Archive for July, 2009
Yann Martel: Stylistic Identity
The New York Times had an exchange with Yann Martel, the author of Life of Pi regarding his upcoming novel, which is an allegorical take on the Holocaust featuring animals as characters. This will likely become a successful yet controversial piece.
The author admitted that this coming work, which is not yet titled, would likely fail to replicate the colossal success of his breakout novel. He hopes that it might become a perennial success in the Holocaust category.
Controversy aside, it is certainly an inventive way of retelling a story that has been on the minds of people around the world for so long.
As authors go about creating new works for public consumption, they should remember the examples of those who have been successful telling a story in their own unique style. Successful writers are those who can embrace controversy and convey the familiar in a brand new way, developing a strong author identity in the process.
-1,000 Chimps
Barnes & Noble Launches e-Book Store: Rumors Circulate of Plastic Logic Partnership
This week, Barnes & Noble opened their e-Book Store online. They have hit the ground running with plans to grow aggressively. The word on the Web is that they are going to be partnering with Plastic Logic to distribute content via a device scheduled for release early next year. The device is said to be a big step in the right direction, hopefully minimizing the annoying parts of the Kindle2, Kindle DX and Sony Reader.
It would be logical to assume that Barnes & Noble will be able to establish themselves in a market that they have dominated for so long. They understand books and consumers, which is quite clear when you visit their site. The eBook Store interface is extremely user-friendly. People can download the apps they need in order to interact with the new eBook Store, including options for your computer, iPhone and Blackberry.
Overall, I think that this is a healthy development. While I don’t see any indication yet that there will be an interface such as the Digital Text Platform available to upload content to the Kindle Store, I would be surprised if this is not in the works. The strength that Amazon has brought to the e-book market is a good starting ground and I believe that strong players getting into the game will drive Amazon and any other serious participants to adapt and improve.
Barnes & Noble’s new eBook Store has a clear impact on your ability to sell your book. Familiarize yourself with this new development, so that you can be one step ahead of where your target audience is going.
-1,000 Chimps
Stop Leaving Self-Publishing Out of the Conversation
On Thursday evening, I watched in horror as my seemingly trustworthy news source, News Hour, completely failed to include self-publishing in its “review” of changes in the publishing industry.
Funny. Isn’t self-publishing part of “the publishing industry”? I vaguely recall that self-publishing’s growth more than doubled last year and now makes up more than half of all books published in the United States … Shame on you, News Hour.
I have the utmost respect for the News Hour. I adore Jim Lehrer, amongst others (Shields and Brooks, anyone?). But the news piece was disappointing.
Sure, they covered e-readers and e-books, the changes this brings to the industry and the challenges that this new form of distribution brings to publishing houses. They discussed how the recession was affecting the industry, and allowed libraries to chime in on the discussion. They had a publisher and literary agent on the show to offer their input.
But that is not the whole story. There is more that is happening in the publishing industry.
Why leave self-publishing completely out of the conversation? Not even one mention in passing. The media surely is aware of this form of publishing – it’s (more…)
Self Starter: J.K. Rowling’s Empire and You
Years ago in a small apartment in Leith, U.K., J.K. Rowling finished the first book in the Harry Potter series. She was anything but well off, and the odds were against her. She, like many writers, had come to know the taste of rejection long before her book was finally picked up. She probably tried (not too hard) to hold back the “I told you so’s” as her book spiraled straight upward to the lofty level where it is today, and the release of yet another guaranteed blockbuster film based on her work.
This should be of interest to you. As a writer, you hopefully believe in your idea and in the quality of your work. Although there is neither demand nor room in the market for many (if any) books to become quite as successful as Rowling’s works, there are people out there who have been turned on to reading at any early age as a result of her work. This new generation of readers might be immersed in the digital world, but they are certainly not going to refuse the opportunity to read a good book if you present it to them.
In the wake of any major success, writers often try to latch on to this juggernaut as a template to create a similar story. I don’t feel that this is the best path to the top. If anything, it can be a path to a copyright infringement suit.
Fan fiction and tribute stories are never going to be treated with the excitement that a good original inspiring story might be. It would be better to create something new and unique and fail than to ride on the coattails of someone else’s creativity against their wishes. The public is discerning and can smell a rat from a mile away. They also tend to be able to notice something special and are hungry to spread the word about it once it is on their radar.
J.K. Rowling herself has said that she’d like to be remembered for being “the best she could.” I think we all would be fortunate if we could have the same fate.
A final piece of wisdom to note from this example (your advantage), is that almost none of the resources available to writers today for grassroots marketing and audience development were available to Rowling or many of the well-known writers we love at the time that they started their careers.
-1,000 Chimps
So You Want to Be a Novelist? Advice for Writers from a Successful Author
Jennifer Weiner knows a thing or two about writing and publishing. Author of bestselling novels Good in Bed and In Her Shoes (yep, the one that inspired the movie staring Cameron Diaz) , as well as her most recent release Best Friends Forever (released today), she offers a bit of helpful advice for aspiring authors on her Web site.
Here are a few of the highlights from her article on writing and publishing:
Write to Please Yourself
Tell the story that’s been growing in your heart, the characters you can’t keep out of your head, the tale story that speaks to you, that pops into your head during your daily commute, that wakes you up in the morning. Don’t write something just because you think it will sell, or fit into the pigeonhole du jour. Tell the story you want to tell, and worry about how to sell it later.
Get a Dog
Okay, you’re thinking, what does getting a dog have to do with becoming a writer? More than you’d think. Writing is about talent and creativity, but it’s also about discipline – about the ability to sit yourself down in that seat, day after day. … Being a dog owner requires a similar form of discipline. You wake up every morning. You walk the dog. You do this whether you’re tired, depressed, broke, hung over, or have been recently dumped. You do it.
Get Published
If a tree falls in the forest and nobody hears, has it really fallen? If a writer writes poems and short stories and novels, but nobody ever reads them, is she really a writer? Nope. If you want to be a writer, you’ve got to bear the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune (not to mention evil reader reviews on amazon.com). You’ve got to put your stuff out there for the world to see, and fall in love with, or revile. In short, you’ve got to get published.
Read
Read everything. Read fiction and non-fiction, read hot best sellers and the classics you never got around to in college. Read men, read women, read travel guides and Harlequins and epic poetry and cookbooks and cereal boxes, if you’re desperate. Get the rhythm of good writing in your ears. Cram your head with characters and stories. Abuse your library privileges. Never stop looking at the world, and never stop reading to find out what sense other people have made of it. If people give you a hard time and tell you to get your nose out of a book, tell them you’re working. Tell them it’s research. Tell them to pipe down and leave you alone.
Excerpts are from Jennifer’s full article, which you can read here: http://jenniferweiner.com/forwriters.htm.
Want to learn more? Read Jennifer Weiner’s blog: http://jenniferweiner.blogspot.com/
Can you relate to any of the tips here? Do you have any of your own tips or advice? Please share …
-Angie
What the Kindle 2 Price Reduction Means for Authors
Yesterday, Amazon dropped the selling price of their Kindle 2 by $60 to sell below $300. There is much speculation as to the various factors driving that decision. Some feel that the production cost is getting lower and that Amazon is passing the savings on to us. Others have suggested that Amazon is feeling the heat of increasing pressure from competitors such as the Sony Reader or any number of iPhone apps and digital options and is bracing to maintain the lead in the market. There is also talk of in-book advertising being implemented in the near-future.
But I believe that there is another aspect at play that is worth mentioning. I agree with the forward-thinkers who aim at a potential future with a single device that can handle all of our electronic needs from Tweets to e-books, from e-mail to multimedia and telecommunications. There is clearly a long-term limit on the success of any devices that are compartmentalized to one segment of our wi-fi society.
For authors who are writing and marketing in this environment, there will be a strong benefit to maintaining a presence and awareness. The trends are not too difficult to spot, so find a way to be involved. If people are constantly talking about Twitter, then find a way to get your story out to them on Twitter. If Kindle is the thing, start an account at dtp.amazon.com where you can upload your writing for sale on the Kindle store. Do a search on your favorite browser every once in a while to find out what the new trends are or where the most eyes are pointing, and get your book or idea in front of those eyes.
And don’t limit yourself to just industry related trends, because the media is hungry for stories. Once a leading story is released on any major event, there are opportunities for others to get in on that attention. Consider the example of the two Chinese writers who worked together to crank out a book about Michael Jackson within 48 hours of the news of his death. These writers acted quickly after hot-topic event, and they are now gaining global attention.
Altogether, in the battle of apps, e-readers and everything in between, I think we are simply experiencing the natural progression of a developing market. There are different ways of looking at it and different ways of trying to make any subject more news-worthy than it would initially seem to be.
The important aspect to remember amid these changes is that people are still reading. There are doors opening in this limited economic environment, so stay vigilant and keep writing. Regardless of whether someone buys a $299 Kindle or a $4 iPhone app, these machines are only as good as content created for them.
-1000 Chimps
Blogging Vacation: Wordclay Blog Team Breaks for Holiday Weekend
Hey everyone,
The Wordclay Blog Team will be breaking for the July 4th holiday, but don’t worry, we’ll be back next week with fresh ideas; and if you have an interesting weekend (whether writing or seeing an author reading), we encourage you to submit your stories to us at blog@wordclay.com. Thanks again for visiting, and we’ll be in touch!
-The Wordclay Blog Team fiurnt8zqg
