tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post6584621569982735076..comments2024-03-18T06:16:18.802-05:00Comments on A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: You, ArtistJA Konrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-58444398910597349172010-02-06T13:56:19.712-06:002010-02-06T13:56:19.712-06:00I'm late on this but that's the basis of a...I'm late on this but that's the basis of authonomy.com run by HarperCollins. People vote on what they like, editors mine for authors to offer contracts to. And the authors who do get a contract will get more publicity becuase they were "found" on the site. <br /><br />No POD though.asraihttp://comingalive.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-50183838444000883752009-11-25T13:05:51.003-06:002009-11-25T13:05:51.003-06:00I should mention, too, that I have put in requests...I should mention, too, that I have put in requests for guests representing Harlequin Enterprises for upcoming episodes of Book Chatter.<br /><br />Because I support Harlequin in their move, I would love to have a publicist or someone representing their public relations speak about their new program on the show.<br /><br />If anyone has suggestions for who I should contact, please let me know.Stacey Cochranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14128613653591282474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-10068425904501008522009-11-25T11:53:40.447-06:002009-11-25T11:53:40.447-06:00Thanks for directing folks to my blog, JA. I love ...Thanks for directing folks to my blog, JA. I love a proposal argument like yours, as it suggests ways to improve.<br /><br />The problem that I have with much of the rhetoric folks contrary to Harlequin's move take is that they're relying on a definition argument... namely defining HH's move as "vanity publishing," only to ultimately say that no change is needed. They do not offer solutions to capitalize on changes in consumer culture that would benefit and strengthen publishers.<br /><br />Your argument (and mine as well) offers suggestions for improvement, rather than acceptance of status quo. <br /><br />Your post points the direction to good change.<br />____________________<br /><br />Stacey Cochran<br />Bestselling author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Colorado-Sequence-ebook/dp/B002AVVQGE" rel="nofollow">The Colorado Sequence</a><br />and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/CLAWS-ebook/dp/B0024NL6QS" rel="nofollow">CLAWS</a>Stacey Cochranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14128613653591282474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-19012389139435582102009-11-25T07:11:52.009-06:002009-11-25T07:11:52.009-06:00Book publishing is book publishing. People either ...Book publishing is book publishing. People either self-publish and act as both the writer and publisher. Or, they sell the rights to someone else allowing them to publish their work. Or, they pay someone to publish them, which is really no different than any other way of publishing. All manner of publishing costs the author money.<br /><br />Granted, if someone is lying about what they will do in a contracted arrangement, then that's wrong. If vanity press says, we'll sell your book for you, and then does nothing to sell it, or merely pretends to sell it in venues where no sales ever really take place, then that's a breech of contract. But I don't see Harlequin doing that.<br /><br />And as a reader, I'll tell you, when I go to Kindle to buy a book, I immediately reject it based on how it's published, not who published it. I do this by looking at all the factors like cover art, product description, the presence of reviews (there should at least be one, if only the author himself using a psuedonym for god's sake!). And then, from the sample: interior formatting, are all the buttons working like table of contents, cover, beginning, etc.<br /><br />In the Kindle world, the publishing quality is actually more important than the writing itself. Because most writers actually aren't very good at writing. Even the greats. And that's okay. I can live with that, especially if the story is strong. And by the time I get to that judgment, I will have already paid for the book, anyway.<br /><br />But the publishing: if the book is high-quality published, then I know that the author and publisher both care enough about this book to do a good job with it. <br /><br />Most authors will not be able to successfully self-publish. Publishing is a business and a trade, and if you're not interested in that sort of thing, especially in a digital world, then you'd only make a mess of it and hurt your books success. In that case, subsidy publishing may be the best route. You write a check and someone else does the publishing. Just be hardcore about the rights you sell in the process. If you're paying someone to publish you, and it's not ridiculously cheap, they don't deserve a share of the profits. But that's all negotiable depending on what they do for you.<br /><br />Everyone has a right to write and a right to be published if they want to be.Gordon Jeromehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01388580995877537254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-30948764882250598522009-11-24T21:27:46.271-06:002009-11-24T21:27:46.271-06:001, 3, and 4 were all part of the iPublish experime...1, 3, and 4 were all part of the iPublish experiment from Time-Warner back around 2001. Unfortunately, we'll never know whether they could have made a go of it, as they suffered (at least in my opinion) from poor timing and trigger-happy management not interested in change.<br /><br />I think Harlequin may not have dug themselves such a huge hole if they hadn't decided to send a recommendation for their vanity press (and I thought I'd heard they were plugging an editing service) with every rejection. That just reeks of unethical behavior. From past observations, it doesn't take much to get a desperate author to sign up for a vanity press...even without leading them there by a leash around the neck.<br /><br />Personally, I'm surprised they didn't just set out with a POD arm...instead of going full bore into the vanity.T. M. Hunterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04315726033990784930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-71391604840221382232009-11-24T19:43:09.512-06:002009-11-24T19:43:09.512-06:00See, this is why I follow you. You are my hero.
If...See, this is why I follow you. You are my hero.<br />If only I could figure out smashwords. I'm studying though.The Voicehttp://wade-inpublishing.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-91715598012828188122009-11-24T19:28:14.806-06:002009-11-24T19:28:14.806-06:00@Jackie - I'd never heard of Authonomy. It loo...@Jackie - I'd never heard of Authonomy. It looks like a really smart idea.JA Konrathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-65187423867570628372009-11-24T18:54:50.661-06:002009-11-24T18:54:50.661-06:00Thanks for linking, Joe. What's your take on H...Thanks for linking, Joe. What's your take on HarperCollin's authonomy -- with its CreateSpace POD option? I think that comes closest to what you're suggesting.Jackiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15652261175264210062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-10119281448199033602009-11-24T18:29:58.325-06:002009-11-24T18:29:58.325-06:00Mark Coker (the Smashwords founder) is a total P.I...Mark Coker (the Smashwords founder) is a total P.I.M.P and also magically delicious. <br /><br />That dude is going to be a millionaire soon (if he isn't already).Marie Simashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07255293343641053930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-43203564679057086642009-11-24T15:55:53.254-06:002009-11-24T15:55:53.254-06:00If only Harl. had consulted you first, they wouldn...If only Harl. had consulted you first, they wouldn't be in this mess. Great suggestions - I'd love to see them do something like this.Jamie D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05486427517423813962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-12906340848170292702009-11-24T15:14:44.723-06:002009-11-24T15:14:44.723-06:00Amazon could implement your model today.
They...Amazon could implement your model today. <br /><br />They've built the review/rating system and reader communities. All they need is an "indie" store, where newbie authors can load up their free books (right now the lowest allowed price for indies is 99 cents on Kindle store).<br /><br />The other possibility is Apple -- they already have a free podcast service where user-provided content is aggregated. Apple will also be (according to recent rumors) introducing a tablet/ereader/multi-function product early in 2010. Perhaps the iBookstore will be announced at the same time.<br /><br />This is an exciting time for writers, as the roadblocks (agent system) is being obliterated, and playing field is being leveled.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-61501719087831532892009-11-24T14:25:23.750-06:002009-11-24T14:25:23.750-06:00Great idea, Joe. It's sort of a marriage betwe...Great idea, Joe. It's sort of a marriage between a traditional publisher (eg, Harlequin) and a new-media phenomenon like Smashwords.<br /><br />Smashwords itself was a great idea, bringing self-publishing online and, by creating an atmosphere for published authors (such as yourself) to operate without the inherent problems of self-publishing, they have automatically expanded their market potential to include literally everybody!<br /><br />The kind of thinking that generated Smashwords will be the kind of thinking that incorporates their concept into traditional publishing, and you've just shown it.Mike Dennishttp://mikedennisnoir.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-65575128820937973582009-11-24T13:17:19.001-06:002009-11-24T13:17:19.001-06:00Brilliant as usual Joe! Try to negotiate for a con...Brilliant as usual Joe! Try to negotiate for a consulting fee or for Harlequin to pay you a small commission on their ongoing profits from this when they implement your ideas. So much better than they way they're going now. <br /><br />Thanks as always for providing the future-vision upside to things. I've stopped reading a lot of other writing blogs because they dump too much doom-and-gloom on my day. I would rather jump out there on the leading edge of change than sit around bitching and moaning about how awful the buggy-whip business is these days.Venus de Hilohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00424101811517659566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-17365960592292925262009-11-24T12:22:30.308-06:002009-11-24T12:22:30.308-06:00Yes, we will have our own YouTube. It's just a...Yes, we will have our own YouTube. It's just a matter of which venue will 1. see it as an opportunity instead of a threat and 2. execute the transition the smartest.amberargylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05058327741777322247noreply@blogger.com