t...Cinisajoy,<br /><br />You left a review on one of my books that I offered free for a while back when Joe did his 8 hour ebook challenge. Horror Stories From A Computer Tech under my pen name, Geekus Maximus. Just wanted to say thanks for your review. Power readers are awesome. :-)<br /><br />Randall MorrisRandall Morrishttp://randyjmorris.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-54097456628354541822014-01-29T09:58:50.755-06:002014-01-29T09:58:50.755-06:00I've noticed a growing proportion of books at ...I've noticed a growing proportion of books at stores to have photos and illustrations. Is that because E-books haven't infringed on the graphic market yet. The end is coming soon for paper graphics, too.Walter Knighthttp://www.waltknight.yolasite.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-65834494084994209592014-01-29T09:01:38.877-06:002014-01-29T09:01:38.877-06:00Just figured out a thing. Imagine a thread with 20...Just figured out a thing. Imagine a thread with 200 comments or more. One commentator makes an interesting quote, with the name of the previous commentator, but her quote is too short and you want to get the full context. <br /><br />You just have to open the comment thread in a new window, type Ctrl+F and then, in the short window, type the name of the commentator you want to find. It works wonderfully.<br /><br />I knew the CTRL+F function in the internet for quite a while, but didn't thought to use it for comment threads. Stupid me. :(Alan Spadehttp://emmanuelguillot.over-blog.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-15325224959079827262014-01-28T15:27:43.951-06:002014-01-28T15:27:43.951-06:00Just imagine an erotica wearable book.
Just imagine an erotica wearable book.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-791760393994013682014-01-28T14:20:05.355-06:002014-01-28T14:20:05.355-06:00Behold!, the future of publishing:
http://www.dai...Behold!, the future of publishing:<br /><br />http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2547524/The-novel-really-spine-chiller-WEARABLE-book-lets-physically-feel-characters-emotions-read.html<br /><br />The wearable book. Imagine the possibilities.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-883032294007808442014-01-28T14:08:50.769-06:002014-01-28T14:08:50.769-06:00Hi all. Power reader checking in. I have lost ...Hi all. Power reader checking in. I have lost count of the number of books I read a year. Now how I find books, I get all the big e-book advertisers. Bookbub, ENT, and so on. I also check e-readeriq every day. Now I pick up a ton of free books every year. Here is the thing though, if I find an author I like free, I am inclined to pick up all his/her books.<br />I do read mostly self-published books for 2 reasons. The first is I know I am actually supporting the author and 2, I can get way more SP books for the same price as one hardback.<br /><br />Oh wait there is a third reason, the SP authors are more approachable. <br />Matter of fact, I know I have read several of the authors that have posted in this blog.<br /><br />Oh and I guess I owe a special thanks to Joe. He does write a good book. I was following him on a board. He led me to some other fantastic authors. And no I am not naming names. :)cinisajoynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-44084190272383560012014-01-28T12:07:10.481-06:002014-01-28T12:07:10.481-06:00When adding comments on this blog, we have to prov...When adding comments on this blog, we have to prove that we aren't robots. Perhaps that is why there are so few comments by literary agents and publishers to be found here. They can't meet the burden of proof.w. adam mandelbaum esq.http://www.amazon.com/DETACHMENT-ECHO-COLD-WAR-COVERUP-ebook/dp/B00DTAWX8K/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1390932361&sr=1-1&keywords=w.+adam+mandelbaumnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-16832199882177343502014-01-28T06:11:56.423-06:002014-01-28T06:11:56.423-06:00Interesting article, thanksInteresting article, thanksMitchMFChttp://myfreecamstokens.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-35190297057809972042014-01-28T01:24:09.351-06:002014-01-28T01:24:09.351-06:00I for one can't wait for the next generation o...I for one can't wait for the next generation of Espresso POD machines to invade bookstores. They'll be used to replenish stock and print lower selling titles on demand.<br /><br />And these days aren't too far in the future. You can't stop technological innovation (and the people taking advantage of it) with terrible arguments.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-87175674908589446142014-01-27T18:21:32.293-06:002014-01-27T18:21:32.293-06:00@William Ockham
Any chance your current interpret...@William Ockham<br /><br />Any chance your current interpretation of the raw data could potentially lead to the holy grail of bestseller lists, aka One List to Rule Them All?<br /><br />I've been trying to find specific patterns within Amazon's numbers for a while now. I know David Gaughran has some fairly accurate estimations that he's used before, but here's a <i>what if</i> for you:<br /><br />What if you could accurately model Amazon's ebook sales using data submitted by selfpub authors (which I remember seeing a blogger on the Writer's Cafe who was already doing this with extreme accuracy) combined with a sliding scale, using the same data, to determine sales at any given time (because being the #5 bestseller in the Mystery category on Tuesday doesn't mean the same sales on Thursday). Using that and an accurate measure of Amazon's total market share (difficult, I know), you could extrapolate the total eBook market and thus a true digital Bestseller List.<br /><br />If you could do that, you could theoretically combine it with the information from NYT and USA Today lists and create the first - and more than likely most accurate - TRUE BESTSELLER LIST (caps needed).<br /><br />Difficult to do, but damn if that wouldn't be awesome.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02829259558247879911noreply@blogger.com