An Ideal World Or My One Big, Fat Wish

Okay, say my fairy godmother offered me a wish--anything I wanted, what would I say?

Well, I’d motion her closer and say I wanted the world to be different. Everything: no illness, no wars, no hatred, no bigotry of any kind.

And while I'm at it, fairy godmother, I’d also like to see the world of writing and publishing different too, and not just for me but for every hard working writer hammering away at a keyboard.

See I'm talking about a chance--a chance to be up there with the Gods of writing, with the bestselling authors. Those iconic authors whose work we savour. I read them, you read them, we all read their works, but hey Mister, give me a chance too, huh?

Remember that scene in Funny Girl when Barbra Streisand playing Fanny Brice wants to audition for a show and she sings the song about being the greatest star ‘only no one knows it?’

Well that's what this blog post is about. There are so many of us wanting to be noticed, wanting our writing seen by all.

I feel I have something to say, something new and different. I'm another voice crying in bookdom's wilderness, I'm building a fan base but I also want to sing: MR. KEANEY, HERE I AM (Funny Girl again).

I studied acting many years ago and auditioned for a couple of off Broadway shows, it was fun and terrifying at the same time. It's a tough business show business, but you can audition for big shows for big producers too sometimes.  I don't think writing is like that. That's what I'd like to see different.

Showing up for an open audition is straight forward. The producers, stage managers are either there or they're not. They're going to give you a shot or not. You'll know it or you won't, no guessing.

We had a free blog post topic this week, where we could discuss what we liked. I did this; I did it because it's something I feel strongly about.

Having said that, I don't want you to think I focus on this all the time because I don't. I'm too much of a realist and a pragmatist. I work hard and will continue to do so.

I am writing the sequel to my novel now and am enjoying every minute of it even though it's tough. Nothing comes easy in this life and that's a good thing because it keeps us on our toes and focused.

So if everything remains the same and I have to continue to promote myself and my writing I'll do it because there's no way I would stop, not now, not ever, after all the show must go on!

~*~Carole Gill~*~

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Got Publication On Your Mind?

How odd it is to post on a Friday! I’m used to posting on Mondays for all my blogs, not just Wicked Writers. But while barbequing with my family last Sunday, a mysterious insect decided my earlobe might make a tasty treat. I ended up having an allergic reaction. Oh yeah, fun 4^th of July. :) But I’m better now.

Greg kindly filled in and the team allowed me to post on Friday this week. However, my post has changed considerably since then. As a Monday blogger, I like to think it’s my job to set the theme for the rest of the week. I say my piece and leave the topic open for discussion. But after reading everyone’s awesome posts, I now feel like it’s my job to give some closure.

What I take away from the discussion, and what I think all aspiring writers should get, is that there is no such thing as “One-Size-Fits-All” in the writing industry. It’s a rapidly growing, changing market and one of many trying to survive in the digital age and during a recession/depression nonetheless!

Every form of publication has its pros and cons. Do some serious thinking about yourself, your life, and your writing. Where is your life now and where do you want it to be in next ten years? In the next twenty years? Do you know how you’ll get from here to there? Take some time mapping out your career goals. Then, do your homework and choose the road that is right for you, that will take you where you want to go.

The truth is most traditionally published authors will swear that traditional publication is the best method. And many self-published authors will tell you that traditional publishing is the devil and will try to bring you over to their side. So be alert in your quest for knowledge and keep your career goals in mind.

Here are some common pros and cons to get started:

Traditional publishing:

Pro:  Quality – The select few manuscripts that manage to pass the query process are picked by literary agents or editors who’ve worked in the field for quite some time and know a good book when they see one. From there, author and manuscript go through the vigorous process of contract negotiations, content edits, line edits, production, and marketing to make sure the manuscript emerges as a worthwhile, readable book.

Con:  Long Lead Time – The query process alone can take years before you get accepted. The average query response time is three months and most authors accrue many rejections before they see an acceptance. The editing, production, and marketing process can take another 1-2 years as well.

Pro:  Advances – In most cases, trade publishers will pay their authors an advance that is theirs to keep even if their book does not sell well. This advance can be used to take some time off from your day-job to spend on writing.

Con:  Lack of support for new authors  - Traditional publishers expect the manuscript to be as perfect as possible before they get their hands on it. They won’t help you hone your craft or build your career. They’ll only market what’s in your book. They will also pool their money and resources into the “front-list” books that have already proven themselves in number of copies sold. Debut novels that haven’t proven themselves yet often get left behind and are seen as “risks”.

Pro:  Mainstream Exposure – Copies of your book will be widely distributed not just in book stores, but also in Walmart, Target, airports, novelty shops, grocery stores, online, etc.

Small publishers, Print-on-demand, and E-publishers:

Though smaller, these guys are considered traditional publishing but they have a few extra pros and cons, like they DO NOT have a very wide distribution. They focus more on online marketing and often are not able to sell to Walmart, Target, grocery stores, etc. (though usually they will sell to all major book chains like Barns&Nobel, Amazon, and Borders). Most of them DO NOT pay advances so the author must continue to work part-time at least to pay the bills until their books sell. However, these guys tend to be much nicer to their authors, including the newbies. They take un-represented authors as well as new authors and usually treat all books equally. They often DO NOT have a large budget for marketing, but they are usually willing to assist with marketing, give advice, and answer any questions about marketing.  

Self-publishing:

Pro:  Control – The author makes every single decision through-out the publishing and marketing process. They keep all rights to their work, they decided how to divide their time and their budget, and they keep all the profit.

Con:  You’re completely alone – Unless you have some cool author friends to help you out, you’re totally on your own. Every risk, every mistake, every loss comes out of your pocket. Some self-published authors spend years “experimenting” with different marketing techniques before they find any that work.

Pro:  Focus – Self-publishing is a wonderful alternative for books meant for a specific market, such as diabetic cookbooks.  Authors are free to focus on their niche, write, and market exclusively for that area.

Con:  Time and Funding – Again, you are on your own here. You’ll have to cover all cost for cover art, editing, ISBN registration, distribution, etc.

Pro:  Less Production Time – You can self-publish your book in a few weeks (versus a year or two with traditional publishing).

Con:  Prejudice – There is still some prejudice against self-published authors/books. Some people tend to think there must something wrong with a book if it is not backed by a traditional publisher. It was produced by an amateur so it must be terrible and not worth the money. Agents and Traditional publishers tend to hold the most prejudice against self-published authors, so if you were planning to self-publish to test the waters or to build up credence before taking on the professionals – stop! I’ve read an interview with an agent who shall remain names who said self-published authors are viewed the same as authors who have never been published before and that authors with even a single short story published by a small publishing house had more credence than an author with several self-published books. This agent did go on to explain her logic behind this statement, but I think I’ll refrain from repeating it as I predict it will only make some of you more angry.

These are the basics. Every publishing company has its differences, so again, do your homework! Investigate the specific publishing house you might be interested in and read the fine print. And while you’re at it, read up on marketing books. Because no matter which method you choose, you WILL be expected to self-promote on some level. It’s embarrassing when they tell you to join their Yahoo group to keep up with the news and you don’t know how a Yahoo group works (true story *ahem* luckily I’m not completely computer illiterate and learned fast). 

P.S.  I'm under contract with Muse It Up Publishing Inc. and yes, I would recommend them for anyone looking for a large e-publisher or small print-on-demand publisher. I'm willing to answer questions about my experiences with them if you are curious just ask.

I Chose Both

Traditional vs. Self-Publishing.

Many authors write about an either or decision for publishing. I'm going for the 'have-my-cake-and-eat-it-too' scenario.

I'll be querying my novels the old-fashioned way, but meanwhile I'm going to break into publishing online with my short stories and novellas.

To go the self-publishing route, I think it's important to hire a professional editor and produce a professional work. Especially if charging for it. The results from those that do are much better than from those who don't. Our work is our brand. Don't short change it or yourself.

It's a good idea to build your platform before going 'Indie' as it's called by some. Even before you land an agent. Blogs and social networking are the main ways to do this. Another, which is a great idea no matter the route you plan, is to upload some free reads to Smashwords in order to start building an audience. I'd suggest Amazon, too, but Amazon won't let you sell 'for free'.

I used to put my free reads directly on my website, but this idea of using Smashwords is better. It allows me to reach people who read and they can try my stories risk free. Exposure for the cost of some work and courage.

Meanwhile, I submit some of my short works the old-fashioned way and envision publishing some myself. I will also query my novels through agents for traditional publishing. So, I chose both.

The truth is, ebooks will soon out sell traditional books. The writing is on the cyber wall, so to speak. This changed my thinking on publishing. Has it affected yours at all?

I Vote for Versus

This week we are talking about traditional publishing versus self publishing. As a yet-to-published-in-anyway author, I don't know what I can say on this topic. And so, I vote for Versus. Seems like a good way to go! After all Versus handles many things all at once! Can't go wrong with that. Mutlitasking! Balance! Oh yes, important things all thanks to Versus.

*ahem* What was I talking about? Oh yes...

Traditional publishing has it's good points. You have the backing of professional agents, editors, and a publishing company to help you as you market your book. They handle the formatting of your book to get it in e-book form or in print, they get your books up on the web where people can buy them and on the shelves.

Self publishing has good points also. You keep all the royalties from your sales. You have the added benefit that no one else owns any rights at all to your book or characters. You don't have to wait for an agent or publisher or editor to tell you yes or no to a query, then wait some more for them to get back to you.

Beyond that knowledge, I don't know what else to say. I don't have experience in either type of publishing and so I can't lend much insite into them. I do know that personally in the end, I want to have my book in print. Period. Right now, it's up in the air for me as I wait to hear back from a few publishers and agents but I'm seriously considering self-publishing also, only because I'm tired on waiting! It seriously drives me crazy.

The only thing that really stops me on the self-publishing thing is that I know even less about it than I do traditional publishing. Mainly, formatting my manuscript to get it into ebook and print form. I'm sure the information is out there if I just look for it, but I look at the time it would take to learn all of that. I just don't have it.

So I'm stuck -- I drive my self crazy waiting for an agent or publisher or try to weasle in the time to self publish. Either way, I feel like I'm losing something in the process! (My sanity in both cases...)

I wish I could have my last post be a bit more informative, but alas, that is just not the case. I'm sorry for that.

And yes, this is my last post on Wicked Writers. I'm sad to go, but my family comes first. I cherish the time I've spent here and I've learned so much from all the other authors that write for this wonderful blog. I've made lasting friendships with all of them!

I hope to see you all around the internet! Look me up at my website (http://avpergakis.com) or my blog (http://labotomyofawriter.com) if you want to stay in touch.

Thank you to Greg for giving me the initial invite and to CJ for letting me join in the fun here. I wish every much success in their careers. I love you all and I'll see you around.

Reading, Writing, and Publishing Announcement

Did everyone have a good mother's day? I hope so. I'm not a momma, but I did receive some very good news Sunday morning.... My urban fantasy novel, Dark Heirloom, is officially under contract with Muse It Up Publishing Inc!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *does a little victory dance*

I'm so ecstatic! For those of you who don't know, Dark Heirloom is like THE novel, the one I've been trying to get published for the past year or so. And it's finally happening! YAY!  :-)

Okay, now that it's out of system (not really), I'll lead into today's topic. What do I read vs. what I write? Truth is, I read what I write and I write what I read.

My two top favorite genres are Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance, which are exactly the genres I write. Dark Fantasy comes in a close third on my reading list just because the basic elements are similar, but I have no plans to write Dark Fantasy so far. As some of you know, I also write Erotic Romance, which I have just recently become a fan of. I know I enjoy writing Erotic Romance much more than reading it. Erotica is such a selective genre. We all have a different comfort level when it comes to sex so there really is no concrete line between erotic and pornographic which is why I have trouble finding erotic romance that I enjoy reading other than my own stories.

I'll occasionally read Steampunk - though I'm more a fan of Victorian women's fashion than anything - Sci-Fi, Horror, and Gothic. I also like a lot of the new fairy tale spin-offs.

The thing that sometimes baffles me most is that over half the books I read and own are Young Adult. I do have plans to write YA novels in the future, but I admit I'm shocked I didn't start with YA right off the bat. Instead, I started with heroines that are my age - in their 20's. Understandable, I think. It's just easier to write about people your age.

What about you? Writers, is there a genre you love to read, but don't particularly care to write? Or a genre you write, but don't like to read?

Paving a Path to Publication

Hello Wicked Writers and Readers,

Yes, I'm back from my holiday vacation, and I feel great. I needed the change in scenery and routine. I had a blast, but I'm also happy to be back among my writing friends. If you want to read more or see some pics from my travels, click here.

Other wise, this week's topic is all about writing goals for 2011. Usually plotting goals for myself is pretty easy because, usually, there's not much difference between one year and the next, other than remembering to write 11 instead of 10 when I date a document.

However, at this point in my writing career (or lack-of), I find myself in an odd, yet surely common, spot. I'm stuck between trying to get an old MS published and trying to write a completely new one. I'm sure those of you who've been writers for many years are used to being in this spot, but it's foreign territory to a newbie like me.

And, I am sure, for those non-writers out there, this may not seem like such a bad predicament. So, let me peel back the layers to expose the true problem: Dark Heirloom was supposed to be under contract in 2010, according to my writing goals from last year.

That obviously didn't happen. But unlike most failed goals, this one wasn't from lack of trying.

Before I went on vacation, I was very near to giving up on Dark Heirloom altogether, and threw myself into a new project (the new project I mentioned earlier). But, after spending twelve days in Mexico - NOT thinking about writing the entire time - I somehow found my muse and a new hefty dose of determination.

I now see hope for my writing career. One that must be done in alternative ways which were suggested to me before, but that I had naively shrugged off until now.

Like last year, my main goal for 2011 is to get Dark Heirloom published. And, just like last year, there are at least a dozen steps required to get to that point. But, those steps are not the same ones I took in 2010. For I have gone back the drawing board and reformatted my plan to publication.

Goal #1: I will rewrite/edit Dark Heirloom one more time. Yes, I'm going on, like, the 100th edit here, but truth is the MS clearly needs some reworking if it's not garnering any interest at all yet. I'm mature enough to be honest about when my work is lacking. And Ana, don't even start with me, Missy! I know you think DH is perfect, but it's not. And don't you worry, the characters and plot will be very much the same. It's some other key stuff - like the crappy beginning for one thing - that will change.

This first goal is to be accomplished no later than February 1st, and you'll see why in a minute. But first, any one want to volunteer to be a beta reader? Seriously ... I'm going to need you guys because of Goal 2 .....

Goal #2: I will submit Dark Heirloom to the 2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest - which must be done no later than February 6th.

Goal #3: Assuming DH makes it to the second round of the contest, I will then take some promotional pointers from C.J. and create a Facebook author page in which I will promote the bejesus out of my MS and beg for votes. Should I win this prestigious contest, I will then have a publishing contract with Penguin. However, I do, of course, realize the huge amount of competition and the very small chances of winning. So I'm not counting on this alone. However, I would be very pleased if DH made into the top 10. I would be very proud and it would be something I could use as an author credential when I eventually get to an other round of query letter writing.

Goal #4: Once the contest is over, and assuming I lose (hey, this a back-up, I'm not being negative, just prepared!) I will then dive into the art of writing short stories. I'll write one every month or so, edit them, and then submit them to publishers. This little side job is also to build up author credit. It's no coincidence that a writer with a few published shorts has an easier time publishing a novel than a writer who's published nothing in the past.

I'm estimating that Goals 1-3 will carry me well into March or April, and Goal 4 will be done through-out the year or however long it takes to get a couple shorts published. Since a lot of this is up in the air - and I certainly have my work cut out for me - I'm going to stop here before I "goal" myself into a plan that's too rigged. Always good to have wiggle room. However, I hope to begin re-submitting DH to publishers sometime in late summer or fall, with the contest and published short stories to back me up. Either way, I'll hopefully have something published by this time next year!

What are your writing goals for 2011? Wishing you all the best of luck in whatever hurdles and successes the new year brings! :)

Sell Yourself the Right Way

Since it is open topic this week, I wanted to talk about author brands. It has become a sort of obsession of mine as of late as I try to update my website, blog, and other sites to reflect my 'brand'.

Now, what is an author brand you ask? Well, to me it is the image that you present to your readers, agents, and fellow writers about who you are as a writer. Key point there. Now myself personally, I would rather have my website full of skulls and barbed wire. However, that doesn't really show my author brand as a fantasy writer does it?

So, part of creating your own author brand is to really think about what you write. What genre or what type of feelings do your stories present? If you write in multiple genres, how could you show the feel of all the genres at the same time?

This part can be a little difficult, especially if you write multiple genres under the same name. However, many people recoomend, and I agree, that if you write multiple genres, you should have a different pen name for each genre. For me that also means having a website for each name, each with the right theme.

Too much work you say? Well, think of it like this. I write High Fantasy right? My website reflects this with a marvelous fantasy theme to it. But I do have some ideas for sci-fi stories. Now, my High Fantasy readers and fans will know that my name on a book means High Fantasy. But if they pick it up and find out it's sci-fi they will be a bit dissapointed and probably feel a little misled. Sure, many fans read multiple genres. But, if they expect a certain thing from you and you change it on them, they still might feel a little jilted about it. So, consider your fans and your reader base when writing in multiple genres - and thus choosing an image or feel for your site and/or blog.

Pen names are important to a writer's brand also. My real name as you know is Anastasia V. Pergakis. I went by the pen name Harley D. Palmer for years! But, when I really became serious about getting published, I had to sit down and think what name to use. A friend of mine told me that my real name would look awesome on a fantasy cover and I agreed. So, began the process to change everything in  "Harley's" name to "Anastasia". Will I ever use Harley again? Of course! I plan to use it later when I start to write in genres other than high fantasy. At that time, I will create another brand name and slogan to go with those stories.

And that is point here people. Create an image, a feel, and a name that all goes together. Put out there a "slogan" of a sort that people will remember and recognize. It's all about getting people to remember you and find you when they want. If they put your name into a google search, they should find YOU (the way you are on the cover of your book) all over the place. Website, blog, twitter, facebook, whatever.

For my blog, I went with a theme and layout that fit with me as a person rather than my writings. This is because that blog will be used as a central point for every thing I do under any name. So, I chose a theme that will cover all topics I ever decide to talk about. Some might tell me that my blog should match my website, or match the "fantasy" brand. However, since on my blog I talk about more than just my fantasy works, I don't think including the blog into my 'image' would fit very well. Others might feel differently and wouldn't do this the way I did. That's fine too. The main point here is to create your brand however you see fit - but just do it.

So I challenge you to sit down and really think about your 'brand' if you haven't already. Think about the future and where you want to be and how you want people to see and remember you.

Transitioning

[caption id="attachment_3815" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="I love to read. I used to have time for that."][/caption]

Some of you may know this, some may not, but one year ago at this time I had just found a publisher. Vamplit Publishing had my debut novel about vampires with a Christian twist, and I was simply waiting for the editor to send back my carved-up manuscript. At that time, I had one MySpace account which was gathering dust (for spying on my teenager, don't you know), as well as one Facebook account. With that, however, all that I was doing was looking for old friends and playing Vampire Wars. Other than checking my e-mail multiple times per day for my edits which would ultimately not come in until Christmas Eve day, I had nothing to do in terms of writing.

     Oh, what a difference a year can make.

     Why am I telling you this, you ask? Some may be wondering why I am retelling it. Faithful readers of this hallowed page may have noticed that what was once fairly regimented has grown, shall we say: loose. There’s a reason for that and our hope here is it will be temporary. You see, many of us have gotten busy at quite the same time with regards to writing projects becoming published novels, and blogging evolving into PR campaigns and book tours.

     For me, 2010 transitioned from checking my e-mail every day, waiting for my novel to be published - to being published nearly every week. First came the blog. I didn’t design that. My publisher handed me the keys, but it was certainly up to me to fill it with stuff. I posted information about my novel, as well as film and music reviews and the occasional rant or editorial. A guest post on Wicked Writers transitioned over to a regular spot every other Friday. A review in a local magazine brought me to the attention of an editor who had just launched her own on-line magazine. I had never written articles before, nor did I have any kind of experience in Journalism; however, I have now been writing articles for her since the summer. I now have a second Facebook page (The Official James Garcia... You get the idea) as well as a Twitter Account.

     The point I’m attempting to make is, we spent a lot of time dreaming that these days might come; that we might be writing. Little did we realize, perhaps, just what form that might take; or how it might all come together. I think many of you have probably gone through the same things. Notice how I’ve mentioned nothing at all about us having houses to maintain, or children or grandchildren to parent. Or day jobs! Many of you are writing and running blogs; others are reading, reviewing and running blogs; and a whole bunch of us are trying like heck to do it all. Busy, huh?

[caption id="attachment_3816" align="alignright" width="225" caption="There's a few DVDs there I still haven't seen yet."][/caption]

 This brings me to the heart of the matter: please hang in there if we suddenly seem to have neglected to post on our day; or if we fail to update the poll or go a while without offering another contest. I think everyone here would agree that this site is very special to us, as well as all of the interaction with you fine people. Many of us are simply coping with transitioning at the moment. C.J.’s flying about the country on the Wicked Writer’s corporate jet, doing lectures and signings. NaNoWriMo (National November Writing Month) has claimed a few of us braver ones who are endeavoring to write a complete novel in one month (Anastasia and J.D.), Greg can’t hardly get any work done with Hollywood pleading with him to save some blockbuster project of their's by taking the lead role. And for me, between writing posts and articles, I’m supposed to be overseeing the PR machine as it figures out new and improved ways to get the information out about my positively reviewed novel that few know about. I am also supposed to be polishing up its sequel and getting it ready for the moment that my trusty publisher asks for it.

     John Lennon is famous for a great many things, but in the Beatles’ song, “The Ballad of John and Yoko”, he sang, “Christ, you know it ain’t easy…”. It isn’t one of my favorite Beatle’s songs. In fact, I typically skip it. However, being motivated by music, it was the one lyric to leap into my head as I was crafting the paragraph. You may also notice one of these days that the blog appears a bit different. Potentially, we’re moving. I’m told it will be seamless and you will not have to be redirected or find one of those notices that we’ve moved. You will not have to pick up our mail or kick the pile of newspapers out of your way while walking to the front door. Nothing like that.

[caption id="attachment_3817" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Jones is waiting for someone to come play with him! "][/caption]

     Just please hang in there (like my cat), because that’s all that we are attempting to do as well, amongst all of the stuff.

     As I like to say over on my blog…

     …We’ll talk soon.

The Future of Books and a Contest

When I realized that our subject this week was the future of books and e-books in the next five years, it gave me pause. It wasn't as if I was completely clueless with regard to the task at hand; I have had the good fortune of having my debut novel published as an e-book. The issue for me was not the meat and potatoes of the dish, but rather the art of preparing the meal. I wrote the novel, but my wonderful publisher Gaynor was the one who handled all of the details.

The e-book: By this time, most people are aware of just exactly what this is. "What's in a name? that which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet" (My thanks to Mr. Shakespeare). It's just a book. It won't bite you! Although, a good one will leave a mark. One can download an e-book to their computer, iPhone, e-reader, etc. Most of us not only have personal computers, Laptops and gadgets galore, but have multiples of each! 

The e-future: Imagine if you will that you have just finished reading a very good book. Are you ready to put it down? What if there was more content? Books often carry advertisements for past works by the author or for a forthcoming title, other times the book might include a sample of what's coming. What if the e-book was something called an enhanced e-book? Not only could it carry the usual, but so much more. Picture if you will the ordinary Facebook wall. Most of us have a Facebook account or at least have seen one. Can you see the video links and photos there? Instead of snippets of what the individual has been up to or what their friends have posted on their wall, I want you to envision the pages of a book. Are you reading The Lord of the Rings? Off to the right there is a series of photos. Are you reading Stephen King? Between paragraph one and two is a photo of Bangor, Maine. Better yet, how about a short video walk-thru of the town. Pat Conroy? Now you do not have to imagine what his south looks like, you could simply click the link. 

I know what you are going to say. It's the same argument against music video. Now that I have seen the stupid video, it has robbed my imaginative mind of being able to simply take the lyrics and create my own visual in my head. Okay, forget the photos and links. What if the start of the enhanced e-book contained a brief author's note, where a film began upon your choosing and the author herself thanked you, her faithful reader, for purchasing her work and gave the simplest of introductions. What if the end of the e-book contained an interview session where the author explained the muse for his story or offered other tidbits. Wouldn't that be something? Who knows exactly what the future might bring, but folks, it is coming. 

The Real topic: That was what I was hoping to write about this week. Unfortunately, thanks to all of the comments that I have seen recently from readers claiming that you can take their books from them when you pry them from their cold, dead fingers - we have to talk about something else. Has everybody seen Moonstruck? I hadn't until recently. I love romantic comedies, but must have had some sort of bias against this one for some crazy reason. In any event, I finally saw it, and liked it. So, with regard to the bias that many continue to cling to in terms of being unwilling to embrace e-books: I say, (borrowing Cher's famous line) "Snap out of it!" 

[caption id="attachment_3123" align="alignleft" width="160" caption="Cher and Nicholas Cage in Moonstruck"][/caption]

Forgive me, I'm not writing of those who have said that they cannot yet afford a Kindle or one of the other e-readers out there. It was easy for me. My wife has money! Just kidding. I'm speaking to those who get all nostalgic for paper, curling up in bed with their favorite book or simply their love of  bookstores. This is not the first time that this kind of thing has happened. We have gone through this before.  

This past spring the Blockbuster in my small town of 12,000 or so souls closed. It's a Real Estate now. When I was a teenager we went through periods where we had between two and five video rental stores. Then everyone decided that they should abandon the mom and pop places for the big sexy chain, thus forcing the mom and pops out of business. Now that we can order movies through cable, our computers, our Wii's, etc., we don't necessarily need Blockbuster anymore. And so it goes...  

Quick, somebody hand me a cassette. A what? Yeah, that's what I thought. I might still have a few cassettes lying around the house, probably stored in the garage. If so, they won't work now. Not that I have anything to play them on anymore! Not only that, I've long-since replaced those with CD. While we're on the subject, all of those CD's have been digitally transferred to my pc. They are available for me to listen to when I'm on my pc (like now - I'm listening to Asia), or my iPod (I'm pushing 7000 songs there) or my iPhone. My dad still has an old reel to reel. I haven't seen it in a while, but I'm certain that it is there since my parents don't believe in tossing anything out! Soon, we might not even need to store music. Our devices will simply access "the cloud" where our account is recognized and our purchased/stored music content simply streamed to our device. I don't know a lot about it just yet, but guess what: it's coming, too!  

Back to my wife. When the Kindle showed up magically at our doorstep a few months ago, she gave me that frown. "What did you do?" the frown asked. Yet, guess who uses it more than I do? And so will you. Trust me.  

The Contest: If you are still speaking to me after all of that, we have a contest for you. Wicked Writers is giving away a copy of my e-book, Dance on Fire. Ha! What else could it have been? The contest will run for two weeks. To be eligible, please leave a comment, along with your e-mail address in case you are declared the winner. We also would love it if you signed up for the e-mail delivery option, but will not make it mandatory. I would like to leave you with a note about my book. It is a horror/Christian crossover about vampires. It is a PG-13 story, so don't let the horror label scare you away. It is Christian, but contains some blood and guts and does not get too preachy. There's a bit of romance, too! See, it has everything. How could one possibly lose? Okay, don't answer that.

Long live the book… A view on the publishing industry

Given the subject of our posts this week – our opinions of the publishing industry – I thought it might be a useful idea to revisit an earlier post I had placed on my own blog. (A blog which has now, to a large extent, lain fallow as I have begun to contribute to Wicked Writers!)

Here I have re-edited Part II of what was a two-part posting. I hope you find its content of interest.

Self publishing 101: Risk Management

[caption id="attachment_2658" align="alignright" width="150" caption="The book is dead..."][/caption]

The book is dead? Long live the book?

The launch of any new product into a market, and new novels are no exception, is a question of innovation. Put the hash-tag #innovation into Twitter and follow just how many people discuss this topic, and, importantly, what is being said.

Innovation is the word on the lips of politicians, businesses and consumers looking forward. And the biggest tool in the innovator’s toolbox is the opportunity presented by technology as it continues its rampant charge down the battlefields of commerce. The battlefield that is “Publishing” bears the scars of technology’s stampede! Just look at the launch of the iPad!

As any general will tell you, if you chose to fight on any battlefield you must be mindful of the terrain you face!

I covered Economics 101 for the Self-Publisher in an earlier post. Consider today’s post as Risk Management 101.

A question of risk? Really?

Of course it is. And what do we do about risk, as a budding novelist?

Launching a new product into a market is an investment. It costs. It costs to produce a book. Not just in the time to write it, but in the post-writing production process. If launching a book is to be considered as a business (i.e. authors – as well as Agents and Publishers – need to put bread into their mouths) then what strategies are available to de-risk the enterprise?



[caption id="attachment_2659" align="alignright" width="136" caption="Hi guys... look how famous I am!"][/caption]

Become a celebrity?

Indeed! Short of (accidentally?) launching one’s child, in a balloon, into the airspace over a major international airport, or entering some mindless get-rich-quick game show, genuine opportunities for gaining instant celebrity status are few and far between. Such a strategy is as useful to the budding author as is hope! And hope is no strategy!

In the risk-reward equation of a product launch, what is at stake is the investment in bringing that product to market. If the product is untried, untested – with an unknown pedigree, it is highly rational to consider only a limited investment at first. But here lies the difficulty faced by the budding new author! The investment required to produce such a seemingly small thing as a new paperback book – that can compete on cost and quality in the market of other paperback books – is out of all proportion to its size. That is, of course, unless a sufficiently large enough quantity can be produced, marketed and SOLD!

This is an economic fact of life! It should not be a surprise to any new, budding author – the economics of starting a writing career just do not add up!

…Unless, of course, you decide to enter the battle!!



[caption id="attachment_2660" align="alignleft" width="110" caption="Let the battle commence..."][/caption]

Back to the battlefield, brave hearts!

The stampede of technology has done one critical thing – it has lowered the cost of production of the book! And I am not talking, here, about the capability of digital, print-on-demand, or the use of software to layout and design books at home. No, the biggest single factor in levelling the battlefield – in reducing the costs of production – which is the real boon to the individual budding new novelist, is that technology has redefined what a book is!

The book is dead! Long live the (E)book!


A budding new author who does not consider that an e-book is THE WAY to reduce the level of investment in book production, is missing the point.

At the launch my own first novel, RIVER OF JUDGEMENT, initially on Smashwords, I was thankful that evolution is our constant companion. As our global society becomes increasingly risk averse, as investment in capital-intensive product launches (as a book most certainly is) becomes reserved for “sure-fire” bets (celebrity) and sexy, high-tech panaceas (which a book most certainly is not), evolution provides its own solution. We adapt and survive.

[caption id="attachment_2661" align="alignright" width="92" caption="Vanity, what vanity?"][/caption]

The low cost of producing an e-book provides a new author with the economic possibility to launch a new product into a real marketplace that has the potential to generate income (and put a few crumbs on the table). It is an opportunity, I would argue, not to be missed. The books of budding new authors can now exist alongside those of the established greats, and on the same terms!! No vanity press need exist in cyberspace – just good quality and bad quality.

Democracy rules, perhaps! So, publish and be damned! Go on, give it a try!

Handy hint #1 – the lighter side of self-publishing or…

Self publishing 101: Economics

So, after refusing to accept rejection – or, rather, ‘…getting fed up of waiting for an agent to pick up my work with anything more than a resigned shrug and the comment “what’s this?” to his assistant, late on a Friday evening with a whole weekend of socialising ahead of him/her, and no real interest in reading yet another synopsis’, I ventured into the realm of self-publishing. After all, I was an entrepreneur, I knew about business and I knew what was meant by marketing, sales and, above all, about producing a quality product. How difficult could it be?

The simple idea to make money out of any product is to produce it at a price and quality which will allow you to compete in a market of similar products, either offering some measure of quality or price differential (or both) to make your product more attractive than the competition. This takes as a given that there is a market that desires such products.

[caption id="attachment_2412" align="alignleft" width="127" caption="Simples!"][/caption]

Well, we all like books. And despite the doom merchants and e-publishing disciples, books have a market. People buy them, and will continue to do so. You just have to pitch your book to them with a quality and at a price they are willing to pay. Simple.

OK. So we have a story, we have edited the hell out of it, designed a great cover, type set it so that it is an attractive interior. In fact, it looks just like a book should look. Well, we have hundreds of thousands of examples before us. If we hold our book up to them how does it compare? Does it blend in with the others, or does it stick out? If it sticks out, it sticks out for a reason – and that might not be a good one!

To my mind, people have expectations about what a novel looks like. (We are talking fiction here, not non-fiction.) The differences between one novel and another should be in the cover design, the title, and the blurb on the cover – in all other respects, the book should be identical in quality. The paper should not be lighter, or darker, or thinner; the dimensions should not be shorter, narrower, taller or wider – these are not valid product differentiators.

[caption id="attachment_2413" align="alignright" width="143" caption="I love a challenge!"][/caption]

Your challenge, as a self publishing author, is to produce a book of identical quality to your competition. Your problem is one of economics. Not of writing quality. I mean, have you seen some of the books that have been published by main stream publishers – shocking! (But that’s another topic for a blog post.)

Still, where was I? Ah, yes, the problem of economics. If you have got the quality right, then the only other issue is production cost. You cannot sell a book at a greater price than the competition. If the standard price of a paperback novel is x dollars, then you need to list yours at x dollars. If a book seller needs a discount of y% then you need to offer y%. This is where the true problem in self-publishing lies. Because of production scales, it is impossible to produce a book at as lower cost as the competition. And this is where self-publishers start to cut corners and try to get their books out.

In the UK, we can use publishing services like Lulu, Createspace, and Lightning Source – these all offer packaged print/publishing services that, through their own economies of scale and POD, offer the budding self-publisher an easy option. I looked into these services myself. But there are problems. To get the costs to a reasonable level for the self-publisher, the paper tends to be whiter than white, the covers tend to be softer than soft, and – hold your freshly printed book against any mainstream book – it is either taller or shorter or wider or narrower than a standard paperback book in the shop (at least here in the UK). What we have is a product that stands out as ‘not being quite right’, before we even start to look at its design and words. It just doesn’t quite look how we expect the book to look – does it?

But now, we have taken these comments on board, and we have sourced a printer who can actually print a quality book – one that can rank alongside the others we are competing against. And we have managed to negotiate a print prince per copy that at least provides us with scope to offer a book seller a decent margin, without having to order so many copies that we will be forced to give over the entire family den to book storage requirements. What now?

There is an interesting fact about postage. Here in the UK we have physical limits which apply to the thickness of a letter as opposed to the thickness of a package. When I put a copy of my book into the post, in response to a sale from my web site or from Amazon, I put it carefully into a padded envelope to ensure that it arrives at my happy purchaser’s mail box in good condition. My book is about 30 pages too big to be classed as a letter. It effectively doubles the postage rate and kills my profit margin!

[caption id="attachment_2414" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="A weighty tome"][/caption]

Is there a point to this lesson. Yes. If you are ever to consider self-publishing, consider it from an early stage in your book project. If you set out to write, and write a darn good yarn that stretches to a JK Rowling-size tome of many hundreds of pages – you will have a problem. The economics will just never add up to a business proposition. The print costs alone will make sure you cannot compete in the market place. And try posting a copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – all 832 pages of it. Forget it.

My own book makes a profit when I sell it from my web site, from my Amazon market place account or if I offer independent book sellers the standard commercial discount. However, if I sell it through wholesale, or post it overseas, or if I wanted to consider Amazon fulfilment services, then I would pay for it to be sold. Because I cannot get the price lower; because I cannot post it for less; because there are 30 pages too many!

Would my readers really be bothered if there were 30 pages fewer in the book? I think not. If the quality of the story holds, if the quality of the product meets expectation, there will be a market for it. How many good novels are there out there, that are under 300 pages?

So, my handy hint #1? If you are considering self-publishing (certainly here in the UK) make sure you keep your page count down to no more than about 300! At least until you are famous.

Happy writing! :)

Rejection? A question of culture...

It was reinforced to me, today, as I spent a pleasurable few hours lecturing about change and the management of change to a very important student of the educational institute I am now a member of, that we can never take anything for granted. Cultural differences separate us all. Even in the confines of a single village, there are differences. And don’t get me talking about the two nations – the UK and the US - separated by a common language! (And I say this with affection!)

[caption id="attachment_2369" align="alignright" width="70" caption="This has nothing to do with rejection - but it is a good book!"][/caption]

There is a quote from a philosopher, MacIntyre, that I frequently use in talking about culture: ‘I am brother, cousin and grandson, member of this household, that village, this tribe… These… characteristics… [define] partially at least and sometimes wholly my obligations and my duties.’

So, where am I going with a discussion on culture in relation to a post on Rejection? Stay with me, friends – I will make this short. It is, after all, (as I sit here typing this post) late here in good old London, England. And I have been out networking and drinking wine!

Back to the subject at hand.

Together with the reinforcement of my belief in the richness of value in cultural difference, I received an email of a post from a fellow UK writer and writing consultant. (I will not name her here). And a timely post it was – on the subject of rejection.

The post attempted, in all good faith, to interpret various rejection letters in answer to a question: “what do letters actually mean?” A couple of examples might help here:

Q: What does "We regret we're unable to take on any new writers," mean?

A: Exactly that. Have they read your pitch? Probably not.

Q: What does "Your synopsis and opening chapter have promise, but we already have a similar author on our list," mean?

A: You are right to feel encouraged. They can see the potential in your work.

[caption id="attachment_2374" align="alignright" width="124" caption="Neither has this. But I liked it the last time, too!"][/caption]

You get the picture.

But what can we actually say? Is it right to try and interpret such rejection letters? To try and read something into the words that have been written? To suggest there might (or might not) be some ray of hope trapped inside?

I would argue that there really is no point in trying to decipher a rejection letter. We cannot, as an individual (because of all the variety of differences that make up our individual cultural profiles) really know what someone is trying to say in the space of a few lines of bland English typed on some fairly nondescript parchment.

Is this bad news?

NO! A great big resounding NO!

The rejection letter in your hand has been written by one individual in this world of individuals. There are one heck of a lot of other individuals out there who would like to read what you have to say. So do not take a rejection letter to heart. Keep trying; submit more. Or, if you are impatient like me, you can always publish yourself these days – but then that is a subject for another week.

Happy writing, and don’t worry about rejections. JK Rowling – one of our more famous UK authors - was rejected many times!

And in the words of Donald Sutherland, in Kelly’s Heroes, “Quit the negative waves, Moriarty” :)

You Can’t Handle the Truth

Rejection by publishers and agents is the least of a writer’s worries these days. What disturbs me is the changing industry and what the Internet has done to create a means to avoid rejection.

Self-publishing is on the rise thanks to the Internet. It’s a quicker path and unless you decide to reject yourself, publication is a sure thing. Some writers are also following this path in hopes of being noticed by large publishers. Reading Jim C. Hines novel survey results shows this isn't the case. But what will the future hold with more self-published novels out there? I’m more inclined to believe these books will be reduced back to manuscript level and publishers will be even less interested in weeding through them.

It used to mean something to win contests, but they're popping up all over the Internet, not necessarily from a reputable group. The Courier is a perfect example. I don’t expect the contest I co-won to hold much weight with a publisher, considering the contest is run by my agent.

How can authors possibly accept rejection when they have so many social networks to feed their egos? I’ve even heard about authors creating fictitious followers they use to comment on their own blog to make themselves look more popular. Huh? There are also those writers who pester (or should I say stalk) everyone on the social sites to increase fans or followers. I was personally pestered by a few authors a couple years ago, in hopes I'd buy their books. There was never a friendly conversation from these people. Only countless emails about how wonderful their book was and requests to confirm I'd bought a copy.

I spent a lot of time on writer’s sites like Booksie and Authonomy last year, in hopes of receiving constructive criticism on my writing. But Greg’s post yesterday was right on. Writers only want to hear how wonderful their own novel is. I've even seen profile pages that announce only positive comments are welcome. I question whether many of the members actually read other writers' work. It's more obvious they figure dropping by to say something nice and generic about your novel will get them a glowing review of their own. Out on sites like Authonomy, you can claw your way on to a HarperCollins editor's desk. Imagine the unethical practices going on over there.

Rejection doesn’t end with an acceptance letter from a publisher. Lately, I’ve been watching the book review blogs and don’t like what I’m seeing. There are virtually thousands of reviewers who are competing to get free books, the most author interviews, review the most books and get noticed themselves. Alienate a few of these people and an author risks having their book rejected by parts of the reviewing community, even if it is a good book. In addition, I really don’t like the idea of someone reviewing my book after spending two hours skimming through the text.

I know I’ve just touched the surface here. So now I hand the discussion over to our readers. How else do you see writers avoiding rejection?

Now, I'd like to announce that this is my last week blogging with the Wicked Writers. Due to a lack of progress on my novel series this year, I've decided to concentrate on writing, editing, and paying my rejection dues to publishers. I've had a great time, everyone! Thanks so much for dropping by to read.

How does an unknown author become a Kindle bestseller? Perseverance

Lately, I've been fascinated, and a little obsessed with the changing face of publishing. So when I read this post in Anthony S. Policastro's blog, Writing is About Putting Yourself to Words, I thought it would be a perfect repost for our blog, while we're searching for another male mystery writer to blog with us.

By the way, Anthony is the author of Dark End of the Spectrum.

DARK END OF SPECTRUM will make you think twice before turning on your cell phone or PDA! DARK END OF THE SPECTRUM is a frighteningly plausible, headline ripping tale of the real threats that loom in cyberspace based on the author's years of research into the hacker culture. More..

Thanks, Anthony & Elisa, for letting us repost!

* * * *

I asked novelist Elisa Lorello to share some of her insight in how her first novel, Faking It, peaked to number 6 on the Kindle Bestseller list during the last week of January with her second book, Ordinary World, positioning well around number 40.

By Elisa Lorello
I wish I could give you a formula for my recent success as an Amazon Kindle bestseller. I've been going back, trying to re-trace my steps, and the best I can say is that all the pieces fell into place at the right time. I can, however, give you the pieces. They're the four Ps of marketing: product, price, place, and promotion.

Product

I had written my novel, Faking It, from 2004 to 2006. I spent much of 2007 querying literary agents, and while each query resulted in rejection, some agents requested the manuscript and gave me feedback that prompted me to revise the novel further. In late 2008, I decided to independently publish through Lulu.com. Despite the rejection from agents, I believed in my novel, believed in its quality and appeal, and believed a readership existed, waiting for it. Approximately six months later, in June 2009, I published it on the Amazon Kindle.

But I also have to talk about the Kindle itself as a product. My sales numbers began to skyrocket Christmas week, as I had predicted they would, and kept going up. With the Kindle being Amazon's best-selling product of all time, I knew that excited new Kindle owners (my sister being one of them) were going to want to use them, and they were going to want to buy as many books as they could. Which leads me to the second P…

Price

Pricing, especially for e-books, has been under some scrutiny. Most Kindle users refuse to pay anything over $9.99 for an e-book. And although Amazon lost the recent pricing battle with Macmillan, read the discussion forums to get a sense of what Kindle owners want. Reading those Kindle discussion threads significantly played a role in my decision to price Faking It at 99 cents. (I had originally priced it at $1.99, with Amazon discounting it to $1.19 before they stopped discounting Kindle books.) Many indie (independently published) authors price their books under two bucks in order to entice readers who otherwise wouldn't give an unknown author a chance.

But doesn't that devalue my work and deprive me of royalties? Well, yes and no. Of course I would love to charge at least five dollars for my e-book. My book is worth that, and more. But the question is more about priority. Do you want royalties, or do you want a readership? And can you get one without the other? I wanted a readership. Thus, I lowered my price to 99 cents in September. With each month, sales numbers rose. And, as previously mentioned, by Christmas week my sales really skyrocketed.

Promotion

Because I had independently published Faking It through Lulu.com prior to publishing on Kindle, I had a head start on getting out the word. I made bookstore appearances, gave a local Raleigh, NC television show interview, and jumped on the online social networking bandwagon, taking advantage of Facebook and Twitter. In conjunction to publishing on Kindle, I launched a 30-day blog tour. I also found the aforementioned discussion forums on Kindle (and learned when it was and was not appropriate to give my novel a plug).

Pretty soon, the word of mouth took on a life of its own, and I didn't have to work so hard. By late fall, reader reviews came in, and the majority were four and five stars. (By this time I had also released Ordinary World, the sequel to Faking It; in fact, I launched it on Kindle before paperback!)

I had also become a regular participant on a Facebook discussion forum for Aaron Sorkin fans (the page was created by Sorkin when he started writing The Social Network, but was deleted shortly after filming wrapped). I rarely, if ever, talked about Faking It (except to let Mr. Sorkin know that I had mentioned him in my acknowledgements as one of my favorite writers). But as the other regulars got to know me, they purchased my novel and kindly mentioned it on the forum, offering praise and promotion of their own.

Part of promoting yourself means knowing when not to give your book a plug, but rather just relax and have fun and take pleasure in the interests of others. I've stopped following authors who tweet the same message about their book (and nothing else) day after day, or only use their Facebook page to talk about their good reviews. I have more fun tweeting about things that have nothing to do with my novel, and I find that when I do get around to plugging Faking It or Ordinary World, the results are much more effective. More importantly, I support other authors - especially indie authors - as much as I can, either by hosting them on my blog, re-tweeting their messages, or recommending their book on Facebook or the Kindle forums.

Place

This is probably where timing came in. I was able to ride the wave of social networking, and the readers did the rest. Likewise, as mentioned, with the Kindle being the number one Christmas gift, I now had access to the very readership I sought. Every time I appeared on a blog or posted a message on a discussion board, my exposure increased. Twitter followers re-tweeted my messages, and Faking It appeared on Kindle book review blogs recommended as a good book at a good price. E-book distribution has really opened up thanks to sites like Scribd and Smashwords, not to mention Kindle and Barnes & Noble allowing free e-reader software downloads, and Kindle now being accessible on Black Berry, iPhone, iPod Touch, etc.

For every recommendation and positive review, my books rose in the ranks. From there it became a spiral reaction: The higher the ranking, the more people downloaded the book. The more they downloaded the book, the higher the ranking rose. To my utter shock and delight, Faking It peaked at number 6 on the Kindle Bestseller list during the last week of January with Ordinary World positioning well around number 40. (At the time of this writing, Faking It is number 50, and Ordinary World
is number 176. Both are in the Top 100 in Genre Fiction and the Top 20 in Contemporary Romance.) I had gone from getting 50 downloads in one month back in September 2009, to 50 downloads a day in late December, to 50 downloads an hour (it peaked at 150 an hour at one point!).

There's an X-factor to all of this. No one knows how or when all these things align - believe me, I wish I did. I've tried to pinpoint the exact moment these four Ps converged, and who or what made the difference, but I really don't know why it skyrocketed as quickly as it did at the time it did. I also have no idea how long this success will last.

My numbers have dipped quite a bit in the last two weeks (this could be because people are watching the Olympics rather than reading books, so I'm curious to see if the numbers change in the coming weeks). However, some doors are opened now that weren't previously, and it'll be interesting to see what happens in the coming months. I also plan to start experimenting with pricing, especially as Amazon's author royalty rates are scheduled to increase dramatically in June.

If there's any advice I can give you, it's to start with your product - that is, make your book the best it can be. A readership is waiting to embrace indie authors, but they are holding those authors to high standards. They want to read books that are challenging, entertaining, and, most of all, well-written and well-edited. Pricing your book cheaply doesn't give you permission to publish a cheap book. Above all, work on your craft.

Also, be persistent. My success didn't happen overnight, even though it sometimes feels like it did. I spend a lot of time following up on promotion, reading blogs and discussion forums, responding to readers, etc. It's just as much work as writing the book itself. Some days it doesn't pay off. Other days it pays off in ways I'd never dreamed. Get the word "can't" out of your language. If you believe something can't be done, if you believe you are limited, then your biggest limitation is you.

Faking It and Ordinary World are currently available as an e-book on Amazon Kindle and Smashwords for 99 cents, and at Lulu.com in paperback (Faking It is also available in paperback on BarnesandNoble.com and Amazon.com in paperback). You can follow Elisa Lorello on Twitter @elisalorello, Faking It Fans on Facebook, or "I'll Have What She's Having": The Official Blog of Elisa Lorello.

Part 2 – Interview with Gaynor Stenson, Publisher

Welcome back to part 2 of my interview with Gaynor Stenson of Vamplit Publishing. Today she's providing advice for writers seeking publication and talking about changes in the publishing industry. Don't forget, we're also giving away two of Vamplit Publishing's eBooks (your choice) next Wednesday. Leave a comment to enter the drawing in today and/or yesterday's post. A comment on both days doubles your chances to win. Only one eBook per winner though. I will randomly draw two winners and announce them in my post next Wednesday. Advice for Writers Why should an author consider a small publisher rather than self-publish? A couple of authors have asked me what I can do for them and my answer has always been that I believe in them as a writer and will be as committed to your novel as you are. Self-pub always seems like a lonely place to me, beside which it’s big bucks you’re giving to savvy business people. If you are going down the self-pub route, I would advise you to do some sums on how many novels you need to sell to recoup your outlay. Look carefully at the fee and be aware that if you give your credit card details and haven’t read the small print, you could find yourself paying for extras. Don’t expect anything but basic proofreading for the set fee, as most editors charge much more because their pace is usually between four and ten pages per hour. I find that I edit between three and fifteen pages an hour.

Part 1 with Gaynor Stenson Website & Submitions www.vamplitpublishing.com Purchase Books www.ebookundead.com & Smashwords Writers' Communities vamplitpublishing.ning.com & vamplit.com Networking @vamplit

What services do you provide your authors as compared to a publishing giant or self-publishing agency?

For new authors, we offer a lot more than a big publisher would. Obviously I can’t offer what the publishing giants offer to their superstars, but I do offer one-on-one collaboration with an editor and we produce all the artwork for covers and any promotional material, we will even set you up a blog. Large publishers seldom offer so much to new authors and expect manuscripts to be presented in a highly polished format, with editing and proofreading already done. Some of our authors have proved to be networking goddesses’ and they have been keen to pass the love around, which is nice.

What are some of the warning signs you're being taken advantage of in the publishing industry?

There are so many. Firstly, if you are paying up front, whatever the company says on its website, you are self-publishing. If you are asked for your credit card details in case of extras or if you go onto the website and there are thousands of books of low quality, your alarm bells should start to ring. Even if you are accepted by a large publisher, ask about claw back. This is where you only get your royalties after all the costs of production are met and is quite common.

What would you suggest to any author looking to publish?

Don’t get your mum or friend to read your novel and think that it is edited, unless said person is an editor, of course. Practice writing a query letter or email. I’m completely turned off if a query is full of grammatical or spelling mistakes. Think of your synopsis as a shop window, one that will get the editor to browse. Writing compelling prose isn’t enough, you need the whole package. I could write pages on this, but most importantly, think carefully before spending your hard earned cash. On her website, Anne Rice puts it quite succinctly: if you have to pay, it’s not publishing, it’s vanity publishing. However, there is a new breed of author for whom self-publishing is a viable option. If you have a disposable income and the savvy to pull it off, then give self-pub a try. If as an author you decide that you don’t want to go through the archaic and often cruel rigmarole of submission, think before you sign up with the big self-publishers. Ask yourself how much of what the self-publishing company is offering you can do yourself and if the answer is some or most of it, spend the money you save on marketing your novel and a holiday.

Since you have started a publishing company, what are some of the things you have realized writers are uninformed or don't understand about publishers and the process of publishing?

Tricky question, writers don’t on the whole seem to realise this is a business. Last year I wrote twenty rejection emails in one day. My point being, that my business is new and I will give a writer a lot of leeway in their style (that can be fixed), but not their content. Don’t just blanket send your manuscript to every publisher you can find in The Writers’ Handbook, do some research. As a writer you should love to fact find, and that should not stop when you’re looking for a publisher. Send the right manuscript to the right editor and make sure your query and synopsis are outstanding.

One of the other things I think some writers don’t understand is that, new or old, big or small, all publishers expect the author to get out and publicise their own novel. What small publishers don’t have is a dedicated sales team to push your novels into stores, so if you find an outlet for your novel then tell your publisher. You need to find a way to build a relationship with readers and the internet has helped writers get out there and work their novel. All writers need a web presence for their novel.

What other advice would you give to writers who are serious about being published?

Don’t give up, but don’t ruin your life waiting to be a superstar. Being an author is a great thing, but enjoying the process of writing is the work of a lifetime. Seeing your novel in print or ebook format is important, but it is the writing which makes you special.

On The Future of Publishing

What are your opinions on the evolution of publishing, especially in regards to ePublishing. Where do you see the industry in the next 5 to 10 years?

It’s times like this I wish I had a crystal ball, but that would take all the fun out of life. I personally think ePublishing is going to be enormous, as reading has become very sexy again and, although the market share is still small, the year on year growth, even through the recession, has been amazing. Kindle ebook sales went through the ceiling this Christmas and the instant fix that ebooks give the reader is addictive, so I believe we will see an exponential growth in the industry over the next 5 years, as the price of readers decrease. The market has always been mostly women, but with the advent of a gadget, who knows, the whole reading demographic could change in the next ten years. I remember reading, about ten years ago, that the horror/fantasy market was dead, but look what’s happened. I think, when things settle down, e-publishing will find its place. Once this generation of readers hit middle age and e-readers are sold on their ability to enlarge text, we will find a whole new market, with a disposable income and the spare time to read. I know I prefer to read from a screen where I can adjust the text size; up to now readers of a certain age have had to settle for large print editions and availability may be limited and the cost prohibitive. Libraries will be able to stock every book ever written and, instead of making the twice-yearly trip to goodwill or charity shops to clear space on our shelves, we will be able to store all of our books on a nice clean e-reader.

How do you feel about some the recent competitive moves between Amazon and Apple in regards to selling ebooks? How will this effect your company? How do you see it effecting authors?

For us it’s all good, we like the idea of competition. We are working with an apps developer and all our titles will be available on Apple – Dance on Fire by James Garcia Jr is already available from the Apple bookstore. This is possible because the apps developer takes a small cut for every ebooks sold and Apple only take a very reasonable 30%. We also use Smashwords for our conversion and our ebooks are now available in Kindle format without us having to pay Amazon the 65% of purchase price they expect. I have nothing against Amazon and if I’m looking for a book, I usually look there first, but I see blogs with affiliate links to Amazon and I keep wanting to recommend Smashword’s affiliate programme which gives authors and publishers the chance to set their own rates. So a blogger who has links to books they’ve recommended can earn up to 80% of the ebook price. As a small, British publisher I think competition between the large stores is a good thing. I hope ebook stores, such as Smashword, who charge the publisher or author a very reasonable 13% of list price to sell your novel, get a larger slice of the sales pie chart. Converting readers to buying from diverse sellers can only be helped by larger companies fighting it out. If you are considering self-pub, we are working on an ebook for authors on how to publish their novels free of fees. It will take the author from typing The End right through to setting up a website and marketing their books again for free.

I’d like to finish on a positive note, which is sometimes hard as the odds are against you, but the fairytale ending is out there for any writer to find. The changing face of publishing is opening up new opportunities and you can only take advantage of them if you’ve a positive attitude and a belief in yourself as a writer.