About mid-November my book consultant from IUniverse called to offer me the opportunity of paying them $300 to transfer my manuscript into e-format and make it available to the major e-book outlets. I wasn't able to plunk down that much money at the time, so I waited. Now that I can cough it up, I called him back. Opps, nice try, so cigar. Apparently they had such a huge response to the first offer that they are 6-8 weeks behind and were told to stop taking orders.
He confirmed a rumor I'd heard that, after the first of the year, REALLY MAJOR changes will occur in the publishing industry, ones that we poor readers and authors will experience also, thanks to that trickle-down effect! He wouldn't elaborate. He did "lock in" the price, so when the e-book offer becomes available again, I'll be on board.
He also suggested it would cost $6-12 to download, and I'd get 50% royalties. (No postage and shipping deducted, obviously.) That was sweet to hear.
I just received the gift of a tiny purple MP-3 player and discovered I can download a free audio book from DRM-free tracks at emusic.com/machspeed. It seems about every three months there's a new electronic/virtual learning curve to master. They're coming fast and furious. I sat next to a young woman at church Sunday who had a Kindle. I could feel my "desire body" pulsing to have that thing for an hour and mess around with it!
It's quite likely that my next novel, chap book or poetry book will never see paper, and I'll transfer it to the web myself. In the meantime there's some good old fashioned writing to do!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Saturday, December 4, 2010
DRIBBLES AND DROPS
I had the rare pleasure of an old friend calling me and requesting three copies of the book! We had a wonderful lunch together in Missoula, after several years of absence. She plans on giving the book at Christmas! I had helped her birth her two daughters a number of years ago, and one of them lunched with us and brought her son, a bright, relaxed, almost three-year-old.
NEW TRAILER ON YOUTUBE: Should be out in a week or two. Very simple. Another little presence on the web for folks looking for me. Plan on making another one over the holidays. My granddaughter will interview me and she can post it to YouTube.
A local "Wiccan" bookstore requested three more copies of the book, has sold two. I took credit instead of cash, her merchandise is so lovely. The store's name is Between the Worlds. She's a brave woman given the climate in our valley.
And this weekend my book is once again at Lava Hot Springs, Idaho.
Missoula's Hastings Book Store is interested in a reading, imagine that! After Christmas I'll make yet another drive north to Missoula and see how that goes.
Hoping my readers enjoy the "Going Within" time, and celebrate Winter Solstice with friends and animals!
NEW TRAILER ON YOUTUBE: Should be out in a week or two. Very simple. Another little presence on the web for folks looking for me. Plan on making another one over the holidays. My granddaughter will interview me and she can post it to YouTube.
A local "Wiccan" bookstore requested three more copies of the book, has sold two. I took credit instead of cash, her merchandise is so lovely. The store's name is Between the Worlds. She's a brave woman given the climate in our valley.
And this weekend my book is once again at Lava Hot Springs, Idaho.
Missoula's Hastings Book Store is interested in a reading, imagine that! After Christmas I'll make yet another drive north to Missoula and see how that goes.
Hoping my readers enjoy the "Going Within" time, and celebrate Winter Solstice with friends and animals!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
FLURRY AND FANFARE
My huge two days at the Missoula Festival of the Book were well worth the money and the effort. I actually sold some books: two to strangers, the rest to old friends. I schmoozed with the editor/publisher of the Whitefish Review who suggested a portion of the book might fit in their wonderful publication, available only through the mail. I listened to two of the "Masters of Crime Fiction" James Lee Burke (whose book I'm now reading: BITTERROOT), and R. Rizzuto, both offering insight into their writing process. I enjoyed Burke, and later reflected that every one of his references to excellent writings or sayings were male authors. He was quite entertaining, and I'm picking up some ideas from reading his very bloody novels. So much for the male club.
Interestingly, I did poetry readings in the late 80's in Missoula with Roger Dunsmore. I connected with him briefly at the Festival two years ago, and reconnected Saturday at the urging of my inner guide, who harped on me to give him a copy of my book. It was fortunate. His wife hung with Sun Bear at Vision Mountain and was thrilled to have the book! In exchange Roger gifted me his latest chapbook, YOU'RE JUST DIRT, which I'm thoroughly enjoying.
There is really no way to describe the boost the Festival offered to me. I was challenged, enlightened, intimidated, encouraged. It was something like the rush of mescaline moving through my body--granted an old memory, but apt nonetheless. Watching people is a delightful hobby, and my table was right across from the authors after they completed a reading or a panel. Such rich observations. Cheryl Nolte was there, dressed in black, adoring a Native American poet. Cheryl has survived and obviously finally thrived with her stark poetry; I'm so happy for her. And of course Bill Kittridge, and Annuck Smith, who recently wrote a stunning piece in the Independent about the idea of a superhighway for vehicles 27' wide, 30' high and 2/3's of a football field long. (I wish it was only an idea, not already on paper, moving forward, etc. etc.)
And MEDICINE ROCK and I were there, thanks to my three friends who sat at the table and went to offerings too: Kay, Coco and Sabora, and to my benefactor who gave me a business loan last year. Now I am settling in for a winter at home, if all goes well, to write, enter poetry and short stories in various publications, and watch the leaves fall outside my window.
Interestingly, I did poetry readings in the late 80's in Missoula with Roger Dunsmore. I connected with him briefly at the Festival two years ago, and reconnected Saturday at the urging of my inner guide, who harped on me to give him a copy of my book. It was fortunate. His wife hung with Sun Bear at Vision Mountain and was thrilled to have the book! In exchange Roger gifted me his latest chapbook, YOU'RE JUST DIRT, which I'm thoroughly enjoying.
There is really no way to describe the boost the Festival offered to me. I was challenged, enlightened, intimidated, encouraged. It was something like the rush of mescaline moving through my body--granted an old memory, but apt nonetheless. Watching people is a delightful hobby, and my table was right across from the authors after they completed a reading or a panel. Such rich observations. Cheryl Nolte was there, dressed in black, adoring a Native American poet. Cheryl has survived and obviously finally thrived with her stark poetry; I'm so happy for her. And of course Bill Kittridge, and Annuck Smith, who recently wrote a stunning piece in the Independent about the idea of a superhighway for vehicles 27' wide, 30' high and 2/3's of a football field long. (I wish it was only an idea, not already on paper, moving forward, etc. etc.)
And MEDICINE ROCK and I were there, thanks to my three friends who sat at the table and went to offerings too: Kay, Coco and Sabora, and to my benefactor who gave me a business loan last year. Now I am settling in for a winter at home, if all goes well, to write, enter poetry and short stories in various publications, and watch the leaves fall outside my window.
Monday, October 25, 2010
SEE YOU AT THE FESTIVAL!
Are you getting excited yet? I am. I've got my MEDICINE ROCK post cards, my MEDICINE ROCK baseball cap, lots of books (duh) and even my laptop for Sun Bear's video! Do I think I'll be selling more than ten copies? No, but the exposure will be exciting.
AND, the workshops will be inspiring. New fiction, new poems, new discussion groups about social networking, starting bookclubs and the writing life. I'm a junkie.
See all you other junkies there!!
AND, the workshops will be inspiring. New fiction, new poems, new discussion groups about social networking, starting bookclubs and the writing life. I'm a junkie.
See all you other junkies there!!
PUBLISHERS' RETURN POLICIES
I've had several episodes with IUniverse about my book return policy in my contract. There have been two "glitches" with Ingram Distribution that portrayed my book as non-returnable for book stores. Now I've received a call that my return policy expires in February, that it only lasted a year.
I reread my contract. Ah yes, "Schedule B" numeral 2: The WORK will appear as returnable in the Ingram Title Information Database for a period of twelve (12) months after the book is listed." It was listed in February. It might take me till February to make enough money to re-list it, but I don't know the fee.
Back to my consultant, Joel, who is of course out to lunch, thanks to the time change between Montana and Indiana, where IU is located. But he calls back in due time and tells me my book "went live" on December 30, which just wasn't true. I encourage him to check his date, and sure enough, it was January 20, 2011.
And he tells me the fee for another year of return book policy: $300. Now had I been published by a conventional publisher (i.e. not self published) the publisher would be delighted to keep this policy in place in perpetuity. The author would not be paying for the book to make money for the publisher (and herself). But this is the infancy of the self-publishing industry, and I will indeed come up with the money for another year. After that? We'll see.
So my larger outlays this year so far have included $150 (Festival of the Book, 8' table, two days), $150(Writers' Conference where exposure was almost non existent), $99 (ad in Critics' Review - nothing came of it), $99 (YouTube trailer, yet to be published), $100 (minimum, gas to other areas), $1133 (100 more books, at half price from IU), and the new fee, for a total of $2031. Income? I recouped my initial loan for books of $2300 but the contract cost (+/- $1800) was a gift from my own retirement account!
Now my expenses are approaching the money I lost in a women's empowerment financial (pyramid) scheme a few years back! The difference between a hobby and an avocation is one costs money and one makes money. Guess which one writing is!
Had I more money to pour into it, would I be selling more? Who's to say. Well, on to the outline of the next book!
I reread my contract. Ah yes, "Schedule B" numeral 2: The WORK will appear as returnable in the Ingram Title Information Database for a period of twelve (12) months after the book is listed." It was listed in February. It might take me till February to make enough money to re-list it, but I don't know the fee.
Back to my consultant, Joel, who is of course out to lunch, thanks to the time change between Montana and Indiana, where IU is located. But he calls back in due time and tells me my book "went live" on December 30, which just wasn't true. I encourage him to check his date, and sure enough, it was January 20, 2011.
And he tells me the fee for another year of return book policy: $300. Now had I been published by a conventional publisher (i.e. not self published) the publisher would be delighted to keep this policy in place in perpetuity. The author would not be paying for the book to make money for the publisher (and herself). But this is the infancy of the self-publishing industry, and I will indeed come up with the money for another year. After that? We'll see.
So my larger outlays this year so far have included $150 (Festival of the Book, 8' table, two days), $150(Writers' Conference where exposure was almost non existent), $99 (ad in Critics' Review - nothing came of it), $99 (YouTube trailer, yet to be published), $100 (minimum, gas to other areas), $1133 (100 more books, at half price from IU), and the new fee, for a total of $2031. Income? I recouped my initial loan for books of $2300 but the contract cost (+/- $1800) was a gift from my own retirement account!
Now my expenses are approaching the money I lost in a women's empowerment financial (pyramid) scheme a few years back! The difference between a hobby and an avocation is one costs money and one makes money. Guess which one writing is!
Had I more money to pour into it, would I be selling more? Who's to say. Well, on to the outline of the next book!
Friday, October 15, 2010
INTERNATIONAL MARKETS & MISCELLANEOUS
Imagine my surprise when I checked my email to find an order from the Netherlands! How in the world that dear person found out about Medicine Rock I'll probably never know, although I emailed her directly!
My first stop to ship the book was the UPS store. Their first price was $81. Then they found a way to do it for $51! Then they told me the Post Office could do a lot better in this instance. Our post office is only a few blocks away, and was quiet yesterday. I was able to mail it for $13. I am hoping the recipient will let me know when she receives it!
So now I realize (after the horses are out of the barn) that my price needs to be a touch higher for out-of-country orders! Another experience of Live and Learn, or in this case Write and Learn Marketing.
I am preparing for the Festival of the Book in Missoula, MT on October 29-30. I have purchased more postcards to hand out with all the information and the cover, and my and Sun Bear's pictures. I've purchased a "baseball" hat with the book on it, just for fun. I have tent signs and one hundred books...how will it go? Chances are a few will sell, but more importantly I will get exposure, be able to chat with other authors and continue to imprint an important concept on my mind: I am a writer and an author. And my second book is beginning to gather some ingredients! It will be pure fiction, set in Montana.
More good news: Quill & Parchment, an on-line journal, published one of my poems and requested I send three more. That was a delightful surprise. I have a trailer coming soon for YouTube about the book to give further exposure. It was a $99 investment. My granddaughter wants to put a video up for me also...that should be fun!
A reader contacted me recently to say she is reading MR for the second time which totally thrilled me.
If you liked the book, please write a quick review, or a long one, on Amazon.com under my advertising. That would help me so much! Thanks, readers, more soon!
My first stop to ship the book was the UPS store. Their first price was $81. Then they found a way to do it for $51! Then they told me the Post Office could do a lot better in this instance. Our post office is only a few blocks away, and was quiet yesterday. I was able to mail it for $13. I am hoping the recipient will let me know when she receives it!
So now I realize (after the horses are out of the barn) that my price needs to be a touch higher for out-of-country orders! Another experience of Live and Learn, or in this case Write and Learn Marketing.
I am preparing for the Festival of the Book in Missoula, MT on October 29-30. I have purchased more postcards to hand out with all the information and the cover, and my and Sun Bear's pictures. I've purchased a "baseball" hat with the book on it, just for fun. I have tent signs and one hundred books...how will it go? Chances are a few will sell, but more importantly I will get exposure, be able to chat with other authors and continue to imprint an important concept on my mind: I am a writer and an author. And my second book is beginning to gather some ingredients! It will be pure fiction, set in Montana.
More good news: Quill & Parchment, an on-line journal, published one of my poems and requested I send three more. That was a delightful surprise. I have a trailer coming soon for YouTube about the book to give further exposure. It was a $99 investment. My granddaughter wants to put a video up for me also...that should be fun!
A reader contacted me recently to say she is reading MR for the second time which totally thrilled me.
If you liked the book, please write a quick review, or a long one, on Amazon.com under my advertising. That would help me so much! Thanks, readers, more soon!
Monday, September 27, 2010
FESTIVAL OF THE BOOK
I remember walking in to the Festival of the Book, Missoula, Montana, for the first time. It is staged in one of the finer hotels in Missoula. I was THRILLED! Hundreds of people who love words as much as I do! I soaked up authors talking about their writing experiences, poets reading their concise reviews of life, and met authors a few publishers. The book wasn't complete at that point.
I hadn't quite noticed that the date was creeping up when a friend, Kali Star, who has a networking website, asked if I was staffing a table for the Festival. Hmmmm, thought I. Why not? I checked out the website this morning to see that 1) they're still available and 2) they're reasonably affordable...that is to say, I could probably sell enough books to pay my account back for the fee.
And best of all, I'd have to be there at the Festival the whole time! Of course my table might not be staffed all the time, but that's understandable.
The festival is later in October. In the meantime, the first weekend of October I'll be at the Flathead Writer's Conference, where I can't sell books, but I can carry a few with me as I wander around. The conference features agents, screenplay writers, children's book authors, etc, who present in panel form to a wide range of local writers and authors. I'm looking forward to it; I'll check back later.
I hadn't quite noticed that the date was creeping up when a friend, Kali Star, who has a networking website, asked if I was staffing a table for the Festival. Hmmmm, thought I. Why not? I checked out the website this morning to see that 1) they're still available and 2) they're reasonably affordable...that is to say, I could probably sell enough books to pay my account back for the fee.
And best of all, I'd have to be there at the Festival the whole time! Of course my table might not be staffed all the time, but that's understandable.
The festival is later in October. In the meantime, the first weekend of October I'll be at the Flathead Writer's Conference, where I can't sell books, but I can carry a few with me as I wander around. The conference features agents, screenplay writers, children's book authors, etc, who present in panel form to a wide range of local writers and authors. I'm looking forward to it; I'll check back later.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)