Real or fake writers

My writer’s group brought up a number of times the topic of what makes a ‘real’ writer. Personally, I feel if you’re writing, either for enjoyment or for money, you’re still a writer, because it’s the act of writing and putting those thoughts, ideas, and stories to paper.

As one writer put it- “You get the validation of a publishing company if you’re officially published”. Well, yes. You can say that you’ve passed the rejection phase and endured the trial by fire all authors must face when getting their work to print, but consider this-

Many authors- great authors- were rejected a number of times by publishing companies. Doesn’t that show that they are not the end-all-be-all of what the manuscript is worth? I often wonder how many other great stories are out there, or thrown out, because the author was rejected for whatever reason.

I love the idea through ebook publishing and self publishing the cream rises to the top. Readers, then, decide what makes a story great, and determines its worth. Publishing companies might see themselves as shoved out of the way in favor of the general public making the decision of what makes a story great.

And I like that idea.

To think we might never have books like War of the Worlds, The Time Machine, or even Edgar Allen Poe’s works- all faced rejections. Even Beatrix Potter received enough rejection she self-published. All those publishing companies would deny the world these books for whatever reason they deemed the stories and writing ‘unworthy’.

I’d like to judge myself, thank you.

What do you think? What are your thoughts on self-publishing vs publishing, or rejections?

Technorati Tags: writer,journey,authors,publishing,self publish,ebooks,epublishing,fiction,non-fiction,ereaders,rejection,submission

 

The wondrous Ebook

Forgive the late posting. My son has been sick, and I’ve been fending off the illness while caring after him. Not fun.

Today I want to talk about Ebooks. They’re not new; they’ve been around for some time, but what makes them so wondrous is we’re entering a new era where Ebooks are quickly dominating the publishing market.

Amazon rewrites publishing rules where authors can easily publish either by printed book (Createspace) or ebook (Kindle), or even publish blog (Amazon Blog publishing), without involving the traditional publishing companies.

This doesn’t bode well for publish companies, however it enables authors freedom to publish and reach their audience through the Web. “But publishing companies get your book on the shelves of stores” you might say. Being we lost our local Borders, and we have few and far between bookstores to buy new books (plenty of old books though), I see publishing via the Web a viable option.

Creating an ebook and selling via a web page is simple. Marketing, however, is key. You need to know how to get the word out. Publishing via Amazon, who already has the established search and tons of customers, certainly helps.

Do you think you will try e-publishing or do you hope to publish the old fashioned way via a publishing company?

Technorati Tags: amazon,ebooks,e-publishing,print-on-demand,writing,authors,edit

Amazon vs publishing publishing companies

When I read this article about Amazon encouraging writers to forego publishing companies, I felt a mixture of excitement but also trepidation. This means big changes for the future of writers.

A friend argued that the reason writers go with publishing companies is that they see their books in the bookstores. What bookstores? In my area, we only have used bookstores and one ‘new’ store. Borders bookstores also closed, where many customers admit to having browsed only to go home and order via Amazon.

I know many writers balk at going through a print-on-demand or ebook methods of publishing. One assumes, after all, the publishing company will do the marketing for them, right? If you’re on Amazon, however, you have a potential market of millions all over the world, not just bookstores.

The profit for writers also increases with self-publishing (print-on-demand or ebook). Of course, this depends entirely on how good the book is and how well you market the book.

I feel either method carries a certain level of gamble. Submit to a publishing company and likely get rejected (over and over as even the great authors have experienced), or publish on my own via Smashwords or Createspace and market things myself.

Bear in mind, ebooks outsell now the printed versions.

Need more information?

Self-publish vs Traditional Publishing- offers some numbers and scenarios on this subject to consider options.

Comparison of self-publishing gives some great information on real experience with various self-publishing companies.

Lulu, Creatspace, Lightning Source, Kindle, Smashwords…Oh My- provides some terrific, real experience tips on these online self-publishing, including mistakes, formatting, and royalties.

I foresee great changes in options for would-be authors, and the publishing companies must adapt and evolve with the fast-paced technology ebook readers provide.

What are your thoughts? Do you hope to publish through a publishing company or publish an ebook/print-on-demand?

Technorati Tags: ebooks,publishing,amazon,smashwords,createspace,lulu,lightning source,print-on-demand,authors,writers

End of Bookstores?!

Our local Borders Bookstore went out of business- or rather, its my understanding, they all went out of business. Around here, however, its one of the few places you could go to sit at the cafe and meet friends, peruse the bookshelves, and even enjoy some of the events they had in the store.

Its a sad day to be sure when you can’t find a bookstores to sit among the stacks and read samples of potential purchases.

I hear people suggest its the end of paper books. I’m not sure to panic about that quite yet, but with Borders going out of business, and many bookstores shifting to e-books, the days of browsing bookshelves might come to an end.

New authors find self publishing to be a growing (and profitable) trend, when it used to be a frowned upon path of action. Publishing companies, you were told, had the corner market on getting them on the shelves and do the marketing for you- not so true any more.

Publishing companies still have the experience of the business on selling books, but self-published authors are growing in numbers, and finding success at what publishing companies cornered as their market.

E-books are also generally cheaper, and you can have thousands on a Kindle, Nook or other e-reader. Will we see the end of backpacks twisting your spine out of alignment in favor of a single e-reader with textbooks and note taking?

Like a paper book, e-reader are often lost or stolen. Look up tech support for a lost Kindle and you find a number of dissatisfied customers.  The IPad, on the other hand, has a Kindle and Nook app, but also have an app to locate the IPad.

I hope Kindle also incorporates this technology. Nook’s technology includes shutting of the SIM to prevent a lost/stolen e-reader from accessing the Internet. Here is a link about lost/stolen Kindle, Nook, or other e-reader.

I don’t see the end of actual paper books, but in my area, we have only a handful of bookstores you can sift through and look at shelves of books. I’d hate to see the end to that.

What are your thoughts on this technology and trend?

Technorati Tags: ebook,epublishing,ereader,writer,book,kindle,nook,ipad,iphone

Self published author of ebooks…

This is an amazing story of an author taking charge of her destiny and publishing via Amazon Kindle. She’s now a millionaire.

I knew of the print-on-demand and even e-publishing methods of publishing your writing, but I think we’ll see more of this method in the coming days.

It makes me wonder if writers, artists, and musicians will even bother with publishers, galleries, or producers in the future. Perhaps their days are numbered?

Technorati Tags: self-publishing,publishing,writer,author,amazon,kindle,ebook,tips,marketing

An article on PDF documents (ebooks)

I’ve found a number of questions amid young writers curious about ebooks and how to create them. They’re easy to create. Its the marketing that’s the ‘unfun’ part. (In my humble opinion).

If you want to more about created PDF documents, click on this article;
PDF Basics and Essential Tools.