News and Notices from the Writing Trenches #68…
Item: Borrowing v. buying. I think I’ve talked about this before, but now it’s official: most ebooks you find listed on Smashwords, which already distributes to Sony, Apple, B&N, and so forth, are now available on Scribd. Maybe in response to this, Amazon has created a new program, Kindle Unlimited, to complement its Prime lending service. In other words, you can borrow my ebooks through Amazon’s Kindle Prime or Unlimited (about half of them, the ones in Kindle Select) or Scribd (the other half of them).
Some FAQs: (1) While all my ebooks on Smashwords are covered by the Scribd service, these can’t be in KDP Select, i.e. Prime or Unlimited, because Amazon requires an exclusive for its special programs. I’ve maintained my Smashwords listings as a service for readers with non-Kindle devices, but so far Smashwords hasn’t produced much movement on my ebooks. Because of the Amazon exclusive restriction for KDP Select, that’s getting a bit old and it doubles the formatting cost for my ebooks. I might revise my policy in the future. (Sometimes I think it would be better to go the open software route and post .epub and .mobi files at my websites as free downloads, asking for a payment if you like the book, but that would require some babysitting that would take time away from my writing. <sigh>)
(2) The difference between Prime and Unlimited on Amazon’s KDP Select is that you can only borrow one book at a time with Prime, while both Unlimited and Scribd allow unlimited borrowings because, you the reader, pay a monthly fee (Amazon has an free introductory period for the new Unlimited program).
(3) Both Amazon Prime and Unlimited require a Kindle device (sorry, I just learned this). In other words, you can’t use those free downloadable Kindle Apps to read my KDP Select books! My bad, because I thought this was a way for Nook, iPad, and Sony ereaders, for example, to read my Amazon exclusive ebooks. I clearly have to rethink about how to do this. It’s getting complicated. Of course, all my books, KDP Select or not, will work on a Kindle device, but the other devices are still limited to Smashwords+Scribd or my books on Amazon not in KDP Select (these are mostly the ones also available on Smashwords+Scribd, so not exclusive to Amazon’s KDP Select).
Item: The writer’s conundrum with Scribd and Amazon Prime/Unlimited. I’m not sure any of these new lending features are very favorable to the author. Amazon says that a royalty is paid if the reader reads 10% or more. How do they measure that? Dunno. Maybe they assume that every Kindle device is connected to a wi-fi browser and therefore they can test how much the reader has read? Scary! But they (Amazon) also says that a royalty is only accrued when the ebook “is borrowed,” so that 10% might just be hype (= a lie to assuage authors?). Maybe authors will continue to be squeezed no matter how this digital revolution in publishing shakes out?
I’m not sure whether you think this is a big deal. I think this is all heading toward some sort of open software system, in which case I plead to readers to think a wee bit about the poor authors. Do you, the reader, realize how long it takes to write and release a new ebook? It’s easier now than ever before, and I pass some of my savings on to my readers, but it’s still work and time-consuming. For that reason, I’d prefer that you just buy my ebook, because my ebooks are already reasonably priced. But I guess that borrowing plus those online peeks inside the ebook allow readers to try me out. When you do, whether you buy or borrow, and if you like what you read, pass the word along. Word-of-mouth is still the best PR a writer can receive. And, if you want to send me questions or comments, I’m now available on GoodReads—or, you can use the contact page here.
Item: Where to begin? This brings up this question from people who’ve just discovered me. I now have fifteen books, with two more to be released this year, if the good writing karma continues to rain down on me. You might wonder where to start. Let me first suggest the two anthologies, Pop Two Antacids and Have Some Java and Pasodobles in a Quantum Stringscape. The first is an introduction to “The Detectives Chen and Castilblanco Series,” the short stories representing other cases the two detectives have solved in their illustrious career. The second is a collection of speculative fiction stories—paranormal, horror, zombies, fantasy, and hard sci-fi—and includes a complete novella.
My new ebook thriller, Aristocrats and Assassins, has received some good reviews, although a reader should NEVER assume that a negative review nixes a book. There’s the additional observation that each reviewer’s use of Amazon’s star system is different. (Reading preferences are subjective, so a few bad reviews really don’t mean anything, but if they’re all bad, maybe that says something? Just remember that Amazon, in its infinite online robotic stupidity, weights a negative review more than the positives.)
And, don’t forget the ebook second edition of Soldiers of God—it’s the first time this sci-fi story appears in ebook format. It’s the bridge between “The Clones and Mutants Trilogy” and “The Chaos Chronicles Trilogy” (these are my two hard SF series, and the corresponding books are available on Smashwords/Scribd and Amazon, but not Prime or Unlimited). It’s a complete rewrite of the trade paperback first edition published by Infinity. (You could have fun comparing the two to determine what I changed!)
Remember: You can receive a free copy of any of my ebooks in return for an honest review. I no longer send pbooks (trade paperbacks) out for review (sorry!). The offer is good while the reviewing budget for each book lasts. This and Amazon Prime are the only ways you can read one of my ebooks for free. (You have that monthly fee for Scribd and Amazon Unlimited, remember.) Sorry, I need to cover costs! TANSTAFL.
Item: Hachette gorges yet again. Remember, Hachette is French, but the conglomerate is gobbling up another publisher, Perseus Books. It seems like a corporate incarnation of a T-Rex. Very soon we will no longer be talking about legacy or traditional publishing v. indie or self-publishing. It will be Hachette v. all other publishing. Writers who are still ambivalent about Hachette v. Amazon and readers who wonder who’s fairer to writers should check out NY Times best-selling author Thomas Hauser’s piece on Huffington Post, “The Publishers are as Bad as Amazon.” After reading this article, you will realize that the publishers are WORSE than Amazon because the article discusses all the little exploitation and servitude clauses publishers put in their contracts when they sign an author. (Glad I avoided that.)
By the way, up to now, no member of the Big Five is participating in the new Amazon Unlimited program. I believe they all participate in Scribd’s lending program. How this affects indie writers and publishing remains to be seen.
Item: An Amazon rumor. I’m beginning to write this on July 17. I’ve just received a newsletter from Indies Unlimited about the rumor that Amazon is in negotiations to buy Big Five publisher Simon and Schuster. Is this true? Apparently, Amazon admits negotiations are occurring. Maybe CBS wants to get rid of small fry S&S? Or, maybe Amazon is starting to talk to other publishers only to head off potential controversies like the one now occurring with Hachette? I’ll keep updating this as I learn more, but you can probably learn about things a lot faster by googling “Is Amazon buying Simon and Schuster?” It’s always fun to watch and see how fast the Google thread grows!
Item: Who do agents represent? I have a problem with agents in general. Most of them are parasites and pariahs. Real estate agents, book agents, celebrity agents, and so forth supposedly make their living representing someone, but that representation is often biased (they stick it to party X in the deal in order to benefit party Y), and most egregiously biased when that bias is hidden. A real estate agent RARELY represents the buyer, so don’t believe that hype. A book agent RARELY represents an author—he’s a filter that feeds only safe bets to the publishers, either from established authors or newbies with family and friends who are well connected and/or established. Celebrity agents represent their celebrity only as long as he or she remains one. Their goal isn’t a fair representation—their goal is a commission, the bigger the better.
Often a book agent only feeds books to one or two publishers. When an author sees that, he should run away like that hundred-meter dasher Ussain Bolt, because that agent is doing heavy filtering for those publishers. When an author sees that an agent represents authors with contracts with many publishers, that agent might be OK. I say “might be” with the understanding that the probability is low. When that rejection letter or email arrives, saying “Sorry, just not for me,” that’s the agent speaking as pompous gatekeeper.
If you wonder how an agent dares to stop readers from reading certain books, you might say, “Just part of the business.” I say, “How dare he (or she)—this is censorship!” And usually there’s a publisher lurking in the wings who’s said, “Send me only X.” (Usually, X is someone so established in the business that he’s becoming formulaic. Readers perpetuate this by saying, “Ooh, another book by X,” even though that new book by X is surprisingly similar to the last book by X. Certain candidates for X come to mind, but I don’t want to have to find a lawyer. BTW, I’m not an X—I’m the opposite of formulaic.)
And readers and writers also should NEVER say, “They’re right to do this because they know the publishing industry.” Hogwash! Readers who do don’t understand that industry; writers who do want to maintain the status quo—James Patterson, for example—or feel threatened—James Patterson, for example. From your oldest wrinkled prune to your most recent MFA graduate, agents don’t know the publishing industry either. If they did, they’d change their ways, because indie publishing is going to eat them alive. In a few years, we’ll remember book agents (and maybe the Big Five) like we remember eight-track cassettes! (Not with fondness or nostalgia, in my case—for either of them.)
Item: What’s in store for the Big Five? The only books from major publishers that I’ve read during the last five years have been gifts from friends and relatives who are wasting their money on so-called “bestsellers” (paying more attention to names and hype than to quality, I might add). I absolutely will NOT pay the Big Five’s exorbitant prices. If they want to stay alive, they’ll reduce prices and make life easier for writers, eliminating contract gimmicks and increasing royalties (and rid the publishing world of the gatekeeping pariahs mentioned above).
Sure, that might mean that some highly paid CEOs and other executives have to go, but that would be a good thing. Indie publishing and small publishing concerns will succeed because they’re leaner and less bureaucratically bloated operations. The writer places between him and his readers only the personnel needed to get his product out to the reading public, and he or she is in control. That’s ideal for both readers and writers. Whether an author has readers will be determined by the marketplace, not agents and publishing bigwigs who think they know good books (from my experience, they don’t).
Item: Series of Steve’s “classic posts” on writing. Last Wednesday you saw the reposting of “The Eightfold Way.” On Monday, “When two parallel lines intersect,” about parallel plots. Look for one each day next week…and maybe beyond?
In libris libertas….
