by Angela James
Recently, Nadia Cornier wrote a column here about the agent panel at NJRW. In the comments, Michelle said, regarding authors finding answers to more basic questions about agents:
Why people haven’t learned how to utilize the internet to accelerate their publishing learning curve is beyond me… Aspiring authors need to spend more time doing their homework on the internet so they come across as sharp and on-the-ball in person.
That comment struck me because I was also at the NJRW conference. I sat on the editor panel, representing Samhain Publishing. The only electronic publisher present. After the conference, an author approached me and asked,“ You mentioned digital release first and then print. What IS digital release?â€
Truthfully, I was a little floored. I realize there are people who are largely unfamiliar with epublishing but never did I expect someone, who has aspirations of being a part of the publishing industry, to not know what an ebook is. And I quizzed her (gently). “Digital release is the same as an ebook. Are you familiar with ebooks?†I received a head shake to that and took a few minutes to explain what ebooks are and how they’re read. She walked away with a puzzled and somewhat disinterested expression on her face (or so I interpreted it). And I walked away rather dazed at someone wanting to be published not knowing this information.
Some of you, I know, are thinking to yourselves that epublishing isn’t important enough to know about so don’t see a problem with this conversation. Setting aside that debate for now (reluctantly!), even those wanting to break into the NY publishers need to be familiar with the different forms of publishing. Why? Because more and more publishers are recognizing the viability of releasing their books in electronic format. Traditional “print†publishers don’t want to just contract print rights any more, they’re not as interested in a book that has digital rights contracted elsewhere (say with my publisher). They want the whole shebang. Harlequin, Random House, Simon & Schuster, Penguin Putnam, HarperCollins and more—they all release print books in ebook format. Often, the ebook release is simultaneous with print release, because readers are demanding more books in ebook format due to the ease, convenience and instant gratification of ebooks .
So it brings me back to Michelle’s comment. Aspiring authors need to spend more time doing their homework on the internet… What does all this mean for aspiring authors? Andrea Kane spoke about this at her keynote speech at the NJRW lunch. Today’s aspiring authors face things that authors of twenty years ago didn’t. Things like digital release, internet promotion, website upkeep, message boards, edits via email and emails from fans seeking instant contact.
It makes me wonder, in today’s fast-paced and uber-competitive world of romance publishing, where the mid-list author must get his or her name in front of fans via as many methods as possible, is there room in the publishing industry for aspiring authors who aren’t internet savvy? Is the internet a necessary tool for keeping up with not only promotion and fans, but also marketing trends, or can an author make a name for herself without ever knowing what a digital release is?
No related posts.
Hi Angela! JAC here. It does surprise me when I meet writers who either have no idea it exists or who totally dismiss e-publishing. I understand the desire for a ‘traditional’ path to success in this business, but it just seemed to me to be taking the long way around.
I always tell new writers who are asking about e-publishing that in the space of 18 months I went from having one short novella e-published, to walking into Borders and finding my name on the shelf with a print anthology published from the same e-publisher. Getting a novel through the process of a traditional print publisher and onto shelves would have taken just as long, if not longer.
It’s not about how fast you get there, but if you want a career in this business, then it is about getting there. Getting my name out there and building a readership is my goal. I would not have accomplished that at this point without e-publishing.
I know that Small Business Administration statistics show that businesses that are on the internet are far more successful than businesses that aren’t, by an overwhelming percentage. (Forget the actual numbers but it can be looked up.) So it stands to reason that if all traditional businesses are more successful with a web presence, that would apply to authors and publishers.
And digital rights have been a contract issue for years, so I do think authors should be informed about what that means, like any other standard contract term. If it’s a part of the business you want to be in, it pays to be informed.
The internet is a necessary tool. Period.
I’m just as likely to pluck down my cash for an ebook as a print book. If I want something now to read and I don’t want to leave the comfort of my home, I buy ebooks.
I think agents and publishers should also get more internet savvy. I’m amazed at how many do not accept email queries or submissions. Even magazine editors are much more onboard with email communications than those in book publishing. But as a freelance writer working in high-tech for years, I’m quite comfortable with the internet and judge others by it as well – by how their web site works, etc. I make business decisions based on it. Having a good internet presence is important for everybody. Eventually, publishing – including writers – will have to get onboard.
My two cents.
[...] Internet or die…on the midlist? [...]
I made my start in epublishing. I now have NY print contracts, which included digital rights to my print books. I have a web presence, a blog, I’m on Myspace, blah blah blah.
The buyers of today and tomorrow are internet savvy. I think if you want to maximize your chances of having a good presence, you need to get on board, not only for the sake of sales, but for understanding the contracts presented to you when you do sell. Digital rights are in the print contracts. It behooves the writer to know what that means.
After the conference, an author approached me and asked,“ You mentioned digital release first and then print. What IS digital release?â€
::beats head against her desk::
Unfortunately, there are always going to be people who don’t bother to research the market — or if they do, willfully ignore what they learn because it doesn’t suit them. Example: the woman I knew who, after being given articles on formatting a manuscript, how to submit, what markets might be interested in her manuscript, etc., took her book, had it printed and bound at Kinko’s, and sent it straight to Oprah because she thought it’d make a great Oprah Book Club selection. No, she didn’t understand why she didn’t get an instant response.
Aspiring authors needs to spend time doing research in the markets they’re interested in, period — and the internet is an important tool in that reaearch. It’s not about the debate to epub or not epub; it’s about knowing the market you’re trying to listen to. If they don’t, they’re opening themselves to frustration, failure, and being taken in by scammers such as Publish America.
Of course WE all think an internet presence is necessary. LOL! We’re blog surfers. But when the vast majority of readers (or so I’m told) just grab what appeals to them on the shelves of Wal-Mart and toss it on top of their groceries and toys, I’m not sure we’re right . . . a web-presence can’t hurt you, but it won’t make you.
Bernadette wrote>>
Similar experience here! What started an e-anthology is now available in paperback at Borders and Waldens. I am very glad I had my start with that small press. I think it’s great that small and large pubs are distributing in multiple formats.
I’m continually amazed at authors who don’t even have a web site to promote their upcoming book or fan club. Just try to find a web site for Linda Harris! I adore her stuff, but I was stunned to not be able to find any information about her online outside a tiny little publisher’s blurb on their web site.
Certainly, not having a web presence won’t hurt a well-established author, but for a new author, wow, what a wonderful resource, particularly for fiction writers. Then add the opportunities abounding in epublishing (especially in erotica), and it really is self-defeating to discount the high and broad visibility of the internet for any author, publisher, agent, or editor.
Ack! Typo! Typo! Not Linda Harris! Linda HOWARD! *bangs head on keyboard* I need coffee.
Of course WE all think an internet presence is necessary. LOL! We’re blog surfers. But when the vast majority of readers (or so I’m told) just grab what appeals to them on the shelves of Wal-Mart and toss it on top of their groceries and toys, I’m not sure we’re right . . . a web-presence can’t hurt you, but it won’t make you.
But as today’s youth becomes the more targeted audience, and the older readers become less of the buying public, is it safe to assume that this will continue to be the case?
When I was writing this column, I thought the same thing as you, that opinions would be skewed since we’re all interenet users
But I’m trying to think past that, to the fact that the publishing industry is trying to target a market of younger readers, who are internet savvy (thus why books in electronic format are becoming more and more popular).
So while a lot of shopping is done how you describe, Tonda, how much shopping is done via Amazon? We hear more and more about the possible decline of brick and mortar stores because of the increase in internet shopping, so to me, that points to a larger technologically savvy audience who want authors to market and promo to them.
I’m not sure how useful MySpace is, though I feel that a professional looking, up-to-date website is an Absolute Must.
The way I see it, if somebody’s looking for info about you, Author X, then it’s an opportunity to sell another book. Why not use it to the fullest?
I think there’s a lot of snobbery with regards to e-publishing in general. I’m talking as someone living in the U.K. I wrote an article about e-publishing recently for the Romantic Novelists’ Association magazine. Other writers I’ve met over here seem to view e-publishing either with distain or with bemusement.
I’m proud to say though, that my novel, IT HAPPENED ONE SUMMER, was the first e-novel accepted by the RNA.
It’s really surprising in this day and age that some writers don’t know what digital publishing is.
Lynette
I think authors should explore every avenue available to them. Especially the internet. It’s such an incredible tool.
As far as epublishing, I think it’s a trend that caters to the more savvy of the technical generation, but yes, as the younger ones control the marketplace more and more, it will boom. BIG.
And I’m just as likely to read an ebook as a paperback, but I must admit it wasn’t an easy process to decipher in the beginning.
Somehow the marketers/publishers need to become more streamlined so that those who do a bit of bumbling (like me) aren’t discouraged by download this, upload that, click this, etc. and give up on the whole process and head back to the bookstore instead.
I think also, that the pricing for ebooks should reflect the lack of printing costs. Give people a good deal, though and they’ll be back. Time and again.
Interestingly enough, I dropped by Romancing the Blog right after reading an e-mail from a fellow Star Trek writer telling me my 2004 eBook “Orphans†is about to be discovered. Pocket Books markets Star Trek: Starfleet Corps of Engineers (now rebranded Star Trek: Corps of Engineers), an eBook-only series of adventures featuring – you guessed it – engineers. Scientists who solve problems and unravel mysteries without benefit of a super-powerful star ship.
These eBooks are novellas – typically twenty to thirty thousand words each – and every so often Pocket releases a covey of them as a trade paperback anthology. What my friend was referring to was the general cries of amazement that usually accompany the appearance of these anthologies. A large fraction of the Star Trek reading public has no idea the eBook series exists – or if they know about it, don’t buy the books until the print compilation. To these people, the stories are not “real†until a tree dies. Which, when you consider most Star Trek fans are usually tech savvy, is pretty amazing.
Grand Designs, the trade paperback which includes “Orphans,†is coming out in a few months. (Fun fact: Pocket also releases an electronic version of their hardcopy anthology of former eBooks.) According to my friend, I can expect as many people to discover my “new†story then as when it was originally published. We’ll see.
In the meantime, I’m keeping my eyes open for other electronic/digital markets.
Right now, yes, because so few romance readers are online. The majority of them don’t participate in the online romance community.
It’s a good idea to introduce yourself to online readers, if possible, but an author can definitely thrive without doing any sort of online interaction at all. Perhaps this will change, if the genre attracts younger readers who rely on the internet more.
On the flip side of this, it’s very difficult for an author to get ahead if they only do online advertising and neglect reaching out to the many, many readers whose only author interaction happens through their local bookstore.
One of my editors told me that the publisher once had the highest selling book on Amazon for the year. That book sold a little over 600 copies. That might have changed with things like Amazon Prime or the $25+ free shipping, but by how much?
From everything I’ve seen and heard Amazon sales are a drop in the bucket. Not even worth worrying about. And something like 40-50% of all MM fiction is sold in places like Wal-Mart, Target and Costco. And those brick-and-morter stores are not going away anytime in our lifetimes . . .
We’ve been hearing for years and years and years that ebooks are the wave of the future, but until there is a reasonably priced reader, that is user friendly (doesn’t hurt your eyes; and is the size/weight of a MM book) I just don’t think ebooks are going to be able to be able to really become a force in the wider market. Basically, until it walks like a book and quacks like a book, it’s not going to replace the book.
Even when there IS such a device (and I’m sure there will be, eventually) the transition time for it to become the norm will be decades (if not longer). There will be people who simply prefer the tactile sensation of a printed book, there will be Luddites who are resistant to change, and there’s an entire well-established industry that produces physical books and has a self-interest in continuing to do so.
Please don’t think I’m making ANY kind of swipe here at folks who write or publish ebooks (as many of my friends do!), I’m simply saying that the viability of the medium is currently hindered by the lack of a reader that meets the needs of the vast majority of readers.
Every trip I take I long for an “iBookâ€. I no longer have to haul all my CDs around, wouldn’t it be great if I didn’t have to pick and choose which novels to take with me on a plane? If I could take dozens (or hundreds!).
Unfortunately, I’ve yet to meet with an ebook-reader that even comes close to being what I want/need. If I’ve missed the boat please give me a link to the reader of my dreams!
Re: the aspiring author asking the “dumb” question in the privacy of an aside conversation, well, good for her. So many people wouldn’t have even asked. They would have been afraid to look stupid.
I credit asking dumb questions for me being retired at the ripe ol’ age of 35.
I’m afraid you misunderstood my post, Kimber. I didn’t say it was a dumb question at all. If you’ll note, what I wrote is about *my* reaction to the question because of my own misperception.
I was happy to answer her question and happy that she asked. As I said, I spent several minutes talking with her (and in fact, only moved on when we were interupted by someone else, having a different question). The fact that I was led to wonder if an author should be more aware of these things doesn’t mean her question was dumb, only that *I* thought someone interested in publishing would have already known what digital release is. See where assumptions lead you? To an RTB column
>>Unfortunately, I’ve yet to meet with an ebook-reader that even comes close to being what I want/need. If I’ve missed the boat please give me a link to the reader of my dreams!
Oh.
I messed up the code and lost half my post. What I meant to say was:
Hewlett Packard Jornada (Series 540), $60 secondhand from Ebay. I love, love, love it, and I never thought anything could come close to replacing paper books.
I’ve blogged about it, or you can Google the name.
Even if the majority of books are still being bought at places like Target, it’s still important for an author to maintain an online presence. It’s not just about being available to anyone who googles you, it’s also about pre-empting bad reviews in google rankings from readers who decide for one reason or another they didn’t like your book. If you don’t have a web presence, your potential readers are going to find that bad review rather then your website.
Well Tonda, I do love my Ebookwise. I think the “perfect” reader is truly in the eye of the beholder, because I know people who prefer their Ipaq, while I didn’t care to read on mine. So I suppose it all depends on what you’re looking for, but I’m quite passionate about my Ebookwise, as I said
Anonymous, you make a good point. It is nice to have your website as the first thing that pops up on a Google search, versus something that might not be as favorable.
Yes, aspiring authors must be internet savvy. New authors must be willing to maintain a website. I can’t imagine researching without it.
However, I’ll dig in my heels about reading an ebook. I don’t mind researching online, I don’t mind writing at my desk, but I have no desire to read a book from a screen.
Oh Virginia, you wound me
I won’t use the comments here to convince you of reading an Ebook (truly, reading on a reader instead of a computer makes a huge difference). I’ll save that for a later guest column at RTB. It’s definitly its own subject!
I’m all for having a website (I certainly have one, started it well before I sold, and my editor told me one of the reasons she read my submission the day it arrived was because she loved my site).
I’ll check out the Jornada, thanks for the tip (lots of my friends are epubbing and I just HATE reading on the computer).
As an interesting aside: this might not apply across the board to all genres, but it certainly puts Amazon’s signficance into perspective, if you haven’t seen this before:
http://www.sarahweinman.com/confessions/2005/07/there_is_no_bet.html
And to quote the post (from July of last year):
“Over a three week period this summer [2005], the following sales numbers were recorded for a NYT bestselling thriller writer’s most recent book:
B&N: 4,140
Waldenbooks: 4,888
Borders: 3,993
Anderson Merchandisers/Walmart: 47,671
Target: 16,341
Price/Costco: 17,291
Sam’s: 14,108
Amazon: 320 “
If you just look at how many comments there are here already, you can see what a hot topic this is. I’m embedded in the epublishing world. But it doesn’t surprise me to hear there’s people who don’t know, or if they do couldn’t give a rats arse about it. It’s sad.
I think you can make a name for yourself awhile without knowing, but I think eventually those same people will be floundering when it’s time to catch up.
Angela,
Yes, I do know that you wouldn’t ridicule the questioner. The fact that she felt comfortable enough to ask the question says a lot about your personality (all good).
It’s merely that I’m a big believer in no bad questions, even ones that make me look like an idiot for asking them. I’ve seen more than one author stuck in no man’s land due to lack of knowledge.
And I would look at that question as an indication of the state of digital publishing. AUTHORS don’t even know what it is. Can you question why many readers also don’t?
Seems there is more educating left to do. (Why aren’t e-publishers pushing the product in schools? Free public domain access for kiddies? Get them young and help school board budgets)
I’m a big believer in e-publishing. I merely think it’s still a generation out in the product acceptance curve.
Another great reason to have a website (if not a blog) is because people like to interact with authors. They like getting to know you. They like knowing that you know they exist!
I remember the first time one of my favorite authors said my name on a forum. I think I was dizzy for a second or so. I think it’s so important to build a relationship (on your terms of course). That’s how you build a super loyal fan base.
I think it’s important. Despite the fact that the blog phenomenon has become overbloated over the past year, I think that having a well-designed website with a clean layout whose content(most importantly) consists of excerpts and information about written and upcoming manuscripts & regular updates–whether it be a blog or new material added to the website–establishes basic contact with readers. You can always do little things like taking out ads, posting flyers, etc, but if there isn’t a “home base” for even non-internet savvy people to check out, I feel that you’d miss out on sharing what you do with as many people as possible.
Tonda/Kalen, I hate reading on the computer too. Reading on a PDA is a whole different experience. And, delightfully, because it’s a screen rather than a page, I can read in bed without turning on the light and disturbing my partner.
Immi
x
You didn’t give an indication of the age of the author who asked the question. Keeping up with the constant changes in technology and all of the information available as a result of those changes can be viewed thru generational glasses. There are a lot of aspiring authors who are in 50+ and may be less savvy than a younger aspiring author. Doesn’t excuse them their lack of knowledge but does make it understandable. At the same time, there are younger folks who have less exposure to the Internet, by virtue of their backgrounds, personal circumstances, or simply choice, and therefore are less savvy.
There’s so much to know. I have to admit that I don’t know as much about epublishing as I probably should because until recently I too shied away from reading online. I like the feel of a book in my hand and the ability to take it with me wherever I go. Yet I just was offered my first epublishing contract so I’ve been furiously trying to bone up on the subject. Completely unexpected. I’ve been focusing on traditional publishers.
Be kind to those who know less than you about some subjects. They probably know more than you about others. I’m glad you took the time to answer that author’s question.
The internet is a must. I have found a TON of ‘in the wind’ info before it hit official channels like RWR, or, conferences. I’ve learned a lot, and met a lot of great people. I’ve also purchased a vast number of titles this year I wouldn’t otherwise have known about were it not for the internet promotions, from static websites, to buz on another author’s blog, or a review site. I have a whole folder of blogs and sites I visit just to keep up. And it doesn’t take a ton of time. Less than 20 minutes most days, and that includes posting back.
Personally, I have yet to meet an editor or publicist that hasn’t felt a strong web presence isn’t vital for an author. Word of mouth is still the best selling tool for an author and there’s no better place for getting that going than the internet. A ripple started virtually can really pick up momentum and easily spread to the real world.
I started in Ebooks, made a decent living in ebooks, and now also have contracts in NY for two series in additon to my 3 series at Elloras. I recieved several offers as a result of editors and others reading my ebooks, (not an uncommon experience) so based on my experience, I’d say it’s foolish for any aspiring author today to close their eyes to the real opprtunities epublsihing can afford them.
[...] This past week readers have been talking websites and how we really like them. Author websites provide us with information on what is next, what you’ve written in the past and whether we will like your books if you are new to us. Essentially, they are an online sales brochure which help convince eager readers to buy, buy, buy. [...]
[...] There are several interesting entries all over the blogsphere about author websites. [...]
[...] Romancing the Blog: Internet or die… on the mid-list? [...]