tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post4422063229433641075..comments2024-03-28T02:00:11.260-05:00Comments on A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: More Advice To Authors UnitedJA Konrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-47976203955643884092014-10-28T18:56:31.997-05:002014-10-28T18:56:31.997-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Tracy Sharp - Author of the Leah Ryan Serieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12239533451929739327noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-29532233070411425012014-10-28T18:31:03.985-05:002014-10-28T18:31:03.985-05:00Oh, David, stop reaching for the moon.Oh, David, stop reaching for the moon.Laura Resnicknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-45736395769356520282014-10-26T14:00:29.175-05:002014-10-26T14:00:29.175-05:00That's an awful lot of maybes, David Gaughran....That's an awful lot of maybes, David Gaughran.Mark Edward Hallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09348437062900925019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-6384864855751030192014-10-26T08:32:47.060-05:002014-10-26T08:32:47.060-05:00I think we should give credit to the Authors Guild...I think we should give credit to the Authors Guild where it's due.<br /><br />https://www.authorsguild.org/advocacy/simon-schusters-agreement-with-amazon-points-the-way-back-to-agency-pricing/<br /><br />The Authors Guild found time in its last post to quietly note that it considers 25% "inequitable." It also noted that the Authors Guild has always held this position... of being mildly perturbed about what authors get paid.<br /><br />Maybe Roxana Robinson will find the time to mention her barely noticeable opposition to how much authors get paid the next time she's being interviewed on television. Maybe Scott Turow will slip in a very low-key mention of how he is a teeny bit in favor of higher royalty rates the next time he is calling Amazon the "Death Star." And maybe Doug Preston will find time to devote ten seconds to the issue of author royalty rates in his next round of interviews with the worlds' media about the (hypothetical) terrible things that could happen to authors in the future.David Gaughranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13236692339928690142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-89926032876275542392014-10-26T07:51:36.021-05:002014-10-26T07:51:36.021-05:00Absolutely love your posts on this. Reminds of Col...Absolutely love your posts on this. Reminds of Columbo when he says, "I have just one more question."<br /><br />Although I'm just starting out on the self-publishing thing, I can see a lot of parallels between this useless disputer and the minority realists in the labor unions (both private and public) who are more attuned with the times than their so-called leadership.<br /><br />I believe Hatchette won't really start to negotiate in good faith until it starts to adversely reflect their bottom line (i.e. stock prices).G. B. Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09783331838434598963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-60139694188784197812014-10-25T23:15:45.899-05:002014-10-25T23:15:45.899-05:00http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bs?s=AMZN
Yahoo hasn&#...<i>http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bs?s=AMZN</i><br /><br />Yahoo hasn't posted 3Q results yet. The following is from Amazon's earnings release .<br /><br />"Operating cash flow increased 15% to $5.71 billion for the trailing twelve months, compared with $4.98 billion for the trailing twelve months ended September 30, 2013. Free cash flow increased to $1.08 billion for the trailing twelve months, compared with $388 million for the trailing twelve months ended September 30, 2013. "<br /><i>http://finance.yahoo.com/news/amazon-com-announces-third-quarter-200100363.html</i>Terrence OBrienhttp://www.obrienterrence.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-59996488663818137972014-10-25T08:48:05.669-05:002014-10-25T08:48:05.669-05:00Fight Amazon? Amazon just announced revenue of ov...Fight Amazon? Amazon just announced revenue of over 20 billion dollars (per quarter). Amazon just build five more distribution centers (in India). It's over. Amazon's competitors cannot compete. Amazon is growing even bigger.<br /><br />I switched all my books over to Amazon Prime because of the genius of Amazon marketing. It's over, get used to it.Walter Knighthttp://www.waltknight.yolasite.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-87561909196998034532014-10-25T08:08:35.272-05:002014-10-25T08:08:35.272-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Rex Kuslerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06629682795065138786noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-66417185938395730112014-10-24T20:34:20.156-05:002014-10-24T20:34:20.156-05:008704What happens when they can't borrow any mo...8704<i>What happens when they can't borrow any more? Their earnings came out today.</i><br /><br />Amazon's operating cash flow covered their spending, leaving a billion dollar free cash flow. They aren't borrowing.Terrence OBrienhttp://www.obrienterrence.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-20319833507188050452014-10-24T12:27:11.616-05:002014-10-24T12:27:11.616-05:00The return of the agency model, with wiggle room. ...The return of the agency model, with wiggle room. The rest will follow SS. Hachette will, no doubt, be the last to play along, after wondering what went wrong.Ripley Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10057163192303993783noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-18543356338948761402014-10-24T11:53:54.574-05:002014-10-24T11:53:54.574-05:00Preston has spoken up. And it's not far from w...Preston has spoken up. And it's not far from what we've come to expect. <br /><br />PRESTON: If Simon and Schuster is happy with this agreement, and if Hachette's being offered the same terms, I would, you know, be wanting Hachette to strive to solve this problem as soon as possible. But it doesn't solve the problem of Amazon. Every time they get into a negotiating problem with a publisher, are they going to target the authors? I mean, it's just unacceptable.<br /><br /><br />http://www.npr.org/2014/10/21/357859461/amazon-deal-with-simon-schuster-raises-questions-for-other-publishersBarbra Anninohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10178069602463458520noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-45329979696560328182014-10-24T09:35:28.929-05:002014-10-24T09:35:28.929-05:00A refreshingly positive and optimistic message! W...A refreshingly positive and optimistic message! Wouldn't it be awesome if they pay some attention? Alas, human nature is such that we tend to dig in when shown up. <br /><br />Joe, get Lee Child back here to chime in. Maybe he can be the new spokesperson for AU, now that S&S has shown the way to do rational business. <br /><br />Thanks again for using your pulpit for good.Patrice Fitzgeraldhttp://www.patricefitzgerald.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-49221723832957070952014-10-24T05:31:07.140-05:002014-10-24T05:31:07.140-05:00JK: "I know it has only been three days, but ...JK: "I know it has only been three days, but why hasn't Authors United announced its next move? I'm just one man, and I can compose and post a blog response within a few hours of breaking news."<br /><br />To play devil's advocate, it's a lot easier for one person to release a statement than a committee. If they're doing anything at all I imagine they're all arguing about the very points you've raised. I think any cohesion they might have had has been fractured.SJArnotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07287030807441734194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-89272531412228915522014-10-24T02:46:15.814-05:002014-10-24T02:46:15.814-05:00I don't expect Authors United to respond posit...I don't expect Authors United to respond positively to Joe now. They didn't before. They are probably too busy writing books, all of a sudden.venkyiyer58https://www.blogger.com/profile/05474028596157479113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-61623598156458491452014-10-24T01:39:10.197-05:002014-10-24T01:39:10.197-05:00Rex,
Amazon's earnings reports have been far,...Rex,<br /><br />Amazon's earnings reports have been far, far more dire in the past. Remember, only recently has Amazon reached a tipping point where they now own majority shares of certain market sectors. For a decade, Amazon, like Yahoo, Google, and many other .com corporations were financial black holes. <br /><br />Yet investors kept pouring money into them, believing the companies to have something special that would eventually make money. (you know... investing for future profit...). <br /><br />Amazon and Google have 'something special.' Google has Android, Gmail, AdSense, and search (Android has majority share of the mobile OS market across the world, you can see how Adsense + email + the entire operating system becomes a profitable venture...). <br /><br />Amazon has... well, Amazon.com. Pretty sure I don't need to explain what is valuable about Amazon. <br /><br />What does this have to do with anything? Earnings reports come out all the time for Wall Street companies. Logic dictates that companies must make a profit to survive, so we praise companies like Apple who make a profit, and we show concern (or scorn) to companies like Amazon who continually 'lose money.' Even though Amazon isn't actually 'losing' money. <br /><br />Amazon operates above a loss in a large number of areas, such as digital goods and affiliate sales (where the seller ships the item instead of Amazon itself). In the areas where they still operate at a loss, they've cut that negative margin to be razor thin for the most part, which allows other sectors to accrue much larger losses where said losses can be diluted instead of raising panic alarms. <br /><br />Then there's also the company's investment/reinvestment strategy. Amazon buys a lot of smaller companies because those companies have a product or service that Amazon feels would benefit it as a whole. So spending $100,000,000 for a tech firm that has database code which will enhance Amazon's internal product search ability is an investment worth taking, since over time, that $100 million gets diluted and even repaid (think of it as an author actually earning out an advance) because the search upgrades have increased product visibility for targeted audiences, thereby increasing sales. You can, I guess, see all of this as a bit of a parallel to self-publishing. <br /><br />Disclaimer: I am a self-published author who does the majority of my sales through Amazon. This does not make me an apologist or a fanboy. Or blind to the potential reality of Chicken Little where the sky might one day fall when royalties are slashed since there will be no more competition (all of this is utter horse excrement, by the way, but I'm a realist and my "just in case" radar is always active in the background). <br /><br />This post is directed more at the "let's start talking about how Amazon is tanking because they're going broke! PILE ON!!!" aspect than about Authors United. Mostly to quickly squash any talk from persons who only see headlines from CNBC about a company's stock going up or down based on an earnings report without having any actual knowledge of how large tech corporations manipulate their accounting to make it all work.Angry_Gameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06858237359474121630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-34846431300478026362014-10-23T23:53:26.221-05:002014-10-23T23:53:26.221-05:00My advice to Authors Entitled:
Hold a thumb-and-f...My advice to Authors Entitled:<br /><br />Hold a thumb-and-forefinger "L" against your foreheads.Smart Debut Authornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-62400584225465163642014-10-23T23:30:38.247-05:002014-10-23T23:30:38.247-05:00Most of this advice is solid, but I just don't...Most of this advice is solid, but I just don't see AU pressuring Hachette publicly because it ultimately weakens Hachette's bargaining power. The AU authors are all in now, and they won't change course. Ego's probably a factor. Naivety may be another. But I would hope they are doing so privately. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-31964941562880595892014-10-23T21:05:39.726-05:002014-10-23T21:05:39.726-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Rex Kuslerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06629682795065138786noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-19634919468375859322014-10-23T17:58:14.210-05:002014-10-23T17:58:14.210-05:00From your blog to God's ear.From your blog to God's ear.Meb Bryantnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-85873663530628378602014-10-23T17:41:03.308-05:002014-10-23T17:41:03.308-05:00Unfortunately, I think we can expect to see AU eit...Unfortunately, I think we can expect to see AU either:<br /><br />1. Slink away, or<br /><br />2. Ask why Amazon is targeting Hachette unfairly by refusing to come to a reasonable agreement like they did with the other publishers.<br /><br />Their complete lack of success so far makes me think #1. Their ego makes me think #2.Jim Selfhttp://www.jaself.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-87672523809798861752014-10-23T17:14:29.941-05:002014-10-23T17:14:29.941-05:00Good work, Joe.
Hugh Howey has an interesting pos...Good work, Joe.<br /><br />Hugh Howey has an interesting post on this too, speculating on the contents of the S&S/Amazon deal and how both parties win.<br /><br />It's here: http://www.hughhowey.com/speculation-on-the-amazon-simon-schuster-deal/Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10367339993442245704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-67872794151897956752014-10-23T16:36:51.079-05:002014-10-23T16:36:51.079-05:00How will the AU biggies react? Well, to paraphrase...How will the AU biggies react? Well, to paraphrase a famous line from a long-ago best selling novel: Being rich means never having to say you're sorry.Joe Flynnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17862186143599173970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-34497173818024637602014-10-23T16:32:50.185-05:002014-10-23T16:32:50.185-05:00I'm kinda waiting for Stephen King to sound of...I'm kinda waiting for Stephen King to sound off, now that his publisher has signed an agreement with Amazon.<br /><br />Bravo, Joe! I only hope that they take your advice!<br /><br />MichaelT. M. Bilderbackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10543827916764604918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-43347523717804771302014-10-23T15:22:42.395-05:002014-10-23T15:22:42.395-05:00I'm inclined to agree with Randall Morris on w...I'm inclined to agree with Randall Morris on what AU will be doing. Silence at this point would tend to keep them from looking more foolish than would any actual statements that would just call attention to their past statements. And, with how unlikely it is that any reporters will reach out to them for an actual statement, their silence won't hurt them too much in the broader public eye.<br /><br />That being said, it does nothing for their reputation inside the writing community. And the individual members of AU can keep silent and just fade away from the controversy (a not undesirable situation).JR Holmeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11166590244619732082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-45280482046143265092014-10-23T15:03:52.561-05:002014-10-23T15:03:52.561-05:00I don't think they'll do anything from you...I don't think they'll do anything from your list. AU has proven that the thing they are best at is failing to address real issues and talking past logical arguments with appeals to emotion. I would love to see them take up the cause of all writers... I just don't realistically think they'll do it.Randall J. Morrishttp://randyjmorris.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.com