Laura Novak
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A Tale of Two Bookstores

3/8/2012

 
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Long ago on this blog someone asked my why I made the choice to self-publish Finding Clarity. I have several “agent” stories that I’d like to share in due course. But I want to begin with the most recent anecdote about bookstores.

I am in the throes of exploring how to publish my novel in paperback. It seems my best options are Create Space through Amazon, and Lightening Source, which distributes through Ingram, a book distributor to stores and libraries.

In the past few weeks, I’ve placed calls to local book stores to suss out whether or not they would carry a book published through Amazon, or if they would only take a book that could be distributed through Ingram.

The first phone call was pretty straightforward:  we won’t carry an Amazon book. I understand completely, I said. Furthermore, we’ll only carry your book if we like it. “It takes place in Berkeley and has garnered great reviews,” I said. But this monosyllabic twenty-something didn’t care. She grunted and hung up. That was a fairly edgy bookstore with a not terribly friendly staff, but large enough to carry many books from all genres. My book cover would look great in their window. But they didn’t care enough to even ask me the title, let alone the topic.

My second call was to a tonier store in a wealthy neighborhood that is featured in Finding Clarity. A woman of a certain age answered the phone. My question was fairly simple but she clicked me on hold without even a word, such as “just a moment while I find out for you.” I truly thought she had to burp or someone had bumped into her. She got on the phone again and dismissed my question with an answer that had nothing to do with what I asked.

I tried three, count ‘em, three more times to ask the question “I have an e-book that I’m going to put into print; what is the best way to publish so that you can carry it?” Each time she clicked me on hold unceremoniously, and came back with a partial answer that did not relate to my question. Truly, she had no concept of what I was asking. I finally laughed and said she clearly didn’t understand me… was there someone else there I might talk to?

The owner came on the phone. I posed my question carefully. She responded that Amazon won’t let her sell e-books (I’m not sure I understand the logistics of a book store selling electronic books) and so no, she would not carry a book that I published by them. I said I could understand that. “What about if I do it through another source that can then distribute through Ingram?” I asked. She then said she’d have to consider it, but that she’d have to learn about the book and see if she liked it. She really only takes books from publishers.

Okay, fair enough. That’s her prerogative. But since publishers are going the way of the dodo bird and the creative world has decided that the Big Six do not have to control their future, I’m not sure that hitching my wagon ONLY to them is the brightest idea for a mom and pop store. Again her choice.

But what really fascinated was the fact that this woman never even asked me, then and there, what my book was about. She didn’t ask me the title or genre. Was it a book of aerial photos of the Bay? Did it include recipes, porn, or children’s stories? She never asked, even when I mentioned that Finding Clarity had garnered great reviews on Amazon. Mere mention that it took place in Berkeley and would be of interest to her clientele did not elicit any response.

And that, dear readers, is part of the rub here. It used to be called “coming over the transom.” Local writer makes good by capturing the spirit of our silly city in her hilarious debut novel which by all accounts should have come through a big NYC publishing house, but didn’t, and is now published independently and we are so pleased to have her here tonight to sell more copies that we can make money off of and draw in more customers....”

But what I got instead was one woman who was incapable of politesse on the phone or of comprehending a simple question. And then the recalcitrant owner of a store who made no effort to explore the topic to see if it even remotely would benefit her, let alone enlighten or delight her readers.

Incurious, bitter, and phlegmatic store-keepers are only one reason why the publishing game has changed, and not in their favor. And this is just the beginning of my stories of why I went the indie author route. More to come.

jdmn
3/8/2012 04:25:57 am

Laura, your experience is further down the road than mine but it smells of the same attitude. I am just finishing my first novel - at least the first one I'll admit to writing. It's set in northern MN and is a murder mystery. When I went to my local bookstore the woman there was surprisingly helpful and then not at all. She gave me the same Amazon story (except I noted many of the titles in the store can be had on Amazon so I'm still confused there) and told me in no uncertain terms the book could be no more than 80,000 words. Dutifully I went back and tried to edit out about 40,000 words and the book went to garbage in a hurry, or at least had so many holes in it I couldn't even read it. So I went back and started final editing the longer version (I wanted it to be a good read for a long weekend at the lake since the story is set in cabin country) and am going to look into the self publishing game once again. Thanks for the second site - I knew about Amazon but not Create Space. I run my own business and marvel how nice it must be for a business owner to be able to dismiss people who come to them with questions about products that might actually be good for their business. I get a potential customer for my business and I'm all over it.

eclecticsandra
3/8/2012 04:29:44 am

It sounds as if you latched onto stores run by women with wealthy husbands. Sorry to be so anti-feminist, but we used to call them, "doctors' wives stores." This does not indicate any entrepreneurial sense or concern about books. Just a fun job to stay out of trouble.

NPR had an interview the other day on the changes in publishing. Apparently Amazon has hired a major exec from the publishing business. They discussed the need for publishers in the changing world. The consensus seemed to be that name authors (the author's name is bigger than the title) will be better off going with Amazon. The beginning authors, however, can benefit from the grooming and input of the publishing houses. Financially, however, the income from ebooks is much faster, and the author with money upfront has to wait for the royalties to repay that.

You might get a better response if you took your book into the stores to talk to the manager. It is such an attractive book that you might get more interest.

shaytripp link
3/8/2012 05:51:17 am

Laura, I too had explored whether or not to self publish. I chose to self publish so I could have full editorial control. In that process I came across Dorrance publishing, Vantage press, and Authorhouse. Vantage press and Author house lets you keep 100% of the royalties and they help make sure your book is distributed into bookstores. But the upfrontmoney is costly at least to me (500-8000) depending on what you choose for marketing plans. Also I have spoke to the corporate offices of the New York Times, Barnes & Nobles, Wal Mart, etc Each place has a very specific office that self published authors can send their material the main requirement is that you have a library of congress number assigned to your book and the content is well construed. Anyway each company you send them a copy of your book, they review it and if it gets the okay they will order copies for all of their stores for a test run. If thebook starts to sell they will order more. But this process takes time usually 4-6 months per place you send your book. It seems dilgence and some upfront money needs to be there to get it going. Also if you self published and your sales average 1000/books a month then a main publisher doesn't mind steppping in looking at your book, and sales reports and see if they will make you an offer. Hope some of this was useful to you. All the best!! I hope your book does amazing. Shay.

Anthea Lawson link
3/8/2012 12:57:53 pm

Do be careful to differentiate between "vanity" type publishing schemes like Authorhouse (who make their money from charging authors exorbitant fees) and true self-publishing, like CreateSpace, who charge NO upfront fees and very reasonable amounts per-book. Yes, self-publishing is more work in terms of finding and hiring editorial, formatting, and cover help (if you're not of the DIY persuasion) but it should STILL only cost you 1-3k per book, TOPS. I hire a cover designer and have an editor and copyeditor on my team, and my novels cost around $400 for a very professional product.

Also, a note on CreateSpace. It a company owned by Amazon, but it is NOT an "Amazon imprint" like their Thomas & Mercer line of fiction, etc. I would never go into a bookstore and say that my CreateSpace POD is an Amazon-published book - because it's not, at least not in the way the bookstore owner is thinking (they are thinking of those Amazon imprints). Also, for $25 you can get your CreateSpace title into expanded distribution. This means Ingram and B&T, which means bookstores and libraries can order it. Since it's POD (Print On Demand) with no return policy, it's rare that they will.

My local indie bookstore was happy to buy copies of my book from me and host my book release - but I ordered the copies and they only paid me for what sold, plus bought a few on the side.

Keep scoping out those bookstores, Laura. I agree with the advice below to actually walk in to the store with your book in hand - you may get more interest that way. Good luck!

Floyd M. Orr link
3/8/2012 06:07:21 am

You know you can ask me about any of this stuff anytime and I shall tell you the unvarnished truth. Years ago I founded PODBRAM to help self-published authors and some of the most experienced at IAG were on my review team. (The IAG Yahoo Group is currently more active than the blog.) I have been too busy with my own books, as have most of my team, to continue reviewing, but you can learn a lot about self-publishing and marketing at the site. I also encourage you to join IAG. There is a link at PODBRAM. The most knowledgeable are Lloyd Lofthouse, Al Past, Celia Hayes, Malcolm Campbell, and Janet Elaine Smith.

The basic problem is that the invention of POD in approximately 1998 unleashed many thousands of would-be authors. This has basically doubled the sheer volume of new releases every year! Bookstores are rarely going to give you the time of day. As JES says, you have to walk right into the store and sell yourself and your book. Lloyd has spent almost as much time and money as I have learning the business of book publishing and marketing. Al Past is one of the most successful at marketing a series on Kindle. Celia is an expert on selling your book at trade fairs and such. Malcolm likes to hobnob with other online author sites and reviewers.

http://podbram.blogspot.com/

jdmn link
3/8/2012 06:33:49 am

Floyd and others

Thanks - I'll take a wander - it (my mystery) will probably end up having 25 copies made for friends and family but I am weary of the chase and confusion. I just want it done so I can start my next one - haha

Adam Pepper link
3/8/2012 09:08:12 am

Hi Laura,

I admire your tenacity but the reality is selling self published books through bookstores is tough. You may do better if you have an event/reading/signing type thing. If you bring your own crowd and they buy a few books each you might get some goodwill with store management. All and all your efforts are probably better focused online.

Ottoline
3/8/2012 11:10:54 am

jdmn: May I ask in what part of N MN cabin country your mystery is set? I am very familiar with parts of that world, like the lakes bordering the BWCA. Do you know a book entitled Down from Basswood? by a friend of mine?

My thoughts re self publishing a book I have worked on for many years is that I know my subject is too small a niche for anyone to make any money from, so I want to self-publish (so I retain the copyright); do it via on-demand publishing (because I do not want a garage-full of books, and with POD it is simple to do a rev ed -- to fix a typo or to add/delete content by sending in a new pdf); and my real goal is to reach others in this tiny niche area that is my topic -- so a very few people read it and write to me to say I missed a very important component, or that they have a different view on something. And then I could include that, if it's important, which is really my goal: a complete survey of my tiny area of interest. Just for the record.

A friend of mine with a similar niche interest (sail plane-ing -- flying in those tiny planes that get towed up high and then sail about with no motor on the wind currents) said once one becomes known even a little in one of these special niches, there are many buyers who will order every book on the subject. That is still rather few books, less than the 5,000 run that people cite as a minimum for the traditional book business model.

Ottoline
3/8/2012 11:17:05 am

Also, I rarely go to bookstores any more, and also rarely buy, because I am trying to delete possessions, not add to them. Book reviews online and references in books I am already reading provide me with more book leads than I can read/digest, and I get most of them via our wonderful library, from which I can order online (and if I needed it, they will mail the book to/from me for $2.book). This is the best book-access arrangement I have ever had. I often make purchase suggestions to my library when I see a great review of something new I want to read, and often they buy it and wait-list me. Nirvana!

laurensd1
3/8/2012 11:40:27 pm

Mr. Orr, whenever I try to decipher what you try to convey I come up with these words. Mindless self absorbed prattle.

I will eagerly await your book, Laura. You are an amazing lady!

v-a
3/9/2012 12:05:12 am

very interesting post, Laura. I have several comments about it, as a reader, buyer of books, and contankerous old geezer. I've had the same kind of feeling about bookstores for a long time, especially the ones I knew well and patronized. Sadly, they were often unhappy people because they went into bookselling because they love books. Retail is not the same as loving something. These folks learn the hard way, that showing up every day and dealing with the public bears no relation to the art of reading. I still enjoy bookshops, but never ever try and become friendly with the owner. It will spoil the joy of browsing.

(Interestingly enough, I do not have this trouble with wine merchants. They are not cranky people! Nor do they seem to feel threatened by the vast world of internet wine buying.)

As you probably learned, once a writer has entered the brave new world of publishing, there's no turning back -- and only will the old guard chase you down if you become a star on the new world publishing terms.

The other way, and we've discussed this before, is a series of books. Everyone can write one book. Agents, publishers want to see that you can sustain it and give them a series. THEN they'll talk.

You've chosen a difficult path, my friend. But all you've got to do is ask Clari what SHE would do. ;-)

Up
3/10/2012 11:57:44 am

One wonders if the wine merchants are partaking in their product, which lends to their good cheer!

V-A
3/9/2012 12:39:58 am

You are very committed. Perseverance works miracles. So defining your own pathway may be key. A book reading at your son's former private school, with a percentage of proceeds going to them? A reading at your local library, plus a talk on self-publishing-- and a lesson for us geezers in how to avail ourselves of e-books etc?

Writers are happier writing. These days, those with a happy huckster side (twitter, facebook, blogging) often are the writers who prevail.

Laura Novak
3/9/2012 12:53:32 am

Hello All! And apologies for not replying yesterday. I was in the city teaching and then did a "share the care" dinner for friends in need. So I am only now at my desk.

I so appreciate all of you taking the time to talk about this. Every one of you brings some wise words and experience to the table. I will try to address you all, one by one. And I will start from the bottom with one of my favorite and bravest writers, V-A. I am trying now to get quiet and plot the second Clari Drake book. I am happy when I am in that state. But I must lift my head now and then and reach out to find out how to further Finding Clarity. These bumps in the road are to be expected I guess. But you have described fully what I experienced when I said these owners were embittered and disrespectful and incurious. Me? I would have said: What's the title? Tell me more? I can't promise anything, but bring in the book when it's in print. I look forward to meeting you. That simple. Not hard to do. But I love your wine merchant analogy!! And I always love your thoughts. You are so wise and wonderful!

Laura Novak
3/9/2012 12:58:45 am

jdmn: I appreciate your story. I got so much conflicting advice from agents, that's when I decided to stop listening to them and write the book I wanted to write. I was turning 50. It was important that I did this on my own terms. And if I listened to every person who said "NO!" I would not be here writing to you today. Keep up the good work and perseverance. And I wonder if you know of the MN writer, Jess Lourey? I love her work; took a mystery writing class with her last fall. Why she is not a best seller is beyond me. But she teaches online through MWA. Please look her up. Your ideas sound wonderful. I wish you all the best. Perhaps you can stay in touch here with your progress?!

And Ottoline: looks like you and jdmn have connected! Go for it! with your own book. Just do it. The niche will find you. I know you to be incredibly smart and tenacious and talented. But I didn't know you had a book in you. I cannot wait to hear how this comes out for you!!








Laura Novak
3/9/2012 01:00:37 am

Adam and Anthea, thank you both for weighing. You've provided me with some "clarity" about this POD issue. I will look further into the various Create Space possibilities as I simply don't have more money to pour into this. The advice from both of you is terrific. Thank you. And please feel free to post links to your work here for everyone.

Laura Novak
3/9/2012 01:03:44 am

Electric Sandra, thank you for commenting. I know you've read and enjoyed Finding Clarity so I appreciate your support here. You're right of course; I won't let these two get me down. I will print and take my book to other stores. But unfortunately you're too correct about that one owner. I love the "doctor's wife" analogy. A business woman would not have treated anyone that way were they truly interested in business, just as jdmn said.

Shay and Floyd, thank you both for weighing in and explaining your own process and providing more information. It's not an easy journey, as you both know. We all learn from one another. And Shailey, so glad to hear that your book is climbing the Amazon ranks. Best of luck with it. Thank you both!!

FrostyAK
3/9/2012 04:23:33 am

As I have not gone through the novel publishing process, I can only comment as an outsider. I did co-author a booklet for a niche genre. We tried self-print publishing, but couldn't make the costs back in sales even though the formatting and printing was all done by the authors. As we believed the material was of importance to the niche, we decided to put it out for free on the net, locked pdf. Cannot say more about it here as I don't need to be identified in palinland.

First, one has to decide whether the writing itself is of importance to the author. Or is it done primarily to make money? Is it of importance to the projected audience? Is there a large enough audience for it to make serious money? Money enough that a major publisher would take it on?

I believe e-books and audio-books are the wave of the future. E-books can be sold for less, as there are no printing costs. Amazon seems to be the prime real estate for new authors selling their first novels, or series of novels. I've read about a scant few who have made millions from their $.99 and $1.99 ebooks. My guess is that Sam Clements didn't make a mint from his books/writings while he was alive. But he is a celebrated author over time.

So, is the writing the primary goal, or is monetary benefit the goal?

Maria link
3/9/2012 06:01:24 am

I gave up on corporate publishers back in 2006 and have published independently via lulu.com. Fortunately, they have global distribution which you can purchase, so my books can theoretically be purchased or ordered for purchase anywhere. You'd think local bookstores would be more friendly towards Indie Authors. I know I don't expect any sort of fair treatment from corporate booksellers. You'd think they'd realize that the market is changing and that we've found a way around the limiting tastes of the gatekeepers in publishing, but I guess not.

Laura Novak
3/9/2012 06:47:28 am

Maria, good to hear your story. And always nice to hear from someone else who said "enough" and went the indie route. Local book stores better come up with a way to embrace "us" because the "us" ain't going away! The gate keepers are becoming obsolete. At least they aren't the only game in town anymore. And they all must be very frightened by that.

Frosty AK, I think we all write because we have a story in us: whether or not it's a pamphlet for a niche, or a story that might be of interest to a sub-group or a mass audience. I suppose everyone wants to be paid eventually for their work. For me, and it sounds like for several of the commenters here, managing our own destiny became paramount, once the work was completed. Thankfully, the digital age was ushered in and we have found away to make public our work. It's not easy. But it's out there. And no gatekeeper can take that away from us.

Allison link
3/9/2012 08:39:10 pm

I've not said this on my blog, but I finished a novel 18 months ago and after 12 months of frustration sending query letters, I set it aside and began writing The Palin Place blog in October.

I promised myself after helping Shailey with editing Boys Will Be Boys that I'd get my own book out - going the self-publishing route. You've saved me time and given great advice and information, I'm going to visit these other sites right now.

Thanks very much!

Floyd M. Orr link
3/10/2012 01:52:54 am

Here are a few more quick hints about self-publishing. When the POD machine was invented in the late '90s, iUniverse quickly became the best and most successful of the POD publishers. Partially owned by B&N, iU had better distribution connections than their competition. My first four books were published by iU, and I have never regretted that choice. However, the two worst things about iU were (and still are) their high retail prices for the books and the high prices they charge for their services. In my opinion they are the worst in that order, too. Your book is stifled right from the beginning because of the high retail price.

PODBRAM, Print On Demand Book Reviews And More, was founded because traditional reviewers automatically shun self-published books. I began the site accepting submissions only from iU just to put a limit on the deluge. I later rounded up a review team, changed the name from iUniverse Book Reviews to PODBRAM, and opened up the submissions to other publishers. Any author wanting to learn more about the process of publishing and marketing should browse through the links in the left column. The titles of the articles rarely explain the complete context of the articles, so you may want to hit a few and scan through the material to get a feel for the information available there.

There were many technical limitations on the POD process in the beginning that have now been lifted. CreateSpace takes advantage of most of these new rules better than any other company. All an author has to do is to use the free Open Office program to convert his Word document into a PDF and submit it to CS. The entire cost is only about $50. The selection of paper sizes and types and the inclusion of graphics and photos are much improved over the earlier iU system. Lulu will always be mentioned in these discussions, but I have never been sufficiently impressed by that company. They have often failed to keep up with progress, something CS has done beautifully.

Ninety-percent of your sales will be through Amazon, so just face it and get on with it. You can get full distribution through all the regular channels with CS, as included in that $50 price. One word controls practically all the books marketed in the U.S.: Ingram. It does not matter where you get your ISBN or what company publishes your book. If you have a distribution deal through Ingram, that is all you need.

Whether you like it or not, the Kindle has changed everything, just like iU changed everything in the previous decade. Any CS book should be made available in the Kindle format, too, and it should be priced in the range acceptable for the 70% royalty rate. Once you have done all the formatting work for the print version, the Kindle version is an easy adaptation.

There is one more key issue, and that is the Nook and all the other e-book formats. The way to enter these markets is through Smashwords. Once you beat every bit of Word formatting out of your book for the Smashwords Meatgrinder, your book will be available everywhere in every format. The only catch is that this can be a very daunting process, or not, depending on the complexity of the style of your book.

One last bit of advice: proofreading is the bugaboo of all self-published books! Do not rely on Spell Check or Grammar Check to do this job for you. Think of it like washing a car. You might want to run your short-term lease car through the automatic car wash, but if you are getting your classic car ready for a show, you will clean it with a toothbrush. Like classic cars, POD books are forever.

Ottoline
3/10/2012 02:05:34 am

Does anyone have experience with Lightningsource? As I understand it, this is the company that most of the more amateur-friendly sites (like Illumina, AuthorHouse, Lulu, etc.) send their work to. They are the middleman. You have to be a publisher, but it takes just a little paperwork to become one; and you also should know the editorial/production aspects of publishing. Otherwise it will be too frustrating and you will produce a dopey-looking product. But I have not actually used Lightningsource.

Laura Novak
3/10/2012 03:50:02 am

Interesting Ottoline: two of my writer friends used LS instead of CS. But now that I hear you say this, they actually DID set themselves up as publishing companies. I have not, so I think CS is in my future. Also, as Floyd points out, you can get a distribution deal through CS to Ingram. I don't think that existed before which is why one of my friends went with LS. I still have to explore all of these things. But the oven broke and now I'm researching only Consumer Reports! Ugh. Meantime, Allison, that is great news! Congrats and Floyd thank you for providing her with such great publishing advice. It all rings true to me. It's a brave new world and do let us all know when your book is out. It's important for indie authors to share the news with one another. Congrats again and thank you for weighing in!

Ottoline
3/10/2012 04:54:03 am

Laura -- I would love to know your two LS writer friends' comments on their experience with LS, whether they would use again, now -- or where they would go next. Setting up as a publisher is just two or three forms -- not hard, and I remember I was about to do it and then the hardest barrier was to pick a name! That stopped me long enough for other top priorities (like your oven) to hit me and I'm still not back in the saddle. So this discussion is v timely for me.

I had a friend who published a small-niche memoir on Llumina, had a v good experience, $700 up-front costs, which she earned back almost immediately. It's still available, ranked 92,408 (so it's selling and is not in the 2,000,000 rank area). Like the book jdmn said (above) might sell only 25 copies, this was a story that needed to be told, should remain always available, and I'm thrilled that it still seems to be selling -- at a rate of 10 books/week, if the foner graph is to be believed:

http://www.fonerbooks.com/surfing.htm

This fonerbooks.com site has been my treasure trove of info, and here is his really detailed take on POD:

http://www.fonerbooks.com/pod.htm

To me, the bottom line is that the POD firm one picks is far less important than the marketing, if sales is the goal. Most writers aren't marketers and don't want to be. I sure don't.

Laura, thank you for your wholly unwarranted kind comments above.

Ottoline
3/10/2012 05:02:46 am

To me, this issue is like getting a phone. You can get different kinds, different looks, and lots of extensions, at different costs, and set up direct dial to important places, but unless you create some reason for people to call you (and know your phone number), it ain't gonna happen. Also, obviously, if someone wants to call you and knows your number, the most modest and even klutzy phone at your end will do the job.

Ingrid Ricks link
3/10/2012 01:54:43 pm

Laura - great post. My local bookstore -- which actually carries my book,is so snotty and mean to customers (and authors) that I don't even go in there..I peak in the window to see how many of my books are on the shelf. Seriously. But another local indie bookstore is so amazing towards indie authors. If any brick and mortar bookstores want to survive, they are going to have to embrace the indie author revolution -- we are their best bet. Ottoline..I'm one of Laura's friends who ussd LS. It's been an amazing experience for me. Quality is great, they handle all online distribution (Amazon, BN.com, indie bookseller web sites etc and are a sister company to Ingram, which means all bookstores and libraries can order from them. I HIGHLY recommend them.

Ottoline
3/10/2012 11:06:57 pm

Thank you, Ingrid. SO GOOD to hear your good experience with LS. Your blog has exactly the info I need! Your book sounds great too.

http://open.salon.com/blog/ingrid_ricks/2012/03/10/ten_ways_to_drive_mass_exposure_for_your_indie_book

mistah charley, ph.d.
3/12/2012 01:44:56 am

This is off topic, but I hadn't read it before and found it interesting. The source is Chris Floyd's blog Empire Burlesque. [begin quote]

President Barack Obama today bestowed posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom awards on the "Deep Six" team of national security operatives who carried out the extrajudicial killing of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968.

"For too long, these heroes have gone unsung," the president said in a Rose Garden ceremony with the surviving widows and children of the six men -- a super-secret team comprised of agents of the FBI, CIA, and Secret Service, along with two Green Berets -- who staged the successful operation at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, more than four decades ago.

"They executed their assignment with professionalism and patriotism, setting a standard that our special ops still follow today in similar actions all over the world," said President Obama. "They were shadow warriors, whose noble mission could not be acknowledged in those tense and turbulent times. But today, we have a better understanding of the hard choices and tough actions that are required to preserve our national security. Today we can openly praise what once was kept hidden. This is the kind of progress that makes America great."

http://www.chris-floyd.com/component/content/article/1-latest-news/2225-doctor-king-and-the-obama-doctrine-undoing-the-dream-of-justice.html

Laura Novak
3/12/2012 01:50:03 am

Ingrid, thank you for connecting with Ottoline! I know your information is SO helpful.

And MC, thank you for this link and information. It's something I knew nothing about...in the "pre Civil War" era. Lord, will the stupid never ever end?

mistah charley, ph.d. link
3/12/2012 02:34:09 am

Laura, if you follow the link and read it carefully, you may discover that while some aspects of the piece are literally accurate (e.g. the contemporary quotes from Attorney General Eric Holder) others represent a purposeful restructuring of happenings decades ago, but still within living memory of some of us (fewer all the time, of course).

Claire Hennessy link
3/14/2012 03:00:28 am

Laura, I so love this post. I am going to bookmark it as all the comments are like a master class in self-publishing! Sounds very frustrating contacting all the book stores, but I agree that nothing is so great as person to person contact and you are very charismatic in person. Your book in getting nearer the top in my 'to be read' pile and I can't wait to read it :)

Margie
3/14/2012 05:54:20 am

Coming in a little late on this conversation but I have a few things to add. I have published 3 books with three different traditional publishers between 1994-2003. The first experience was okay, but the publisher didn’t do as much promotion as I would have liked (the company didn’t even have a website for a long time). The other two book were nightmare experiences almost from the get-go. A lot of problems with the first of these even during the publication process itself (lost files over and over, contract breaches, etc). They promoted the book fairly well before it came out, but stopped all promotion after a couple months. Shortly after the book came out the company underwent huge internal changes to the point of which only a couple people there 8-9 months later even knew about my book. A year later they dropped it from the catalog. I had troubles getting paid, too. After struggling with this for 5 years I enlisted the help of the Author’s Guild and got my rights back, bought as much stock as I could, and sold it myself. The third book’s story was also a nightmare – virtually no promotion, poor communication and complete lack of accountability on the part of the small (and relatively new) publishing house, and more. After 3 ½ years I finally got the rights & stock back on that one too.

What I learned:
1) Increasingly, publishers are eager to fill their catalogs yet loathe to spend time & money promoting. Except in rare cases, most promotion is up to the authors these days.
2) Publishers see many of their books as expendable. They really don’t care if these books sell or not. They like to focus their $$ and attention on the ones they think will be big moneymakers for them, and they try to figure this out within a month or two of publication, if not before.
3) The burden is on the author to get publishers to live up to what the contract requires of them. This can be hugely stressful and usually requires a lawyer ($$).
4) The stress of dealing with publishers was not worth it to me. My stress level was so high I was having physical symptoms – i.e. high blood pressure, hearing loss, stomach ailments, etc.
5) Authors give away so many rights in a publishing contract. I sat down and tried to figure out what I had actually gotten in return for giving away these rights, and it wasn’t much, especially if I factored in a) the fact that I was doing the majority of the promotion, and b) what the stress was doing to me.

All these experiences made me think very deeply about why I was writing, who I was writing for, and what I wanted for my books and myself out of this writing thing. My books are metaphysical books so their appeal to the general market is limited. Given this context, I had to think seriously about what the word “success” meant to me, and what I was willing and realistically able to do to achieve it. I’d always known my books would never be on the best seller lists, but it was important to me that my books be able to reach those who might want them.

Having had my eye on the publishing world since 1994, I’ve seen how things have changed, and it’s my opinion that the publishing model these big companies work from is going the way of the dinosaur. With self publishing options ranging from iUniverse and Lulu to places like Lightning Source and Create Space, it’s a whole new world out there. And given the fact that publishing houses put the promotional burden on the authors anyhow, I figured why not just take the reins and do the whole thing myself.

After this I laid out a plan and have been following it. There have been ups and downs, but I have made back the money spent in buying the publishers’ leftover stock and more, so I consider that I’m doing okay. The peace of mind I’ve gotten from firing the publishers and taking the reigns has been worth more than I can ever say. I am in control, and my success or failure is in my own hands. And my next book will be self-published!

-Margie

PS - many thanks to Floyd and Ottoline for their helpful comments! Good luck with your book, Laura!

Laura Novak
3/14/2012 08:48:00 am

Claire, how nice to see you here! And yes, I've learned a lot from this post as well. I'm grateful to the folks who took the time to visit here and teach us newbies all a thing or two.

And Margie, welcome! Thank you for posting your own (awful) story here. I am so sorry that it worked out for you like that. But I am not surprised. Why is is that I never hear good stories about publishers taking care of authors and their books? This is why we're all taking it into our own hands. And if the industry doesn't figure out how to adapt, it will continue to shrink and fold. That includes book store owners who are too snooty to even talk to us. I hope you'll come back when I begin to write about the agents I encountered. Bet you got some fun stories for that too! Thank you again for telling us your tale. Best of luck with your self-publishing. I'm sure whatever it is, it will be great simply because YOU are behind it!

Margie
3/14/2012 09:42:13 am

Hi Laura, thanks for the warm welcome and good wishes! At this particular moment I know only one author who is being well treated by her publisher and that's probably because her books are best sellers and she has an agent who works hard on her behalf.

I look forward to your agent stories; I've never worked with one myself.

I've had mixed luck with bookstore owners. I usually go in with a book and do show & tell. Some have been great (friendly and polite) and bought the book right out of my hand. Some have promised to order it through distributors. Some been rude and dismissive, and even damaged the copy I left for them to look at before saying they weren't interested. Some have wanted to do consignment, which I did for a while till I discovered that what that meant was that they had no intention of paying for sold books unless I showed up and got in their face. Live and learn! lol...


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