The Road to Self Publishing is paved with gold

NOTE THIS IS A REWORKED VERSION OF AN EARLIER Archive ARTICLE

The road to self publishing is paved with gold - yeah, sure!

There's an interesting article HERE on this very subject. It's a refreshing read since all we seem to hear about are the mega sales of folk like Amanda Hocking and J A Konrath, but for every big seller there are thousands of others struggling with low, often non existent, sales. So why is this? Well there's a lot of dross out there, of course.But even well established authors, with a proven track record are finding it difficult to shift units in bulk.

Raymond Benson, a well known  writer, the third official author of the James Bond series, recently wrote about his own difficulties in selling his back list as eBooks and Archive friend, Chap O'Keefe, a very well respected western author, has reported that sales are slow with his own eBook titles.

Is it all about promotion?  Take Joe Konrath for instance - he constantly preaches promotion while making claims of massive sales, often selling a truck load of books before dinner time. And yet I've tried to corner him for an interview with the Archive for some time and had no response. John Locke, on the other hand, has talked to the Archive -  he holds the distinction of being the first self published author to sell a million titles. Congratulations John - we're thrilled for you. I could make the outlandish claim that the Archive is responsible for Locke's success, but of course it isn't as the author is a bloody good writer and his work is addictive. He has also worked long and hard at promoting his books but the most important fact is that they are engaging books.  However  in the spirit of outlandish claims I'm gonna' make it anyway - APPEAR ON THE ARCHIVE AND SELL A MILLION!!!!!!!!
 
It took some time for my popular Granny Smith series to find a readership, but now that it has sales are strong from week to week -. I've promoted the hell out of these books, and I shall continue to promote the series.


Maybe readers are reluctant to buy eBooks by new authors after being stung by some of the badly written, badly edited crap out there, but that doesn't explain why true craftsmen like Chap O'Keefe and Raymond Benson  are struggling to make the eBook model work. At the moment we live in a world where anyone can easily publish a novel to eBook using Amazon, Smashwords or Barnes and Noble, and believe me many do - some it seems bang out something in a matter of days, bung up a cover with Photoshop and then press publish and  their creation is soon available to the world.

I do strongly believe though that true talent will shine through - at the moment the self publishing craze seems to have levelled out, but as time goes on readers will soon discover what is good and what is not. Self publishing platforms like Amazon really do need to introduce some quality control if they are to ensure their eShop contains nothing but quality writing, still I fear this will never happen since money is made from the good as well as the bad, and the bad outnumbers the good by seemingly sixteen squillionwilliontwillion to one.

Though have no fear - writers will continue to write, since that is what they have to do, what they must do.

Joe Konrath signs with Legacy Publishing House: Hypocrisy or shrewd business opportunity?

It will seem a strange move to his fans, but self publishing superstar Joe Konrath, who has spent many years crusading against traditional publishers, calling them unnecessary in the modern digital world, has signed with Kensington Books in a bid to bring out his bestselling eBooks in mass market paperback. Konrath's blog, A Newbies Guide to Publishing contains countless posts in which the author hits out at traditional publishing, Legacy publishing as Konrath calls it and yet the author has now signed with Kensington to bring  his back list to the mass market.

It makes perfect sense but it does seem to make Konrath an hypocrite - he has made the claim that he doesn't need a traditional publisher many times, said he wouldn't want one and yet now that the opportunity to see his books in mass market paperback comes along Konrath's not hesitated to take the deal. This would seem to belie eveything he has ever written at his blog - A Newbies Guide to Publishing - and is a slap in the face to all the aspiring self pubbers who followed his every word, bought his books in large numbers. But then Konrath has always had his critics and those who who have over the years labelled him as CONrath, will take his latest move as vindication for all they have said about him. Many have called Konrath's claims of huge sale figures as false after checking his claims against his Amazon rankings. Don't forget Amazon don't publish actual sales figures so Konrath's claims have always been hard to check.

Back in 2012 Konrath wrote on his blog:

Legacy publishers are a cartel. I suppose it could be a coincidence that the Big 6 all have exactly the same (low) royalty structure, and shockingly similar contract terms. But collusion seems easier to believe, and this collusion is aimed at limiting the income and power of authors. Legacy publishing contracts are painfully one-sided.

Legacy publishers have zero transparency when it comes to things like sales, returns, print runs, and inventory, and keep authors in the dark.

Legacy publishers fix prices. That's what the agency model is. Even worse, these prices are too high and hurt authors' sales.

Legacy publishers sometimes fail to edit.

Legacy publishers abandon books, releasing them into the market without any push at all.

Legacy publishers pay royalties twice a year. Are you freaking kidding me?!? It's 2012! Why are their accounting and payroll departments stuck in 1943?

Legacy publishers embraced returns for full credit. This is the biggest fail in the history of retail, and the reserves against returns practice has screwed thousands of authors. Isn't it funny how whenever you hear about an author auditing a publisher, unreported sales are always discovered?

And in the same article, speaking about his move to self pubbing, Konrath said - I don't rant against legacy publishers because because they've wronged me. I rant against them to warn other authors, and show them better options. The path I'm on now is so much more rewarding, both monetarily and emotionally.



Kensignton's mass market publication of The List this May marks the start of a  partnership that both Konrath and the publishing house hope will be fruitful. Konrath, who is arguably the biggest self proclaimed success story in self-publishing, claims to have sold more than two million copies of his books throughout the world. But The List has never been available in bricks-and-mortar bookstores. That's about to change. And its release will be followed by two more of Konrath's Horror Collective books, with Origin coming in December 2018 and Endurance in May 2019.

There is no disputing the fact that Konrath did well as a self pubbing writer, (Though there are many who dispute the incredible sales figures he regularly posted on his blog) and that his blog in which he outspokenly attacked traditional publishing did a lot to help in his success - he tapped into a vast market of frustrated writers who couldn't get a book deal and they took Konrath as their guru, supported him by buying his books, making him a lot of money And now the man who once wrote - I've been preaching since 2010 that self-publishing is not only a viable alternative to the legacy industry, but it can indeed be a preferable one.- seems to have jumped into bed with the so called legacy publishers he once relentlessly attacked.

Check out Konrath's post on exploited writers HERE

It does though seem odd that a man who claims such huge sales figures through self publishing, with him keeping 100% of the royalties would need this deal with Kensington. Maybe his detractors are correct and his name should be spelt CONrath.


Konrath recently said of the Kensington deal - "Kensington has tremendous reach in the paper book market. To have my work available in bookstores, big-box stores, airports, drugstores, supermarkets, and the many other places books are sold is a wonderful opportunity."

'If you're offered less than six figures for a publishing deal, think long and hard. I believe you can sell more, and earn more, on your own.'  Joe Konrath writing on his blog in 2010. So did Kensignton pay Konrath more than six figures for the rights to his backlist? I somehow doubt that.


In short, it would seem that Kensignton have offered Konrath everything he once said he could do without.

Indie Publishing - Self Publishing - How to make a Million

NOTE THIS IS A REWORKED VERSION OF AN EARLIER Archive ARTICLE

The road to self publishing is paved with gold - yeah, sure!

There's an interesting article HERE on this very subject. It's a refreshing read since all we seem to hear about are the mega sales of folk like Amanda Hocking and J A Konrath, but for every big seller there are thousands of others struggling with low, often non existent, sales. So why is this? Well there's a lot of dross out there, of course.But even well established authors, with a proven track record are finding it difficult to shift units in bulk.

Raymond Benson, a well known  writer, the third official author of the James Bond series, recently wrote about his own difficulties in selling his back list as eBooks and Archive friend, Chap O'Keefe, a very well respected western author, has reported that sales are slow with his own eBook titles.

Is it all about promotion?  Take Joe Konrath for instance - he constantly preaches promotion while making claims of massive sales, often selling a truck load of books before dinner time. And yet I've tried to corner him for an interview with the Archive for some time and had no response. John Locke, on the other hand, has talked to the Archive -  he holds the distinction of being the first self published author to sell a million titles. Congratulations John - we're thrilled for you. I could make the outlandish claim that the Archive is responsible for Locke's success, but of course it isn't as the author is a bloody good writer and his work is addictive. He has also worked long and hard at promoting his books but the most important fact is that they are engaging books.  However  in the spirit of outlandish claims I'm gonna' make it anyway - APPEAR ON THE ARCHIVE AND SELL A MILLION!!!!!!!!
 
It took some time for my hugely popular Granny Smith series to find a readership, but now that it has sales are strong from week to week, and a fourth title in the series will be published at the end of March 2016. I've promoted the hell out of these books - indeed the first three titles are currently at a low low price on Amazon until the new book comes out- and I shall continue to promote the series. 


Maybe readers are reluctant to buy eBooks by new authors after being stung by some of the badly written, badly edited crap out there, but that doesn't explain why true craftsmen like Chap O'Keefe and Raymond Benson  are struggling to make the eBook model work. At the moment we live in a world where anyone can easily publish a novel to eBook using Amazon, Smashwords or Barnes and Noble, and believe me many do - some it seems bang out something in a matter of days, bung up a cover with Photoshop and then press publish and  their creation is soon available to the world.

I do strongly believe though that true talent will shine through - at the moment the self publishing craze seems to have levelled out, but as time goes on readers will soon discover what is good and what is not. Self publishing platforms like Amazon really do need to introduce some quality control if they are to ensure their eShop contains nothing but quality writing, still I fear this will never happen since money is made from the good as well as the bad, and the bad outnumbers the good by seemingly sixteen squillionwilliontwillion to one.

Though have no fear - writers will continue to write, since that is what they have to do, what they must do.

Indie Publishing - Self publishing - Traditional publishers warned to recognise the worth of self published writers

Hannah MacDonald, currently at September publishing, warned industry insiders to send out polite rejection slips or risk losing future best-sellers to self publishing. Hannah who has worked for HarperCollins was speaking recently to the Independent newspaper and she stated that traditional publishers could do more to nurture young writers.

'It is very difficult for editors to find the time to add constructive criticism to rejections,' she told the newspaper. ' But if we can't communicate with the authors of the future we risk losing them to self publishing. They will abandon the traditional industry.'

Publishing must not be seen as a closed fortress, Hannah warned.

Indie Publishing: Self Publishing Basics - Dealing with self doubt

No matter how well you work social media, or how skilled you are at producing blog posts that generate  serious traffic, none of this will benefit you as a writer if you don't, first produce a decent book. If you're not prepared to put in the work in, many many hours with little if any financial reward then you'd be better off giving up now. Sorry to be so negative but that's just the way it is. You need to write a damn good book. That is the single most important step in your career as a writer - getting published is hard work, staying published and becoming successful is even harder, but without first having written the best book you can then you've got no chance.

There is no easy route to success. In fact if you want to make money quickly then writing is not the way to go -  you'd be better off getting a regular job but there are some of us who positively need to write. Writing is buried in our DNA and no matter how hard it becomes we have no choice but to torture ourselves creating our fictional worlds, and although we are regularly visited by self doubt we simply work through this, trusting in the dream that one day someone will recognise our work. It is for those people, this poor multitude of which I am a member, those with a burning in their gut that can only be soothed by applying the fingers to the keyboard, the pen to the page, that this series on Indie publishing/self publishing is aimed.

Audiobook - find the book at Amazon/Barnes and Noble

Self doubt is natural, though dangerous - we all feel it from time to time but the only thing to do with it is give  it a good kick in the balls, and stamp all over it when it hits the ground. I, like everyone else, get regular visits from the self doubt monster -  whenever a passage is not going well, or I struggle with a plot point, that monster is there, leaning over my shoulder and whispering in my ear - 'Give up, call it a day. Give up.'

 I've kicked that beastie in the balls so many times that my foot aches. Now I'm lucky in that I'm a hybrid author and have and continue to be traditionally published, so whenever I fail to see any worth in my work I simply tell myself that my agent, my publishers and my readers see that worth.


 Self/Indie publishing is something I do alongside my other books - this year for instance will see two of my books traditionally published - Riding the Vengeance Trail, a western written under the penname, Jack Martin will be released in hardcover this May from Crowood Press, and Dark Valleys, a non-fiction look at historical murders commited in the South Wales valleys will be out in paperback from Pen and Sword Books.  And then on the Indie/Self publishing front next month will see the publication of the fourth title in my popular

Granny Smith series, and I've also got another project, provisionally titled, The Reluctant Terrorist in the planning stages. There are other things going on, of course. There has to be if I want to sustain and grow my writing - the first of the Granny Smith books, Granny Smith Investigates (20012) which has twice hit the top ten in the Kindle Cozy Crime charts will make the transistion to audiobook next month.

Now granted many of you reading this may not have the kudos of having a traditional publisher in order to soothe away self doubt, but that doesn't matter. If you are meant to write, then you'll do just that and with hard work, a lot of hard work, success is there for the taking. It may take awhile, a long long while to get there but real writers will get there, no matter how long it takes they will get there.

Below are a list of just three of the many authors who have made it big in the self publishing world, so when self doubt takes hold then take heart from the magnificent trio below. They've done it and so can you.

Kevin Bochaz

Kevin Bohacz -  Kevin saw his first two books, Immortality and it's sequel, Ghost of the Gods explode on Amazon, occupying high positions in the charts. His almost immediatel success surprised him -    “It baffled me,and I was really looking for the cause because I’d like to be able to repeat it.”   Though Kevin's sucess is no mystery. He simply write good, compelling stories and the readers found him.


Russ Colchamiro - in 2010 he published, Finders Keepers, and found success that many of us can only dream of. He wrote this book while balancing a full-time job and three-year-old twins, so dedication is it seems of paramount importance if you want to replicate this success. And since then he has built on the first novel and created a franchise that seems to gather fans at the rate of knots. Part Terry Pratchett, part Douglas Adams, Ross has given us a universe that we want to return to time and time again.

Joe Konrath

Joe Konrath - works in the thriller, mystery and horror genres and what is truly remarkable about Joe is that as well as churning out hugely popular fiction, he manages to maintain a Indie publishing blog that is a must read for anyone interested in indie writing - the newbies guide to publishing. Joe is outspoken and often seems to be on a mission to bring traditional publishing to its knees, but above all else he writes damn good books. I've not a fan of his horror work but his mysteries are favourites...I recently read his, Cherry Bomb and found myself both laughing out loud and gnawing at my fingernails. I may not always agree with what Joe has to say on his blog but I always return to read more...you should too.
 


 

Indie Publishing: 2016 - The State of Play

Looking back through the archives of this blog, the reader will discover that I've always supported digital publishing. Right at the beginning, when the Kindle was just one of the eReaders fighting for our hearts, minds and money - back in 2011 in fact, in an article entitled, The Times they are a'changing, I wrote, 'It's a new phenomenon and many in the publishing industry believe that the lunatics have finally taken over the asylum - only recently there was a stigma against self publishing, which seemed to be lumped under that dreaded term, Vanity Publishing. These days however things are changing - and rapidly. With the advent of eBooks and the ease in which anyone can publish to a platform like Amazon's Kindle, we are seeing newcomers outselling long established names.'

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.

And now in 2016 the eBook market has, if not mutured, then at least entered it's troubled teenage years. The Kindle device now dominates the market, although there are other eReaders that have pretty solid user bases. Kobo eReaders for one have a strong following, as does the Nook but for the writer it is the Kindle which is the gold standard. Amazon have the best eBook store out there and for author's hoping to gain an audience it is the Kindle that  offers the best opportunities. Though that is not to say you should ignore the other platforms and it is a good idea when producing your eBook file to create an ePub version alongside the mobi for uploading to marketplaces other than Amazon.


I got into self publishing, though I prefer the term Indie Publishing, back in 2012 when I made the first of the Granny Smith series available to the Kindle and Kobo devices. I'm what you would call a hybrid author - I publish traditionally with Crowood Press and Pen and Sword Books, but I also publish my cozy crime novels under my own own digital publishing house, Red Valley Books. This year will also see two of my western novels, LawMaster and Wild Bill Williams published by the excellent Piccadilly Publishing. Sales of the Granny Smith series have been strong with both Granny Smith Investigates and Granny Smith and the Deadly Frogs going top five several times in the Cosy

Crime charts. The first book, Granny Smith Invetigates went as high as No 2.

Next month will see the publication of the fourth Granny Smith title, Mudrer Plot and in the build up to publication the previous three titles are on offer for the knock down price of 0.99c or equivalent. So now may be a good time for new readers to check out the books.

Now after several years of self publshing - no scrub that and start again - Now after several years of INDIE PUBLISHING I have learned one or two things, and I intend to share these hard learned lessons with readers of the Tainted Archive through a series of articles that goes under the collective  title, Indie Publishing. This article here is an introduction to the series, and I aplogise upfront if I mention my Granny Smith series several times in each article...hey, the importance of  self publicity is one of the things you'll learn during this series of articles.

Next: Writing that book

Self Publishing goes mainstream

From the Bookseller

Pearson has acquired self-publishing company Author Solutions Inc for $116m (£74m) in cash, with Penguin c.e.o. John Makinson saying "self-publishing has moved into the mainstream of our industry".
Formed in 2007, ASI generated approximately $100m of revenues in 2011, according to a Pearson statement, growing at an average annual rate of 12% over the past three years, with its revenues stemming primarily from services to authors. The company has worked with 150,000 authors to publish, market and distribute 190,000 books, with approximately 1,600 staff located mainly in Bloomington, Indiana and Cebu City, the Philippines.

In a statement, Penguin said the acquisition gives it "a leading position in this fast-growing segment of the publishing industry and brings significant opportunity for the two companies to collaborate".
The statement said ASI's strengths lie in "online marketing, consumer analytics, professional services and user-generated content", with Penguin contributing "design, editorial and sales skills, and its strong international presence", as ASI looks to expand outside the US.
Makinson said: "This acquisition will allow Penguin to participate fully in perhaps the fastest-growing area of the publishing economy and gain skills in customer acquisition and data analytics that will be vital to our future.”

He also said: "Self-publishing has moved into the mainstream of our industry over the past three years. It has provided new outlets for professional writers, a huge increase in the range of books available to readers and an exciting source of content for publishers such as Penguin. No-one has captured this opportunity as successfully as Author Solutions, which has rapidly built a position of world leadership on a platform of outstanding customer support and tailor-made publishing services."
ASI chief executive Kevin Weiss said the company was looking forward to being part of Penguin's "vibrant culture" and said the company "look[s] forward to accelerating the pace of change the industry is experiencing. As part of Penguin, we will be on the front-end of that change and have the broadest set of offerings of any publisher today. That means more opportunity for authors and more choice for readers."

Author Solutions will be integrated into Penguin's infrastructure, but will continue to be run as a separate business. Pearson will be expensing integration costs in 2012, and expects the acquisition to boost adjusted earnings per share and to generate a return on invested capital above Pearson's weighted average cost of capital from 2013.

Self publishing - the big sellers and how they did it!

Joe Konrath could be called one of the superstars of self publishing - he's shifted a lot of books and he continues to do so. He runs a great blog, The Newbies Guide to Publishing which no doubt helps to sell his books - and so it should, there's a lot of interesting and helpful information there. But the way he seems to gain his following is by using shock jock tactics. He goes all out for controversy in post after post, in which he goes for the traditional publishing model like a bull who has spent far too long in the sun. And he's at it again in this POST by attacking Stephen King. Now it's obvious that the author is trying to stir things up, hoping that the media will run with his comments in which he offers to congratulate Stephen King for being one of the few bestselling writers to advocate eBook piracy. How did King do this? Well he didn't really but Konrath decided that a statement that King's new novel for Hardcase Crime will be available in paperback only, was an open invitation to piracy. This sort of approach may not work for everyone, and the more faint hearted will balk at the idea of attacking publishers, booksellers and other authors for being too dumb to understand just what is happening with this new digital medium. But it sure works for Joe.

John Locke on the other hand is much more gentle but none less effective in his marketing - more so really seeing as how Locke was the first self published author to sell a million eBooks with Amazon. Locke does however make a big deal of using social media and he is very active on Facebook and Twitter - not so much with his blog though which doesn't seem to have been updated for weeks. Locke's eBook, How I sold 1 million eBooks in 5 Months is well worth reading as he details the way he used social media to shift so many books. Locke is a great believer in building up a mailing list of fans. He seems to have created a system for marketing his books that works so well it’s infuriating. He cracked the code. His success is pre-meditated.  "My success came from the friends and authors I met on Twitter and through blogging, emailing, and selling books one person at a time." John Locke

Two very different authors and two very different approaches, but they both have something in common and that is that they both produce extremely readable books. And that is the single most important factor for success so whatever method one uses to get their work noticed, they have to produce good work in the first place.

And so in the spirit of experimentation I am going to try and get you all to buy my novel, The Rhondda Ripper by copying the methods of the two big guys, and what's more I'm going to do it here and now:

Firstly in Joe Konrath mode -  Buy my book The Rhondda Ripper by Gary M. Dobbs and prove all those scummy, gatekeeping, tosspot publishers who didn't publish it wrong. I am the digital guru and you need to follow my example but first buy my book.

And now in John Locke mode - Please buy my book The Rhondda Ripper by Gary M. Dobbs. Go on pretty please all my Twitter and Facebook friends whom I know intimately, each and every one of you. I'll have you all around for tea and biscuits next weekend but for now buy my book, please friends.

Or then again maybe I'll just tell you that I think I've written a bloody good book and leave you with some of the reviews.

Gary Dobbs partners up Parade and Buffalo Bill making for an enjoyable detecting duo. He does a fine job of bringing the famous Wild West showman to life and his descriptions of Pontypridd, the era, and people sparkle. I'm hoping Mr. Dobbs doesn't leave Frank Parade on the sidelines too long because I'm betting there are more adventures in him. Or, maybe Bill Cody -- there's an idea worth exploring -- Buffalo Bill as a world-traveling crime-solver. The Education of a Pulp Writer

Gary Dobbs (AKA Jack Martin) continues his string of fast paced books with "A Policeman's Lot." Not a western per se, as are his Jack Martin books, "Policeman's Lot" still has some of that western sensibility and it even features Buffalo Bill Cody and his Wild West show on a visit to England, Wales in particular.

The story takes place a number of years after the Whitechapel murders but ties back to those murders in a most interesting way. I won't give more away because the twist at the end is original and took me well by surprise. Yet, it made perfect sense within the storyline of the book. Mack Captures Crime

One word: Wow. This is a good book.

The story begins slowly, a man's morning routine as he gets ready for duty and faces the possibility of a busy day, but he has no idea how "busy" it's going to get! Throw in Buffalo Bill, a Wild West show, murders that may or may not be connected to Jack The Ripper, and you have a really hot read. I don't want to say too much for fear of giving something away, but it's a well-written yarn and you will get hooked right away. It's also, for me, a nice change of pace from the modern urban hard-boiled junk I've been digesting lately. Brian Drake 

The Self Publisher and the tsumani of swill

"We have bad publishing by way of the mainstream publishers.  Our response shouldn’t be just to point that out.  We have a golden opportunity here!  We should be trying to rise above that standard, not meeting it.  Wouldn’t it be nice if people thought, “Wow, an indie author!  I love reading indie authors because they consistently publish works that are better by far than what I get from the mainstream publishers!”  But this isn’t the case.  In my opinion, you have tons of bad stuff out there – it far exceeds the occasional gem.  And that’s unfortunate because:"

The above comes from an article I feel anyone interested in the new self publishing craze, and that includes myself, should read. Find it HERE

Self Publishing: New platform launch

The Perseus Books Group has launched a new self-publishing eBook division called Argo Navis Author Services.


The platform lets authors self-publish, distribute and market their work. The service will only be available only to authors who are represented by an agency that has signed a deal with Perseus.
According to The New York Times, the new service has a favorable royalty share for authors with authors getting 70 percent and distributors taking 30 percent of revenue. The eBooks will be sold through book retailers including: Amazon, BN.com, Google, Kobo, Sony and Apple.

eBookNewser has more: “This service will compete with Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing platform, which also gives authors a 70% royalty on books in specified territories, including the United States.” Barnes & Noble’s self-publishing platform PubIt! offers a 65% royalty for books priced $2.99 to $9.99.
Self-publishing has been profitable for authors like John Locke and J.A. Konrath, both of whom write thrillers. Locke is even a member of the coveted Kindle Million Club — authors who have sold more than a million books through the Kindle store.

Self publishing - make a million....or not!

The road to self publishing is paved with gold - yeah, sure!

There's an interesting article HERE on this very subject. It's a refreshing read since all we seem to hear about are the mega sales of folk like Amanda Hocking and J A Konrath, but for every big seller there are thousands of others struggling with low, often non existent, sales. So why is this? Well there's a lot of dross out there, of course.But even well established authors, with a proven track record are finding it difficult to shift units in bulk.

Raymond Benson, a well known  writer, the third official author of the James Bond series, recently wrote about his own difficulties in selling his back list as eBooks and Archive friend, Chap O'Keefe, a very well respected western author, has reported that sales are slow with his own eBook titles. My own eBook, A Policeman's Lot has been out a year and often goes months without a sale - mind you, things do seem to be picking up at the moment and a print version has also just become available. And I have sold a few hundred copies of my short stories that are available for the Kindle - not a massive amount but given that the stories are available for free elsewhere, I'm quite pleased to pick up the odd sale which helps support the Archive.

Is it all about promotion?  Take Joe Konrath for instance - he constantly preaches promotion while making claims of massive sales, often selling a truck load of books before dinner time. And yet I've tried to corner him for an interview with the Archive for some time and had no response. John Locke, on the other hand, has talked to the Archive and this week he became the first self published author to sell a million titles. Congratulations John - we're thrilled for you. I could make the outlandish claim that the Archive is responsible for Locke's success, but of course it isn't as the author is a bloody good writer and his work is addictive. He has also worked long and hard at promoting his books but the most important fact is that they are excellent books.  However  in the spirit of outlandish claims I'm gonna' make it anyway - APPEAR ON THE ARCHIVE AND SELL A MILLION!!!!!!!!

Maybe readers are reluctant to buy eBooks by new authors after being stung by some of the badly written, badly edited crap out there, but that doesn't explain why true craftsmen like Chap O'Keefe and Raymond Benson (expect an interview with Raymond here soon) are struggling to make the eBook model work. At the moment we live in a world where anyone can easily publish a novel to eBook using Amazon, Smashwords or Barnes and Noble, and believe me many do - some it seems bang out something in a matter of days, bung up a cover with Photoshop and then press publish and  their creation is soon available to the world.

I do strongly believe though that true talent will shine through - at the moment self publishing seems to be a craze, but as time goes on readers will soon discover what is good and what is not. But self publishing platforms like Amazon really do need to introduce some quality control if they are to ensure their eShop contains nothing but quality writing, still I fear this will never happen since money is made from the good as well as the bad, and the bad outnumbers the good by seemingly sixteen squillionwilliontwillion to one.

Though have no fear - writers will continue to write, since that is what they have to do, what they must do.

THE WORLD'S GREATEST 99cent AUTHOR- JOHN LOCKE INTERVIEW

UPDATE - Since this interview took place it has emerged that John Locke paid for positive reviews of his books on Amazon. He decided against putting this information in his HOW TO eBook and so some of the answers in this interview should be taken with a pinch of salt.


Author, John Locke seems to have come out of nowhere - from obscurity to bestsellerdom in an instant - "My background is niche marketing, where I built a successful business selling specialty insurance, and then another one, investing in specialty real estate. So the first time I saw the business model for selling eBooks on Kindle, my eyes lit up like a kid at Christmas. Why? Because Kindle doesn’t just level the playing field for self-published authors, it actually slants it in our favour."

Wanting to know more about the writer the Archive pinned him down for a brief question/answer session.


"Specifically, I saw that a self-published book could be offered on Kindle for 99 cents, and still turn a 35 cent profit. I was stunned! I walked around in a daze for, well, days, trying to explain to people what that meant. No one seemed impressed. To me it was like receiving the keys to the kingdom, and I immediately set a goal to become the world’s greatest 99-cent author." JOHN LOCKE

TA:Every 7 seconds, 24 hours a day, a John Locke novel is downloaded somewhere in the world – How does a new writer get noticed amongst all the other eBooks out there?

JL: For me it was a full year of trying everything, and building a loyal support team one email at a time. I used social media to build a network of friends, and they spread the word, and my blogs attracted large numbers of readers, who also spread the word. It was grassroots all the way.

JOHN LOCKE

TA. I loved your western, Follow the Stone. Why did you suddenly switch to the western genre after the success of your Donovan Creed novels?

JL: I didn’t switch to the western genre, I added it. The Donovan Creed audience is deeper than it is wide. People either love my books or hate them, so once I had as many fans as I could find on my own, I had to come up with a new method of gaining fans. Western readers usually don’t look for the types of books I write, but I felt if they like my westerns, they might give my Creed books a try. I also expect a number of Creed fans to try my westerns. Writing the different genres is like a palate cleanser for my brain, and allows me to come back to either series with a fresh, energized outlook.

TA. I understand you’re close to finishing a follow-up, so can we expect more westerns?

JL: Absolutely! I love writing westerns. I’m writing not just a western series, but a western serial! The story of Emmett and Gentry that began in Follow the Stone will continue from book to book, in sequence. The new book is titled, Don’t Poke the Bear! and it’s a hoot! It should be out before mid-May.

TA: Self-publishing, which you’ve scored a remarkable success with has lost the stigma of old, but from the retailers’ point of view how can we be sure we are going to get a professional product?

JL I pay a professional editor to edit my books. Still, even with books published by traditional publishers, mistakes can occur. When a reader contacts my website to report an error or formatting issue, my publisher gives me instant service, correcting the problem within hours, in most cases.

TA. Self-publicity must be paramount in self-publishing. Any tips?

JL: I used Twitter to build a friendship circle, and attracted others to my personal blog site to expose them to my style of writing. I have also done a number of high-profile guest blogs.

TA. Tell us a little about Donovan Creed? Who is he?

JL:Donovan Creed is a former CIA hit man who kills suspected terrorists for the government, and performs free lance hits for the mob. He’s a smart-aleck tough guy with a heart of bronze. Creed is not a typical hero, who often says and does the wrong thing, has a penchant for call girls, and is almost completely clueless about women. But he has an endearing way about him. He’s like the oversized dog you adopt from the pound against your better judgment that drives you crazy and constantly misbehaves. But just when you’re about to take him back, he saves your life, or surprises you by doing something so unexpected or endearing, he wins you over. So that’s Donovan Creed. He’s the kind of guy women WANT to love and the kind of guy men want to BE.

TA Your books have scores of good reviews on Amazon – you can’t get a following like this without first writing a good book? Any tips for new writers?

JL:Write the types of books you like to read. Build your books around memorable scenes. Write your dialogue the way people actually talk, instead of the way they’re supposed to talk. I always give authors the same advice: don't take yourself too seriously. Write the types of books you like to read. I offer my readers a fun, breezy read. If I can give them some chuckles and hold their interest for a few hours, I feel I've earned my 99 cents. I know I'm on the right track if I laugh out loud when I'm writing a scene. And if I don't laugh out loud several times while writing a book, I don't publish it.










JOHN LOCKE WEBSITE

What is the eSecret to success?? THE NAKED TRUTH

Joe Konrath contemplates his next million sales

It's an interesting question - there are scores of eBooks out there, all jostling to be noticed but what is the secret of success in this competitive market? What is it about writers like Amanda Hocking and Joe Konrath AKA Jack Kilborn, to name but two, that make them stand out from the crowd? For every eBook that succeeds there are squillions of others that are never heard of.

Why is this?

I've yet to read Amanda Hocking but I have recently read several of Mr Konrath's books - they are indeed well written and the author certainly knows how to construct a story and grab the reader, but then so too do scores of other writers who have nowhere near the profile of Mr Konrath.

I suspect the answer to Konrath's success is that the author is extremely active in self publicising and puts in as much work getting his books noticed as he does writing them in the first place - known in the writing community for his work in self-promotion. Konrath believes that writers must play a large part in marketing their own books, and his blog, A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing, focuses on this. He has outspoken and somewhat controversial views on advertising, the publishing industry, and internet publicity.


According to the WIKI - In 2006, Konrath mailed out close to 7000 letters to libraries across the United States with fellow mystery author Julia Spencer-Fleming, touting their books to librarians.
Later that year, Konrath signed books in 612 bookstores across 28 states.The booksellers he met on this three month journey were thanked by name in the acknowledgements of his fourth novel, Dirty Martini.

So is it all this extra curricular activity that has made Konrath? Well it certainly can't hurt - I've been following the author around the net, trying to discover his secret, and I've noticed that he's active on all the social networking sites - Twitter, Facebook, My Space. And he regularly goes on blog book tours which is kind of like a real book tour but without getting off your arse. And of course his blog is interesting and although I don't always agree with his views I do find much to learn in his posts. The Archive has been cornering Mr Konrath for an interview for some time but alas our emails go unanswered and our tweets seemingly ignored - so if Konrath is reading this then come on - email the Archive and let's chew the fat.

"I also love print books. I have 5000 of them. But print is just a delivery system. It gets a story from the writer to the reader. For centuries, publishers controlled this system, because they did the printing, and they were plugged into distribution. But with retailers like Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords, the story can get to the reader in a faster, cheaper way. And publishers aren't needed." Joe Konrath

Now from my own experience I know that self publicity can help - the success I achieved with my first Jack Martin novel, The Tarnished Star is proof enough of that, but at the same time I'm nowhere near Konrath's league. Maybe things will change when Tarnished Star is realised as the movie, Lawmaster (scheduled to start shooting 2012, folks).

So perhaps I need to work even harder at self publicising - though it's difficult to see how - I too have profiles on all the social networking sites and this blog you're reading now, is updated several times a day. Christ I even once posed naked with a copy of my second novel in a bid to provoke sales from readers with a thing for the undernourished male body.

Someone once remarked to me that the western is not as commercial a genre as the horror or crime genres within which Konrath seems to have scored his biggest successes, and there may be something in that. But although I do write in other genres I refuse to give up working in my favourite genre of all - the western.

There I'm naked-buy a book and I'll put clothes on

What is the answer?


You know thinking about it - perhaps I do know the answer, maybe I've known it all along. The most important step must be to forget all this, not to worry about success or failure,or even large screen televisions, but to concentrate on writing a bloody good book in the first place. But even that may not be enough to make a splash in the current aggressive book world.

Still who cares?

It's the book that matters!

The lunatics have taken over the asylum

An article by Mark Coker, founder of Smashwords, recently published in the Huffington Post, looked at the growing trend by writers to turn from traditional publishing and go the indie route. It claims that
a revolution is brewing that will topple Big Publishing as we know it.

The article lists a whole bunch of reasons of why this is happening - after all, the writer claims, even big name, professionally published writers are travelling the indie route. And the reasons for this, according to the article, are:

• Advances are declining
• Publishers reluctant to take chances on authors without established platforms
• Most print books forced out of print before they've had a chance to reach readers
• Authors expected to shoulder most post-publication marketing on their own dime
• Lost and mismanaged rights
• Brick and mortar retail distribution disappearing
• Publishers value books through myopic prism of perceived commercial potential (publisher death panels)
• Publishers acquire today what was hot yesterday so they can publish it 12-18 months from tomorrow
• Publishers over-price and under-distribute author works
• Publisher ebook royalties 17% list (25% net) vs 60-70% list (85-100% net) for self-publishing

Big Publishing, although it employs thousands of talented and well-intentioned professionals, is built upon a broken business model, Coker claims and points out that all the of the big eBook retailers -Apple, Barnes & Noble, Sony, Kobo and Amazon - have embraced indie ebook authors and grant their works equal shelf presence alongside Big Publishing authors. Readers, not publishers, have become the curators.

However given how easy it is the self publish digitally are we heading for a situation where every third person will be a self published author?

It stands to reason that there will be a lot of badly edited, badly written, eBooks out there. However there's a lot of  crap coming out from traditional publishing too.

It is likely that the big name authors of tomorrow will emerge from the indie scene. It's happened in the past with films and music, and will happen with books. Already many indie authors are making names for themselves and getting covered by mainstream magazines and newspapers - folk like Joe Konrath,, Amanda Hocking and Ann Nordin - and selling eBooks by the shed-load.

It is also obvious that a lot of deserving books have failed, for whatever reason to be picked up by traditional publishing, but by the same token there are a lot of books which are undeserving of publication that will now see their way onto the market via the self ePublishing route. What will happen is that it will be a mess out there and the fear is that readers, stung by several bad books, will be reluctant to try new authors and only those with the name of the big publishing houses behind them will thrive - we'll be back to the status quo then.

It's all very well and empowering for the likes of Amazon, Kobo, etc to make self publishing so easy, but surely there should be some quality control. As it stands someone could write a ten page short story, just bang it out in a couple of hours, do no editing at all, not even read the thing once it's written, and have it on sale with all the major eRetailers this afternoon. Too much of this and readers will learns that the big eRetailers may offer quantity but not necessarily quality.

Whatever happens we are living in eInteresting times.