tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post7136101507284608329..comments2024-03-28T02:00:11.260-05:00Comments on A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: Guest Post by Jeff StrandJA Konrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-78408556972073864322011-03-08T07:06:23.714-06:002011-03-08T07:06:23.714-06:00Now, I would rip out every fingernail on my left h...Now, I would rip out every fingernail on my left hand before I'd turn down a $200,000 advance in favor of self-publishing...but still, it's amazing how quickly the stigma has begun to fade.Ecommerce Website Developerhttp://www.ecommerce-web-developers.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-39607212926005349832011-02-28T18:59:57.546-06:002011-02-28T18:59:57.546-06:00just wanted to mention that Jeff did privately ema...just wanted to mention that Jeff did privately email me with words of writing encouragement for my grandson who is writing comics with heroic characters for kids and families with special needs.<br /><br /> Thanks Jeff for your kind and energetic encouragement to a 'mad writer' 13 year old. Appreciate it. May you continue to be blessed.<br /><br />dr.cpeArchangelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18358062143743621676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-90550894193318050302011-02-28T18:58:36.375-06:002011-02-28T18:58:36.375-06:00This comment has been removed by the author.Archangelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18358062143743621676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-39234582176534860362011-02-28T14:32:00.909-06:002011-02-28T14:32:00.909-06:00Happy belated birthday to your wife, Jeff! I hope ...Happy belated birthday to your wife, Jeff! I hope there was a healthy dose of Ms. Pacman and Centipede in the mix. And MY personal fav - Galaga. I can still play that game with my eyes closed.Selena Kitthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17783685215421352626noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-59705816429007966192011-02-27T15:52:25.418-06:002011-02-27T15:52:25.418-06:00Tara, absolutely. For years and years and years, e...Tara, absolutely. For years and years and years, everybody (including that Konrath guy) was saying "For the love of God, don't self-publish! Do it the traditional way or you're not a real writer!" Now, in a ridiculously short timeframe, things have changed to the point where Joe is saying "If you get offered a $200,000 advance, turn it down and self-publish!"<br /><br />Now, I would rip out every fingernail on my left hand before I'd turn down a $200,000 advance in favor of self-publishing...but still, it's amazing how quickly the stigma has begun to fade.<br /><br />So it's easy to see why some authors may be thinking "Wait a minute, I've been working all of this time to publish the 'real' way, and now you're saying I should take the route that everybody scorned? WTF? Are you SURE?"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-89783525484643478192011-02-27T10:48:27.972-06:002011-02-27T10:48:27.972-06:00Jeff, something you mentioned struck me as very he...Jeff, something you mentioned struck me as very helpful in explaining why so many of my writer friends, the ones who have finished, polished, well-written marketable novels that would sell like hotcakes as ebooks, won't take the plunge. They continue to rewrite and revise their query letter for the umpteenth time, and tend to be the most angry denouncers of self-publishing.<br /><br />I think the reason is that they know they finally have something worthy of legacy publishing, and they are damned if they are going to let that fish off the hook after years of hard work trying. To suddenly accept that just when your work is good enough to attract the Big 6, they might not be good enough for your work... that's just too mind-bending.<br /><br />Tara Maya<br /><a href="http://goo.gl/LaxOV" rel="nofollow">The Unfinished Song: Initiate (UK)</a><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/TeUNO" rel="nofollow">The Unfinished Song: Initiate (US)</a>Tara Mayahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09095632631554776002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-88452315365257470802011-02-27T10:36:23.028-06:002011-02-27T10:36:23.028-06:00<>
Hanging out with other e-book authors he...<><br /><br />Hanging out with other e-book authors helped. And the whole "They want to publish my work! OMG!!!" attitude, which is why the second Andrew Mayhem book was written specifically for Wordbeams, who only did e-books.<br /><br />My attitude was always "E-books are the future, but the future's not here yet," so I wanted my books in BOTH print and electronic formats. The only titles of mine that were ever NOT published electronically were a couple of limited edition hardcovers (like THE SINISTER MR CORPSE). I'm self-pubbing the e-book edition of WOLF HUNT next month, and another publisher is doing THE HAUNTED FOREST TOUR, and then my entire library will be on Kindle. <br /><br />Excluding DRACULAS, THE SINISTER MR. CORPSE is the first time in many years that I've been promoting an "e-book" instead of "a new novel, available in various formats."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1417745773577537302011-02-27T10:26:20.798-06:002011-02-27T10:26:20.798-06:00<>
Yep, I was Secretary in 2001, and Prez i...<><br /><br />Yep, I was Secretary in 2001, and Prez in 2002 and 2003. Obviously, since I was on the board for three years, it wasn't excruciating torture, but I'm DONE with that kind of stuff!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-44051553995375675792011-02-27T10:24:19.956-06:002011-02-27T10:24:19.956-06:00You need to make your books available for the Kind...You need to make your books available for the Kindle!JA Konrathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-11458289417372036772011-02-27T10:18:55.369-06:002011-02-27T10:18:55.369-06:00<>
That comment was completely a joke. MR. ...<><br /><br />That comment was completely a joke. MR. CORPSE has lending enabled, and it's not DRM locked. It was meant in the exact same spirit as the comment about getting hit by an ice cream truck.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-8727055509408960542011-02-27T10:15:39.263-06:002011-02-27T10:15:39.263-06:00I should note that I've had books available fo...I should note that I've had books available for the Kindle since there was a Kindle, which led to the following conversations:<br /><br />JOE: You need to make your books available for the Kindle!<br /><br />ME: My books ARE available for the Kindle.<br /><br />[Five minutes later.]<br /><br />JOE [foaming at the mouth a bit]: You need to make your books available for the Kindle!<br /><br />ME: My books ARE available for the Kindle.<br /><br />[Repeat.]<br /><br />THE SINISTER MR. CORPSE is the first time I've self-published something for the Kindle (and, yes, it's all because of Joe's influence) but you've been able to buy my e-books from Amazon since the days when Joe was saying "Traditional publishing is the only acceptable course of action!"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-22875574852413390812011-02-27T10:07:18.731-06:002011-02-27T10:07:18.731-06:00I hadn't read horror EVER until I "met&qu...I hadn't read horror EVER until I "met" Jeff on this screenwriting board. I still can't believe he isn't a famous screenwriter, btw. I could NOT believe what he could make laugh at, so I think I win on being a fan of his work longest, or maybe second longest to his wife? (belated happy birthday!)<br /><br />And I've been epublished since 1998. And I turned down a "legacy" publisher when I didn't like the deal. And I can order off the senior menu at iHop (actually, still conflicted about that, though the discount is nice). <br /><br />You can all thank me for inflict-er-launching Jeff on an unsuspecting world by ignoring all the other self promotion and buying my books. <br /><br />Pauline Baird Jones<br />www.perilouspauline.comPaulinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06673963438671468441noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-49318301508544003402011-02-27T08:46:51.331-06:002011-02-27T08:46:51.331-06:00I think the cover is perfect, and the subtitle has...I think the cover is perfect, and the subtitle has an ironic undertone that matches the dark comedy of the text.Jude Hardinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09994813046526310594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-78459032247791472292011-02-27T06:52:11.387-06:002011-02-27T06:52:11.387-06:00Promotion aside, the only thing preventing me from...Promotion aside, the only thing preventing me from purchasing the book is the cover. I'm a big fan of zombies, comedy too, but personally I do not feel the connection with the cover. The fact that you need to be told it's a "dark and twisted comedy" rather than being shown illustrates my point. I do not doubt the author's skill, but the odd cover feels like a wall between me and his work.Scott Gordonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11276077650234517880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-62210074723535593952011-02-27T03:06:06.385-06:002011-02-27T03:06:06.385-06:00Man, as much as I love insightful insight into the...Man, as much as I love insightful insight into the electric world of e-books it's hilarious hilarity like this that makes my socks go up and down. And zombie books that are also for haters of zombies.<br /><br />I'm off to buy more $3 books that I can scarcely afford not to buy.<br /><br /><a href="http://nealkristopher.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Neal Kristopher -</a> The Department Of Redundancy Department and writer.Neal Kristopherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15497801086488166255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-3925296265514201832011-02-27T00:53:18.927-06:002011-02-27T00:53:18.927-06:00I've never noticed any self-promotion here.
T...I've never noticed any self-promotion here.<br /><br />Tara Maya<br /><a href="http://amzn.to/f3pyrU" rel="nofollow">The Unfinished Song: Initiate (US)</a><br /><a href="http://amzn.to/grH5wR" rel="nofollow">The Unfinished Song: Initiate (UK)</a>Tara Mayahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09095632631554776002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-35473180692606771622011-02-27T00:28:27.940-06:002011-02-27T00:28:27.940-06:00What an awesome post. Jeff's a funny man, and...What an awesome post. Jeff's a funny man, and the cover is reminiscent of "A Clockwork Orange" which never hurts. Great title, too.<br /><br />I laughed out loud throughout pretty much the whole thing. I think I will give this book a try on my Kindle. :-)<br /><br />As long as we're sharing self promotion, my ghost story e-book <i>One More Day</i> has been published <a href="http://www.amazon.com/One-More-Day-ebook/dp/B004P1IZY8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1298787790&sr=8-1" rel="nofollow">here</a>. It's been a long time coming and it feels great to finally sell the damn thing.<br /><br />Thank GOD for your blog, J.A. I had a pretty stressing day and reading this has helped blow off quite a bit of steam. :-)<br /><br />Best,<br /><br />NickNicholas La Sallahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00672628766188470171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-52225524363884981262011-02-26T23:42:09.114-06:002011-02-26T23:42:09.114-06:00Frogger rocks.
But it ain't Pooyan.Frogger rocks.<br /><br />But it ain't Pooyan.JA Konrathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-54469484559754577372011-02-26T23:31:20.218-06:002011-02-26T23:31:20.218-06:00Speaking of all the shameless self-promotion, I ha...Speaking of all the shameless self-promotion, I have to say that what sold me on The Sinister Mr. Corpse wasn't the awesome cover or the spectacular product description.<br /><br />It was the 5-star review Jeff Strand wrote for himself. It was so side-splittingly funny that I just HAD to buy the book. I mean, if someone could make me pee my pants reading a review of their own book how could I NOT like the book itself?<br /><br />Shana Hammaker<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/North-Forks-Twelve-Terrifying-ebook/dp/B004MDLKT6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1298784599&sr=1-3" rel="nofollow"> Twelve Terrifying Tales for 2011 </a>shanahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06325344737808323770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-76476208872938949392011-02-26T23:29:55.405-06:002011-02-26T23:29:55.405-06:00A word of warning- I downloaded it from a pirate s...A word of warning- I downloaded it from a pirate site, and thirty minutes later the orphan came to my house and beat me with a rubber hose. Wouldn't leave until I bought it from Smashwords.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01948358769751290881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-80854979565820696812011-02-26T22:46:16.949-06:002011-02-26T22:46:16.949-06:00Thanks, everyone! Today was my wife's birthday...Thanks, everyone! Today was my wife's birthday and we spent the day at Disney Quest (where they have almost every 80's arcade game ever made) and anything I post now will be incoherent from overdosing on Frogger, but I'll respond to your comments tomorrow!Jeff Strandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12283042369618746111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-13418588429710200962011-02-26T21:56:15.915-06:002011-02-26T21:56:15.915-06:00You're stating that if I don't pursue a le...<i>You're stating that if I don't pursue a legacy publisher that I'm crap.</i><br /><br />Not at all, Douglas. Please don't put words in my mouth.<br /><br />I'm seeing more and more decent indie stuff all the time, but the fact remains that the overwhelming majority of it ain't quite up to snuff. Nobody needs to feel insulted, they just need to write better books. Good books have a chance at selling, crappy books don't. That's the way it has always been, and that's the way it always will be.Jude Hardinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09994813046526310594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-24215743376042160352011-02-26T21:53:54.781-06:002011-02-26T21:53:54.781-06:00I thought I'd derail this thread about self pr...I thought I'd derail this thread about self promotion and mention that The Sinister Mr. Corpse is a fantastic read. I had the opportunity to read it before it was released and enjoyed it so much I immediately purchased the uploaded edition.<br /><br />Sorry I don't have a book to promote, a website in my sig, or basically anything tying me to the industry. I'm just a reader. One who appreciates that Jeff, Joe, Scott Nicholson, Bryan Smith, (shall I continue) are putting their books out where I can actually find them, and at a price where I don't have to pick just one a month (small press prices are a bit harsh on the family budget.)<br /><br />Now, the only problem is finding the time to read them all! Maybe if I stop reading all these damn blogs!<br /><br />- JimJimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08890755957201012506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-6168309793119341142011-02-26T21:45:27.269-06:002011-02-26T21:45:27.269-06:00Jude, now you've just gone and insulted a lot ...Jude, now you've just gone and insulted a lot of people who are exploring this new publishing frontier with a big generalization. You're stating that if I don't pursue a legacy publisher that I'm crap. <br /><br />Hopefully, you'll read my vetted, edited manuscript when it's ready. <br /><br />Good luck to you when you hit your publishing date. You're not making a lot of friends who could help promote you. <br /><br />I've read your manuscript, liked the story and wish you luck. Don't think your $9.99 ebook price will make a lot of sales so I hope you can get your publisher to lower it.Douglas Dorowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10626666935442821895noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-33362397534581806942011-02-26T21:36:25.165-06:002011-02-26T21:36:25.165-06:00Great post Jeff. What made you stick with ebooks w...Great post Jeff. What made you stick with ebooks when people seemed to be down on you? <br /><br />Sean McCartney<br />The Treasure Hunters Club<br />Secrets of the Magical MedallionsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com