Archive for January, 2009
Self-Publishing: Thriving
Here comes one with a paper…-Wm. Shakespeare
The economy is rough. The jobless reports are grim. Publishing houses are releasing fewer titles than ever. Fewer people are reading. Retailers are hurting. There is anxiety in the air as stability drifts further from our grasp than at any time in recent history. The government is taking action. The world is watching.
In the middle of all this bad news, one thing is true — people are writing.
We all have PC’s and laptops, and many of us communicate using social networking and blogs. I’m sure that the natural advance would be that as more content is created and contained electronically, more of it will start to coalesce into collections and anthologies.
It is also reasonable to assume that in the questionable near-future, more people will be reflecting on themselves and on what has gotten us to this point. If I am a consumer and I am limiting myself to necessities, it would also make sense that I would be trying to find ways to use the toys I have been accumulating over the years. My word-processing program would get the dust knocked off of it, and I might start to make lists. I might start to tell stories. I might start to meditate aloud.
Bookstores are limited in their ability to carry huge inventories of anything other than what they believe are likely bestsellers. If you read the news every day, you will see the ongoing evolution of the retail book industry as they clench for the coming storm. They have expanded heavily over the past 20 years, but before that, they knew how to exist as smaller entities.
It’s also true that bookstores now make money on many other things rather than just books. Throughout the growth and throughout our history as a culture of multimedia, it has been true that items with a local interest are marketable at a local level. I see self-publishing by people who tend to be more driven to share their message rather than to build a summer retreat with their six-figure advances as the heart of the local interest section in any bookstore.
It makes sense that our economy will always breathe. It will adapt and change. Our population has risen significantly over the past century. There is more diversity and more recorded history. All of those people with their laptops and their lattes, hanging around the local bookstores, reading the job listings because their companies are shrinking, are likely to be the ones who start to tell the stories of what they see around themselves.
Historically, any period of growth tends to be flanked by recession. We grow through innovation to lift ourselves up out of the frozen tundra and isolation. We adapt and naturally, eventually we decline. This time, however, communication is reaching new climaxes. We all know that we need to work together. And the best part, we now have tools for connecting with the world, and we are driven to do so.
They are the books, the arts, the academes, that show, contain and nourish all the world-Wm. Shakespeare
Announcing Contest for Authors & Readers Hosted by BookRix.com
Win as an author…
…and as a reader!
“Web Your Book” Award
BookRix.com is proud to present readers and writers with their first official writing competition, called “Web Your Book.” Authors as well as readers can enter the competition and win attractive prices.
Visit BookRix.com for Complete Guidelines>>
Timelines and Deadlines
The submission period of the competition runs for eight weeks starting December 9, 2008, which means that authors still have enough time to register one of their BookRix books for the competition. The deadline for entry is February 1st 2009, 6 p.m. (EST). Authors are completely free in the genre: short stories, poems and everything else is welcome. The only requirement is that the book be longer than 20 BookRix pages.
Readers are able to vote for their favorite books on December 9, 2008 and February 15, 2009 the. This vote will ascertain the winners of the competition. The authors who are ranked number one to five the competition charts on February 15, 2009 at 6 p.m. (EST) will win the listed prizes.
Prices for Authors:
First Prize: $2000.00
Second Prize: $1000.00
3rd – 5th Prize: Amazon Kindle E-Book-Reader
Prizes for Readers:
$100.00 each will be given to three readers following a raffle.
BookRix.com provides users with a platform to:
- find other readers and authors
- share thoughts about interests in groups
- discuss books and projects
join author fan clubs
- participate in writing competitions
- Connect within a literary network
- write book reviews
- send your books to friends and family
- find top-rated and new books
Say, What? Lessons in Language and Audience
On Tuesday, America watched in anticipation as Barack Obama was sworn in to become the 44th president of the United States of America. The moment was translated and expressed through many forms of language. From classical music to the soulful voice of Aretha Franklin, to prayer to marching bands, speeches, news briefs, still photos and poetry.
Remember who your audience is.
I suppose all of these translations are necessary because there are some things that cannot be said in a news report, but not everyone speaks “marching band.” In each of these methods to deliver a message, there is a range in the audience who will listen and understand.
As I think about Elizabeth Alexander, faced with the challenge of writing a poem to deliver at the inauguration, I remember that a key factor in composing such as work is realizing who her audience is and writing for them.
Sure, she was challenged with the task of speaking to “everyone” – all Americans. What’s more, even people around the world were watching that day. But, she’s a smart poet. And I’m sure she remembered that poetry, even though it’s technically English, is not a language that everyone understands.
My husband Chris and I watched as Alexander read her poem. I enjoyed the interesting perspective that was shared through poem. He said it was “weird.”
… Weird? Was the man listening?! Jeez.
Let it be a lesson, dear writers. “Everyone” should never be your audience. You already know this. You may fear it, but fear not. You may have thought “Americans” would be a great target audience for an inauguration day poem. But, a better target is “Americans aged 15+ who like poetry.”
Your audience is a precious thing. Speak to them in a language they can understand, and forget about the rest. There will be some that don’t like your work – and that’s OK.
–Angie
Poet Elizabeth Alexander to Read at President Barack Obama’s Inauguration
Today, after the historical induction into office of the President-Elect Barack Obama, be sure to watch Poet Elizabeth Alexander read the poem President Obama requested she write specifically for the Inauguration.
Elizabeth Alexander | 2009
Elizabeth Alexander has published five books of poems: The Venus Hottentot (1990), Body of Life (1996), Antebellum Dream Book (2001), American Sublime (2005), which was one of three finalists for the Pulitzer Prize and was one of the American Library Association’s Notable Books of the Year. Most recently, her first young adult collection (co-authored with Marilyn Nelson), Miss Crandall’s School for Young Ladies and Little Misses of Color (2008 Connecticut Book Award). Not to mention the fact that she’s also published two collections of essays The Black Interior (2004) and Power and Possibility (2007), and her play, Diva Studies, was produced at the Yale School of Drama.
A few months ago, Alexander was selected to compose and deliver a poem at Barack Obama’s presidential inauguration. She will be the fourth poet to read at the swearing-in ceremony: Robert Frost recited “The Gift Outright” at John F. Kennedy’s in 1961; Maya Angelou read “On the Pulse of Morning” at Bill Clinton’s in 1993; and Miller Williams’ “Of History and Hope” was also read for Clinton in 1997. Alexander will deliver her poem immediately following president-elect Obama’s inaugural address, so stay tuned this afternoon and catch what’s sure to be an inspiring and memorable moment in the history of poetry.
According to PBS’s Art Beat, asked how Alexander has been crafting her poem, she replied, “I am trying to both be quiet inside and keep my ears open outside to listen to where we are right now.” Later, she continued, “I think what I hope to symbolize and demonstrate is the important role that arts and literature can play in this moment when the country is thinking so keenly about moving forward and coming together.”
Please join us in congratulating President Obama and Poet Alexander for their significant contributions today, and let us know your thoughts on the eloquence of Obama’s address as well as the power of Alexander’s poem.
Don’t Call It a Comeback: eBooks and the State of the Market (early ‘09)
It’s not a flying surfboard or a cloned beloved pet, but the future of the e-book is something to look at. Some of us have had the inkling that the eventuality of this technology would replace the printed page. That hasn’t quite happened, and it may never happen. We have discussed various angles of the Kindle-Sony Reader growth over the past year. In that time I have personally seen the discussion go from ‘maybe we should try that out’ to ‘how can we do that for all of our titles’ here at Author Solutions.
The early advancers have adopted the machines, and the powers behind the two platforms are working to enhance the means by which publishers can go to market with these titles. Software companies have been working toward perfecting the output of various file-types for the displays, and the manufacturers of the screens and e-ink technology have been working to increase the size and function of the displays. If you keep an eye on the technology tab of your favorite news provider, you will see occasional mentions of the new prototypes, flexible displays, color displays and lower costs. If you put all of that together, it is clear that the people who sell you books believe that you will be buying e-book readers and e-books.
Ask Amazon how much of their overall income for 2008 was related to e-books for their Kindle device, and you might be surprised to find that demand for titles that are available in print or e-book has pivoted to over 12 percent preference for Kindle, a percentage which is only growing. The number of titles currently available compared to the total market is low, but the market share for the Kindle is definitely on the rise.
The discussion is exciting. There are any number of parties out there talking about the next generation Kindle and the possibility that Apple will get in on the game. This massive coalescence is still in its early stages, but it is starting to swirl. I predict that more content which is non-book in origin that will continue to drive the sales of these devices. Newspapers and magazines are getting their feet wet as we speak. In the future will you purchase a book on the Internet that you can then read or listen to or watch on one machine? Will video be a part of the package? How much of the page will need to be ads before the device is free? Will it be in your phone? Will it be flexible and online? Does anyone know for sure???
The Wovel: Choose Your Own Adventure Novels & Literary Fusion
Recently discussed in a NPR segment called The Wovel: Literary Alternative To Browsing Blogs, the wovel (or the Web novel) is now inching its way into the public eye. Instead of surfing the Internet for blogs and news, readers are now turning to this new form of choose-your-own-adventure writing, where users can actually decide the direction of the next installment by simply utilizing the binary vote feature located at the end of each chapter post.
For example, perhaps a character is torn between traveling north to rescue a princess from an evil tyrant, or traveling south instead, in order to meet with a wizard who may know the meaning of life itself. Either one of these scenarios can be played out, pending a majority vote, which readers can submit each week.
“The way we read is changing,” as Rick Kleffel of NPR said, and it’s true. Many individuals read in bursts nowadays, their only opportunity to enjoy writing on breaks from work or between family pursuits. Say you’re taking your 15-minute break from the office, so you jump online, check your e-mail, and afterwards, when you’re looking for something to fill the next 10 minutes, you might not want to start such a lengthy pursuit as a novel. Instead, you may turn to the breezy nature of the wovel, whose serial installments might satisfy your literary itch in whatever short time you have to spare.
As an integrated, online and traditional print publisher advocating the wovel, Underland Press has recently started publishing this new genre. Underland Press’s Founder Victoria Blake wanted to offer exciting, edgy fiction with a touch of the fantastic, and the wovel seemed like a natural approach. Combining the serial novel format with the pace of journalism and the latest in Web technology, Blake has adapted to the ever-changing literary sphere, appealing to people who love to read and actively engage writing, but those who perhaps only have time to read a chapter every now and again.
Some readers are a little wary of the wovel’s implication, suggesting that bursts of reading might cheapen the literary experience. Of course, we need to maintain the novel — Blake isn’t suggesting otherwise — but what do you think? You’re the one reading this blog burst, perhaps on your lunch break, so your opinion is the one that could make or break the wovel’s presence within the online literary marketplace. Join our discussion, submit your opinion, and keep the ideas coming.
This is Justin, blogcasting from Wordclay, signing off.
How to Optimize Your Links to Sell Your Book
When it comes to the Internet, authors have a wonderful opportunity to promote their books. Yet, it also presents colossal challenges: to be discovered by readers, and to hold their attention for more than three seconds.
It’s critical that you keep your online book promotion, such as a blog post, easy to find and user-friendly. That includes linking correctly to your book(s). A failed, ineffectual or absent link can cancel the effort of actually posting a blog post, article or comment about it. And, most Internet surfers will not put in the effort to “correct” a failed link because, if you didn’t put in the effort, why should they?
A good link does two things: 1) it directs the reader exactly where they need to go, (more…)
TheAuthorsEdge.com: Online Book Marketing Tips & Blog
Back from temporary holiday hiatus, the Wordclay team would like to inform authors of invaluable book marketing resource, TheAuthorsEdge.com, where you can learn how to effectively promote your books on the Web and earn significant royalties as sales increase.
Marketing your book online may seem like a daunting task — you may not even know what terms like SEO or Web crawling or organic traffic mean — but Chris Simeral of TheAuthorsEdge.com can definitely help you turn your published book into a success story with his straightforward, simply online marketing strategies.
For starters, his numerous free video tutorials not only explain the importance of various online marketing techniques, but also show you, the author, how to easily implement these Internet techniques. From the very basics of book promotion to seemingly more complicated publicity issues, Simeral explains all.
Find more of his tutorials on his website or YouTube.com.
But that’s not all. Simeral also provides podcast interviews with other marketers, who provide different perspectives and even more tips. Additionally, he manages an Online Book Marketing blog, which is consistently updated with a wealth of publishing news and insights that are sure to help any emerging writer sell more books.
Take five minutes, subscribe to his blog today, download one of his many informative author promotion packets for free, and enact a simple, foolproof book marketing plan that’s bound to increase your Internet visibility.
This is Justin, blogcasting from Wordclay, signing off.
