CHAPTER TEN: When I grow up I want to be J.A. Konrath!

Come on, I know that that title is not really what I want to be when I grow up but it is fun to think about. Is the man some sort of superhero or a guy one should strive to be like? Maybe not. However, as a writer and a author I look at what he does and am glad that I am not the only one pushing this new world of publishing.

J.A. Konrath is not the end all be all, but he is someone that "Gets" what is going on. As other writers new and old play the game handed to them people like J.A. make up their own rules and only ask other people to join them.

When I started out as a new author I didn't see the eBook future for what it was. I thought it was a nice way to market and figured in a way Amazon was paying me to advertise. I wondered if the eBook sales would boost my print sales and therefore set out. Little did I know that eBooks were not a good way to market but the way to make a living as a writer.

Do I want to be like Konrath? Not as a person but as a visionary. I am a pusher... a pimp if you will of this new religion called ebooks. Come what may I will preach the message to the world because I see the frustration all around me on the faces of writers who are still playing the publishing game.

Why? Because I am a writer first and a publisher second. This is about reaching out to fans and making a living as a writer. Never before could we compete with the big names on a level playing field as James Patterson, Dean Koontz and Stephen King. "Sweet Dreams" is outselling a Stephen King novel... really! I don't say this to be proud or anything but to give you the idea that some guy in Boise Idaho can do this than so can you.

Konrath is convincing his other author buddies one by one to convert over to this new model. eBooks are not only a good thing for a new author to build a fan base but a amazing thing for established authors to kick their publisher out and begin to receive the benefits of all their hard work. Small publishers like StoneHouse Ink are the ones who will come out looking pretty after the dust storm settles because they get what is going on and bend to the market. Social media, blogging, and online sales not to mention new and very out of the box marketing.

But the real question is what side of the fence are you on. Will you stand with us and fight to give the power back to the author or will you fall with a great and terrible crash as the big 5 kingdom falls.

J.A. Konrath Bolg: http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2010/10/its-your-universe.html

StoneHouse Ink: www.thestonepublishinghouse.com

CHAPTER TEN: Off topic...

And here we go again! If you have been following this blog you will find out in a hurry that I tend to go off topic every now and again. Times like these and my wonderful personality lend to rants and posts of funny and offensive materiel. Can you dig it?

The subject today has nothing to do with books, writing or anything like that. It is the time we all go out to trick or treat and send our children into the dark streets dressed as a witch or a hooker and sometimes as a killer. So fun is it not? Wait, you mean getting candy from random strangers as your pre teen wanders around in a skin tight outfit so the creepy neighbor guy can look at her legs is not cool? Really?

Come on people! When was it ok to buy a hooker outfit from wal mart? They can go with their boyfriend the pimp, maybe we should give out Meth and dookies as well! I am making pot brownies this year and hope to hang with some Jr. High girls out back, want to come over? No just send your kid.

The holiday is lame to start with and laced with nothing of value besides making the candy people a butt load of money and giving me the creeps.

But wait! This year it falls on a Sunday so every one around here is not only going out on Sunday night but did it last night, tonight and on Sunday! When was this a three day event? Does that mean I have to cook more brownies?

Fine, fine you think I am over reacting. That is just proof that I am smarter than you. If you as a 30+ mom wants to go to a party dressed as a sexy nurse and gross out everyone around you because of the way to much skin going on, be my guest. As for me, I might hide out on the roof and dump freezing water on some kids parents just for fun this year... because when they asked for a trick or a treat I just gave them the trick.

CHAPTER TEN: The Old and the New.

I think I forgot that I had a blog for a week or so. With the Idaho Book Extravaganza and all the things going on in the book world I lost it there for a time. No worries, I am back or so I think.

This event was great and the thing that got me was the response from the classes. So many authors out there are hunting a deer that does not exist. The big publishers all seem to have this hold over the minds of us authors and breaking through is like trying to get a boy to stop jumping in mud puddles.

Here is what I got from most the authors I come in contact with.

Frustration:
Why? Well they are told from the start that the way to publish is to write well, submit a great compelling query letter and wait for a response even if it takes a lifetime. And to make matters worse they want to make everyone go to the approved agents who are not taking on new work or they cannot get the big guys to buy any of the books they are selling!

Depression:
They think that the books they spent their hours and soul on are not good enough to be published. They are rejected over and over or not even responded to from the so called big houses. The "Lucky" ones who make a deal are taken on a ride filled with low royalties and empty promises. The end comes and they are left with their work gone and their dreams crushed.

The rest of the story:

I look at this and wonder why no one told this mass of authors and writers that all the rules have changed? Why did no one tell them that book agents are going away and the small publishers are taking their place? The publishing world is not just changing it is no longer the thing it used to be. And is that a bad thing?

I say no.

The big 5 have had their day in the sun, they controlled the hill for far to long and it is time for the indi presses and authors to take back what is rightfully theirs. Now I am not saying that all traditional publishers are like this. most of the small ones are great but this monster that needs to be fed called the book business is about to loose its food source.

Now for you authors that fall into this mess cycle I have good news. You do not have to submit to a agent. You do not need to go to a big publisher to have your dream of having a book on the market realized. You have the power now and if you will only take it back, if you will do instead of wait things will turn.

Here is how things can be:

Stress free:
You write a great book and you submit it to a small publisher one that is a out of the box sort. Maybe one that loves eBooks and social media. You go through the process with a real person to hold your hand and in the end you are able to see your dream and become a published author.

This new way of publishing is not the one where a group of 5 men pay you an advance of 5-10k and after that you make 5-7%. NO, this is not sell your soul and rights away to a big publisher. This is freedom and 50% royalties on all eBooks and high back end royalties. This is "Make a living" selling books and be paid by the fans not some high on a hill house.

Really, which would you rather have, a advance because you convinced 5 guys at a house or money every month because the public loves your work? Do you want 5k up front and .25 per book after that or do you want 5-10k every month because your fans are buying? Are you in this long term or just want the pat on the back that comes with Random House?

The other thing is most publishing houses are not looking for new titles. Most good agents (the ones you want) are not taking on new work. So you can keep submitting your letters to people that are not buying or you can take control of your own future.

CHAPTER TEN: Back Baby!

Holy cow! What in the world have you been doing Aaron? I follow your blog and after you send down some cool posts you drop off the face of the map! What up?

"You know, I am as busy as a fly on day three. I mean I get up and it is go, go, go and crash at night and hope to get a chance to read something before I fall dead to the world in my huge bed."

Whatever... you just think you are all that with your books and the new Nook B&N so gave you and now you are all like cool and junk.

"Deal I got to go to a slam the other night and filter out the smoke with my body so what more do you want? I really think you need a life and quit jibing the poor blogger who needs rest in a bad way."

Sure, you just want to leave us all in the dark. eBook are going crazy and we all want to know how to take it to the streets but you wont tell us the secret. Just sit up there on your high hill...

"-Hold it... back up now. You want something? You want something I think is a must, a event you must attend? Give you a shred of hope? Fine. The Idaho Book Extravaganza, in Meridian Idaho this weekend. Be there and don't bother me."

Dude... you rock!

"Peace out man."

http://idahobookextravaganza.com/

CHAPTER TEN: eBooks and Bookstores

I am at the PNBA trade show here in Portland and most of the vendors here are publishers and book sellers and the attendees are bookstores. I attended some classes and watching this interaction between bookstores and the fear that is shown toward eBooks is something I wanted to touch on here for a minute.

I am a author first and a publisher second. Bookstores are way down on the chain and with the eBook world taking over the bookstores are left to wonder the future. Here is the facts and some thoughts and predictions.

The local bookstore will become what we now know as a record store. They will exist for used books and the rare books or signed copies. This will drive up the cost and we could see in the future books selling for 50+ dollars per book just because they will not be printed any more.

This future may scare some but some bookstore that get this future are doing the things needed now to stay in the game. Books are a way to get content into peoples hands. eBooks are just the new way to do this same thing.

Here are some ideas to hang in there and move the local bookstore to a local e-Bookstore.

Author events and community events. This is your link, what you have to offer to people that a online store cannot. You can bring in the author and connect them to the readers. This is powerful. But doing this needs to be 3 times a week or more and the involvement in book clubs and things like that are what will keep the business in your store.

Social media. Facebook, Twitter ect are the future. If you are not using these forms of advertising and reaching out into your world you are already behind the game. All i can say is this is a from of interaction that you MUST take advantage of... MUST.

Online stores. There are many ways to do this. Have a store where you can sell books and eBooks. This takes you from a small store to a worldwide store and you can talk and sell to people all over instead of just to buyers who come in to your store. Use the social media as your new way to talk and recommend books and all the things that make you special as a store. You can do the same thing and sometimes a better job online.

The key is REACH OUT! Be the place to hang out and the place to meet the local and national authors. But in the middle of this do not forget the local starting author. You are never to big or cool to have a local signing or help one person out. If you do you will be able to be around in the future even if it is online.

CHAPTER TEN: Book Extravaganza... accept no substitute...

I wanted to take a minute to let everyone know about THE event coming to Boise Idaho October 22-23. It is called "Idaho Book Extravaganza." This event will be the first for Boise and we have needed one for a long time now. We have all kinds of art in the park and Shakespeare festival type stuff but not much of anything for books.

Maryanna Young started years ago the "Woman's Fitness Celebration" and is not new to big events or books. She is a great person to boot. She is leading the charge and backed by Aloha Publishing, B&N, Hastings, Starbucks, StoneHouse Ink and Ampelon Publishing it will be the event to be at in October.

There will be vendor booths with local authors, agents, publishers, cover artists, web designers, marketers and more. Every half hour there will be classes with a wide range of subjects from some of the best speakers in the country.

Friday October 22, 2010

SESSION 1 Out of the Box Writing and Marketing 4:00 – 6:00

1. Vincent Zandri, (Best Selling Author and innovative book marketer) Out of the Box Marketing. 4:00-4:30
2. Donna Fletcher Crow (Author of 28 books) How to write a Realistic Novel. 4:40-5:10
3. Speaker to be announced 5:20-5:50

SESSION 2 Future of Publishing 6:00 – 7:30

1. Panel Discussion- Cutting Edge Trends in Writing and Publishing. Caxton Press, Stonehouse Ink and others. Facilitated by Aloha Publishing 6:00-6:30
2. Aaron Patterson (Best Selling Amazon Author) New Ways of Publishing and Selling: E-books, Social Media and More. 6:40-7:05
3. Rick Carns (E Commerce and Non Profit Consultant) How One Non Profit Took Their Book Sales from $15,000 to $470,000 in ONE year. 7:10-7:30

Saturday October 23, 2010

SESSION 1 Authors 10:00 – 12:00

1. Shira Heikkola, (Community Relations Director, Barnes and Noble) How to get my books placed in Barnes and Noble stores and BN.com. 10:00-10:30
2. Ron Benrey, (Author of Writing Christian Fiction for Dummies, speaker, attorney) The Paradigm Shift in Publishing. 10:40-11:10
3. Aaron Patterson, (Best Selling Amazon Author) The E World is Coming, Are You Ready? 11:20-11:50

SESSION 2 Fiction Writers 12:00 – 2:30

1. Janet Benrey, (Author and nationally known literary agent) How to approach an agent. 12:00-12:30
2. Andrew Garcia (CEO of CustomBook Trailers.Net) Creating Hollywood Quality Book Trailers on a Budget. 12:40-1:10
3. Robin Lee Hatcher (Best Seller Author, writer of over 60 published novels) Staying Organized in the Chaos of Writing to Publish. 1:20-2:10

SESSION 3 Non-Fiction Writers 2:20 – 4:10

1. Maryanna Young (Author and CEO of Aloha Publishing) Writing the Book You’ve Always Wanted in Thirty Days or Less! 2:20-2:45
2. Nick Zelinger (World Class Book Designer) Your Book Cover … Create That ‘Love at First Sight’ Look … And Grab Your Target Market’s Attention.2:55-3:20
3. Tom Roy founder of international sports ministry UPI/Jason Chatraw, former sports writer and CEO of Ampelon Publishing. Writing for the sports industry. 3:30-4:00

SESSION 4 Its All About Selling 4:10 – 6:00

1. Peggy Jordan, (Editor and Full Time Writer) Your Ideal Reader—the Key to Writing a Book that Sells. 4:10-4:40
2. Justin Foster, Personal Branding for Authors 4:50-5:20
3. Jon Colson, You’re Done Writing, Time to Start Speaking: Sell You Book to Any Audience With Confidence. 5:30-6:00

You can sign up for the classes online at their website.

Now that you know a little about what this event is all about I ask you to mark your calender and do not miss this event. It will be held at the Silverstone plaza in Meridian. Come and meet the people in the Bizz, and say no to cheap imitations!

See you there!

http://idahobookextravaganza.com/

CHAPTER NINE: The Papers back the Publishers... what a shocker!

New York Times... Wall Street Journal... Big Newspapers and the big publishers all have one thing in common these days. Can you guess?

They are on the underside of a run a way bus and attached to said bus is about ten pounds of C4. The Paper Bus is about to hit the "Bridge Out" sign and burst into a ball of flames.

I read this WSJ article that was passed on from Vincent Zandri and I did try... really I did but this is just so stupid and I had to say something. They must not allow comments for a reason online because this article is not only a head in the sand deal but had little to no research.

You can read it if you like but to sum it up, eBooks are killing the market and making it hard for authors to make a living. Royalties are going down or away and the big publishing dream is taking flight like so many birds. Blah and more blah...

This is not only the .2% of the truth but the writer missed the elephant in the living room.

The publishers have a world built around print. Newspapers do as well but they can change a little easier. This world is about to go bye, bye and they are freaked out! Not like I can't believe you are a guy now kind of freaked out but a you married your dog freaked out!

I am to irked to respond in a long detailed manner and most of you know by now what I think of all this. So to the point here it is.

eBooks are not going away. By 2012 they will have the strong chance of out selling print books. eReaders will pop up in every store including Wal Mart. Heck... they might just open up their own eBook-store and give Amazon a run for their money.

Publishers will downsize and go out of business and small advanced publishers that are not afraid of change but embrace it will take over and work with authors to build the bridge between marketing and connections. Author royalties will shoot to 50% across the board and agents will be no more unless they are eBook experts and help authors self publish.

Big time Bestsellers like King and Patterson will self publish back list titles and begin to publish with smaller presses and some will do it all themselves. Amazon will buy someone like B&N and try to make a run for world domination and force Apple or a new boy on scene to stop them and the battle will begin.

eBooks will be in every home like a iPod and soon schools will have them and all textbooks in a "e" format. A new wavy of eBook conversion company's will crop up and authors will have the pick and frustration of weeding through the good and the bad.

Experts like J.A. Konrath will lead the way and take a huge share of the market to the envy of New York publishers. Battles in court over eRights will begin and after 5-10 years things will calm down and the new line of eReaders will emerge blowing up the thing we all know and love...

Books.

This is a end of the world situation to some and a rebirth to others... Just depends on the side of the fence you are on. IO suggest that you come to my side... we have cookies.

CHAPTER NINE: Dating all over again!

Remember going out with a someone new or if you liked someone and wanted to get to know them. You asked their favorite color and what soda they liked. Wanted to know about their life, family, loves hates and all the worthless info in the beginning needed to be told before getting to the good stuff.

I used to feel like I was doing the same thing over and over again with new people and after a bit I didn't care if they like Pepsi or Coke. It was this dance that seemed to be done with the care of a new car going through the car wash for the first time.

But talk to someone who dated a lot and had to go through this same routine over and over and see what they think. It can be a pain... Really... you like blue, cool... you I like red. No I don't like potato's... i know how un-American.

Ii find that the hardest thing about writing a book is this same dull lifeless thing I want to get to the good stuff... the action, the romance and the plot. I feel like what the main toon looks like or his hair and eye color is just to darn boring. Who cares if he is fat or tall or had bad breath? I know what he looks like and sounds like, why can't you just read my mind!? (said the woman)

But alas... it seems I have no choice... I wonder if I can just leave it out and let the reader make up their mind on who he or she is...

Reading book like a starving kid on the backside of the Africa, I know something of this process. I find that even reading it is a drag... the introduction is the same every time... "He was tall and had a thick jaw with close cropped salt and pepper hair." come on! And as the author goes through every person in the room in this manner after the 15th person I want to throw the book in the trash.

It is like dating all over again... Maybe that is why I like to write series... I can skip so much of the first date... blow past all the description and get the the meat of the story not to worry if the reader knows why so in so hates clowns.

some creative ideas is to introduce someone and just give one detail. Add in the missing info as you write dialogue... Simple and it spares me and you from this aggregating first date every time we open up a new book. But that is just me... and we all know I run a little off the clock.

Here is to the first date...

CHAPTER NINE: Face to face with Facebook

If you live in 2010 the internet and social media is a part of your life. We have gone from a phone on the corner in a booth to cell phones to kids having phones and clubbing together on sites like Myspace and facebook. Twitter and Digg and others are all forms of what we call social media.

Now the question comes up about the use and what this new way of getting in contact with other humans is doing to us long term. It is good or bad? Are we killing real people to people or face to face contact? Is there a way to cope with this new media or will it destroy us?

All good questions and many more are asking with every passing day. I use these sites to market books and things for my business but i can't help to have personal mixed in to this bag as well. Most will use it for personal use and to connect with friends and strangers that are now friends just because facebook said they are.

Here is my thinking.

The first thing is we all know people and friends in a sort of way. We hang out, go bowling or see a movie and maybe ice block down Simplot hill. We know what we know through conversation and experience. But we also have ME time. Time where it is just me with my own thoughts and now these thoughts are online for everyone to see.

We find out things about friends and family we would otherwise never know. Things we might like and others we won't. were we ever meant to know each other this well? I wonder if we are getting to know each other a little to well.

I know that it is hard to be "friends" with real friends and family on facebook. We want to have some things hidden, some things just between us and the strangers we know on this weird land of the online marketing mix of crazy things told. Do i really want my mom to know what dumb thing I did today or every date I go on and how it went? Do I really want a church member or a close friend know that i really think their car is a lame color and only a idiot would drive THAT!?

We will say anything on a status and there is this pressure to say something cool or clever. Some thing to make us look good in front of the world on facebook. Are we a creeper or a friend hog? Do we fit in and it seems we are in high school all over again.

As we adults try to fit in we tend to have no stop to our status updates. We respond to every argument and but in to conversations and carry on in a immature manner. We have all done it and it is so hard not to jump in the middle of something just because it is there. So how is this good for us? how does this help?

It does not and in most cases if we do not ask like adults it can cause bad things to happen in relationships, not facebook ones but the face to face ones. We say a dumb thing it grows and in a day we have a post a mile long and piss just about everyone off. How do i know this? Well I only speak of things i know of...

No matter what we think of facebook or its member social media outlets. The thing we all know and hate is not going away. Therefore we must manage it and learn to use it and be adults. My wife and I went through and "cleaned out" some "friends" and cut the ones that we didn't want to have see our every little detail of our lives and the ones that never had anything good to say.

So rule one if you want to late the facebook run in one piece: Be uplifting and fun. Don't have posts telling everyone that you have a gun to your head once again and you are going to pull the trigger and your life sucks. we all want you to just do it so we all can move along with our lives... no really, be you but hold off on things that will be a bummer to everyone else. I BLOCK YOU... i hide you so what is the point?

Rule two: If someone you know is weird and you never knew it or they think something you had no idea they thought or they are a snob and you were blind to it. Just be nice and say nothing. Now if this weird person you call a friend begins to bash you or something thy should not by all means step in... but hold off if you can and jump in the mix only if you feel like taking it to the mat.

Rule three: Don't be to open and out there. some things are personal and keeping that in mind will help to keep your life simple. If you had a hot date or woke up to find you wet the bed, that might not be facebook worthy if you know what I mean.

Rule four: Think. I know... it is hard and might hurt but take a moment and think about what you respond to and what you say. This is a great time to be a help to others, a friend in the real aspect.

Rule five: lighten up. If you take it easy and don't jump on every living band wagon you see things might be better for everyone in your "friend" list. think about the reason you are on facebook. Is it to see grand kids or just to hang out. Are you there for business or pleasure. Remember who you are talking to and think about what they are there for. If we all cut each other some slack things might just be fun and the fights would go down.

In time facebook will be another Myspace. The older step sister is now all but dead and soon FB will be replaced with the new better model. This technology is not going away and we as social media consumers need to learn to adapt and work withing the walls of this world online. Maybe more of us will take the time to meet our online friends, if we did we might learn some more about each person and be better off for it.


Oh... and please stop the pictures of yourself in the mirror or holding out your camera phone... that was so last year Myspace... get with the times!

CHAPTER NINE: The Business of Writing

I talk to writers all the time and one thing I notice is that most of us are full of desire and inspiration and passion. Art in all its forms is from the soul and like standing naked on a busy street. Our heart and soul is out there for all to see and it is scary.

Because of this most artists are not business men/women. We tend to be a bit introverted and care more ab out hiding away with a book or a paint brush in hand instead of in front of lots of people.

This fact is not a good mix to sell books. It is a bad thing if you want to make a living at this writing bizz. Now we cannot change who we are but do not be shocked if selling is hard and the book never goes anywhere.

Writing is a business. It must be looked at as a selling marketing product moving business if we are going to live off the written word. If you doubt this, take a look at thousands of authors that have a book in print and after selling to family they are now the owner of a lot of garage fodder and Christmas and white elephant gifts to last a lifetime.

If you had invented a great soap you would need to do things to market your soap and move product. Why do we look at books different? Is it not a business? Is it going to just get into people's hands by the sheer fact that we wrote it? Did the greats and bestsellers just sit back never doing anything?

Take a large and needed step back and get outside of your own emotions. This is a business, you are selling yourself and a product. If people like you they will buy your product. If you treat your writing like this you will sell books and thereby make a living doing what you love.

If you want to write for a living this is a must. Forget winning the lottery, forget the magic eight ball and all the schemes like book reviews and awards and a standing in the literary community. I will never be a part of the snobbery of this crowd because I lack the skill to hob nob with these great minds and my writing in their minds is hack and sub-par. Do I care?

No

Most this crowd will sit on a high hill and never go anywhere and never sell many books. I am interested in selling books, reaching people and doing what I love. Are you?

The praise of fans and the writing groupies will not sell more books. Yes the pat on the back may feel good but how will that pay for a box of diapers? Can I give the power co a book reviewed by NY Times or some hot shot reviewer?

Market your brains out, go to anything you can to get you and your work out there and work it like it is a real job, if you do one day it will be your real job.