Enthusiasm a Must for Today’s Authors

awilson — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:52:39 +0000

I've always been a huge proponent of self publishing.

Years ago, self publishing wasn't easy. Many authors ended up with boxes of books gathering dust in their garages. They wrote the books and paid to publish, but they had a hard time finding buyers for them.

With the explosion of the Internet and social media, the publishing landscape has changed. We have Print On Demand technology that cuts out warehouse costs and cuts down on print costs. We have blogs, podcasts, social networks and online bookstores to sell our stories.

What authors still need is the same thing they needed 20 years ago: The determination to SELL.

One factor I see in many struggling authors is the lackluster enthusiasm for sales. They don't want to market for a variety of reasons: It takes time from writing; they don't like it; they don't want to do it; they don't know how to do it and don't want to try.

To me, this is ridiculous. The author is the best salesperson for their novels. Authors are passionate about their projects - they'd have to be to put up with the grind of the publishing industry. They know the stories intimately, can connect to them in a way that generates amazing enthusiasm - an enthusiasm that carries over when talks to people about it.

Though die-hard fans are excellent salespeople, too, authors cannot rely on them completely to sell. Authors MUST be out there, with a Web site, blog and social media presence. In today's tough publishing market, it doesn't matter if you have a major publisher or publish on your own, you MUST be out there.

Don't like marketing? Let me share the wisdom of one of my coworkers, when I was whining about a design assignment a few years ago:

Suck it up, cupcake.

I laughed for several minutes after she said this to me (partially in jest) and I never forgot it. It's a fun phrase I use to get my butt in gear. Whenever I have something I don't want to do, I tell myself to suck it up - then I get some Ghirardelli chocolates and get to it. (Sometimes, I bake cupcakes in the spirit of it.)

The Authonomy blog has some terrific stories of authors who did it on their own. Through sheer grit, they created their own writing success.

Be sure to check out the post.

What are your own stories of success? When do you get out the cupcakes?

Books Like Coffee: Ordering Made Easy

awilson — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 05:00:00 +0000

After the #amazonfail discussions via Twitter, as well as problems with authors using signatures when they posted reviews, many have wondered if any bookstore could compete with the online retail giant.

Believe it or not, it just might be the indie bookstore just up the street.

The Espresso Book Machine uses POD technology to allow customers at any bookstore to order a copy of a hard-to-find read - and to get it in about ten minutes. From the UK's The Times Online:

It prints something that looks like a book, feels like a book and, to all intents and purposes, is indistinguishable from the thousands of other titles on the shop's shelves (except for the hardbacks, of course, and the sort of blockbuster fiction that has the author's name on the front in big, raised, shiny letters, but then you can't have everything).

Currently, Blackwell's in Britain is testing the machine for three months. Ultimately, the bookseller hopes to save store space - and offer more titles to customers - if the technology proves to be a hit. Of course, the technology fell apart during a trial run with the newspaper - an LOL moment for anyone who has used a copy machine that can also cut wood:

Thor Sigvaldason, co-founder of On Demand Books, the people behind the machine, clicked a mouse and it started making whirry, photocopier-like noises. Laser-printed pages started flying out from the first half of the machine into the second, where the book is made. It was clamped, glued, stuck to the cover, cut to size and spewed out of a letterbox-sized slot in the side of the machine - where it promptly fell apart.

Read the full story - and find out what The Times reporter thought when the final book was printed and in hand.

The machine first debuted in 2006, and is the next generation of an invention by Jeff Marsh called The Perfect Book Machine, created in 2001. The New York Public Library got one two years ago. There are at least five in the U.S. today, with plans for more.

If this technology can finally take off, more bookstores will be able to offer more texts - especially beneficial for small retailers who don't have the inventory of Amazon. For some authors who have a hard time getting stores to shelve their books, the Espresso Book Machine will open up doors that normally would have stayed closed. Small libraries (that can afford it) will be able to offer books to residents they would never have dreamed of before. It will save money in overall print costs - which can be astronomical for a simple tri-fold brochure - and allow booksellers to print only what is needed, so there isn't a huge stock to throw out if a book doesn't sell.

A few negatives: It takes some of the mystery out of publishing. I've met many people who stand in awe of book creation, from writing to printing. Once they see a copy machine create a book (You know that is what they will think.), it won't seem so cool anymore. Also, some will want to pay less for a "photocopy" of a book, rather than the original printing. The machine costs $150,000 to $175,000, according to various reports. That isn't pocket change. Smaller booksellers will need to unite to pay for it, and work out a sharing system that benefits customers in all locations.

Check out this video on the Espresso Book Machine from One Demand Books:

Market My Novel » pod

Enthusiasm a Must for Today’s Authors

Books Like Coffee: Ordering Made Easy