IHCPL #84 Writer Communities & Author Websites

This was an interesting study. I contacted one author years ago to tell her how much her book had helped me. That was a rare occurrence for me, I am not often that moved by a book. Another of my favorite authors is T. Davis Bunn. While looking at his website I was reminded of his book ‘Gold of Kings’ which was thoroughly enjoyable. It has adventure with lost treasure and a little romance. His e-mail address is on the page so he can be contacted.

The writer communities and author websites were interesting and I enjoyed looking at them. I am a user of books and written materials more than a writer of them. If I were an aspiring writer I’m not sure I would go to an open site for criticism from strangers. The Authonomy site sponsored by Harper Collins is a more likely site to place materials if you are serious about being published. Since it is sponsored by a publisher I feel that it has more authority. I like the setup of Authonomy. The idea of a library shelf for items you like with a holding area for items you are considering makes it more like an actual reviewing site rather than I’ll review your stuff if you review mine, which is how I felt about the others.

Just because a book is popular on a website does not make it quality material or writing. If the people voting on it are not qualified to critique the material it is like a person with a Ph.d. in literature writing a book on a medical subject from their own wisdom. I still prefer peer reviewed materials for non-fiction. I would take a chance on the fiction material but would prefer to have qualified people reviewing it first.

IHCP # 83: Paper to Pixels or (e-ink)

Aesthetically, I prefer paper materials. I like the smell of new books, and holding a book in my hand. I get my news by television or headlines online but getting a book faster is not usually important to me. If I were in school and needed a textbook I would probably download it if I could.

I work in a library and therefore all books are free (paper, pixels and audio). Due to the fact that I do not have an i-phone, or i-pod it is not convenient for me to use pixels. I do have an old model mp3 player and a PDA. I could download to them but have not found that I use either for reading enough to make it worth my while. Most of the material I read is not time sensitive so I can wait for the title I want.

Price definitely influences me when purchasing a book. When purchasing, I buy used books or the ones on sale rather than pay full price whenever I can. If had a digital reader and wanted to take the material with me I would pay more for the convenience of having it in my purse or pocket. Knowing that the cost of producing and sharing a digital book is much less than a printed copy I would resent paying the same price for digital as I would for paper.

I-Fiction is a good site for Science Fiction, fantasy and horror buffs. I like the fact that it is free to any author. There were some interesting titles as well. The idea of previewing a book before buying is very reasonable. That is what we do when we read magazine reviews and excerpts online about new materials before we purchase them.

Publishing Evolution #82: Print on Demand

Looking at the various websites was very interesting. It seemed to me that they are all much the same even in pricing. If you are willing to pay more of course you receive more support and direction. When looking at the published materials they were charging just a little less or the same as what you pay at the bookstore or on Amazon. I used one of the calculators to see how much a person would make and in order for an author to make any money they would have to sell the book for about what I pay on Amazon anyhow.

I found several titles on the print on demand sites that looked interesting to me. I would be willing to read them (keeping an open mind about the validity of material) and would be even more willing if they were recommended by a friend or coworker. In my opinion there are probably many quality authors who just haven’t made it to the best seller list.

A person would have to determine why they want their book published. If it were personal or to share with family friends I would recommend using one of the lower rates with as much support as I could afford. If a person were looking toward a career in writing they would have to determine how much they were willing to invest in getting their name out into the field. While looking at the various websites I saw that if you were willing to pay more they would try to get your book handled by various publishers and Barnes and Noble.

I doubt that publish on demand will replace the traditional method of getting published in the near future. If you have a ready group that will buy your book or a way of promoting your book you would have a better chance of becoming a success than if you just put it out with these online publishers.