Category Archives: For Authors

Posts authors would be interested in.

Under the Skin & Across the Gender Line

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If men are from Mars and women are from Venus, can we ever really understand each other? If it’s so hard for people to understand how the opposite gender thinks, how is it possible that some authors write so fabulously from the opposite gender’s view?

It’s really no different from a writer of a particular age, religion, race, nationality, ethnic group, or social standing creating believable characters who are at the other end of the spectrum. Crossing gender lines requires getting under the skin of the character, acknowledging universal human qualities, thoughts and feelings, then respecting that character’s otherness. In a word, it requires empathy. One must be able to feel what another experiences, then imagine how those feelings would make the other one respond. Even if the writer does not like what a character does, the writer must feel the reasoning behind the action. Because it is the character’s “truth”, even if it is not the author’s.

Armed with empathy, all good authors also have a keenly developed sense of observation. They break through clichés to notice the details that make us unique and alike, the exotic and the familiar. For a character to be interesting and memorable, readers have to recognize aspects of themselves while being amazed or amused by differences. That’s what great authors bring to their characters, even when the main character is of the opposite gender.

Authors who have been especially successful creating main characters of the opposite gender include Gustave Flaubert (Madame Bovary), Mary Shelley (Frankenstein), Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland), Edith Wharton (Ethan Frome), Leo Tolstoy (Anna Karenina), George Eliot (Silas Marner and Middlemarch), Theodore Dreiser (Sister Carrie), J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter) and Steven King (Carrie and Dolores Claiborne). Of note is the very contemporary indie novel Transition to Murder (originally published as Coming Out Can Be Murder) by Renee James. This excellent crime thriller/psychosocial study is written by a transgender woman whose main character is a transgender woman going through the transition from living as a male to living as a female while seeking justice for a murdered transgender friend.

When an author successfully crosses the gender line and gets under the skin of a character, the journey is so smooth that we don’t realize the bend at the beginning of the path.

Get a Spine

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In a recent gathering of writers, the discussion turned to book cover design and, more specifically, book spine design. Even more specifically, how often book sales are lost because authors and publishers overlook this crucial part of a book.

As important as a book’s cover is, it’s usually the book’s spine that first greets us on the shelves of stores and libraries. It’s one thing if we’re looking for a particular title or author, another if we’re browsing. Truth is we’re browsing even when we’re looking for a particular title or author. This is why book spine design deserves at least as much attention from authors and publishers as they give to cover design.

Since shelved books usually stand vertically, the ideal direction for type on the spine is horizontal to make words appear as we normally view them. But this is problematic if the book is not fat or the words are long. Most books cannot support this design. Instead, letters are usually turned at right angles to the viewer’s eye, running along the vertical spine. Because this is not the normal way we view writing, it has to be even clearer than it would otherwise have to be.

In North America, the normal direction of words on book spines is from top to bottom; in Europe, it’s usually bottom to top. This is because in North America, books are stacked face up, while in Europe, they’re stacked face down, with no front covers visible at all. The result is that readers browsing the shelves in a European bookstore tilt their necks to the left, while those in North America tilt theirs to the right.

With spine design, simple sells. This may be one reason modern books titles are often only one or two words; a design choice as much as a literary one. Capital letters, having no ascenders or descenders, present more cleanly than lower case letters. Bold fonts work better than delicate ones. Colors need to contrast but not compete. The spine must attract attention, convey information and please the eye; a huge job for a relatively small plot of real estate on a book.

Next time you’re browsing bookshelves – in a store, a library or your own home – see which books attract your attention. Then consider the designs of the spines. You’ll notice trends that succeed but also be surprised when a rule-breaking design works.

Like people’s spines, book spines should be accorded the care and respect they deserve because their job is critical to everything that resides within the body.

When Good Words Go Bad

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William Shakespeare is considered by most literary historians and critics to be the best writer ever in the English language. The fact that his work has endured for four centuries supports the point. Yet Shakespeare is shunned by many readers once they graduate from school. Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales? Beowulf (author unknown)? Fuggedaboutit! Some of the greatest literature of the English language seems written in a foreign language, with the same effect on readers that garlic breath has on lovers.

Readers don’t like to be stopped midsentence by a word so archaic that a trip to the dictionary becomes necessary. Even trickier is when a word is recognized but misinterpreted and one is left to question the author’s objective. You’ll find an example in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, where the troubled prince tells Ophelia, “Get thee to a nunnery!” Most readers interpret “nunnery” as a convent. In Elizabethan parlance, however, “nunnery” could also mean brothel. Shakespeare seems to leave it to the reader to decide Hamlet’s intention.

In today’s vernacular, we find words taking on opposite meanings from their original definitions. One example is “sick”, used to mean “awesome” (“bad” was the stand-in for “awesome” in the ‘80s, but “bad” is now back to being … bad). “The bomb” can be a disaster or a triumph. “Catfish” is something you would rather eat than have one eat you. Hurling “you bitch” is quite different from yelling “you’re my bitch”, although you probably don’t want to be at the receiving end of either phrase, unless you really are a female canine.

Just as old words change over time, new words are invented every year that may send you to your cyber-dictionary if you haven’t kept up with cultural trends. Have you considered buying a “turducken” with a “bitcoin” lately? Using Twitter to Tweet no longer makes you a twit; now you are a “tweep”. Somehow, “fracking” sounds like an appropriate word for what we are doing to our planet to extract its petroleum resources.

English is an ever-evolving language. That’s its beauty and its challenge, both for authors and for readers. Like interior decorating or clothing fashion, what trends today in language may be outdated or obsolete by next year. Using trendy words to set a period piece is smart. Using trendy words in a timeless piece could end up smarting.

There’s no such thing as bad words; only bad writers (oh, what did she mean by that?).

Recommended

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Lexicographer Paul Dickson has assembled a fascinating and fun book titled Authorisms: Words Wrought by Writers. He presents a veritable dictionary of words created or popularized by famous people, including many authors. Shakespeare and Sir Walter Scott lead the count of inventive language. More modern contributors include Jane Austen (base ball), Louisa May Alcott (co-ed), Mark Twain (hard-boiled), John le Carrè (mole) and William Gibson (cyberspace). There’s only one word for this book: joy!

What’s in a Name?

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Soon after I started regularly writing short stories, a few years back, I felt compelled to build a list of male and female first names I might apply to characters yet to be born. I wanted to get away from the “Bob”s, “Mary”s, “Jim”s and “Carol”s that seemed to repeatedly populate the story exercises I heard in writing workshops. There’s nothing wrong with those names but I don’t always buy roses and carnations when freesia, delphiniums and alliums are also available. I don’t always choose vanilla, chocolate and strawberry when there’s (fill in any Ben and Jerry’s flavor here).

Like the proverbial chicken and the egg, it’s not certain whether the character chooses the name or the name defines the character. I’ve experienced both, when reading or writing.

Say these names out loud and imagine these memorable characters with alternate monikers (what might they be?): Ebenezer Scrooge (the pinching sound), Sherlock Holmes (shhh, it’s a secret), Count Dracula (liquid flowing over sharp edges), Huckleberry Finn (young and brash), Scarlett O’Hara (give the girl what she wants) and (back to Dickens) Miss Havesham (no explanation needed if you read Great Expectations).

Misnamed characters are confounding when you realize how easy it is for an author to switch to something more appropriate. Some almost-names that, wisely, were changed by the author before publication include Connie Gustafson (Holly Golightly), Sherringford Holmes (Sherlock Holmes), Ormond Sacker (John H. Watson, Sherlock’s assistant) and (can you believe) Pansy O’Hara (Scarlett O’Hara).

The next time you are reading fiction that you like, consider the names of the characters. Chances are they told their author what to call them.

The Joy in Joyce

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‘Bloomsday’ started June 16, 1954 and continues to this day as an annual global celebration of the Irish author, James Joyce. How did June 16 become so special and why is it still celebrated after 60 years?

June 16, 1904 was the date of James Joyce’s first outing with Nora Barnacle, a chambermaid who was to become his wife. They walked to Ringsend, a Dublin urban village. All the events of Joyce’s landmark novel Ulysses (written in 1922) take place on June 16, 1904 in Dublin. Bloomsday includes a variety of activities that recall passages from novel that many find unreadable. Why does the book and its annual celebration endure?

In 1999, Time Magazine named Joyce one of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century, stating “Joyce … revolutionized 20th century fiction”. Along with Ulysses, the work for which Joyce is most remembered and celebrated, other well-known works of his include A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Dubliners and Finnegan’s Wake.

When first published, Ulysses was banned, criticized and suppressed on moral grounds – because it included sexual innuendo, masturbation, and various other bits of description about physical and sensual pleasures that were not publicly acknowledged or accepted at the time.

The modernist experimental style introduced in Ulysses is celebrated by some as a work of genius and reviled by others as impossible to read. It is a simple story told in a complex way that is highly inventive. It changed the way we write and read literature.

Authors who were influenced by James Joyce are as diverse in their own style and storytelling as John Updike and Salman Rushdie.

It is hard to imagine how a book like Ulysses would fare in today’s literary marketplace. Would publishers support a book of such revolutionary style that readers would be challenged to read it? Would readers find it worth their effort to understand a novel written in a style – actually in a variety of styles — they were not familiar with, a novel devoid of punctuation with a narrative that requires the reader figure out what is important to the plot and what simply flows out of random thoughts?

Ulysses is a grand experiment in literature. Readers seem to love it or hate it; many simply give up on it. It is certainly worth visiting. Just as Bloomsday is an event worth visiting.

Burying the Hachette?

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You know you’re in trouble when Stephen Colbert gives you the finger on his TV show. On June 4th, Colbert gave not one but two fingers to Amazon. Yes, that Amazon.

Now, I’ve had a love-hate relationship with Amazon for a long time. I love it when I can order something from the comfort of home, assured that the item will be very quickly delivered to my door and I’ll probably have paid less than from anywhere else. I hate it when I have to admit that my efficiency and frugality are also laziness and greed; that by ordering from Amazon, I am denying smaller businesses and local merchants much-needed income. I hate it even more when I remember that Amazon’s business model takes a huge hunk of profit out of the hands of authors and threatens the existence of local independent bookstores.

The ingenuity and entrepreneurial genius of Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, deserves admiration. But I am aghast at Amazon’s unnecessary ruthlessness in its ugly battle against Hachette Book Group, the publisher (under various publishing names) of such authors as James Patterson, Scott Turow, Malcom Gladwell, Mitch Albom, Jane Hamilton, J.D. Salinger, J.K. Rowling (under her pen name Robert Galbraith) and hundreds of other authors.

Hachette had the courage to stand up to the huge wholesale discount Amazon demands on the titles it sells. In trying to negotiate better terms with Amazon, Hachette wanted “to protect the value of our authors’ books and our own work in editing, distributing and marketing them.”

Declaring war on Hachette’s attempt, Amazon took steps to discourage book lovers from buying Hachette books on the Amazon site: they eliminated presales options; removed their customary Amazon discount; are telling potential buyers that shipment could take weeks; and removed some titles from the Amazon site or are suggesting less expensive alternative titles from other publishers.

This is not the first time Amazon has heavy-handedly threatened publishers. In 2010, they removed all buy buttons from the listing for MacMillan titles during a negotiation over e-book pricing. As far back as the 1990s, Amazon routinely punished imprints that didn’t accept its business arrangements. Until now, they’ve gotten away with it as the media largely ignored the story while customers like you and I increasingly purchased things through Amazon.

As big as Hachette is, Amazon is way bigger in its dominance of the bookselling industry. Hachette is the fourth-largest publisher by market share but Amazon is, reportedly, responsible for at least a third of all U.S. book sales and somewhere between 60 and 70 percent of the burgeoning eBook market. The battle may seem to favor Amazon … but I wonder. Most of us root for the underdog when we sense an unfair fight. We tend to favor the working person (in this case, authors) over the faceless corporate behemoth (Amazon). And we demand honesty in the companies we do business with. Amazon isn’t being honest with us about book availability.

Whether moral sensibility or greed guides us, there’s no point in saving money if the seller purposely holds the product back or attempts to misdirect us, especially when it’s so easy to shop elsewhere at a marginally higher cost. Brand allegiance is a myth and if people grow tired of Amazon’s inability to provide a certain level of service, we’ll shop elsewhere.

If Amazon doesn’t start playing more fairly, they may find more people giving them the finger.

Sign Me Up

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There are two reasons why authors do book signings: to sell books and to sell themselves. Well-known authors are celebrities who easily attract an audience. But even lesser known or new authors can gain much and they offer much to the people who attend their book signings. There’s usually some presentation — at a bookstore, a library, a workshop or book fair — wherein the author shares insights into the book or the writing process. The presentation can be a formal talk to a group or a brief one-on-one chat.

An author’s signature on his or her book increases the value of the book for collectors. Some autographs are rare but at the other end of the spectrum you find authors who autograph as many copies of their books as possible. One notable example is James Ellroy, crime fiction writer (L.A. Confidential, The Black Dahlia, others), essayist and producer who reportedly signed every copy of the 65,000 first run of My Dark Places.

For authors, there’s an art to having successful book signings. It should be viewed as part of the marketing journey, not as a destination. Pity the poor author who thinks that merely showing up at a book signing will draw throngs of admiring book buyers. As with all other aspects of book marketing, this effort requires a lot of prep work: think of the book’s unique selling points that relate to the book signing venue; create compelling news releases to local print and broadcast media; make sure your website is up to date; work with the event organizers to post information online; perhaps offer a free book through a contest run by the venue or local media; send personal invitations to select target groups, if appropriate; etc.

It’s equally important for authors to have a plan for the venue – location, table, seating, pens, where in the book to sign and how to sign. Some suggestions are offered at Writing World.

For authors, I say “Go, get ‘em!” Contact book stores, libraries, schools or seniors centers (if appropriate) and book clubs, anywhere that people who read gather. Keep up on book fests where your participation may include a book signing. Your fans — current and future — are waiting.

For booklovers, I also say, “Go, get ‘em!” Check the literary section or upcoming events in your local newspapers and library newsletters. Get on the mailing lists of neighborhood bookstores. Check clubs and community groups that bring in speakers. You might end up with a book by a future Hemingway, King, Austen, Rowling, Shakespeare … or Ellroy!

The Ace of Clubs

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Last June, I posted a blog entry, “Writers Helping Writers”, wherein I wrote about the benefits of writing groups. At the other end of that thread are reading groups — book clubs. They’ve been around almost as long as there have been books, being helped in the 1400s with the invention of the printing press. Some of the earliest groups formed to share the cost of purchasing books, which were expensive. Later, some were hosted by authors. Other groups formed around the ambience of coffee houses or coffee tables.

Harnessing the reach and influence of modern media, Oprah Winfrey gave book clubs a huge boost when she used her popular show to launch Oprah’s Book Club in 1996. During its 15-year run, it recommended 70 books, including some obscure titles that Oprah’s endorsement catapulted into best sellers. She continues her book promotion through her OWN media empire. While other shows, including Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show, NPR’s Fresh Air and syndicated radio show Imus in the Morning also provide springboards for authors of various stripes, Oprah went one important step further: she promoted the concept of book clubs where members gather and encourage reading.

The New York Times has estimated that 5 million Americans currently participate in book clubs around the U.S. What’s the attraction? For some, it’s a shared interest in a genre, a topic or an author. For others it’s an opportunity to exchange ideas. And for some, it’s purely social. The common element is the energy that occurs when people come together in a shared experience connected to art. That energy elevates both books and those who read them.

Because the nature, size and location of book clubs are so diverse, there is no single source that lists all of them. To find a club that suits your interests, simply search online using key words + “book club”. You’re sure to find several clubs to consider. If not, be the one to start one!

A Feast of Fests

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When the mind is hungry, few things satisfy as well as a good book. Fortunately, there are feasts around the country throughout the year to fulfill every taste. From small block parties to massive convention exhibits, in every size and genre, there is a book event waiting for you. With the long winter finally departing, the number of book fests, fairs, exhibits, conventions and all variety of literary celebrations is growing. This is good for writers, readers and the publishing industry.

In the age of Amazon and other online booksellers, you might feel inclined to lounge in your … whatever you lounge in … and simply connect through the internet to someplace in cyberspace for a book you’ve preselected in your mind. It’s fast. It’s convenient. It’s also impersonal, colorless, bland. When is the last time, ordering online, you discovered a book or spoke with its author, experienced the “bookness” of books with all your senses (yes, a book can even inspire a taste on the tongue), felt exhilarated as if you were a guest at a banquet? Book fests can offer all these rewards and more.

Book fests may simply be large book sales, but most combine presentations, workshops, readings, book signings, exhibits and social gatherings, along with sales. Some of the biggest and best American book fests still to come on this year’s calendar include:

Printers Row Lit Fest, Chicago, IL June 7-8.
National Book Festival, Washington, DC, Aug. 30.
Decatur Book Festival, Decatur, GA, Sept. 6-8.
Brooklyn Book Festival, Brooklyn, NY, Sept. 15-21.
Boston Book Festival, Oct. 25.
Texas Book Festival, Oct. 25-26.
Bouchercon 2014, Long Beach, CA, Nov. 13-16.

In other places around the world, top book fests include:
Sydney Writers’ Festival, Australia, May 19-25.
Hay Festival, Hay-on-Wye, Wales, May 22-June 1.
FLIP, Paratay, Brazil, July 30-Aug. 3.
Festival Letterature, Mantova, Italy, Sept. 3-7.

If you’re looking for a way to spice up your literary life in 2014, feast on a book fest!

The Questions All Authors Should Ask – Part 3

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This is the third in a 3-part series for authors who want to get their books published. Part 1 posed the questions: Why do I want my book to be published? and How much control am I comfortable giving up? Part 2 addressed: What will it take to get my book accepted by the kind of publisher I want? and How long am I willing to wait to get my book to market?

In part 3, the final questions that should guide your publishing decisions are: 1) How will my books reach readers? and 2) What influences the life and death of book sales?

1) How will my books reach readers? The two most common ways are online and in stores. Major distributors charge a hefty percentage of your sales but are crucial in today’s market if you want to sell books.

Online selling means through such well-known distributors as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Another important distributor you may not have heard of is Ingram. This company serves publishers, including self-published authors. In addition to distribution to stores, they have a very strong connection with libraries around the U.S. Traditional publishers will set up distribution for you. Self-published authors need to make these arrangements themselves or pay a service to do this.

Online can also mean selling directly to consumers through your own website, if you know how to attract people to your website and are willing to handle order fulfillment. There are companies that will warehouse your book, handle orders that come in and provide sales reports to you. All of these services charge fees, depending on the service you use. Your printer may be able to recommend reliable resources.

Because of the competition for limited display space, in-store placement is a challenge, particularly for self-published authors. This is especially true of national chain stores. Local independent bookstores, however, may be friendlier to the self-published author if your book is high quality, you or your book’s topic are linked to the community in which the store is located and you are willing to appear for a talk and book-signing. This is an opportunity for you to augment the local store’s publicity efforts, which they appreciate.

Book sale opportunities are unlimited if you think outside the box. Additional venues, depending on your book’s genre and target audiences, could include book fairs, senior centers, houses of worship, schools, libraries, book clubs, farmers’ markets, writer’s groups, etc. You get the idea. If you have expertise in an area related to your book, check out Speaker’s Bureaus. Some venues will charge you a fee or ask for a percentage of book sales, some will offer you free space, some may even pay you to do a presentation tied to the sale.

Any time you can speak to a group – about writing, marketing, or a topic related to your book – have your books available for sale. Keep copies of your book in your car for any unexpected opportunity to sell or to offer to someone who can help promote it. Consider donating books to charitable fundraisers in exchange for some goodwill promotion; if your donation is to a tax-exempt organization, you have the bonus of a tax write-off.

The more work you do, the less you will pay others to do it for you. Do your research, be realistic about your capabilities to handle distribution and sales, and recognize that moving your book into readers’ hands is both an art and a science.

2) What influences the life and death of book sales? Today’s newspapers will line the bottoms of birdcages tomorrow and Tweets will have flown away. Not only do you have to promote your book when it first comes out, you have to keep it relevant to readers. Beyond the first months your book is published, continue to seek opportunities to promote it.

Stay current on the day’s news; if you can you tie it to some aspect of your book, your book becomes timely once again. Does your book have an historical tie in to a commemorative event? Is it especially appropriate as a gift for certain holidays or occasions? Write articles that either link to your book or allow you to include your book information in the byline. Get creative!

Make sure your website stays up-to-date, including good reviews and links to any interviews you’ve done, as well as announcements about upcoming appearances.

Network: always let people know about your book and ask them for ideas or referrals; then follow up!

If you forget about your book, others will too.

Final thought: writing a book is an art. Publishing and marketing a book combines the art with business. Selling a book is all business.

The Questions All Authors Should Ask-Part 2

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In last week’s blog, I talked to “pre-published authors” (another way of saying, “you’ve been in labor but your book hasn’t been born yet”) about the book birthing experience. After you’ve answered the first two most important questions — 1) Why do I want my book to be published? and 2) How much control am I comfortable giving up? – The next two questions to ask yourself are:

1) What will it take to get my book accepted by the kind of publisher I want?
2) How long am I willing to wait to get my book to market?

1) What will it take to get my book accepted by the kind of publisher I want? Aside from preparing your manuscript in the format required by any publisher you hope to work with, there are some key differences in what else you need to do.

Going after a major traditional publisher? You’d be well-advised to find the best literary agent you can (see my previous blogs on the subject). You should also consult a literary attorney before signing any publishing contract, unless you want your pockets picked by the folks whose job is to take as much control over — and profit from — your book as possible.

Smaller publishers such as university presses and independent publishers are not as hard to approach and they will usually work more closely with you. The key here is to find publishers that work with your genre because they know how to market to your target audience. Although hiring an agent is not as critical when approaching these publishers, an agent or a publishing consultant can be invaluable. Legal counsel before signing a contract is always advisable.

Self-publishing companies will consider every manuscript sent to them because you are paying for their service. Still, you shouldn’t rush the selection or preparation process because if you do, it will cost you heavily in the end. Do your homework to find the best fit for your type of book and the particular services you will need.

2) How long am I willing to wait to get my book to market? If time is not a consideration, you could submit your query and manuscript to as many publishers as you want. The largest traditional publishing houses can take up to a year to get back to you, even if it is to reject you without having read your manuscript. Smaller traditional and indie publishers may take as long as 6 months (the delay caused by smaller staff and production capabilities) but they usually are more responsive. Of course, you might get responses sooner, hopefully positive ones, but be prepared to wait. And wait. Don’t get discouraged but don’t quit your day job.

A self-published book can get to market in as little as two months – if you know what you’re doing and are willing to put in 18-hour days, 7 days a week for much of that time. And no first-time self-publishing authors ever totally know what they are doing!

Another factor in the timing it takes to get a book to market is the format of the book. Printed books almost always take longer than eBooks to produce. Also, a commitment to quantity is required with printing but not with eBooks, which can be produced on demand. Just as self-publishing is a growing trend, so are eBooks. So many choices mean… so many choices an author needs to make. Make sure your choices are well-informed.

Now that you know what it takes, and how long it takes, to birth a book, there are two more major question to ask: 1) How will my books reach readers? and 2) What influences the life and death of book sales? We’ll address those questions next week in Part 3.

Footnotes

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The more an author understands about the rapidly changing world of publishing, the better his or her chances of success getting published, getting sold and reaping rewards. For an excellent article about moving from traditional to “artisanal” publishing, see Kathy Caprino’s post at Forbes. One blog that will lead you to other useful blogs about self-publishing is Voxie Media. A useful blog about trends in eBook sales by traditional publishing houses and self-publishing companies can be found at the Huff Post Book Blog. To learn more about submitting your manuscript to traditional publishing houses, start by learning how to find the best agent for your book. You can learn more about how to find an agent at my February 23rd Book●ed blog post “A is for Agent.”

The First Questions All Authors Should Ask-Part 1

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The book is written. You want to get it published. If you don’t ask these two questions first, you are doomed to disappointment:

1) Why do I want my book to be published?
2) How much control am I comfortable giving up?

1) Why do I want my book to be published? As nice as it is to make money, it usually is not the first (or second, or even third) reason authors want their book published. How widespread or how targeted you want your readership to be will help determine the type of publisher you should be seeking: traditional big publishing house, university press, smaller independent publisher, or self-publisher. Within each of these categories there are varieties of publishers specializing in certain genres, formats and distributorship.

2) How much control am I comfortable giving up? Some people like to feel in control of every aspect of their life while some are delighted to leave all decisions up to others. The more advance money you accept, the less control over the product and sales you will have. Where you fit in on the spectrum of acceptable control will determine what type of publisher you will be most comfortable with.

At one end, traditional publishing offers the most in advance payment and marketing support but they make the artistic and marketing choices. They determine whether your book sells or sits in a warehouse, which affects royalties. You give up virtually all control until/unless your rights return to you, which could be a long time coming.

At the other end, self-publishing is just that. You pay for everything and become responsible for every aspect of your book’s production and sales; more details than you’ve probably considered. You also get to choose which responsibilities you want to take over and which you will pay others to handle for you. Self-publishing gives you complete ownership and control of your work — and the flow of your money — from the get-go.

In between traditional and self-publishing is a range of University Presses and Independent Publishers, who will negotiate the various aspects of payments or fees and available services. The degree of your control over your book will depend on the deal you strike.

Once you’ve answered these first two important questions, the next two important questions to ask are:

1) What will it take to get my book accepted by the kind of publisher I want?
2) How long am I willing to wait to get my book to market?

We’ll explore that in next week’s blog.

Gutenberg Redux

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When you hear the name “Gutenberg”, your first thought probably is of the Gutenberg Bible. Printed in the 1450s by Johannes Gutenberg, in Mainz, Germany, the Gutenberg Bible was the first major book printed in the West using movable type. It was the revolutionary advancement in technology that introduced printed books to the Western world.

But do you know about Project Gutenberg? Founded in 1971 by Michael S. Hart, it is part of an equally revolutionary advancement in book publishing: the eBook. Hart, who unfortunately passed away in 2011 at age 64, invented eBooks. His Project Gutenberg continues its mission of digitizing and archiving cultural works, to “encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks”. Not only is Project Gutenberg the oldest digital library, it is one of the largest and it is free.

Project Gutenberg offers more than 42,000 free ePub books and free kindle books that you can download or read online. An additional 100,000 free eBooks are available through Project Gutenberg’s partners, affiliates and resources. All their eBooks are high quality and were previously published by “bona fide publishers”.

A new service from Project Gutenberg facilitates online publishing by contemporary authors through its self-publishing portal. It offers a free Authors Community Cloud Library, a social network Self-Publishing Portal. This Portal allows authors to share their works with readers as well as allows readers to provide comments, reviews and feedback to the authors. Every eBook has its own Details Page, Star Ratings, and Reader Comment area. There is no charge for using this service. Registration is not required for reading or downloading the publications or comments. However, registration is required to upload a book or post a comment.

Project Gutenberg is a remarkable volunteer-driven venture. They are grateful for donations of money and services. Whether you’re a booklover or an author who is a booklover, Project Gutenberg is a revolution you should join!

You Gotta Hear This

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Recorded books date back to the 1930s, when the Library of Congress created a “talking books” program for the blind. For years, audio recordings of books were considered the realm of the sight-impaired. Changes in lifestyle and advances in technology have changed all that. Whether travelling, working out in the gym, engaging in some rote physical activity or simply taking a long walk, booklovers everywhere are using audiobooks to be informed, entertained or enlightened. Not only has technology transformed how we listen to audiobooks, it has expanded the choices of what we listen to. And booklovers are listening!

The Audio Publishers Association (APA) is the organization that monitors and promotes the audiobook industry. It reports that audiobook products, services and sales have been growing steadily for more than a decade and estimates that the total size of the audiobook industry, based on the dollars spent by consumers and libraries, exceeds $1.2 billion.

Audiobooks have followed the same technological path as music records, freed from bulky plugged-in machines with disks to portable cassettes to more portable CDs and, now, as downloads to smartphones. Production costs and purchase prices are dropping deeply while demand is climbing. But price, along with convenience and portability, account for only part of growing audiobook popularity. Selection and quality have also dramatically risen.

Just as we started to see new book titles go straight to eBooks without first being available in print, new titles are showing up in audiobooks that were not previously in print. It’s not surprising that the digital evolution is starting to pair eBooks with audiobooks. Audible, a company owned by Amazon, has paired some 26,000 eBooks with professional narrations. The company is adding more than 1,000 titles a month and aims to eventually bring the number to around 100,000.

“Professional” narration often means professional actor narration in the audiobooks being produced today. It’s not unusual to find your favorite movie and stage actors narrating books. Seeing great potential in audiobooks, producers are investing in high-quality production values. Max Brooks, author of the zombie novel World War Z scored a huge audiobook winner with 60,000 CDs and digital-audio copies sold in advance of the release of the movie taken from his novel. The success was fueled by an elaborate production with 40 cast members, including some A-list actors.

While sales figures indicate the public’s embrace of audiobooks, the format does have its critics who are concerned that this format will diminish the pleasure or comprehension of reading, even reduce the appreciation of the printed word. Many worry about a potential recession in traditional print books. Scientists, authors and booklovers debate the benefit and detriment that audiobooks might bring to literacy and literature. You be the judge.

For more about the rise of audiobooks, read the Wall Street Journal article, “The New Explosion in Audio Books”.

Recommended

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Wondering what audiobooks might be worth listening to? You can find top recommendations at Salon, Huffington Post, The Washington Post and The New York Times.

Authors in the Chicago area may have a tough decision to make in March when two interesting workshops are scheduled on March 22nd. Story Studio offers “Building your Author Platform” and the Ragdale Foundation offers “Finding Home: Writing & Publishing in the Global Community”. Participation in these programs is limited, so act soon.

“A” is for Agent

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Once upon a time, not so very long ago, the only route to getting a book into the hands of readers was through major publishing houses, book stores and libraries. Online booksellers, self-publishing and eReaders have turned that approach on its ear. With so many changes in the publishing industry, often discussed in previous Book●ed blogs, authors might be wondering what the role of an agent is today.

I sat down recently with agent Tina P. Schwartz, author and founder of The Purcell Agency, to talk about the role of agents in today’s literary marketplace. Prior to becoming a literary agent, specializing in Young Adult literature, Tina worked in advertising for many years. She negotiated and sold broadcast time, a skill that she found could transfer to publishing. Tina is a published author who sold 10 books of her own and who helped another eight friends get published before formally establishing her own agency in July 2012. Here are excerpts from our conversation:

EED: What do literary agents do and why do authors need them?
TPS: Some of the things agents do for authors are research appropriate editors and publishers for the manuscripts, build relationships with editors and publishers, polish or rewrite queries and proposals, and help edit manuscripts with the authors before they are ready to be submitted. Agents negotiate contracts to be in the best interest of author (often a better advance and royalty agreement than an author might get on his or her own). Agents are often like coaches to authors, looking out for the author’s best interest.

EED: How do you and authors find each other?
TPS: I am listed on PublishersMarketplace.com, I have a company website, I’m a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), and I and speak at various conferences and writing groups, which is how I find most of the talent that I represent.

EED: How has publishing changed since you started as a literary agent?
TPS: Self-publishing has become much more accepted, whereas in the past it was looked down upon Now, even some of the most successful authors have chosen to self-publish. Another thing is that many more publishing houses are closed to authors without agents.

EED: What is the biggest mistake made by new authors when trying to get their book published?
TPS: They don’t spend enough time on their query letters. The query letter deserves the proper time, given that it may be the only impression that an agent or editor gets of an author. Also, they may not research appropriate houses or agents to submit to.

EED: What are your three best tips for aspiring authors before they get published?
TPS: 1. READ! Read as much as you can in the genre you write. See what’s been published, what is popular, how the books that have been published so far are written. Notice pacing, characterization, story arc, etc. for fiction, and notice the Table of Contents and Index for non-fiction.
2. Spend enough time on your query letter and researching appropriate publishing houses or agents (go to conferences when you are able to and meet some of these people in person!).
3. Join a critique group!!! You need feedback on your manuscript more than just friends and family can supply. You need other authors’ opinions on what works and what doesn’t.

EED: What are your three best tips for aspiring authors after they get published?
TPS: 1. Celebrate! Not everyone can say they are in the Library of Congress, and as a published author, you are one of those people. It may have been a very long journey to publication, so take a moment to congratulate yourself.
2. If possible, create a “platform” for your book. Whether it’s fiction or non-fiction, what is the topic of your writing? Find the core of your story and promote it as your expertise. Why did you write the story you wrote, what were your experiences that you drew from when researching or writing the book?
3. Do as much as possible to get publicity for your book. Arrange signings whenever possible, promote your book to any and every group that may be appropriate, from your children’s schools, to local newspapers or cable channels, to all the public libraries within a 10-mile radius. Arrange to do author visits to promote your book’s “platform”.

For authors who want to go the traditional publishing route, a literary agent is more important than ever because many houses today want “Agented Authors Only”. For authors who choose the Self-Publishing route, an agent can offer valuable experience to maximize success. Don’t simply select an agent because of a pretty face or a pretty website. Find out who the agents were for books and authors you admire. Talk to your colleagues in the field for referrals. If your book is your brainchild, make sure that “child” has quality people helping to foster it.

The Best of Times, the Worst of Times

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This week’s posts start year two of the Book●ed blog. When I started this weekly blog, I joined an exploding universe on the internet. In the blogosphere, it is the best of times, it is the worst of times.

Whatever your interest or question is, there is a website blog waiting for you, just a mouse click away, no matter where in the world you are. All you need is internet access to get a boatload of free information. That’s the best of times.

However, there is no true oversight on the internet. People can make almost any claim without penalty. And they do. Frequently. That’s the worst of times.

For authors and booklovers, blogs can be either a boon or a bane.

Marketers advise authors to create their own website with a blog to promote their books. Companies offer services to create websites, many for free (although you may have to pay a maintenance fee or face having the website dropped). While authors might be advised to regularly update their blogs with useful content, no one advises how challenging that can be. Or how to draw people to their blogs. Can’t tell you how many blogs get sidelined within a year or are so poorly produced that they drive away potential book buyers.

Blogs are an effective way that businesses draw people to websites promoting products or services. Caveat emptor: buyer beware. If the blog or site make claims or promises that look too good, too easy or too inexpensive to be true, they likely are. If a blogger tells you one product or service is much better than all the others, make sure that blogger doesn’t have a financial interest in the service he or she is promoting. Can’t tell you how many authors have fallen into this trap, only to later bemoan losing money and time on a publisher, editor, agent or marketer that failed to produce promised results. It’s okay for a blogger to promote a product or service, as long as he or she is upfront about it.

Authors: if you want to find the real deal, look for actual examples of produced work. If possible, talk to people who have used the product or service you are interested in. Educate yourself about the processes and costs involved. Knowledge is power.

On the best-of-times side, there are many wonderful blogs that offer insights to books, authors and the many ways books are brought into the world. Blogs expand opportunities to discover great books that haven’t made the best seller lists, the major media book reviews or the front displays at bookstore chains. The Book●ed blog is one of them.

I plan to continue bringing you weekly blog posts for the love of books and reading. If there is a topic you would like to see covered, please leave a comment for me. Meanwhile, I invite you to visit the past 52 weeks’ worth of Book●ed blog posts as I welcome you to the start of another great year. It’s the best of times.

Footnotes

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Book●ed is much more than a weekly blog. The very popular Book●ed author interview/book review webcasts that launched last year went on a hiatus in September. They will resume later this year with some very exciting news. Stay tuned for updates. Meanwhile, please visit the Book Excerpts page of the Book.ed website to learn about the books and authors that have appeared on the shows, then watch the shows in the Book●ed Archives.

For Sale: Baby Shoes, Never Worn.

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The six-word title of this blog post is considered by many to be the perfect example of the literary form called flash fiction. Although legend attributes those six words to Ernest Hemingway, similarly titled stories appear to predate him and there’s nothing to confirm him as the author. No matter. This is still powerful stuff.

Last week’s blog addressed the three traditional literary forms: novel, short story and novella. Flash fiction is the new kid on the literary block, having emerged in the past twenty-five years or so. It’s still evolving, going by such names as quick fiction, nano fiction and micro fiction. Flash fiction ranges in length from six words to as much as a thousand. There’s no set format; it can be a sentence, a paragraph, a page or more. No matter. It’s gaining fans everywhere.

The origins of flash fiction are as variable as its length and format. Aesop’s Fables, written in ancient Greece, are probably the first examples of flash fiction. We find flash fiction in many cultures and many languages. Its popularity has flourished in modern, fast-paced times when gratification wants to be served up promptly.

No matter how short flash fiction is, it still must tell a complete story. What’s left, after all non-essential words are removed, is clean and sharply focused. The choice of words, therefore, is critical. As readers might not realize but writers surely know, the shorter the piece, the harder it is to write.

The best flash fiction sparks something in a reader. It can raise the spirit or crush it under its heel. It can leave a taste on the tongue that is sweet or spicy or sour. The more minimal the language provided by the author, the more space there is for the reader to imagine the unspoken details. The story becomes something considerably larger than its diminutive size.

The format of flash fiction lends itself especially well to magazines, literary journals, online publications and chap books. But they are also published in books as collections by one or more writers, sometimes following a theme, other times following a format, still other times just being an anthology of very good writing. No matter. Just go find some and check it out because really good things can come in really small packages.

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I found a wealth of information for writers at Alltop. In addition to up-to-date publishing industry news, there are plenty of articles to help authors of all literary genres, looking to publish in print or digital format, through traditional publishers or self-publishing. Articles address both the craft and the business of writing.

The Long and the Short of It

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Once upon a time, it seemed there were just three formats for literary fiction: short stories, novels and novellas. Although few readers could define exactly what constitutes any of these categories, they usually have strong preferences for one over the others.

Until a few years back, I favored novels. To me, short stories were sketches or snacks whereas novels were full-fledged paintings or sumptuous banquets. Who doesn’t love to become absorbed into a good novel?

In 2006, I started writing short stories as a way to hone skills I felt I needed in order to write a novel. Along the way, reading great short stories and writing my own, I came to appreciate the craft of short story writing. A great short story is as memorable and satisfying as a great novel. My list of favorite short story authors includes O. Henry, Edgar Allen Poe and Alice Munro.

Some novels are constructed of vignettes that could stand alone as short stories. Some novels expand this concept over a collection of books: each book stands alone but all are connected by plots that interweave the same characters or settings at different times or from different viewpoints. Ursula Hegi comes to mind, with several books set in the fictional German town of Burgdof before, during and after World War II, showing recurring characters from different viewpoints.

So many great books are novellas. Among the best are Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea; John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men; George Orwell’s Animal Farm; and Truman Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

What differentiates a novel from a novella from a short story? Length, obviously, is one factor. Typically, a novel runs 40,000 words; a novella uses 17,501-40,000 words; and a short story runs 7,500 words or less. Between 7,501 and 17,500 words can be considered a short story, a novella or a “novelette”.

Beyond length is structure. Short stories have fewer characters and, usually, a briefer time span. Novels have the luxury of developing characters and plot. Regardless of the length, both forms have the ability to grab and hold you. The difference is akin to looking at photos taken through different lenses. A close-up photo may show you less than a panoramic picture but it can be examined in finer detail without losing your interest because of its dedicated smaller focus. The panoramic photo tells a more sweeping story that combines many points of interest but, perhaps, not so closely. Both can be dramatic or funny. Both can touch you deeply and stay with you like a whisper that lingers in your ear.

Form should follow function. An author should choose his or her story platform based on what the story needs in order to be most effectively told. Readers should be open to reading all formats because, as noted by my examples, great stories come in all sizes. That’s why Book●ed welcomes all formats for review and promotion.

I haven’t even touched on the increasingly popular format of Flash Fiction, also known as Micro Fiction, the shortest form of fiction. Stay tuned.

Weathering Heights

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For the first eight days of 2014, I never ventured outside except to retrieve the newspaper and mail at the end of my driveway. As I communicated with family and friends outside of the Chicago area where I live, I described the weather and landscape here like the winter scenes in Dr. Zhivago: vast glazed white, with crystal sparkles thrown into the air by gusts of wind; twigs and branches encased in thin sheaths of clear ice; magnificent, silent, deadly. This was the most extreme reach of a snow-filled, deep-frozen winter.

Garrison Keillor once noted, “Bad things don’t happen to writers; it’s all material.” In that spirit, I started thinking about the role severe weather has played in books. Pick any season and, somewhere in the world, you’ll find the potential for a major weather events. It inspires writers of fiction and non-fiction, prose and poetry, adult and children’s literature.

Anyone familiar with Emily Brontë’s 1847 classic Gothic novel, Wuthering Heights, knows that dramatic shifts in weather intensify the mystery, mysticism and menace of the Yorkshire moors, which are the backdrop for the story’s themes of passion and jealousy. The storms always signal pending tragedy for doomed lovers Catherine and Heathcliff.

Ernest Hemingway challenged the standard symbolism of weather in his 1929 war novel, A Farewell to Arms. In the war experience, snow typically symbolizes death while rain represents life and growth; Hemingway flips these symbols in his World War I story. In one chapter, snow ends battle; in another, it provides a peaceful backdrop for two lovers. Autumn rain leaves the country bare, brown, muddy, and sets the stage for an outbreak of deadly cholera.

Severe weather can be a device to move a plot forward, almost taking on the role of a character. In Rick Moody’s 1994 tragicomic family novel, The Ice Storm, a series of vignettes about two families falling apart in upscale suburban Connecticut, comes to its jarring climax and resolution during a 24-hour period during-and-after an unexpected major ice storm.

Of course, extreme weather can also come at the other end of the spectrum.

Ian McEwan’s 1978 debut novel, The Cement Garden, uses torturous summer heat (inspired by the 1976 extreme heat wave in Europe that gave him a “sense of changed rules”) to create a key plot element. The story is as uncomfortable as the weather becomes. Interestingly, the characters seem frozen by life circumstances but are eventually undone by the oppressive heat.

Hurricanes, tornadoes and typhoons, real and imagined, have played starring roles in literature.

Daniel Defoe’s 1719 novel, commonly referred to as The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, is considered by many as giving birth to realistic fiction as a literary genre. The plot is littered with ships wrecked at sea by storms. Perhaps the most famous tornado in literature is the one that transports Dorothy Gale to Oz in L. Frank Baum’s 1900 classic, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. These are two examples of great literature, enjoyed by adults and children, which use extreme weather as a major plot device.

Winter isn’t over by a long shot. Some of us may find ourselves severely challenged by nature. Perhaps it will inspire the next great work of literature. It’s all material.

Recommended

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If you’re an author, wondering if self-publishing could be a viable route to getting your book produced, you should read this Wall Street Journal article about prolific best-selling self-published author Russell Blake. This article should also interest booklovers who have shied away from self-published books in the past because they thought only traditional publishers produced good books.

Resolutions: In One Year and Out the Other

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Maybe it’s because I am a New Year’s Eve baby that resolutions are especially appealing to me. The problem with New Year’s resolutions that are easily begun on January 1st is the heaviness they acquire by January 2nd and the impossible burden they seem to become by January 3rd.

Mark Twain said it well, in a January 1863 letter to the Virginia Territorial Enterprise: “Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual. Yesterday, everybody smoked his last cigar, took his last drink, and swore his last oath. Today, we are a pious and exemplary community. Thirty days from now, we shall have cast our reformation to the winds and gone to cutting our ancient shortcomings considerably shorter than ever. We shall also reflect pleasantly upon how we did the same old thing last year about this time. However, go in, community. New Year’s is a harmless annual institution, of no particular use to anybody save as a scapegoat for promiscuous drunks, and friendly calls, and humbug resolutions, and we wish you to enjoy it with a looseness suited to the greatness of the occasion.”

Here are my resolutions for 2014. They never grow stale, even those that are renewed year after year. If the New Year represents anything, it represents hope.

• I resolve to think more carefully about what I eat and drink… before I eat or drink it.
• I resolve to put at least 30 minutes of exercise onto my daily schedule… like all the other things I put on my schedule, whether I do them or not.
• I resolve to not let reading material pile up all over my kitchen table. Even the cat is complaining there’s no place left for her to sit.
• I will turn off my computer at 9 p.m. every night so my mind can wind down at a reasonable time for sleep. If I set my clocks back to Pacific Coast time, that will buy me a couple of hours.
• I will write at least one short story every month. Blog posts don’t count.
• I will learn more about evolving social media. It’s like people: I don’t have to love them to embrace and accept them.
• I resolve to find more great books and authors to bring to Book●ed.

I figure seven resolutions are enough to make or break. I included at least one or two I know I will keep. At the end of 2014, I’ll let you know how I did with the others.

What are your New Year’s resolutions? When it comes to reading and writing, T.S. Eliot captured the spirit of moving forward, year to year. He wrote,
“For last year’s words belong to last year’s language
And next year’s words await another voice.
And to make an end is to make a beginning.”

Happy New Year!

Footnotes

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Another year older? If you are 50 years or more, AARP and Huffington Post believe you have an interesting story to tell about your life. They invite you enter their Post 50 Memoir Contest. The winner will receive $5,000 and have his/her work published by Simon and Schuster as well as excerpted in AARP The Magazine and featured on The Huffington Post.

The Fallacy of “Best Books of the Year”

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I have a bone to pick with the concept of “best books of the year” lists.

To begin with, there is no concurrence about what books comprise the top 10 in any category. Books get rated in many ways, including by sales, by genre and by critical review.

Booksellers such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble issue their lists based on their own sales data. The established arbiters of literary achievement, such varied media as the New York Times, NPR and Forbes, present their own critics’ annual list for your consideration. Some websites will offer their readers’ top ten favorites based on online votes. Some lists are specific to a genre while others embrace all genres. The Daily Beast aggregated 40 major lists to offer “a ranked ultimate guide” based on critics’ lists – a list from lists.

Regardless of which lists are consulted, rankings of “the top books of the year” help guide readers to books that have achieved recognition for a variety of reasons. All well and good as far as that goes.

Here’s my issue: these widely publicized lists routinely omit self-published books and almost all books published by small presses. The lists are dominated by the few big traditional publishing houses with hefty promotional budgets and access to booksellers’ coveted store positions. Meanwhile, many thousands of fantastic self-published and small press- published books remain in obscurity. The authors who write those marvelous works are denied the financial support they need to continue producing quality books while booklovers are denied the treasures these books offer.

As you peruse the various lists of “Best Books of the Year”, remember that there is more than meets the eye. Much more. Certainly, you should consider reading some of the books on those coveted lists. But don’t cheat yourself of the rewards of great self-published and indie books. You’ll find some of them (along with more traditionally published books) at the Book●ed website. That’s a good start.

Another excellent source worth checking is the list of Indie Book Award winners (you’ll find Echoes of Earth on their award list; a book excerpt and interview with author L. Sue Baugh can be found at Book●ed). A third source for finding independently published gems is the Independent Publishers IPPY Awards list.

A note of interest: some bestselling books started out as self-published works before they were picked up by traditional publishers. Titles you might recognize include The Joy of Cooking; The Tales of Peter Rabbit; The Celestine Prophecy; John Grisham’s first book, A Time to Kill and Tell My Sons (you’ll find a book excerpt and interview with co-author David Murray at Book●ed).