Showing Tag: "book" (Show all posts)

E-readers Are Scorching-Hot Sellers; Rewriting Bestseller Lists!

Posted by John R. on Tuesday, January 4, 2011, In : digital publishing 
On Christmas day people, armed with their newly-presented e-readers, downloaded over a million plus e-books!

Talk about regenerating and transforming bestseller lists in an instant...

E-readers have rode in and, in one swell swoop, saved publishing, the book industry and inspired reading. What a shot in the arm!

The only question is: who the hell truly understands all the opportunities in this newly-transformed, sleeker, more efficient, offspring publishing industry??*##% Did I say newly-transfo...

Continue reading ...
 

How Books Need to be Packaged, Bundled and Sold

Posted by John R. on Wednesday, December 29, 2010, In : publishing 
You often hear of authors selling their book rights...but, today's post is about a best-selling author buying back his book rights!

 Best-selling author, Steve Farber, is paying a handsome figure to buy back the rights to two of his leadership books from Kaplan Publishers so he can publish with No Limit Publishing Group; publishers more savvy in all the new tech publishing platforms. 


No Limit is also offering Mr. Farber a 50/50 split on net royalties for both digital and print formats AND wor...
Continue reading ...
 

Self-Published "Pleased But Not Satisfied" Topseller for Bookworm

Posted by John R. on Monday, December 27, 2010, In : self-publishing 
David Sokol, an Omaha native, has self-published a business management book (his first book) through online bookstore Bookworm. It has been it's bestseller over the last two years with 8000 copies sold to people from all over the world.

Of course, it doesn't hurt that Sokol is a top manager in a Berkshire Hathaway major subsidiary company AND that  Sokol is rumored to become Berkshire Hathaway’s next chairman and CEO, succeeding Warren Buffett, 80.

Anyway, the purpose of this post is essentia...

Continue reading ...
 

Google Making Down Under It's Up Over!

Posted by John R. on Friday, December 24, 2010, In : digital publishing 
"authors will take distribution into their own hands and sidestep publishers altogether, using platforms such as the ones offered by Apple and Google to go directly to readers"

While reading an article in the Delimiter, an Australian technology news source, written by Renai LeMay (owner) I discovered the "book ecosystem concept"... which simply takes you from author, to publisher, to digital platform and retailer...hopefully in one seamless swell swoop! LeMay explains how Google is trying to c...

Continue reading ...
 

Books To Always Be...Publishers Not To Be

Posted by John R. on Monday, December 20, 2010, In : digital publishing 
Books, albeit 'live' or interactive, will remain a part of the human experience forever....And they will primarily consist of text, whatever the media format. Publishers, as an industry, will not. That industry has been fragmented into a democratic individualistic endeavor, if you will...A vastly more level and responsive playing field

Everyone who writes and presents are now 'publishers'...Talk about an all-inclusive vertical business model...In fact, talk about an all-inclusive horizontal b...

Continue reading ...
 

How About Letting Readers' Input Write Your Book?

Posted by John R. on Saturday, December 18, 2010, In : self-publishing 
An idea for lazy writers (although not new, damn it!): get your readers' feedback on an interesting subject and then formulate that input into a finished book and sell it on the internet!

Cool idea...and that's just what Andrew Sullivan, writer of the 10-year-old Daily Dish blog on the Atlantic web site, has done successfully for the second time...Hell, I have to admit it, I admire pure genius.

He first published a book on the Blurb.com "Make Your Own Book" site back in June, made up of photos ...

Continue reading ...
 

Picture Books are Still Vibrant and Thriving

Posted by John R. on Monday, December 13, 2010, In : print publishing 
The New York Times recently published a front page story essentially writing the orbituary for children's picture books...A story much in conflict with the real world according to big house publishers, booksellers, libraries and agents.

Karen Springen, Publishers Weekly, gives the straight story on printed picture books (with considerable associated writing):

Don't Write the Obit For Picture Books Yet

Children's book publishers are still reeling from the New York Times front-page story back in ...

Continue reading ...
 

Google and Ad-Supported Book Publishing Model

Posted by John R. on Thursday, December 9, 2010, In : digital publishing 
The newly opened Google eBookstore has some nice surprises and offerings. The Google Store can sell books to targeted people right after they search a particular topic AND they can also create an ad-supported publishing model...delivering targeted ads from the book subject purchases...Seems this is more possible since the ebooks will be provided from the cloud configuration.

Wonder what the split is on an ad-supported publishing model?  Authors/publishers get what % and Google retains what %? ...

Continue reading ...
 

Digital is Growing Up

Posted by John R. on Wednesday, December 1, 2010, In : digital publishing 
A little visionary post tonight...As much as I can envision the future anyway (being retarded makes it difficult).

We talk about "traditional" print publishing today as old hat. Well, not too far into the future the new tablet computers, eReaders and other mobile devices will be "traditional" or old hat also. Just like the old bulky camcorders (remember them?) have given way to more diminutive devices.

After all, who will need ANYTHING you have to carry to compute on, or receive data on, when...

Continue reading ...
 

Market Intelligence for the Professional Publishing Industry

Posted by John R. on Friday, November 26, 2010, In : digital publishing 
In the digital publishing age a balance needs to be created between the customers' desire for immediate accessability at any time to enriched text (enhanced with audio, video, three-dimensional objects, full text searching, note taking, etc) and "...publishers’ needs for financial self-sustainability."

We are at the age where researchers can access works in the form of e-books that are accessable at any time and any place and never go out of print!

This is heavy neatness to the extreme. Publ...

Continue reading ...
 

Possible Resolution in the 'Rights' and 'Control' Fight Between Google and Publishers?

Posted by John R. on Friday, November 19, 2010, In : digital publishing 
Peaceful resolution may be at hand! I've posted on this issue previously several times on both this blog and Writers Welcome Blog, but I will give one reference here from Writers Welcome Blog for a little background on Google's effort to corner and monopolize digital rights to books (especially out-of-print books).

Anyway, the French publisher Hachette Livre has reached an agreement with Google that may serve as a model for other countries...It certainly is a pact that benefits all concerned (...

Continue reading ...
 

A Good Book that not Everybody Can Get Their Hands On

Posted by John R. on Sunday, November 14, 2010, In : publishing 
A little insight into what happens when a small-selling book all of a sudden wins a prestigious award.

It throws the publisher and supply/distribution chain into a tizzy!

Zaineb al Hassani reports this current example in The National Conversation:

Last Updated: Nov 14, 2010

Having previously sold only 400 copies of her 2009 debut novel, The Sentimentalists, it's safe to say the Canadian author, Johanna Skibsrud, was as taken aback as the rest of the literary world when she scooped the coveted Sco...

Continue reading ...
 

Want to Know What a 'Round Book' Is?

Posted by John R. on Friday, October 29, 2010, In : digital publishing 
A German author has introduced a concept for new e-books that will further differentiate them from traditional books...And, he hopes, will make them a better reading experience for readers.

The German author who is on a mission to make e-books more interactive, and with the possibility of no beginning and no end, is Juergen Neffe and his program is called Libroid.

More details by
Barry Neild for CNN :

Never-ending book heralds new chapter in e-publishing

It's an age-old problem for avid book read...

Continue reading ...
 

We Now Choose Where, When and How We Read Books

Posted by John R. on Saturday, October 23, 2010, In : digital publishing 
We could always choose where and when, just not how. Technology has enabled us to receive digital, video and audio formats in almost any location and over large and small devices...Neat, no?

The introduction of eReaders, iPads, SmartPhones and iPods, etc. has actually increased the number of readers (and people interested in reading) through an intense modern obsession with gadgetry (but, our ancestors were probably taken with gadgetry, too)...If ever there was an instance where the end justif...

Continue reading ...
 

Apple's Big Announcement!

Posted by John R. on Sunday, October 17, 2010, In : writing digital gadgets 
Apple is set to make a well-publicized, "surprise" announcement next Wednesday...Wonder what it will be? Usually, when Apple makes a grandiose production of a Steve Job's upcoming press show, expectations are that something truly innovative will be introduced. 

Well, I'm not the only one who is wondering.
Nick Bilton is also pondering this in his post for Technology Bits in the NY Times:

When Apple makes an announcement about a coming press event it can sometimes feel like the National Hurric...


Continue reading ...
 

Format for Shorter E-Books Coming to Amazon/Kindle

Posted by John R. on Thursday, October 14, 2010, In : digital publishing 
Amazon is still proving it's ahead of the power curve in innovation of new publishing models and dynamics.

By introducing a shorter and cheaper model for works 10K to 30K words in length (about 30 to 90 pages of print) Amazon is climbing way out of the old established print molds for publishing; and, I might add, opening up the public to unique stories, theses and papers that were previously unavailable to the public on a large published scale...not to mention a new source of revenue for writ...

Continue reading ...
 

Crazy E-book Prices? Maybe Not...

Posted by John R. on Friday, October 8, 2010, In : publishing 
Another chapter RE the so-called "agency model" (where publishers and not booksellers set the book prices) and what physical book and eBook prices should be.

Please refer to the 10/5/10 post "
E-Books are Selling for More than Hardcovers!" on the Writers Welcome Blog for an interesting background.

Apparently, the sole argument put forth as to why eBooks should be cheaper than their physical counterparts is the fact that you don't have the more expensive production costs (printing, paper, binding...

Continue reading ...
 

What is a 'Published, Sold Author'?

Posted by John R. on Friday, October 1, 2010, In : publishing 

Good question...And one I would have answered exactly the same as author J. S. Wayne, even before I knew of him, in an article he wrote for Wordpreneur:

One or One Hundred Million?

So you’ve finally published your first book. Whether it was self-published or you went the more traditional route, you’ve got that first, shiny-covered book in your hand. Now you can give a wave to the people who supported you. You can also do the same to the people who said, "So, when’s that book coming o...


Continue reading ...
 

How About Your Own Book 'Print-On-Demand' Machine?

Posted by John R. on Wednesday, September 29, 2010, In : publishing 
How would you like a machine that prints, binds and trims bookstore-quality paperbacks with color covers in minutes?

Well, the technology is here and Xerox has it! It will be available in 2011. 

This press release is from 
Market Watch:

An innovative, on-demand book printing system that is changing the way books are published, bought and sold worldwide can now be purchased directly from Xerox Corporation. The Espresso Book Machine(R), a Xerox Solution, prints, binds and trims bookstore-quality p...

Continue reading ...
 

The Latest Book Sales Figures

Posted by John R. on Thursday, September 23, 2010, In : publishing 
The AAP (Association of American Publishers) has released the latest book sales figures.

The eBook sales have increased 150 to 190 percent! But, the print books did OK too...with some mostly small decreases in a few areas but increases in other areas. Not bad, in my opinion, considering the bad economy.

More details and figures are in this release from
AUTHORLINK:

New York, NY, September 22, 2010— Publishers’ book sales tracked by the Association of American Publishers (AAP) for the month ...


Continue reading ...
 

Ingram Book Distributors and Macmillan Publishers Form New Partnership and Business Model

Posted by John R. on Wednesday, September 22, 2010, In : book distribution 
With the new digital format demand for books plus the print on demand (POD) requirements of many, logistical requirements for delivering mixed content to ever-increasing readers became a nightmare for publishers.

One giant global publisher, Macmillan, solved this nightmare problem by joining with one of the worlds largest book distributors, Ingram Content Group, to forge a new business model.

This report from PRWeb:

Ingram Content Group Inc. and Macmillan today announced a new distribution ser...


Continue reading ...
 

View From an Iraqi Bookstore

Posted by John R. on Monday, September 20, 2010, In : Bookstores 

Publishing and bookstores in the U.S. are in a turmoil due to changing business models and technology...But, how would they like to be in a turmoil due to unsafe streets, an unstable government and unreliable electricity supplies? Or even if they would be blown up when they opened their doors?

We in this country really don't have it that bad, do we?

Here is one view from an Iraqi bookstore, the Iqraa Bookstore on Mutanabi Street...which, strangely enough, has tripled in size in the last two yea...


Continue reading ...
 

Publishers: Adapt and Add Apps

Posted by John R. on Tuesday, September 14, 2010, In : publishing 
Sourcebooks Publishing is growing because it has learned one simple but very important principle: treat your employees like entrepreneurs and be open to their ideas and input.

In other words, treat them like respected partners and be transparent!

Ann Meyer reports this in the Chicago Tribune:

Book Publishing Firm Finds New Sources of Growth

As the book publishing industry undergoes a transformation, at Naperville-based Sourcebooks Inc., Dominique Raccah (pictured above) is embracing the change ...


Continue reading ...
 

Taking Chances on Authors and Books that Won’t be Bestsellers

Posted by John R. on Saturday, September 11, 2010, In : publishing 
Where is all the action regarding independent publishers and new creative energy happening today?

It's taking place in Brooklyn NOT in Manhattan! And more specifically it's happening this Sunday at the fifth annual Brooklyn Book Festival...

This is a book festival that has quickly taken on an international flavor and will include a special stage devoted to international programming that will feature several famous international authors.

John Williams, writing for Publishing Perspectives, gives ...
Continue reading ...
 

The Wall Street Journal to Review Books!

Posted by John R. on Friday, September 10, 2010, In : newspaper publishing 
Just when other newspapers are cutting back on such reviews, the WSJ is initiating a dedicated weekly book review section beginning this month. The former financial news staple is expanding it's content for broader appeal.

The WSJ was purchased by Rupert Murdoch back in 2007 and he appears to be trying to introduce more diversified content to attract a greater readership.

I don't usually agree with much that Rupert Murdoch thinks, subscribes to or acts upon...but, I applaud this move.

Get more ...

Continue reading ...
 

Publisher Sues Writer Over Deadline

Posted by John R. on Thursday, September 2, 2010, In : writing 
Ah, the business of writing and publishing does go on...Intrigue, stress and pressure are a constant (though in varying degrees).

By the way, just how much does a Yahoo sports writer make now-a-days? For that matter, how much does a sports writer make working anywhere? Keep that in mind as you read the following short article. Is their salary enough to ignore a $140,000 advance? Sports writers must make a lot more than they used to! 

This rundown is by
Tim Gardner in USAToday:

Publishing house...


Continue reading ...
 

Books Should Reflect Cultural Messages

Posted by John R. on Tuesday, August 31, 2010, In : writing 
Books from countries around the world should...besides detailing their native country's histories and thought processes that defined those histories...address current world challenges and the particular country's feelings, thoughts and possible solutions to those challenges.

Beijing's 17th annual International Book Fair, which begins on Monday in Beijing, and which attracts more and more foreign publishers and authors, is becoming a great venue for exchange of cultural messages and increasing ...

Continue reading ...
 

Digital Ads to Boost Digital Books Profits

Posted by John R. on Thursday, August 26, 2010, In : digital publishing 
With the dynamic growth of and increasing competition in the eBook world, prices are smaller for publishers.

What to do? What they have done in every other media venue...include ads! I have no problem with this if it will translate into more profits for the writers/authors also...

Read this informative article by
Joe Aimonetti for CNET Reviews :

The Wall Street Journal reportsthat iAds may appear in iBooks as publishers watch their profits dwindle amid technology advances like Apple's iPad. Th...


Continue reading ...
 

Bookstores Plan Survival Parties Based on Release of "Mockingjay"

Posted by John R. on Wednesday, August 25, 2010, In : booksellers 
Talk about hard work just surviving. The much anticipated YA novel Mockingjay, the last forecasted big seller in the printed book world for the foreseeable future, has the brick and mortar bookstores jumping through hoops to put on all sorts of parties to announce it's debut...even dress-up, costume parties at midnight for goodness sake.

God bless them all! I do wish them much success because I do love bookstores and feel they will always have a place.

Things look bad for print right now, but, ...

Continue reading ...
 

The Terminology of Publishers

Posted by John R. on Tuesday, August 10, 2010, In : publishing 

When talking about certain industries, you sometimes have to learn their inside language to truly understand their professional-speak.

Here is an article from Saint Louis Today (
www.stltoday.com) by Jane Henderson that provides clarification of some of the latest publishing and book handling terms:

Publishers sometimes use terminology differently, but
Christine Frank offers a primer on how the St. Louis Publishers Association defines common terms.

Traditional publishing (also called commercia...


Continue reading ...
 

Legal Disclaimers for Your Books

Posted by John R. on Friday, August 6, 2010, In : writing 
In a society that wants to sue everybody for anything, you need to know how to write a legal disclaimer for your book. Especially ANY book giving advice or books on health, nutrition, finances and memoirs where characters may defame another...intentionally or not.

Alicia Nicole Dunams gives some examples and some insight into how to write legal disclaimers for books in this timely article for Wordpreneur:

How to Write a Legal Disclaimer for Your Book

With a society that is often prone to rush...


Continue reading ...
 

Amazon, Apple Probed for Price-Fixing!

Posted by John R. on Wednesday, August 4, 2010, In : digital publishing 
More intrigue in the digital publishing war between publishers and e-book retailers. Connecticut and Texas Attorneys General have already initiated inquiries into price-fixing by Amazon and Apple.

CNN Money dot com published this article by 
Annalyn Censky:

In the e-book price wars, Apple and Amazon might be enjoying an unfair advantage, Connecticut's Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said Monday as he announced an investigation of their contracts with book publishers.

Blumenthal fired off l...


Continue reading ...
 

Amazon IS an Amazon!

Posted by John R. on Sunday, July 25, 2010, In : publishing 
Not only has Amazon's e-book and general merchandise profits risen BUT their print book sales have jumped up by double digits!

Seems I have print books' staying power on my mind in all my blogs today (see my post today on Writers Welcome Blog
http://alturl.com/4z88

This report from Industry News in
Publishers Weekly

Revenue in Amazon’s North America media segment, which includes books and e-books, rose 15% in the second quarter to $1.32 billion. Sales in the electronic and general merchand...

Continue reading ...
 

Book Marketing Tips to Bond with Readers

Posted by John R. on Monday, July 19, 2010, In : book & author promotion 
Some excellent book marketing advice today...Marketing that entices prospective buyers by forming an author-reader bond is highly effective marketing and the kind you want to employ...Now, how do you do that?

Phyllis Zimbler Miller has written on this subject for Wordpreneur and included some good links:

In order for readers to spend their money on a novel, they must have the desire to spend time (plus their money) in the world that you the author have created.

To encourage readers to want t...


Continue reading ...
 

B&N & Blackboard Partner to Offer NookStudy, e-Textbooks

Posted by John R. on Sunday, July 18, 2010, In : booksellers 
College students will soon be able to download textbooks or aggregate and organize other study materials in any neat form they desire to accomplish course work. Technology is making a big impact in the student world again...as it always has! 

But, will it make a big difference in the cost of these materials compared to their printed counterparts? It should! Barnes & Noble indicates a 40% discount...Wonder if this will last? Good news for students if it does. 

Here is an announcement of the up-a...

Continue reading ...
 

Make Your Own Book Trailer Videos!

Posted by John R. on Saturday, July 3, 2010, In : book & author promotion 
I have been meaning to search (and putting it off) for a "how to" instruction on creating my own videos for YouTube and other video networking sites...mainly for marketing written products and books...And then, out of the blue, I get an excellent "how to" from Joanna Penn from The Creative Penn!

You see, I thought there might be software available for making videos or slide shows without having to have your own camera,etc, but I wasn't sure! Joanna explains where to go on the internet to acce...

Continue reading ...
 

Delving into Self-publishing

Posted by John R. on Wednesday, June 30, 2010, In : self-publishing 

Today's post is introducing a blog and website that gives insight from authors who have actually self-published...There are nuggets to be mined from this resource for those who are thinking about self-publishing or want to learn more about self-publishing and marketing books online.

This press release from prlog.org:


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRLog (Press Release) – Jun 29, 2010 – Dearborn, MI – June 29, 2010 – Today, jexbo.com, the site that helps self-published authors sell books on...


Continue reading ...
 

Book Marketing Lies

Posted by John R. on Sunday, June 27, 2010, In : book & author promotion 

Are all the book marketing gurus REALLY giving you straight talk? Or are they bull-shitting you to make a buck? 

In my opinion, most are bull-shitting simply because they don't understand the new dynamics of the fast-changing publishing world and the new publishing devices and technology that have created new business models and ways of doing publishing business...Including where and how to market.  


Christopher Kokoski
 wrote this for Wordpreneur:

If you’re like me, you have a book and the pas...


Continue reading ...
 

How To Handle Reviews (Toss Um!)

Posted by John R. on Wednesday, June 23, 2010, In : writing 
Reviews are a mixed bag! Do you need them? Maybe, maybe not. BUT, one bad review can throw your whole mental state into a tizzy and cancel out any good ones if you let it!...That's assuming you got some good reviews...Either way, in the long run they really don't mean much...Sales do...and good sales mean the buying public liked your book well enough! 

Carrie Vaughn, author of the Kitty werewolf series, offers this about reviews in a post on the GENREALTY blog:


I’ve got two books coming ou...


Continue reading ...
 

So You Wanna Publish a Book

Posted by John R. on Sunday, June 13, 2010, In : publishing 

I found this cute, but informative, refresher article on the steps to publishing your book with a traditional publisher. The author, name not given, was referring to nonfiction, however, when discussing writing a book proposal for approval and securing an agent before actually writing the book (step 1 in the article). Fiction works require you to submit an entire finished manuscript in most cases.

Those of you who have never seen the actual steps quantified will learn much from this post and t...


Continue reading ...
 

How To Write a Press Release That Makes News

Posted by John R. on Saturday, June 12, 2010, In : writing 
Tips for writing press releases today. Whether you are traditional publishing or self-publishing, knowing how to write a good press release for your book is essential for getting more news outlets interested in covering you and your book.
Here are ten tips offered by Susan Valeri, a book and small business publicist, in an article she wrote for Wordpreneur:

Keep these few crucial details in mind when writing and submitting your press release to increase your chances of news coverage:

1. If...


Continue reading ...
 

A Peek Inside Book Publishers Numbers

Posted by John R. on Friday, June 11, 2010, In : publishing 

This industry intelligence report by First Research on the book publishing industry is a 2009 report, but gives us a good peek into some of this industry's numbers, competitve landscape, products, operations and technology. This kind of data tracking is for serious researchers of this industry and full reports have to be purchased ($129/report) or subscribed to (First Research has reports on numerous industries other than publishing).

First Research, a D&B company, is the leading provid...


Continue reading ...
 

How To Be a Successful Author

Posted by John R. on Tuesday, June 1, 2010, In : writing 

How can I be a successful writer? A question asked by ALL newbies...Well, one way is to follow lessons learned from more experienced writers who are willing to share...Such is Bob Baker (pictured) who is a full-time author and independent publisher who wrote this excellent advice for Wordpreneur:

Are you a curious person? I am. Especially when it comes to people who have taken action to achieve worthy and creative goals. Whenever I meet a successful author, musician, artist, actor or whatever,...


Continue reading ...
 

Will Your Book Sell ?

Posted by John R. on Sunday, May 30, 2010, In : writing 

More advice for writers!...How can you tell if your book idea will sell...AND how can you find out before you invest time and money?

Judy Cullins, a twenty year veteran book and marketing coach, presents some ways to answer these questions in an article for Wordpreneur:

Make your book stand out from the crowd! Test your book’s significance, find your market before you write, and treat your book as part of your business.

1. Test your book’s significance.

•fun, humor
•easy to read
•teach ...


Continue reading ...
 

When Writing Alone Just Isn't Enough

Posted by John R. on Saturday, May 29, 2010, In : writing 

Some more advice today for writers...Today it's about a writers strategic planning for choosing a book subject that will have the best chance for selling and marketing success.  

Caterina Christakos (pictured below), author of How to Write a Children's Book in 30 Days or Less and others, gives us some sage advice 
on pre-planning for our subject matter in an article for Wordpreneur:

Many writers write for the experience. Others dream of having a number one best seller. Both are wonderful reasons...


Continue reading ...
 

E-books No Party Crasher At BookExpo America

Posted by John R. on Wednesday, May 26, 2010, In : digital publishing 

The international digital publishing industry was an invited guest at BookExpo America (BEA) taking place now in New York AND given a kings welcome! 

This is a good move and shows that booksellers realize they must gear up to sell both digital and print versions of books to grow and survive in the new publishing paradigm. 

Here is an interesting take on this years BEA by Bob Hoover of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

Continue reading ...
 

American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression Celebrates 20 Years

Posted by John R. on Saturday, May 22, 2010, In : publishing 
 The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) will celabrate 20 years of solid work in protecting American freedoms next week in New York at Book Expo America (BEA) 2010...

I want to point this out because of the important work ABFFE does in fighting those who would limit our freedom of expression through promulgating censorship...due to mostly those who can't interpret mature literature and art without acting out there own stupid fantasies!

This from Publishers Weekly Indust...

Continue reading ...
 

Books-A-Million Takes a Dip!

Posted by John R. on Friday, May 21, 2010, In : booksellers 
Books-A-Million's revenue and income dropped a bit at the close of the first quarter ending 1 May 2010. I wonder if BAM is mulling over new biz models...you know, like Barnes and Noble who entered the self-pub sector with Pubit? 

I look to see BAM jumping more heavily into the digital whirlpool and soon!

Publishers Weekly's senior editor, Jim Milliot, reported this:
Books-A-Million reported slight declines in sales and earnings for the first quarter ended May 1. Revenue fell 1%, to $117 millio...

Continue reading ...
 

Write That eBook Inside You!

Posted by John R. on Friday, May 14, 2010, In : digital publishing 
There are different things to consider when writing an eBook versus a traditional book. That makes perfect sense...but it takes a good writing and internet marketing coach to REALLY nail it down; and Judy Cullins  (pictured below) is exactly that and does just that in an article for Wordpreneur:

Did you know that you already have an ebook inside you?

And you can earn thousands of dollars each month?

Even if you are a non-techie like me, you can write your ebook at the same time you write y...


Continue reading ...
 

Borders Launches e-Books and Kobo Readers

Posted by John R. on Friday, May 14, 2010, In : digital publishing 

Amazon, Google and Apple are in the eBook biz, why NOT Boarders? And other current bookstore chains are probably scrambling to integrate digital as I'm writing this post! Follow the money, right?

Calvin Reid reporting in Publisher's Weekly says:

Borders has provided a few more details for its move into offering digital content, beginning with plans to take pre-orders for the new Kobo digital reading device. Kobo’s new $149 e-ink reading devices will begin shipping in June to be followed by ...


Continue reading ...
 

Amazon To Start Charging for More Bestselling eBooks

Posted by John R. on Thursday, May 13, 2010, In : digital publishing 

If a free Amazon eBook gets popular, Amazon is going to remove it from the free list and put it on a pay list! Better read them while they're free...

This from Jason Boog of Mediabistro/galleycat:

Last December, we reported that 64 of the 100 eBooksthat topped the Kindle bestseller list were free. Today Publishers Weekly broke the news that the online bookseller will soon divide the bestseller lists into free and paid categories.

Here's the scoop: "A representative at the e-tailer has confi...


Continue reading ...
 

Writerly Psychology...And Validation

Posted by John R. on Tuesday, May 11, 2010, In : writing 
Even those of us who have attained a degree of success in writing still probably harbor doubts that we TRULY deserve whatever we have attained...That luck more than talent was responsible. You ever feel that way about anything?

Carrie Vaughn (pictured below), bestselling author, felt that way until a certain thing happened AFTER she had already arrived in the city called success...and her story will be helpful to many.

Carrie, writing on GENREALITY blog:  

I had an interesting bit of writerly ps...

Continue reading ...
 

Digital Publishing Digs In at Simon & Schuster

Posted by John R. on Saturday, May 8, 2010, In : digital publishing 
Some nice, interesting tidbits about ebook sales and digital publishing within Simon & Schuster...
Be sure to follow the links in this post.

Mark Byrne of MediaBistro/Galleycat reports: 

CBS Publishing released its first quarter report yesterday, showing an uptick in e-book sales and a sharp increase in digital publishing revenue for Simon & Schuster.

Digital publishing revenue jumped from $3.6 million to $12 million in the first quarter of this year, growing 233 percent. According to a paid...


Continue reading ...
 

Author Promotion-Using Creative PR to Become an Expert Celebrity

Posted by John R. on Friday, May 7, 2010, In : book & author promotion 
I have read, more than once, that being considered somewhat of an expert in your field is the strongest point in selling your book to a publisher...pure gold! Especially in nonfiction. However, if you write a fictional novel where you draw heavily upon your experience and expertise (say an insider business novel about the processes and procedures used by high-powered individuals), your expertise can be the selling point that puts you across the publishing finish line!

Marsha Friedman of EMSI P...

Continue reading ...
 

BookTour.com - A Good Writers Tool

Posted by John R. on Wednesday, May 5, 2010, In : book & author promotion 
How about a site directory of author events (yours included!)...that  you can join for free and contains such useful marketing info as authors bio, bibliography, public appearences, etc, etc?

Well, Joe Nassise, successfull urban fantasy writer of such novels as The Heretic and A Tear In The Sky, stumbled across one and tells us about it on the GENREALITY Blog to which he contrubutes : 

Joe Nassise 

I’m always on the lookout for new tools that can help bring my work to the right audience and...


Continue reading ...
 

Secrets of Writing Best Selling Children’s Books

Posted by John R. on Monday, May 3, 2010, In : writing 
Writing children's books can be personally rewarding and lucrative. Caterina Christakos, writing for Wordpreneur, gives away some secrets to understanding and structuring novels for the "little buggers." 

Caterina Christakos (Wordpreneur Classic):

Ever wonder how the most successful children’s book writers get their ideas? The answer may surprise you.

Most children’s books are based on the same exact story – good versus evil.

Ex. Harry Potter vs. Voldemort. Cinderella vs. her wicked st...


Continue reading ...
 

Book Statistics-Which Are Winning

Posted by John R. on Thursday, April 29, 2010, In : publishing 
Some interesting book, publishing and production stats from R. R. Bowker Company...and a little about Bowker, the guardian and issuer of ISBN's; also the world's leading provider of bibliographic information management solutions designed to help publishers, booksellers, and libraries better serve their customers. 

Increases in tech and finance titles offset continuing decline in fiction; Explosive growth in “print on demand” drives total production past the million mark.


Bowker, the global...
Continue reading ...
 

Books: Keep 'Em or Toss 'Em?

Posted by John R. on Saturday, April 24, 2010, In : writing 

Why do we keep books after we read them? We liked the story and may want to read again someday? We liked the author's writing style? We liked the subject matter and want to keep as a reference? We liked the setting and mood? We liked the characters?

 
      Rosemary

Rosemary Clement-Moore, a fine author of many YA novels and contributor to GENREALITY  blog, keeps books because she likes and/or can identify somehow with the characters...A good reason...and she says:

Keep it or kick it to the curb?...


Continue reading ...
 

Where to Find Advertisers for Your eBook

Posted by John R. on Monday, April 19, 2010, In : digital publishing 

Have you ever thought about making money on your eBook by running ads inside the eBook pages? A thought, anyway... AND a possible income stream...I'm not sure how I feel about this yet, but I will throw this concept out there with the following article from Wordpreneur by Eldon Sarte


We all know we can sell our ebooks. And give them away for free. And give them away for free plus get revenue for running paid advertisements within them, just like magazines — and many ezines — do. So why d...


Continue reading ...
 

Publishing Execs to Discuss E-Reader Content Opportunities at London Book Fair

Posted by John R. on Thursday, April 15, 2010, In : publishing 

Big challenges to be debated by big players RE book rights across ever-increasing digital channels...as well as print, audio and film...all to take place at the London Book Fair 2010 next week...Should be an interesting fair that could produce industry-changing guidelines!  

The following press release is for LibreDigital by Heidi Johnson, heidi.johnson@virtualprdirector.com

LibreDigital CEO Russell P. Reeder to Host Discussion with Executives from Barnes & Noble, Entourage Systems, Hachette L...


Continue reading ...
 

Authors and Self-Publishers Learn the Latest in the Business of Book Publishing!

Posted by John R. on Friday, April 9, 2010, In : publishing 
I'm always happy to pass along interesting info on the business of book publishing. Here for you is an announcement  by Debra Tone of Send2Press Newswire RE an online FREE three day conference taking place next month

The second annual Self-Publishers Online Conference (SPOC) gives entrepreneurial writers, authors, and publishers the opportunity to learn from experts in book publishing from the convenience of their own office. At SPOC, everyone is encouraged to "Live Long and Publish!" This thr...

Continue reading ...
 
 

About Me


John R. Austin Writer, Old-Warrior-Adventurer, Blogger... I was born in Key West, Florida. A rather famous hangout for some past famous writers: Hemingway and Tennessee Williams to name two. I just hope that I possess a glimmer of their talent. I have a bachelors degree in architecture/construction and a master's degree in industrial engineering. I have been writing for fifty plus years. Most of my writing has been in the technical, instructional and business areas. I am working on my first book: "Havana Harvest---When Cuba Was Naughty" which details my coming of age experiences in 1958 Havana, Cuba, at the age of 15. Please visit my other blog "Writers Welcome Blog" at http://alturl.com/4z88.

Tags

Recent Posts