WRITERS: In a free one-hour webinar entitled “Digital Bookmaking Tools Roundup#3,” book futurist Peter Meyers will explore existing options for creating digital books and answer questions about what options are best and easiest to use. Part of O’Reilly Media’s Tools of Change for Publishers series of educational programs, the webcast is scheduled for Thursday, February 23.
Meyers has been reading, writing, and designing digital books for years. In the mid-1990s, he co-founded Digital Learning Interactive, a pioneering multimedia textbook publishing company which he sold to Thomson Learning in 2004. At O’Reilly Media, he worked in the Missing Manual group and led a number of projects aimed at figuring out how to transition from print to digital.
In addition to his expertise in publishing and online learning technologies, Meyers is well-attuned to the concerns of authors and lovers of printed books. He studied American history and literature at Harvard and has an MFA in fiction from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.
He publishes the blog “A New Kind of Book,” and is currently working on a book entitled “Breaking the Page: Transforming Books and the Reading Experience.”
Can Digital Books Be As Satisfying as Print Books?
In the book, “Breaking the Page” Myers raises the million-dollar question: “How do we make digital books as satisfying as their print predecessors?”
Meyers wants to help authors discover reader-friendly ways to use the digital canvas to convey their best ideas. He explains, “As app book tinkering flourishes, and as ePub3 emerges as an equally rich alternative, the time felt right for a look at the difference between what can and what should be done in digital book-land.”
In December, Meyers released three preview chapters so he could get feedback from readers on the digital book examples he provided as well as additional ideas.
The full edition, planned for release later this year, will cover questions such as:
What’s the best way to integrate—and not just add—different media types?
Is it possible to make the viewing experience as seamless and immersive as reading is in print?
How do you pick the best balance between personalized design (reader-controllable font sizing, for example) and author-driven fixed layout? Are there any acceptable compromises?
WRITERS. Whether you plan to go the independent-publishing route or submit your book to an agent, your work must be so remarkable that others will recommend your book to others. As anxious as you might be to get the book published as quickly as possible, it might be wise to get some objective feedback first.
One new source of feedback and assistance is Author Salon, a literary community website for aspiring authors as well as agents and editors in the book-publishing business. Author Salon seeks to help promising writers transform their fiction or non-fiction works into commercially publishable manuscripts. At the same time, Author Salon wants to establish itself as a viable and ongoing source of new projects for agents, producers, and editors in the book and film business.
Author Salon replicates the rigorous work-to-publish environment of a writing workshop. A rigorous peer-pro review system helps winnow serious writers from hobbyists and identify writers who might have the chops to publish commercially successful works. In other words, the process helps you evaluate your own work as an agent or editor might.
“When you sign up for Author Salon there are a lot of questions about your work. Often these questions make you look at your manuscript through new eyes,” explains Alon Shalev, author of The Accidental Activist. “This is essentially the idea, that you see it not as the writer, but as the agent or publisher.”
At its core, Author Salon is about teaching and nurturing the art of good storytelling, whether it involves a story that is true, nearly true, or absolute fiction. To that end, everyone at Author Salon, staff and writers alike, work toward creating the best stories they possibly can.
WRITERS. Here are a few links, quotes and predictions from a variety of expert sources in the book-publishing industry. Reading these posts can help you think strategically about how you develop your skills and manage your writing career.
In this post on GigaOM, industry analyst Michael Wolf states “I’ve never seen a market changing faster than the digital publishing market of today, where the sudden love of e-books has created a ‘digital backdraft’ that has set the entire publishing industry value chain aflame.”
He notes that book discovery is going social: “Whether readers are learning about new books from friends or general-purpose social networks like Facebook or through reading-centric networks like Goodreads, social recommendations are becoming increasingly important in the age of ebooks.”
In another post on GigaOM, Michael Wolf observes that: “Everywhere you look, artists are taking more control over their own economic well being, in large part because the Internet has enabled them to do so. You see it in all forms of content, from books, to video to music.”
He says the web has democratized everything: content production, distribution, and monetization. He also sees a generational shift toward more tech-savvy artists who are creating their own apps and websites.
In this post on Digital Book World, Jeremy Greenfield includes these predictions:
“We will see more self-published best-sellers next year, with an exponential rise in the number of million-selling authors”
“Authors will become disenchanted with the rights they sign away to publishers. Shorter and more flexible copyright terms will become more attractive to authors.”
“The standard ebook royalty from major publishing houses will rise next year and will escalate with increased sales.”
In a press release issued on PRWeb, the author who founded East India Press predicts that “enhanced books” are about to change how we read. He believes we are at the start of a new era in which creative troupes of authors, artists, musicians, and publishers will collaborate to produce “books” in which text, images, and sounds come together in a collage.
On the BookBaby blog, Chris Robley suggests 5 ways he believes that publishing will look different 5 years from now. Here are two of his predictions:
The market for shorter works (10 pages to 10,000 words) will expand. He says, “Size really doesn’t matter. It only matters how useful and engaging the content is. So, pretty soon the novella will be back in vogue. Short stories will sell individually. If you’ve got something valuable and succinct to share, you no longer have to pad it out with fluff, filler, or filigree.”
Digital books will be serialized, including non-fiction books. Readers who purchase an upfront subscription will receive each chapter as soon as it’s finished. Meanwhile, as an author, you can get instant feedback from readers, so you can revise as you go. Robley writes: “By the time you release the full book, it will have gone through an invaluable editing process (for free) and it will be completely up to date.”
Publishers will recognize two types of consumers: those who like the “enhanced” ebooks that include video, audio, and interactivity, and those who prefer “old-fashioned” text-only ebooks. He predicts that publishers will “market these two kinds of products in increasingly different ways.”
Because of the increased costs involved in printing and distributing physical books, Robley also predicts that five years from now publishers will produce e-books for all of their authors, and physical books for only a few.
So, what’s your take? Would you like to share any other links to other big, bold predictions for the future of book publishing?
Last month, I listened in on a terrific Writer’s Digest University webinar entitled “Seven Secrets of Successful Self-Published Authors.” The webinar was presented by Keith Ogorek, Senior VP of Marketing, Author Solutions Inc. (ASI).
ASI has become a leader in self-publishing by introducing new technologies and services to help more authors achieve their personal publishing goals. The firm has worked with more than
85,000 authors and 120,000 titles. ASI is a partner in the Abbott Press division Writer’s Digest.
While working with many self-published authors, Ogorek noticed that those authors who achieved the most success and satisfaction tended to have certain things in common. Authors who didn’t possess these traits or pursue certain actions often were disappointed or frustrated with their self-publishing experiences.
Ogorek is currently publishing a series of posts on his Indie Book Writers blog that delve into these seven traits in more detail. But here’s a quick rundown of the seven traits and actions he discussed in the webinar.
Successful self-published authors can describe their audience in a way that is not unrealistically broad. They can picture their audience in terms of age, gender, interests, and where they go when seeking information.
Successful self-published authors believe in their work. Instead of fearfully sticking their novel in a drawer, they move forward with confidence, even after being turned down by literary agents or traditional publishers.
Successful self-published authors set a deadline for having a finished book in their hands. Sometimes this may be a milestone birthday or scheduled speaking engagement. Or, it could be just a random date. After setting a deadline for completion,
authors then work backward and develop a timeline with project-milestone dates for submitting the final pages to printing, proofreading the layout and design, and having the manuscript edited and cover designed. Experienced self-publishing consultants can help authors establish realistic deadlines and timetables for each phase—including action items authors might otherwise overlook.
Successful self-published authors understand their publishing goals and options. Because writers today have so many options, Ogorek firmly believes “It’s the best time in history to be an author.” But, successful authors first take the time to understand the pros and cons of each option before choosing which route is best for them. The three main options include: traditional publishing, do-it-yourself publishing, or supported self publishing. Which option is best, says Ogorek, depends on each author’s talents, commitment, and patience.
For example, the traditional publishing route first requires selling the work to a literary agent, who must then sell it to a publisher. Authors may get more personal support with
traditional publishing, but must give up final control of the content, cover
design, and when the book is published.
The “do-it-yourself” publishing route (through companies such as Lulu or CreateSpace) gives authors total control over every phase of the process. The author can choose to
assemble his or her own team of designers, editors, and publicists as needed.
Supported self-publishing companies such as Abbott Press give authors easy access to publishing and marketing consultants who can edit manuscripts, design the book, and suggest marketing strategies. With supported self-publishing a manuscript can be converted into a marketable book within about 60 days.
Going the self-published route doesn’t eliminate opportunities to have the same work produced by a traditional publisher, Ogorek emphasized. But whatever route is chosen, authors must be prepared to commit a certain amount of time and money, particularly during the promotion and marketing of their books.
Successful self-published authors know the power of social media. Many authors use blogs to build a following long before their book comes out. Authors also use blogs to position themselves as experts in fields related to the subject of their books and establish online dialogues with potential buyers of their books.
Succesful self-published authors put together a marketing plan before publication. In addition to being able to describe who their readers will be, successful authors plan how they’re going to reach them and decide what kind of marketing help they need to build a groundswell of support even before the book is published.
Successful self-published authors plan a book-launch event. A scheduled book launch party motivates authors to get things done. Ogorek said it’s also a great way to celebrate that “You’ve written to the finish” and achieved your goal of publishing a book.
About The Abbott Press
The Abbott Press is the new publishing division of Writer’s Digest, which has been providing education, resources, and inspiration to authors since 1920. (Check Writer’s Digest University, Writer’s Digest magazine, and the Writer’s Digest bookstore.) In this video, Phil Sexton of Writer’s Digest explains what sets Abbott Press apart from other self-publishing companies.
WRITERS. If you would like to mention in your publicity that you are an “award-winning” author, you can enter a growing number of contests. Whether winning any of these contests has any real value is up to you to decide.
For example, one of the stated goals of the website Readers Favorite is to help authors gain more exposure through a Book Award Contest. In their 2011 Literary Award contest, awards were given in 70+ categories including Children, Christian, Fiction, Non Fiction, Adventure, Fantasy and Romance.
Debra Gaynor, owner of Readers Favorite claims that, “Award winners can enjoy increased exposure and the attention of bookstores, publishers, libraries, journalists and readers.”
Contestants are invited to submit full manuscripts, published and unpublished books, eBooks, audio books, comic books and poetry books. There are four award levels in each category: Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Honorable Mention.
Each winner will receive a personalized Award Certificate, a digital high-resolution version of their Award Seal for publication, and a roll of 500 reflective Award Seal stickers to affix to current editions of their book. Finalists will receive a digital high resolution Finalist Award Seal for future publications of their book, website or other marketing materials.
You can enter a book in one category for $89, or enter in up to three additional genre categories for $65 each. The deadline for entering the 2012 contest is May 1, 2012.
Readers Favorite also helps authors get their books reviewed, and will post the reviews on their site, Barnes & Noble, and Facebook. The site’s reviewers will also post your review on their websites, blogs, and popular review and social-media sites.
According to the Readers Favorite website, “We do not post negative reviews. If an author receives a poor review, we provide constructive criticism to the author instead. We are in the business of helping authors, not hurting them.” You can read bios of the volunteer reviewers on the Readers Favorite website.
WRITERS. Author Learning Center is a new online educational resource for authors engaged in any stage of the story development or the book marketing process. Designed for both aspiring and established authors, the subscription-based community offers live and on-demand webinars, podcasts, videos and articles from industry experts and notable writers.
Some of the sessions covered include:
Working with an outside publicist
Advice for beginning writings
What is a short story?
Constructing a memoir
The elements of a page-turner
Developing your teen writing voice
Writing and editing traps to avoid
How agents can help authors
Tips for getting your book published
Digital marketing
Steps for turning your book into a film
A division of Author Solutions, Inc., the Author Learning Center is built on the experiences gathered during the publishing of more 140,000 new books from over 90,000 different authors. Publishing industry A-listers such as Marvel Comics creator Stan Lee and best-selling authors such as Mitch Albom, Elmore Leonard, and Victor Villasenor will have a presence, providing fun and informative video resources to the Author Learning Center.
“We recognized a basic need that existed in the book publishing community for a comprehensive educational resource designed to guide authors through both the business and creative aspects of book development,” said Keith Ogorek, senior vice-president of Marketing of Author Solutions, Inc. “We envisioned the Author Learning Center as the complete resource for authors to bring their book from the idea phase to the bookshelf.”
Features of the Author Learning Center include:
Author Space. This online workspace is your portal into the Author Learning Center. From here you can access your book projects, personal profile page, the author community and the site’s complete library of educational content. Author Space also provides links to new and popular content as well as recommended content based on your profile settings. Content that has been read or viewed can be easily added to a convenient “My Resources” tab for quick retrieval at a later date.
Book Development Tool. Here you can create a book project, establish a timeline, and track the completion of various book-development tasks using a sliding status bar.
Author Community. This tool functions as a customizable workgroup, allowing you to share content with other authors and solicit feedback and critiques.
Mobile Video Capability. You can access to the videos and webinars of the Author Learning Center via your smartphone or mobile devices.
The Author Learning Center’s full catalog of features is available on a yearly subscription basis for $149. Free, limited guest access is also available. For a free trial subscription, visit http://www.authorlearningcenter.com.
About Author Solutions, Inc.
Author Solutions, Inc. (ASI) is a world leader in indie book publishing. ASI’s self-publishing imprints include AuthorHouse, AuthorHouse UK, iUniverse, Palibrio, Trafford
Publishing and Xlibris. Through strategic alliances with leading trade publishers, ASI is making it possible to develop new literary talent efficiently and provide authors a platform for bringing their books to market.
WRITERS. CD Baby, the largest online distributor of independent music, has launched a BookBaby division that offers e-book format conversion and distribution services to independent authors. Authors receive 100% of the net sales revenues generated through BookBaby’s network of retailers, which include Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, and Sony.
By opening worldwide distribution channels to unsigned artists, CD Baby helped level the playing field between do-it-yourself musicians and major record labels. Over the past decade CD Baby has paid out over $120 million to indie musicians worldwide. Through their new BookBaby division, they want to provide similar opportunities for independent authors.
BookBaby’s services are priced to be affordable to both new and established authors, as well as small-to-mid-sized imprints that want an easy solution for e-book distribution to all major retail outlets.
Since BookBaby doesn’t collect a royalty or commission on sales revenue from authors, it’s as if you went directly to the retailer to sell your e-books. However, BookBaby offers you the added convenience of getting a single consolidated sales report from all of the retailers as well as weekly payments.
With BookBaby’s format conversion services, you can be confident that your e-book can be read on range of e-reading devices, including the Apple iPad, Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, and Sony Reader. BookBaby specializes in converting complex documents, including those that include graphs, tables, multiple images, and embedded video and audio clips.
Their HostBaby services makes it easy for authors to set up a website that can sync multiple blogs, Facebook and Twitter and produce and send e-mails to an unlimited number of mailing-list members.
Ebook cover-design services are also available, from a team of graphic designers who have years of experience creating art for authors, musicians, and filmmakers.
BookBaby recently published a “Blogging 101” guide for independent authors. You can also download a step-by-step guide to e-publishing entitled “Making Your eBook.” The book provides practical advice and a roadmap of steps involved in publishing, distributing, and marketing your e-book.
In the book, “Breaking the Page” Myers raises the million-dollar question: “How do we make digital books as satisfying as their print predecessors?”
