tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post7861687031423261745..comments2024-03-18T06:16:18.802-05:00Comments on A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: Guest Post by Jeremy RobinsonJA Konrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comBlogger186125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-6809344621449958072011-02-17T05:46:05.883-06:002011-02-17T05:46:05.883-06:00Hope you don't mind a quick question: are ther...Hope you don't mind a quick question: are there any laws that keeps us from listing our e-books on more than one location? Aside from Amazon, we know Apple's iBooks and more new entrants. Don't mean to sound greedy but no harm spreading them out there, is it?Jef + Stefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12448779786472229566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-12485855693277673502011-01-30T15:33:56.797-06:002011-01-30T15:33:56.797-06:00"But guess what? Selling a shitload of ebooks..."But guess what? Selling a shitload of ebooks is a much better validation. Getting a stamp of approval from readers is more important than a stamp of approval from a publisher."<br /><br />Thank you. Really--thank you thank you thank you! I've actually heard someone say that if you can't attract the attention of a traditional publisher, your writing obviously isn't up to par. I've been reading a lot of indie authors lately, and I'm finding self-pubbed gems every bit as good--or better--than the best sellers from traditional publishers. And honestly, some of the writers at the top of the list, churning out best sellers, are making mediocre offerings to their readership. One in particular comes to mind,but I won't bash him/her publicly. I wonder if many people realize that making the best seller list relies a lot on how large was the print run...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-69898607581506026062011-01-28T10:31:12.167-06:002011-01-28T10:31:12.167-06:00Even if ebooks are a fad - it's possible - I&#...<i>Even if ebooks are a fad - it's possible - I'm sure the inventor of the pet rock could have retired on his earnings, if he invested them wisely.</i><br /><br />I think he did retire on his earnings. He was also an ad guy.Ty Hutchinsonhttp://tyhutchinson.posterous.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-55337722537614376622011-01-26T20:17:14.764-06:002011-01-26T20:17:14.764-06:00Selena - 47,000 ebooks on Pubit! alone? in ONE MON...Selena - 47,000 ebooks on Pubit! alone? in ONE MONTH?? O_O<br /><br />Joe - $40k? in ONE MONTH?!?!? <br /><br />The folks in my writing group are all half ignoring me, half listening to me, with a whole lot of getting nothing done. Bad move. <br /><br />Congratulations to both of you! You have earned it! Got any space on your coattails? ;) <br /><br />Jenna<br />@LundeenLiteraryLundeen Literaryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06706378156366979277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-64782119124005479842011-01-26T14:28:11.704-06:002011-01-26T14:28:11.704-06:00joseph said:
> Is this is all just a bubble, ...joseph said:<br />> Is this is all just a bubble, <br />> and if so, when will it burst? <br /><br />this is a great question.<br /><br />but maybe not for the reasons<br />you might think of, right off...<br /><br />it'd be easy to interact with<br />the question as it was asked.<br /><br />you hear answers being framed<br />before the question even echos:<br /><br />"in some ways, yes, it _is_ a<br />bubble, because blah blah..."<br /><br />"on the other hand, we can<br />continue to blah blah blah..."<br /><br />"some people have observed<br />that blah blah blah blah, but<br />there is also blah blah blah..."<br /><br />it's a great way to go through<br />a long laundry list of variables<br />-- all of 'em very fascinating --<br />on whether sales numbers will<br />increase, stabilize, or decrease.<br /><br />so it's an interesting exercise...<br /><br />still, to think in those terms is<br />to miss something here that is<br />far more profound and deep...<br /><br />this is a pure revolution here.<br />we have crossed the rubicon.<br />tomorrow will be different --<br />completely -- than yesterday.<br /><br />what has happened here is that<br />you have fallen upon something<br />or -- let us not be _ignorant_ or<br />unappreciative of the benefactor<br />-- _amazon_ has _handed_you_<br />a key to solving a mystery that<br />has perplexed us in cyberspace.<br /><br />i will put it in a very crass way,<br />to make it easiest to understand:<br /><br />you found a way to _monetize._<br /><br />blogging was an early movement<br />along many of the same lines --<br />namely, artistic self-expression<br />via this new communication tool<br />that let _you_ speak to the world<br />-- but the vexing question was<br />"how can i make money at this?"<br /><br />nobody really figured out a way.<br /><br />schemes were tried, but no one<br />could make any of them _work._<br /><br />but that is all changed now.<br /><br />you guys, authors self-publishing<br />the digital product of e-books,<br />have made it work, quite well!,<br />thanks to a boost from amazon...<br /><br />you are now "monetizing"...<br /><br />(and, my word, are you _ever_!)<br /><br />the secret -- as many of us knew<br />all along -- is to collect a _small_<br />amount of money from a _large_<br />-- very large -- number of people.<br /><br />amazon is the key here, because<br />it put together the large number<br />of customers, _plus_ it was the<br />mechanism for collecting money.<br /><br />you have now demonstrated that<br />it's possible for artists to connect<br />directly with fans, and live on the<br />proceeds from that connection...<br /><br />or, at least, to be well-paid for a<br />hobby, which is more than most<br />people can say about their hobby.<br /><br />it might not happen right away,<br />lord this has all come so slow!,<br />but other artists _will_ pick up<br />on what you've done, and find<br />their own way to do the same...<br /><br />so, to answer the question posed,<br />it doesn't matter if it is a bubble<br />or not, because the world is now<br />fundamentally altered, and it will<br />_never_ be the way it used to be.<br /><br />so this is huge. this is immense.<br /><br />do not underestimate this...<br /><br />this is the beginning of the shift<br />that empowers artists worldwide,<br />thus shaking the earth to its core.<br /><br />imagine a world where the artists<br />are in charge, and the greedsters<br />are the ones with hat-in-hand,<br />begging for some spare change.<br /><br />this is absolutely staggering...<br /><br />you will soon come to realize that<br />no matter how big the cash gets,<br />it is one of the smallest parts of<br />this entire equation... seriously...<br /><br />you are the lead artists riding the<br />event horizon of massive change.<br /><br />welcome to the new, my friends.<br />might wanna spruce up the place<br />before everybody else gets here,<br />because it's gonna be a big party.<br /><br />-bowerbirdbowerbirdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05962115094107919533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-69971893989358118422011-01-26T13:19:47.226-06:002011-01-26T13:19:47.226-06:00verilees said:
> Use the Kindle for pc,
>...verilees said:<br />> Use the Kindle for pc, <br />> hit screen print. <br />> Paste clipboard contents <br />> to notepad or any other <br />> text editor and print out<br /><br />screen-print will work great<br />if you're doing a page or two.<br /><br />i also wrote a screen-capture<br />tool that grabs a _portion_ of <br />the screen -- just the text --<br />and saves _that_, eliminating<br />the need for laborious cleanup.<br /><br />i even have the tool click the <br />"next page" button, alternating <br />with the screen-cap, so i just <br />have to set it up to start, and<br />it will collect the entire book <br />in one automatic operation...<br /><br />once you have grabbed all of<br />the screen-caps, you do o.c.r.,<br />which converts those images<br />to raw, editable, digital text...<br /><br />if i can do it, so can "pirates".<br />your _defense_ is a low price.<br /><br />seriously, if your customers<br />are buying your books just to<br />make paper copies of forms<br />and such, you should package<br />up all those forms into a file<br />and use it as_ advertising_...<br />saving them the hard work<br />of doing all of that _clipping_<br />will endear you to them and<br />they'll buy the book as a way<br />to _thank_ you, figuring that<br />the interstitial text is worth it.<br /><br />-bowerbirdbowerbirdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05962115094107919533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-9306885998908868882011-01-26T09:36:59.509-06:002011-01-26T09:36:59.509-06:00Let me know if you ever want to collaborate on som...<i>Let me know if you ever want to collaborate on something, Selena. :)</i><br /><br />*snerk* You'd have to switch genres - or I would. But honestly, if you want a girlie involved in your next Draculas-type project, LMK! Me lurv da horror-stufz! ;)Selena Kitthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17783685215421352626noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-83558402077229658872011-01-26T08:59:25.624-06:002011-01-26T08:59:25.624-06:00I was so happy when I reached the 1k club. I thin...I was so happy when I reached the 1k club. I think my head will explode when I reach the 20k club like Joe. And who knows what kind of medical care I'll need when I reach the 47k club like Selena. <br /><br />Congrats on everyone's success. Y'all are such an inspiration. Thanks for contributing and letting me learn from you. <br /><br />KendallKendall Swanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18187117992380108891noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-65396560282363256372011-01-26T07:27:02.798-06:002011-01-26T07:27:02.798-06:00Use the Kindle for pc, hit screen print. Paste cl...Use the Kindle for pc, hit screen print. Paste clipboard contents to notepad or any other text editor and print out, or there's programs like Paperport that could change a jpeg file to either a flat pdf or with just a bit of fiddling a form with available tools. Not as quick as bowerbird's man with a Xerox but the result is usable on a computer screen. <br /><br />By the way, if anyone is interested in Paperport-- once an excellent document management program-- go for the older verions, 9 and below. The company has some sort of DRM system to prevent piracy and ruined the program with their license checking which tends to return a lot of errors. I only read the complaints about this after I bought 12, which I won't even load on my computer.Verileeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15903904471192374248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-34435833529901924892011-01-26T03:54:01.876-06:002011-01-26T03:54:01.876-06:00azarimba said:
> You never went to
> pa...azarimba said:<br />> You never went to <br />> parochial school <br />> back in the bad old days <br />> when the teachers <br />> photocopied the pages <br />> for working, and <br />> passed them out <br />> to the whole class.<br /><br />when the kindle was announced,<br />one guy boasted -- in advance! --<br />he could crack its d.r.m. within<br />_a_mere_2_minutes_ of receiving <br />and setting up his hardware unit.<br /><br />and he collected on that bet,<br />too, by taking his kindle and<br />laying it on a xerox machine<br />and clicking the "copy" button.<br /><br />out came a crisp and clear copy <br />of the kindle displaying its page,<br />with text equally crisp and clear.<br /><br />copy "protection" _vanquished_,<br />just like that. tada. dirt simple.<br /><br />try it yourself; you'll be amazed...<br />it really makes a crisp clear copy.<br /><br />-bowerbirdbowerbirdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05962115094107919533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-70409844180761519272011-01-26T01:24:05.838-06:002011-01-26T01:24:05.838-06:00According to the report, I've sold 47,000 book...<i>According to the report, I've sold 47,000 books on B&N alone so far in January. </i><br /><br />Let me know if you ever want to collaborate on something, Selena. :)JA Konrathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-86501097067690750432011-01-26T00:51:57.022-06:002011-01-26T00:51:57.022-06:00I know you didn't create this blog to receive ...I know you didn't create this blog to receive accolades. But there's only one way I can say this.<br />Thank you Joe.Gary Ponzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13171541464149058048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-14985356181667880802011-01-25T23:24:43.010-06:002011-01-25T23:24:43.010-06:00Mike Dennis: "how about some self-pubbed writ...Mike Dennis: "how about some self-pubbed writer stories that aren't quite so magical."<br /><br />I'm a newb author epublishing since October. In the first 3 months I sold 13, 21, and 130 ebooks. I should sell more than 220 this month. This is with a total 3 books. That doesn't seem too magical to me, but it is progress.<br /><br />At this rate, if I put out 3 more novels in the next year, I'll be getting about $7k in royalties in 2012. That's nice, but not magical.<br /><br />You can read all about my numbers and marketing efforts on my blog: <a href="http://derekjcanyon.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Adventures in ePublishing</a><br /><br />My novel: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004DCB3HU?ie=UTF8&tag=derjcan-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B004DCB3HU" rel="nofollow">Dead Dwarves Don't Dance</a>Derek J. Canyonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08071753685946640237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-67532623800771930052011-01-25T23:07:29.048-06:002011-01-25T23:07:29.048-06:00Jeremy Robinson said,
It's a workbook. With w...Jeremy Robinson said,<br /><br /><i>It's a workbook. With worksheets that need to be filled out with a pen, or pencil, or even a crayon. It's essentially useless to a Kindle owner. So, books like that will always be in print.</i><br /><br />You never went to parochial school back in the bad old days when the teachers photocopied the pages for working, and passed them out to the whole class.<br /><br />Surely there's a model for print-your-own-worksheets variety of ebooks.ahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03242190927997728930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-31654448570694961922011-01-25T22:44:16.570-06:002011-01-25T22:44:16.570-06:00Hey Joe, you made me curious so I went to check my...Hey Joe, you made me curious so I went to check my PubIt Account on B&N. Looks like they're back up and current. Or at least, more current than they have been lately.<br /><br />According to the report, I've sold 47,000 books on B&N alone so far in January. <br /><br />I think I just peed my pants.Selena Kitthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17783685215421352626noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-18346756165169586732011-01-25T21:58:56.515-06:002011-01-25T21:58:56.515-06:00@Joe: Just checked my sales. I've sold 18,000 ...@Joe: <em>Just checked my sales. I've sold 18,000 books this month so far.</em><br /><br />Wow! Congrats, Joe!<br /><br />I'm excited about the 3,340 books I've sold so far this month. I may never catch you, but it's fun trying. ;)<br /><br />Thanks again for leading the way.Robert Burton Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07821314494504718440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-82501439732655602992011-01-25T21:33:59.611-06:002011-01-25T21:33:59.611-06:00You go Joe! Hard to argue against those numbers a...You go Joe! Hard to argue against those numbers and say this isn't a viable direction for writers to follow.Douglas Dorowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10626666935442821895noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-42465091500543300202011-01-25T21:27:02.066-06:002011-01-25T21:27:02.066-06:00Just checked my sales. I've sold 18,000 books ...Just checked my sales. I've sold 18,000 books this month so far.<br /><br />I should hit over 20,000 books this month, which should be around $40,000.<br /><br />Holy shit.JA Konrathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-25602413573345171642011-01-25T20:22:16.896-06:002011-01-25T20:22:16.896-06:00Joe,
Your blog has become the oasis for writers to...Joe,<br />Your blog has become the oasis for writers to discuss this topic, water buffalo bumping haunches with gazelles.<br /><br />Given the size of the herd, any chance you'll have time to reformat your blog's comments to have multiple pages and date AND time stamps?<br /><br />(So requests this happy addict, who comes back to each post's comments for multiple hits on her iThing, having to tap at the screen fifty times to see what people are saying.)Gretchen Galwayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14338590200598413217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-47989613000630222592011-01-25T20:11:03.771-06:002011-01-25T20:11:03.771-06:00It sounds like we're only talking about fictio...<i>It sounds like we're only talking about fiction (novels, novellas, short stories, etc.) and a very narrow swath of fiction at that. Genre fiction.</i><br /><br />I have lots of good thoughts on this topic, but man, I'm tired. So bear with me and forgive what may be a nonsensical answer. I think sales for fiction/non-fiction will remain roughly the same ratio. It's possible that right now, more fiction authors are embracing e-books and thus, more low priced fiction books are selling. But when the big shift happens and e-books are 50% of the market, I think the sales ratios of fiction to non-fiction be close to what they are in print. People read what they read, print or e-book.<br /><br />Some exceptions will always be children's books, coffee table books, photo books, and some non-fiction that requires people take notes, highlight, or self-help type books that have people filling in blanks and circling A, B, C and D personality traits.<br /><br />My book, The Screenplay Workbook, is on the Kindle. And I'm not sure why. It's a workbook. With worksheets that need to be filled out with a pen, or pencil, or even a crayon. It's essentially useless to a Kindle owner. So, books like that will always be in print.<br /><br />Sigh. Looks like they sold a few though!Jeremy Robinsonhttp://www.jeremyrobinsononline.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-81539766852864372632011-01-25T19:54:53.530-06:002011-01-25T19:54:53.530-06:00I freaking LOVE that book cover, Jeremy!
Thanks, ...<i>I freaking LOVE that book cover, Jeremy!</i><br /><br />Thanks, Zoe!Jeremy Robinsonhttp://www.jeremyrobinsononline.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-12635716375326062512011-01-25T19:52:23.668-06:002011-01-25T19:52:23.668-06:00Even mid-range authors can make a lot of money now...Even mid-range authors can make a lot of money now because of increased Kindle ownership. I'm proof of that. Kindle is the savior of the galaxy.<br /><br />I agree we all would love the "validation" of being a huge print seller, but, we do what we can do. The "Gatekeepers" are just a nuisance, now.Walter Knighthttp://www.waltknight.yolasite.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-48835251092839851582011-01-25T19:12:06.258-06:002011-01-25T19:12:06.258-06:00Rob, congrats on your success with your works on K...Rob, congrats on your success with your works on Kindle. I looked for your thread on the Kindle Community forum but couldn't find it. Did they run you out of Dodge? :-)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.suzanneadair.com" rel="nofollow">Suzanne Adair</a>Suzannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11624472793275282926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-51172921912320321132011-01-25T18:27:13.463-06:002011-01-25T18:27:13.463-06:00I found this post like the one before with Lee Gol...I found this post like the one before with Lee Goldberg fascinating...to see how different writers with entirely different paths have settled on publising with Kindle and other ebook partnerships and leaving trad. publsihing in the dust. I woke up yesterday Jan. 24th to find that since the first of the month, I had sold 1,014 books. I wasn;t selling that much in a year with my last titles in traditional publishing. One month...still have some five or six days left in Jan. That's approx. 2 bucks times 1,000 books. As with others, it has taken me a year and a half to get to this level and am hoping it will continue to increase. Atop this, the novel no one would touch as not "Commercial" enough, Childen of Salem is my personal bestseller - has sold since Jan. 1 324 copies and since I put it up a year ago, wow....an amazing 1470 copies sold. This an historical novel once my dissertation for my Masters from Northwestern University and the novel I am most proud of.<br /><br />Even so, my second highest seller is a brief, fast straightforward horror novel. Anything goes, anything works on ebook sales if you have persistence and work at it. I recently put up a short story on my blog, FREE read. Fourteen chapters for my Titanic 2012 have been on my website FREE for a year.<br /><br />I do interviews at the drop of a hat as I am as much a media whore as is Joe. I am juggling four blogs, some shaed which helps, doing articles on several online mags. I started a thread on the Kindle Community forums which title is What Moves ebooks off the shelf and in a week I had more hits than any other thread due to sharing real actual behaviors and steps to market an ebook and doing so smartly. This thrad is the only one on the forum that has gone to 3 pages. Everyone there is pubbling with Kindle. It is located beside one's kindle dashboard.<br /><br />Selling results come in time if you stick it out.<br /><br />Rob Walker<br />Killer Instinct, Cutting EdgeRob Walkerhttp://www.robertwalkerbooks.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-55369303863520517052011-01-25T18:25:38.166-06:002011-01-25T18:25:38.166-06:00I freaking LOVE that book cover, Jeremy! Congrats ...I freaking LOVE that book cover, Jeremy! Congrats on all your success!Zoe Wintershttp://zoewinters.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.com