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I haven't forgotten about you all, and I haven't stopped reading for this blog. I'm drafting a review of The Dreamer by Pam Muñoz Ryan and Peter Sis (Scholastic Press, 2010). Watch out for that! (Who has read The Dreamer too?)
Over the weekend I met up with some fellow Filipino book bloggers. It was so nice to finally meet them and talk about bookish things in person! Below are a couple pictures from our time together:
Please watch this one-minute video about why The Last Airbender is an example of institutionalized racism.
Thank you so much for your minute.
If you have more time, please check out this blog post. It's a very thorough and articulate explanation of why one man is not supporting The Last Airbender for professional, philosophical, and personal reasons.
4 Comments on Can I have one minute of your time?, last added: 7/2/2010
I haven't heard of the Airbender (anime?) until now. Where have I been hiding? :P
But I believe there have been anime-based movies starred in by Caucasians in the past. What makes this movie so much more worse? because of the big-name director?
ArtSeblis, I wouldn't say that it is "worse." Racist casting practices are horrible no matter what the movie is. But yes, this movie is getting much more publicity, not because of the director though. It's because the Last Airbender was a hugely popular cartoon series in the U.S.
* Chasing Ray, where book reviewer extraordinaire Colleen Mondor asks children's and YA authors and bloggers (including me) What historical figure or nonfiction book (s) do you wish you knew about or read the last summer before your senior year in high school?
* Asia in the Heart, World on the Mind, where I interview Indian American author Uma Krishnaswami about her latest picture book Out of the Way! Out of the Way!
* And if you are a Filipino book blogger (any genre; anywhere in the world), please visit Filipino Book Bloggers and have your blog details added to the directory. :o)
4 Comments on Head on over to..., last added: 6/28/2010
* Check out MamaSez, an excellent blog on children's literature and children's theater in Singapore by children's book author Sangeetha Madhavan!
* Congratulations to Singaporean children's book author Emily Lim! Her picture book Bunny Finds the Right Stuff (Mustard Seed Books, 2009) has just won a silver medal at the 2010 Independent Publisher Book Awards. =D
* I was a guest blogger at Multiculturalism Rocks!, a wonderful blog on multicultural children's books by children's and YA fiction writer Nathalie Mvondo. Click here if you are interested in reading my guest post.
* I posted more pictures from the Asian Festival of Children's Content at Color Online, a blog on women writers of color for kids, teens, and adults.
* The awesome Mardel of Rabid Reader has given me a "Cute Blogger Award." Awww, thank you so much, Mardel.
* I'm so sorry I haven't been able to blog much lately. I'm busy working on a really important children's and YA book project. I hope to be able to tell you all about it soon! Thank you so much for your patience.
3 Comments on 6-8-2010 Miscellany, last added: 6/10/2010
you're a well of information! I always learned much when I visit your blog(s). Thanks again so very much for the guest post, which initiated quite a conversation on cultural representation in kid lit within the writing community.
Congrats as well on your decision to attend Grad school full time; how exciting! :D
And... really can't wait to read aaaaalllll about the book project you mentioned. I hope it is what I think it might be. :D
Hi, Nathalie! I was actually tempted to email you about the project, but I'm going to be a good girl and keep the secret. It isn't what you think. LOL! But I know that you will still like it. ;)
Remember those exciting edge-of-your-seat Choose Your Own Adventure books we read as kids? I always loved them--one book with so many different outcomes. Well, Michael passed along Nathan Bransford’s Choose Your Own Adventure approach to the future of the e-book market. There are so many ways the e-book can change the future of publishing, and Nathan has done a wonderful job of showing us his predictions.
I’m still rather traditional when it comes to my book collection and though I have an e-reader now, I actually miss the nuisance of turning pages and sometimes getting paper cuts which I, of course, don’t get while reading from an electronic tablet. But, having said that, I’ll read in whatever format is available if I have to, and as the e-book market booms, it’s interesting to see from Nathan’s blog entry where we could end up if only a couple of e-book vendors dominate the field and publishers become an afterthought. A depressing end, to say the least.
So, having chosen your own e-book adventure, what outcome do you think is most likely? I’d like to hear your predictions.
6 Comments on Stepping into the e-book time machine, last added: 3/15/2010
On this Friday, I wanted to say how much I appreciate your blog. I love the format - everyone in the office contributes with lots of different ideas, even disagreements. I love that everyone is consistently upbeat and charging ahead. It's never a rant. It gives me confidence that the future of the publishing industry is in good hands. Thank you.
First of all, ditto what Anonymous just said. On the subject of e-books, I have to say I'm not a fan. While I admit I sometimes read them because they're quick and convenient, and I certainly think they're going to grow more and more popular, I would be devastated if they began to outweigh the book market. There's nothing like the feel of curling up with a book. A solid book with a ridiculously lovely creased spine. And let's face it: it would be very difficult for flap copies to say "a real page-turner" if everything became digital. What would they say? "You'll be clicking 'Next Page' at the speed of light"?
Also, from the point of view of a writer and someone who wants to be published, I somehow think the satisfaction of having a book available online would pale in comparison to the feeling new authors must have when they see their books in print in bookstores.
I think things are going to end up like they were fifty or sixty years ago, where there are different sizes of players, and the midlist is healthy again. eBooks are going to be the major part of that, but I don't think that paper is dead.
I think this because in the end, it's what the audience wants that will dictate the form everything takes -- at least when it comes to something as cheap and easy to produce as ebooks.
Personally, I expect I'll own lots more books than ever before, but I won't realize it. (It's a lot easier to buy a bigger hard disk than it is to buy a bigger house.)
If it's a throw away novel, if it's a manuscript that's got to be read over the week-end, then I can see purpose in the electronic readers. If it's a beautiful book with colour photographs -- it's not there yet. I'm sure it's evolving, I'm sure it will become better, but it hasn't yet replaced the pleasure of holding a real book in the hand. But then again, I wonder what proportion of the reading public ever hold a book that in itself is a pleasure to touch and look at?
Michelle said, on 3/13/2010 12:32:00 PM
ebooks take up less space. You can carry several books on a trip. Easy to buy, never out of stock. But, you can't share them with your best friend, go to the library or book store and spend glorious hour after hour perusing the shelves. No lazy afternoons at the book store with a cup of hot chocolate, tea, or coffee. When you change ereaders, everything you bought is gone. I want my books personal, real. Not sterile and digital. You can't feel the heft of a new bestseller series in your hand. When you open the book, there's no crackle, no soft paper on paper sound as you turn the page. And, e-ink is ugly. Well, the iPad version looks alright enough, but it's still not a real book, which I'd always prefer. All that said, I think ebooks are a terrific market for books that go out of print - a way for the publishing world and authors to eek out a little more money from a book that may no longer justify the cost of a physical copy.
I personally love my books. I don't see myself investing in an e-book reader. I have talked to some of my friends about it and they agree they love the idea of having bookshelves in their homes, the dream of an at home library, the smell of books, the feel, everything that e-books lack. I'm not saying they won't get more popular but I do not think they are going to wipe out traditional books as we know them. Maybe we can buy traditional books and they will have a feature where we can add them to our e-book readers to have on the go? That wouldn't be too bad, but for the most part I'm sticking to traditional.
The ever entertaining Laura at Combreviations was inspired by a Guardianblog entry to recount her year of not buying books: a year in which money woes meant reading all the books she already had. The horror!
I'm a pack rat perpetually lured by the siren song of materialism to own an awful lot of things that I don't, perhaps, need to permanently possess. I rarely get rid of books I've read and dislike. I get a bit twitchy when items loaned out don't get returned, even if I don't have any need for them back. And if I love it, I simply must give it pride of place.
I certainly don't want people to stop buying books simply because they don't need to (if they did, how on earth would I make money to buy all the books I want to buy?), but I am sometimes alarmed by the sheer percentage of books in the teetering piles that I have not and, let's face it, will not ever read.
When this happens, though, I just resolve to read twice as much, to continue to justify my spending. And with a weekend of rain and a day's wait for the cable guy looming on the horizon, it's nice to have the reminder to aggressively get through at least something the next few days to make room on the to-be-read pile for the six recent purchases threatening to fall off my desk here before I get them home.
4 Comments on Stop buying books? Never., last added: 3/13/2010
Oh boy, do I undestand what you're talking about. I'm about to do an international move and so I've had to cull SOME books from my pile. It hurt. A lot. I guess it just means I'll need to add new ones when I get to the new destination. :-)
Nobody expects adults to play with all the collectibles they buy. As an author, I believe we need to get rid of the expectation that people should only buy the books they have time to read.
They are much easier to shelve and dust than most collectibles, and need to be marketed to people who don't actually have time to read.
Good for you! If we could get all the people wasting money on useless collectible stuffed toys and dust gathering ceramics to act like you, literature would have a new rennasiance!
It must be in the wind. Twice in the last two weeks there have been majorarticles about an age-old subject that is still so very important in the business of publishing: the role of the editor. Even though publishers keep cutting staff, including some key editorial people, the editor’s value hasn’t diminished; in fact, in this era of growing digital publishing the role of the editor--whether he or she is on staff inside the publishing house, functions as an outside freelancer, or is even, as in our company, an integral part of a literary agency--has remained an incredibly vital one to the author and the quality of the book.
I can't help but wonder what it would take for the publishing industry to return to valuing the vital roles editors play - and to do so in a way that supports the requirements of high quality editing Ms. Naggar sets forth in her article. As in so many areas of late, quantity seems to give quality a thorough trumping, leaving many of us to wonder about the long-term effects. This was a great read! Nicole M.
*I'm interviewed by Charlotte at The Book on the Hill about blogging from the Philippines.
Charlotte is in Paris and she has the best job in the world. She works for a publisher and reads children's books all day long. She reviews the books, and based on her reviews, the publisher decides if they will buy the rights to the books and publish them in France. Wow!
I know both of those sites. That is so exciting about two interviews! (And I agree. Charlotte has the best job ever). Still love your blog, same as ever.
*DIPNET (Diversity in Publishing Network) promotes the status and contribution of social groups traditionally underrepresented in all areas of the publishing industry. It also supports members of underrepresented social groups who are seeking to enter the industry. DIPNET is an AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME initiative in the U.K.
You can register to be a member of DIPNET. I'm a member!
*I found out about DIPNET from "Demand Diversity in Publishing," an article by children's and YA author Zetta Elliott in the Huffington Post.
*Elle Magazine has a lit blog called Lit Life! It's cute and fun and even inspiring. =D
Ever wanted to evaluate your life in six words? Well, according to this Huffington Post entry, it’s all the rage now. If you skip over to Smith Magazine, you’ll see where the Six-Word Memoir all began, as well as some unique, some funny, and some very disturbing/eyebrow-raising entries.
Care to share your six-word memoir?
17 Comments on You in six words, last added: 2/28/2010
Hey, I love these six-worders and hope you'll all be part of SMITH Mag's six-word memoir project over at: http://smithmag.net/sixwords. And we send out one a day on twitter @smithmag. Thanks. -Larry Smith
I didn’t actually make it to the O’Reilly Tools of Change Conference, which took place here in New York earlier this week, but between assorted bloggers, tweets and handy You Tube posts, plus the actual eyewitness reports of colleagues and friends, I was something of a virtual attendee. No doubt actual conference-goers will say that I missed the frisson of excitement coursing through the event (so many smart people assembled to discuss the publishing’s digital future must mean that there is money to be made!), but I feel I’ve gained reasonable insight into the discussion, and if you are so inclined, said insight can be yours as well. For a handy overview have a look at this PW article.
You might then check out social media guru Chris Brogan discussing on-line audience building for authors, or Ariana Huffington, delivering a keynote address entitled “Publishing is Dead, Long Live Publishing.” She makes a good, albeit not entirely new, point that the digital space allows readers a heretofore-unimaginable degree of engagement with the written word. Thanks to the magic of the Internet, readers are now able to join the conversation, to participate in the greater cultural discourse in a direct, visible and sometimes influential way. All to the good, I say, though I must admit that for all the reading I do online, I rarely comment on articles, even those that move me to paroxysms of delight or fits of fury. (Theoretically, these fits should no longer happen, as my on-line reading choices should, as studies indicate, lead me into an echo chamber of like-minded thinkers. I must be following the wrong links, because I still find plenty to infuriate.)
And while I know this question is necessarily self-selecting for its respondents, I wonder how often you weigh in on your favorite sites? Where? I’ve no shortage of opinions, but somehow, aside from this blog, I’ve not developed the habit of expressing them in any google-able format. I suppose I’m a reader/lurker, but in keeping with the exhortations of the Tools of Change cheerleaders, I plan to make a more concerted effort to enter the fray.
3 Comments on Entering the Fray, last added: 2/26/2010
The amount I comment is very low to the amount I read. If I only find a chance once or twice a day to catch up on all the blogs, news sites, etc., that I follow, I'm mostly focusing on getting them read than participating, and often find that someone (or many someones) has made the same point I would have already. I don't often comment unless I have something to contribute beyond "I agree" or "That's awesome" (although on occasion I do, if I feel that's all a post warrants).
To add to your anec-data, I read a lot more than I comment too. :)
Anonymous said, on 2/26/2010 1:41:00 PM
I comment, but I do try and keep some sanity about it. I don't think I'm going to change the world, probably not even anyone's mind. The golden rule has got to be that you don't let it get to the stage where you're thinking about your next comment when you're nowhere near a computer.
From a reader point of view, I might see link to something interesting, or learn some new fact or something. I don't know if it's ironic or not, but I find that happens much more often at music or movie fansites than any politics board.
I’ve been waiting for the chance to sing the praises of one of my must-read blogs, The Book Publicity Blog, and I found yesterday’s post really helpful. Yen discusses the pros and cons of Facebook profiles and fan pages, helping authors (and publicists) figure out which is more beneficial, as well as pointing out that it really needs to be the author behind the profile—not a publicist or assistant. Though as she points out, the publisher can certainly help in some ways!
And if you want to learn more about book publicity, I suggest reading as much of the blog as you can. In a world where authors have to act as their own publicists in so many ways, I think this site should be on every author’s blogroll.
3 Comments on To profile or page?, last added: 2/4/2010
I have a Fan page for my character and my own personal profile on Facebook (plus the other things like a website, Twitter, a blog and on and on).
I have a direct url on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/sashajacksonmysteries which is great because even if people don't have a FB account or aren't signed in, they can still go to my Fan page.
I think the FB fan page is good because it allows quick and easy updates, event info, photos, and I reach people I otehrwise might not come into contact with.
It doesn't have to take much time - a quick poste here and there or a note or a status update - so it can be mere minutes a day if I so choose.
Besides, I figure there's nothing to los, so why not do it!
Since Jane already noted the high stakes, high drama standoff between Amazon and Macmillan, and Rachel already discussed the death of J.D. Salinger (anyone else think he’s totally overrated?), I wasn’t quite sure what to blog about today. Then I found this pretty fascinating article from the Denver Post about the author’s role in publicizing their own work.
Tama Kieves might be a little hyperbolic with regard to her readers (“They thank God for me and I thank God for them,”) but she makes a number of solid points about the need for authors to take on a distinct amount of the burden of publicizing their book.
Though Kieves is prepared to “walk across the desert for this book,” most people don’t have the time, energy, or financial backing to be able to make PR a full time job. That said, self-promotion is a big part of the business. And though the tone of a lot of publicity discussions is increasingly negative (my publisher didn’t send me on tour, I don’t understand why Oprah hasn’t called, etc.), I think it’s actually a really exciting time to be published.
Social networking sites make spreading the word about your work cheaper and easier than ever. And for those authors who are on the shyer end, you don’t even need to actually speak to anyone to get the job done! Sure, publicity budgets may be decreasing, and your publisher might not set you up in a fancy hotel before your Today show appearance, but there is a rabid group of readers out there almost asking to be directed towards new work.
8 Comments on Promote yourself, last added: 2/3/2010
This is an interesting article and points to the increasing responsibility of an author in terms of publicity. It's no longer just about writing the best book you can -- although I still believe (and hope) that's step #1. Yet, I also think authors need to possess a basic understanding of marketing techniques. As I've been revising my ms, I've been reading marketing blogs and books so when my book gets published (hey, I'm an optimist), I can start promoting long before it hits the shelf (or iPad). :)
I read Seth Godin's books and blog religiously, and I think he has a good sense of why the author is more important. It isn't just that publishers are slashing budgets, but that the world has changed. Getting the attention of the audience is no longer a matter of throwing money at big, established venues. It's a "long tail" world - where the personal touch is really important. Authors are in a better position to take advantage of these changes.
(And I agree about Salinger, and I suspect he agreed too.)
Definitely agree with you on the J.D. Salinger front. I have definitely noticed that writers now have the responsibility of promoting their own books. I'm just glad there are so many tools to do so and that I'm aware of it beforehand. Seems like a good idea for writers to start personal branding and connecting with readers before they even have a book deal. That way writers are not scrambling to create an online presence later.
I'm such a fan of your blog, and I learn a great deal about the publishing industry from it--but I'm not sure if I agree with calling someone overrated so soon after his death. I think we need to give time for his friends, family, and fans to mourn before the bashing begins. I mean no disrespects from my comment--it's just my opinion.
Don't think J.D. Salinger was overrated -- don't really know how he was rated. But I don't think he could have been OVERrated. I think every one of his lines was perfection. Here's to different tastes! On the subject of your blog, thanks for your continued advice.
I think it's more fun to publicize a book, or what your book is about - than writing and revising it! I'll give an example from the world of poetry - that is, my chapbook Traveling Menstrual Show. It was a lot of fun to create the first Menstrumobile out of foamboard (not ecologically correct, oops) and red ribbon, red electrical tape, bent Q-tips for the ovaries...I was thinking of Picasso's "Bull's Head" he made out of (or to resemble) bicycle handlebars and seat:
http://tinyurl.com/yh4zgxp
Eventually the Menstrumobile morphed into the UFO (Uterine Flying Object):
http://tinyurl.com/ycryas2
Paper and red ribbon, much lighter and therefore cheaper to mail (besides get rid of the foamboard).
I find it interesting that in discussing the graphic possibilities of the iPad, people talk about the book cover, or adding music, or somehow altering the experience of reading the book itself - rather than, wow, I can add photos of actual physical objects that people can buy - that is, the book cover and illustrations don't just have to be graphics the reader looks at it - they're actually things the reader can buy.
Maybe that sounds too mercenary, but if you are selling items that a reader might actually treasure, and get joy out of - you've added to the total wrap-around "surround sound," maybe "surround read" (?) experience of the ebook downloader.
I loved Salinger when I was a teenager. I reread Catcher in the Rye in my 20s and loved him still. I reread him as a parent and felt like I'd really lost something: Holden Caulfield sounded whiny and difficult. My favorite Salinger work of all time will always be his short story, 'De Daumier-Smith's Blue Period', a perfect blend of self-deprecatory humor and youthful awkwardness and hope, all the embarrassment and horror of being young and stupid and living to remember it. I don't want to reread that one.
As for publicizing my own work, I suppose I could be grateful for having a largish family. The only trouble is, we're all cheapskates. I'll have to figure something out, should the happy day ever come.
I know we talk about e-books a lot around here (and around the publishing world in general), but two of the issues we haven’t touched on quite as much as other subjects are free e-books and piracy. Two blog entries this week made me think more carefully about both issues.
First, free e-books. Mike Shatzkin over at the IdeaLogical blog dissected the question of free. As he points out, it’s generally fairly accepted by those on the publishing and agenting sides that free e-books engender more sales than they endanger, at least in the short term. (Anecdotally, back when it was available, I downloaded the free e-book from oprah.com of the absolutely stunning Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann, who regular readers will know we’requitefondof around here. Half way through reading the free e-book, I bought a hard copy, because it’s amazing; he deserves my money and so do his publisher and agent for making it possible for me to experience it. Plus, I need to share it with people who don’t have e-readers and ultimately give it pride of place on my shelf. Noticing the really reasonable price, I also told all my friends to go buy it ASAP. I know at least some of them did.) Do you lose some sales? Absolutely. But popular consensus seems to be that you gain more than you lose, and I fundamentally agree.
Shatzkin also goes into the separate questions of how we count free downloads vis-à-vis sales, and, more important, what impact the free download has on sales and the industry overall. We know it helps that book in the short term and probably in the long run, but does it hurt all books and publishers and retailers, etc., at the same time? It’s an interesting argument—and the sort of question that always makes me worry. How do you put the genie back in the bottle, and how do you know when it’s too late? If you’re not reading Shatzkin’s blog, you should, because even when I disagree with his conclusions, he always seems to take the conversation that extra step further and never fails to look at the big picture.
And second, a different kind of free: piracy. Sure, this piece on hard copy piracy through a nefarious chain of libraries is tongue-in-cheek, but it’s an interesting counterpoint to the people whose fear of piracy prevents them from embracing a technological revolution. I understand the concern of authors who feel that they’re losing money on piracy—in a time when they’re losing money on everything else (advances, royalties, returns, self-promotion), it must be aggravating to add to the list. However, we don’t ban libraries just because someone who took the book out of the library might otherwise have bought it. I don’t know that many avid library fans even though I know a lot of readers, but the people I do know who are addicted to their library cards don’t buy a whole lot of books. If libraries didn’t exist, they probably would buy more books a year because they are big readers, but we don’t use them as a reason to ban libraries. We also don’t count every book we lend to our friends as a loss of sales, and I actually think if my friends lost their library cards, they’d probably just spend more time looking at my bookshelves. If you create something worth experiencing, some people are probably going to experience it for free. I
In regards to the free downloads. I have downloaded about 3 books that were available for free. I haven't read any of them. To be fair, I don't have an e-reader, so that's probably why. Honestly though, if I wanted to read them, I'd probably get them from the library.
Which brings me to the next part of your post. I am a writer with no money to buy books. Before someone says I should cut back on other things and support my fellow writers, I have...a real job! So essentially, my cost of living is very low because I buy very few things and that way I can stay home and write. This is the lifestyle I've chosen and it works great for me, but because of it, I use the library almost exclusively. So you're absolutely right. If I can't get it from the library, it's very unlikely that I will buy it. I'd love to be in a position to buy all the books I want, but I'd rather write full time instead. Libraries buy books...seems like people forget that. Yeah, they might only buy 2 or 3 copies, and it might get read by a lot more than 2-3 people (hopefully), but I think authors would really feel it if libraries stopped buying books! And if you write a popular book, they buy more copies. And if you write for kids, well, school libraries buy books as well. I really don't see that libraries are taking away from sales. Interestingly enough, often the books I do end up buying are ones I read from the library and can't live without.
I don't use libraries because I tend to forget to return books. And then there are fees. And then I really don't want to return the books. So, I prefer to buy.
However, I worked at a library for a couple of summers when I was a student, and I purchased several books that I had read while working. It was a really good way to try new authors risk free.
One author I liked so much that I hunted down every book in the series I'd started reading at the library.
Hmm...I think I just talked myself into renewing my library card, I've been feeling the need to expand my reading list, but haven't wanted to spend the money on authors whose work I've yet to read.
Very interesting topic, Lauren. I'll go to the library to do research, but generally, I buy fiction. This practice is primarily to build up my own library (and to loan to friends). Often I will read a book over and over (ex. Harry Potter series), and it's simply more convenient to have the books on my shelves here at home. What if I want to reread Chamber of Secrets at midnight some night?
I do think there is a market for all sorts of books. We don't all live in big cities with bookstores on neighborhood corners. For those book lovers way out in the sticks, I can see a larger market for ebook downloads. And hey, if they find FREE ebooks, more power to them.
I am an avid reader, I have bookcases full of books - and I love the library. My wife is ecstatic that I got a Kindle(R) for Christmas because our bookcases are full. That being said, I download free e-books whenever I see them on Amazon.com. If I like it I read it through, if not I archive it. But if I REALLY like it, I buy a copy. Perhaps I'll just buy more bookcases. But libraries are an excellent way to get to know a new writer.
Anonymous said, on 1/30/2010 7:16:00 PM
Free or the price is the next big war between publishers and retailers -- and between authors and publishers. What companies like Amazon.com (and authors who self publish on Amazon.com) are finding is that the cheaper an ebook is the more copies it will sell.
Look at the Top 100 lists on Amazon.com in any category. Notice all the free or cheap ebooks landing in the Top 100.
The big publishing houses are looking to push up the price of ebooks with the release of the iPad at a time when consumers are cutting back on spending. This has already resulted in the first tug-of-war with Macmillan and it isn't going to be the last.
Kaitlyne said, on 1/31/2010 7:00:00 PM
I think the lesson I've learned from basically every person I know concerning pirating of music and movies has nothing to do with giving it when and how people want it--it has to do with the fact that it's easy and they won't get caught. Pretty much everyone I know illegally downloads things, and when I say I'm buying something on iTunes, the response I *always* get is, "But you could just download it for free." It irritates me to no end, honestly.
I think if it's easy for a person to get something for free and without effort with an incredibly low chance of getting caught, a lot of them will do it. It seems that (with my age group at least) people don't even view it as theft. These same people would never walk into a store and steal a CD off a shelf, but they don't make the connection that what they are doing is the exact same thing.
That's what makes me nervous about ebook piracy. As readers become more prolific, I can easily see how a person would go to Amazon or a bookstore, find what they want, and then go download it so that they can avoid paying for it. In college it seemed that everyone's excuse was, "Well, I'm a poor college student. I can't afford it." Unfortunately, that excuse never seems to wear off...
Thanks all for the great comments! Joelle--totally agreed on the free e-books. I download every one I hear about, and I have two e-readers. I've still only read the one I would've bought anyway.
Kaitlyne--your point is a valid one, but I'm not sure how one can build a business model around it. It's pretty easy to download illegally if you're already doing it (and almost certainly impossible to ever make it easier to buy than to download), and I know people who still get music and such that way. The lack of fear of getting caught is absolutely a motivating factor. But I've also seen people who used to be best friends with Napster become devotees of iTunes. I think those are the people who need to be targeted--the ones who WOULD pay, if it were easy enough and cheap enough--not the ones who never will. If in the future, there will only be pirates...well, intellectual property will end up devalued to the point that few will participate in creative endeavors, and then we'll all be sorry. I simply don't think there's anyway to forestall that without creating more dire consequences if it's in fact the coming future. Fortunately, I don't think it's quite so bleak. There will always be thieves, but if you build a business model around thieves, you can't make money. See JK Rowling, whose books are certainly downloaded--and often--but never legally, because she's prevented that option. Piracy WILL increase as e-books become more popular, but if sales also increase, well, I can't say I'm that concerned. Trying to roll back the tide of digital innovation simply isn't an answer. Prevention of piracy is important, but creation of a viable customer base is much more so.
>>a digital reader might just download the file elsewhere if it’s not available legally.
And it certainly *seems* as if most pirates are from overseas--*seems* being the operative word!
I could be wrong but keeping track of illegal DL's is a part of my job and a huge problem IMNSHO seems to be the regional restrictions. Even people in the UK who own kindles can't buy my bosses books via their kindle because ... they're not available!
What I hate is buying a book and finding I don't like it within 20 to 50 pages. I wan't read the reast anyway. I bought 5 sci-fi books on the basis of multiple reviews on the net. I couldn't stand any of them. I did finally force myself through Revelation Space because I promised someone.
Why don't publishers give away the first 50 pages or 4 chapters or whatever and if that hooks people they will buy the book, either paper or e-book.
At our morning meeting today, we were chatting about query letters and how to help authors who contact us (and other agents) make the best first impression possible. As we’ve mentioned many times on this blog, crafting a successful query letter is by no means an exact science. In some instances we’re hard pressed to account for our decision to request one project over another based on the relative merits of their query letters. Sometimes, I think that the process of elimination is a better way of communicating what works. Maybe by telling you what elements of your query letter turn us agent types off you might avoid having your very worthy book rejected before it’s even seen.
One of the things that makes me (and others here) crazy is self-hype that’s hard to verify or quantify. If we can’t find that award or publication you mention on Google and we can’t track that bestselling novel on Bookscan or even find it on Amazon, it should definitely not find its way into your query letter. Eric, over at Pimp My Novel has a very useful post about when and how to mention awards and accomplishments when querying agents. On a personal note, I’d rather have you tell me something fascinating that you’ve done that’s in no way related to book publishing--e.g., you wrestle alligators as a hobby--but that makes me look at your letter twice than to read about obscure literary accomplishments, real or imagined.
Great advice. Janet Reid gave a query letter workshop this past weekend and said almost the exact same thing. And I still don't get why people lie/exaggerate... I mean, Google exists!
Fantastic TRUE STORY... long time ago, fishing over a bed of spawning bluegill, I lost a fish due to a bad knot tie (my fault). So, I took another hook, same kind, gold long shank #10 out of the package, retied and baited, threw it out and caught the fish I'd just lost through the EYE of the previous lost gold long shank #10 hook!
I recently beat Assassin’s Creed 2 on Xbox 360. Does that count as an interesting achievement unrelated to writing? Keep in mind; this is a particularly challenging video game. Not everyone can beat it, not even most people. Also, I have read all seven Harry Potter novels. Shall I expect your offer of representation within one hour or two? Sigh.
Great advice. I remember sitting down to write my first query. I struggled with what (if anything) I should say about myself. I had no awards or publications to speak of, so I wrote a sentence or two about the part of my life experience that inspired my novel. The novel is about a handicapped boy who escapes his wheelchair. I grew up with two handicapped brothers who were the inspiration for the book.
Haste Yee Back and Robert, you should try sending a query and see what happens. D. Antone, yes, your mention of growing up with handicapped brothers would make me take a second look, especially because it ties in to the themes of the novel.
It’s been speculated by some in the publishing industry that enhanced e-books are most certainly the wave of the publishing future. Some will argue that with standard e-books not even completely off the ground, this is misguided, while others will say that such a product would be a completely new medium and not a book at all.
Whichever camp you happen to be in, some interesting developments were just announced on the multimedia front. PW reports that Vook, the video book company, has developed new software called MotherVook that will allow publishers to create their own media-enhanced e-books.
Is this one small step for publishing-kind? Though the details haven’t all been worked out, I’m interested to see how this takes off in our ever-changing landscape. I’m one of those who believe that media-enhanced books are more likely to happen then not. So now, particularly on the eve of the Apple tablet unveiling, will publishers take advantage of this software to create hyperlinked, video and music enhanced editions of what, until recently, has always been an ink and paper medium? And if this MotherVook software does take off in the market, will enhanced e-books make books better? It’s gotten me thinking, do I want a book that comes tricked-out with extras?
3 Comments on E-books: New and improved?, last added: 1/26/2010
The whole notion of a "vook" doesn't do anything for me. I love me some ebooks, and I have been happily devouring them on my iPhone and am even likely to get a nook sometime soon.
But I don't need extra bells and whistles with the story. I want the story and okay, yeah, some nice cover art to go with it. I'm happy with the electronic version of the product I'd otherwise be buying in the bookstore. Adding in extra bells and whistles and music and such just distracts from the writing, for me!
This is something I've been thinking about recently. Like you I'm inclined to think it will happen. It seems to me a logical progression, and an obvious potential selling point for e-content.
As regards the question of making books better, I think it's really a question of how it's used. I'm sure in some instances it will lead to a thoroughly immersive multi-media experience. Yet in others it will distract from the story and appear gimmicky. There is parallel here I think with the recent debate on the use of 3D in films.
I actually would be happy to see extra content, as I'm very attached to hard copy, and I'm likely to need something extra to persuade me to go for a e-version rather than a print version of my favourite author. Even then I would probably prefer the hardback.
"[D]o I want a book that comes tricked-out with extras?"
We already have those; they are called movies. I do not think that anyone would disagree that the best movies with the strongest storylines and characterization are all based on books. So will we authors now have to write screenplays along with the MS in order to even be looked at?
Nothing causes author duress like the unveiling of the book cover. In my experience, it’s one of the most stressful parts of the publishing process, and there are days when I wish we could go back to the days of unjacketed books, when the only thing to get fired up about would be the font type! I’m sure Bloomsbury Children’s Books is wishing the same thing right about now.
This past summer, Bloomsbury had a big controversy on their hands when people noticed that the cover model for the book Liar by Justine Larbalestier didn’t exactly match the description of Micah, the protagonist in the book. At first, Bloomsbury tried to explain away the decision, saying that this was somehow a reflection of the character’s compulsive lying. They eventually relented, and a new jacket was prepared in time for publication. Though there was some residual blogger anger, things simmered down.
Until Bloomsbury did the same thing again. This time with Jaclyn Dalmore’s Magic Under Glass (a great book, by the way). This time, there were no liars to blame. While the book describes the protagonist, Nimira, as “dark-skinned,” the cover depicts a fair-skinned, corseted girl. While people were upset about Liar, the reaction to this cover was scathing. Jezebel’s (linked above) headline read “The White-Washing of Young Adult Fiction Continues.” Some bloggers went so far as to call for a boycott of Bloomsbury, though they realized they’d be hurting the authors as much, if not more, than the publishing company. And there’s much more to read on the subject at Reading in Color, Bookshelves of Doom, and Chasing Ray, as well as many others (you could spend all day linking between the blogs—and I hope you do).
So why do I bring this up? I think it’s important that we’re all paying attention to the issues involved here, and by linking to these other smart people and their opinions, I hope to generate more good, healthy discussion. As Justine Larbalestier pointed out when the controversy erupted around her book, the reason this happens is that booksellers believe that books with people of color on the cover don’t sell. Yikes. I really don’t think that’s true, despite what people tell me. The publishing industry has neglected people of color in the past, claiming there was no audience for books by and for people of color. Can you imagine? They learned their lesson when authors started self-publishing and selling hundreds of thousands of copies of the books that the publishers turned down. And now those same authors do big business with New York publishers, making them millions.
I hope some progressive, enterprising publishers start to prove these booksellers wrong by designing covers that prominently feature people of color. And when one breaks out and becomes a huge bestseller, maybe we can stop being so cynical. I’m curious to hear your thoughts on this, and as always, let’s keep the conversation respectful and positive.
8 Comments on Cover controversies, last added: 1/26/2010
I find this hard to believe too, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. I remember the first depictions of African-Americans in books; they were essentially white people made to look dark. I've also seen other book covers featuring Caucasian-looking black characters. It's hard to imagine the opposite happening.
There's another issue here too. It's always struck me as odd that some artists obviously don't read the books they're illustrating. As a child, it really used to bother me when a character was described one way in a book and rendered in an entirely different way by the illustrator. Surely this could be easily remedied by better communication between illustrators and publishers.
Here Here. Obviously if YA of color cannot be depicted on the cover, they shouldnt be reading these books either (and paying for them), or for that matter, when we... er... they, grow up, not be writing them either!
What a "ridonkulous" assumption on some publishers' part. By that reasoning, I guess The Color Purple cover should have featured violet-colored characters? The film industry obviously (and thankfully) doesn't take this stance, and it hasn't seemed to hurt their box office takes. grr
Linda said, on 1/26/2010 11:45:00 AM
That surprises me as one of my all time favorite books, that I read as a child over 30 years ago, is "Phillip Hall Likes Me I Reckon Maybe" and the cover is very true to character, a lovely young girl of color. As a typical elementary student it was the cover that made my decision to read it.
I think the "books with people of color on the cover don't sell" argument is inherantly wrong because, as far as I've seen, there's been no study to prove it. Has there been a study to compare how books with people of color on them sell compared to books with white people on their covers? And if they do sell less, is there another reason (e.g. they were aimed a niche audience, shelved obscurely, just happened to be more poorly written and reviewed, etc.)? I don't think publishers can make this claim until they start putting people of other races on their covers and compare how they sell. As Colette said above me, books with people of color on the cover can't sell if they don't exist.
Furthermore, why wouldn't they? I'd like to believe our society isn't that backwards still. Our president is black, as are many of our biggest entertainers. Are we really willing to watch them on screen, but can't face seeing them on the books we read?
I hope people continue talking about this because it's the only way to make the publishers see. If we boycotted these books, we'd only be hurting the authors, who have little-to-zero say in the cover design, and that would only give the publishers ammunition for their arguments.
I still can't believe they did it, and more than once. It's underestimating the buying public, and like Colette and Kristin have said we can't buy stories about people of colour if we don't know they exist. Give us some credit publishers.
Agents have insisted on their blogs that the best way for an unpublished author to build a platform is by beginning a blog. Yet, no one seems to discuss what to do with a blog of say three hundred plus followers after you've accomplished this. Can you mention or link to it in a query letter to agents? Is it foolish or wise? Why?
A:
Thanks for your question. First let me clarify that there are many misconceptions out there about how to build a platform and authors are often instructed to blindly get cracking on a blog, as well as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter accounts. Keep in mind that not all online platforms will suit all writers. If you’re not frequently updating your content and dedicated to the task of blogging and networking, you’re not going to garner the following you need to attract attention from publishing folk. You wouldn’t necessarily want to link to your blog unless you have a substantial number of followers. This number would be in the thousands, though it’s hard to be too specific here, as what is considered significant depends on the book you’re writing, the topic, etc…
Lauren pointed me to this excellent post about dos and don’ts for publicists from blogger Lindsay Robertson. The don’ts should be obvious, but sadly, it seems that they aren’t. What I found more interesting, and possibly surprising, were the dos. The rule that really caught my attention was “Pick Eight Blogs.” She suggests that publicists pick eight blogs to publicize to. Yep, just eight. By targeting the most appropriate outlets and building relationships with them, the contention is that coverage will be both better and wider. But how is that possible if you’re only pitching eight blogs? Because the bigger internet sites scan the smaller sites to find their content. And by not throwing things at everyone in sight, you can get higher-quality coverage that people actually pay attention to. Very savvy, very practical, and much more fulfilling for the publicist, I think.
It strikes me that there are lessons here for authors. By being smart and focused about submissions, whether when looking for an agent or promoting one’s own work, authors increase the likelihood of a hit. In a world where it’s easy to communicate broadly, who doesn’t appreciate a tailored message? I know that I more carefully consider the queries that are specifically tailored to me. By doing the research and narrowing the list, an author with an attractive project is more likely to find an agent.
The same is true when author goes to promote her own book. By selecting a limited number of bloggers to approach and tailoring the pitch to each blogger’s interests, an author is more likely to get serious attention. It likely takes the same amount of time as blindly contacting hundreds of people, but the quality of the hits you get will certainly make up for anything lost in numbers.
I know this is something I’ll have in mind when talking to authors and book publicists in the future, and I’m sure this concept can be applied to other aspects of book publishing and beyond.
4 Comments on Blog publicity dos and don'ts, last added: 1/15/2010
I’m a participating host on the WOW Women on Writing Blog Author tours. As a hosting blog, I choose the authors best-suited to my theme and readership, and then the author tailors their post accordingly. The author blog stops that get the best response/most enthusiastic comments are the definitely ones really well tailored to my blog. So perfecting that match is key. The results are seen immediately with a very active dialogue ensuing in the comments.
So as a blog host, my advice to authors is to find that niche audience similar to your readership. And when the match isn’t perfectly aligned, find a common thread between your work and the blog audience and use it to engage and expand your audience.
This is very interesting! Eight, huh? To me, this makes a lot of sense. I'm about to start the query stage and I have a short list of agents to query - they are the ones I have got to know through blogs or having met face to face and they rep the type of book I write. Even though everything to do with writing is subjective, I do feel when the queries go out to my targeted agents I will have a better chance as I have taken the time to study what they like, what clients they have, etc. At least, I like to think my chances are better by doing the homework... :-)
Very good idea. Specific and limited. Allows you to quickly focus and develop your relationships without feeling like you're missing something somewhere else (which will happen anyway. Find 100 blogs, and there'll be No. 101).
I've sat in a bar in the Philippines and watched two people sit at the same table sending SMS to each other - truth is stranger than fiction
I think the telling line in your blog is "who doesn’t appreciate a tailored message?". We have devices which enable us to be heard better than ever before, but our ability to communicate has in many cases depreciated. I am hoping that this is a curve that reverses.
I just discovered Adrienne Kress’s delightful blog this morning, and she has posted a list of four questions to ask yourself before you query that can assure you’re in the top 10% of submissions.
From an agent’s point of view, she’s totally right. You look at the numbers, and they can be incredibly discouraging. Yes, agents turn down 99% of what they see. But the chances are that since you’ve gotten this far—that you’re reading an agency blog, that you’re doing research—you’re already at the head of the pack. I say the same thing anytime I speak at writers’ conferences. You wouldn’t believe how much material we get that is so off-base or utterly baffling. Seeing writers show up for conferences or visit our websites and educate themselves on the business of publishing…it’s incredibly encouraging.
Of course, maybe I say this here, but you’ve already queried and gotten a form rejection letter. Does that mean we bundled you in with the people who have no idea what they’re doing? Well, no. The fact of the matter is that sometimes I see a perfectly adequate query letter for a project that sounds a lot like something else I represent. Or I see the right kind of novel for me, but it deals with some topic I can’t stand like parrots or something (note: I have no actual aversion to parrots. It’s just a bad example). Because we do get hundreds of queries a week (that’s really not an exaggeration), we can’t necessarily take the time to differentiate between the queries that were perfectly good but not quite right or the ones by people who seem unacquainted with ideas like sentences and commas.
So what does it mean? I’m such a broken record, but it means keep trying. I’ve always felt that books that deserve to get published do eventually make it through. It may not be an easy road, and it may not be a fast one. You may not even realize until you write your next book that THAT’S the one that is meant to be your debut. But if you keep going, eventually you’ll break through if you’re meant to.
It's true; a form rejection letter doesn't tell us how close we are. It's good to hear this every once in a while, especially when I get discouraged by the odds.
Thanks for the link to Adrienne's blog -- it was refreshing to read something optimistic for a change. The 4 questions were great and while it's nice to know I'm in the 10%, I think I'll wait until my ms is at the 1% point before I query. Happy Monday!
A great post and very timely as I am at the query stage right now. Thanks for the link and thank you for the words of encouragement for those of us in the trenches at the moment.
I got a lot of form rejection letters in college (I wrote stories in between essays). Last year, I had an editor reject me after doing a complete revision on my novel for me (shut me down for money reasons). I had an agent meet with me, but decide that same novel was not commercially viable for a first time writer (it was a middle-grade novel about dealing with death, not boy wizards). This year I’m polishing the final draft of an adult horror novel I will be sending out queries for in the next month. I always hate form rejections, but when I look back at my earliest efforts, form rejections really are what they deserved. I find this post encouraging. If I get form rejections for the new book, I’ll know it’s time for another revision.
Anonymous said, on 1/12/2010 1:32:00 AM
Some heartening advice there, but the million-dollar question is how do I know if I'm 'meant to' break through? I done got myself an agent, does that mean I'm likely to get published? BTW I've met Adrienne and she'd great - as intelligent and charming as her blog suggests.
I'm pretty thrilled to be getting detailed, personal rejections now, but from time to time, I still get the odd form rejection and it's demoralizing. From now on, I'll tell myself they're parrot rejections.
Just came across this really handy item that SCBWI's Kathy Temean posted on her blog: Top Ten Questions Dutton Editors Ask Themselves When Looking At A Manuscript. Very useful for all writers, especially novelists, whichever market they write for and whether or not Dutton would be interested. I recommend you consider these points about your own manuscript before you share it, because most of these are questions that'll be asked down the line throughout the publishing process, in many cases all the way up to readers buying your book.
Good points, good list. I think #1 is one that authors sometimes forget about. Sorry. Sad but true. The beautifully written, capital L literary novel, the poignant story may be the most wonderful novel in the world, but publishing is a business. Publishers need to know there is a market and a potential readership out there for your work.
This isn't to say that what's hot now will still be hot in 2 years, so keep trying. Publishers want something of a balance in their product mix and what they have on deck now may not fit with what you are offering... but it could change.
I'm not sure I'd read any novel ten times-maybe twice: makes sense for a children's book though. How many times have I read Goodnight Moon to my kids!
Anonymous said, on 1/4/2010 11:11:00 PM
"I think #1 is one that authors sometimes forget about. Sorry. Sad but true."
The last thing an author should be considering is his audience. You are an artist, your only concern is elevating your art to the master level, not if you should be dumbing it down to sell it to tweens.
That kind of thinking is why we are seeing a few hundred Twilight rip-off novels and no one is out there writing the next House of Leaves.
Anonymous said, on 1/4/2010 11:14:00 PM
Well, I'm writing the next House of Leaves. ;)
But, that is a norse of a different litr.
Anonymous said, on 1/5/2010 6:10:00 AM
"I'm not sure I'd read any novel ten times"
Remember that this is an editor talking, not a civilian - just in the normal course of things, editors will see draft after draft of a novel, first as the author amends it, then the various copy editors and proofreaders and so on will amend it again. Every time, the editor will have to read the whole thing again, from scratch.
Even a book you love to bits will start to pale a little when you do that. So the prospect of rereading a book for the fifth time that you didn't enjoy all that much the first time is not a happy one.
I can't agree with Anonymous. That first question is always the hardest for me to answer and I don't think that's a good thing.
(And am I the only nerd out there who is gritting her teeth over that misspelling of 'interesting'?)
Anonymous said, on 1/5/2010 8:36:00 AM
"The last thing an author should be considering is his audience. You are an artist, your only concern is elevating your art to the master level"
Much as I hate to disagree with Anonymous - my namesake and one of the most prolific authors of all time - I'd have to say ... no.
People who say they're concentrating on art and not selling out have manuscripts in drawers that they insist is the best book ever written, but which they won't even let their cat read.
Even leaving aside the commercial reality (which is: 'there's a commercial reality'), the artistic reality is that all books exist in a network of traditions, lineages and influences. If you understand where your book fits or might fit within those, you'll almost invariably end up with a better book.
Anonymous #1, while I see what you're saying, I think it's important to make a distinction between knowing your audience and writing down to your audience. Some people write with a particular audience in mind and do it quite successfully; others write better in a vacuum and if they're lucky, the audience exists. But publishing is not solely about art OR commerce, and I do believe that understanding the commercial viability of your project is an important step for any author to take before seeking publication. Authors who can't come to terms with the commodification of their work will have a very tough time on the road to publication and might perhaps be better served by never trying to turn their art into a commodity in the first place. And I'm saying this as a person who'd probably rather read the next HOUSE OF LEAVES than the next TWILIGHT.
And good point, Anonymous #4. Influence and imitation are not entirely unrelated pieces of the literary/publishing puzzle. Also, this made me chuckle, and I may have to steal it for writers conferences: "Even leaving aside the commercial reality (which is: 'there's a commercial reality')...."
My friend Jim Donahue of The Velvet Blog, a great copyeditor and literary curmudgeon (in the best sense of the word) pointed me toward this piece in Salon. I admit that I, too, find it irritating when writers decide to do away with punctuation and other grammatical and syntactical rules and claim artistic license as their excuse. Seems to me it’s mostly laziness. But then, I may be a little OCD about the whole thing. How do you all feel about quotation marks gone AWOL?
4 Comments on To quote or not to quote?, last added: 12/23/2009
Forgoing quotation marks has been done so often, it's almost gimmicky now. There's nothing really new and fresh about it, so it seems the "artistic" value is negligible.
Christina said, on 12/23/2009 9:23:00 AM
Hate it, hate it, hate it.
But I'm a little OCD about things like that, too.
Seriously, I have found it's difficult for me when reading to transition from action/description to conversation and back if I don't have them there.
Anonymous said, on 12/23/2009 10:30:00 AM
Unless you're Cormac McCarthy I would suggest a writer stick with the rules.
Adding to the discussion of e-book pricing earlier this week, the always insightful Mike Shatzkin of The IdeaLogical Blog rethinks the controversy and comes to the conclusion that the move to delay e-books is not about fear of cannibalizing hardcover sales (which, as Miriam argued, does not sound like an effective strategy) but about wresting control of the future of e-books from Amazon. Publishers cannot collude on e-book pricing legally, and thus far Amazon has been in charge of the whole shebang. But if publishers withhold product, they take back some of the power from retailers and put it back in their own (and, as an extension, the authors’) hands, not just on those specific books, but for the future. I’m still thinking this through, but I’m intrigued by the argument, and I’ve long agreed with many people that we as an industry have been heading down a dangerous path here—one that puts publishers at risk in the same way MP3s damaged music studios that underestimated and responded poorly to a change in the way their world worked. So what do you think? Is Shatzkin giving the publishers too much credit here for the hidden agenda, or is it a very savvy move that’s been a long time coming? Or, alternatively, is this as nonsensical as doing it for fears of siphoning sales?
1 Comments on Power, not sales, last added: 12/11/2009
I don't think they are giving publishers too much credit at all! I read that blog post earlier and it makes a LOT of sense. Amazn has been acting like a bully with their pricing and taking control. Kudos to the publishers for finding a way to fight back!
Oh wow, the cover of The Dreamer looks amazing. Thanks for coming, Tarie! So glad I got to see you again. And thanks for convincing Kenneth to go.
Thank you so much for organizing the event, Ms. President!!! =D