Anyone aside from me working on Kindle editions of books?

[robert walker]

I have been busy and away from Crimespace for a while as was putting several --well a lot of--my work up at Kindle Book Store. I found it rather liberating being my own "publisher" or partner in publishing with some controls over the material and some expectation of making some of that green stuff everybody believes writers ought not need or concern themselves with. They say publishing is a business when your contract is tossed out or when your series is cut, so if it is a business, why shouldn't we writers have more of the results of the so-called business? The digital tech platform might just be an answer as I am hearing from other authors who are getting actual checks in the mail or rather downloaded to their accounts.

Anyone else going the way of ebooks and kindle books?

Rob

[I. J. Parker]

Interesting. You make a nice profit from each sale?

[robert walker]

working on volume, and yes, each title earns separately and you get a report covering each month and you can look in on sales at any time...not at all like dealing with a traditional publisher in that regard, plus I control cover design.
rob

[Julie Lomoe]

When I look up my own books on Amazon, I see an invitation inviting me to check out the possibility of publishing with Kindle. I haven't explored it yet, but I'm tempted, especially after what you say. I didn't realize there was so much work involved, though, and I'll have to check with my POD publisher first.

Julie Lomoe's Musings Mysterioso

[Debbi Mack]

I've published my novel, IDENTITY CRISIS, as an e-book through Amazon, Scribd and Smashwords. (FYI--it's now also available in print through Lulu.com.) I've sold almost as many downloads in the last month as print copies during the nine months the book was originally in print. All through online promotion and marketing.

If you're interested, here's the description, some blurbs and reviews:

IDENTITY CRISIS introduces attorney Stephanie Ann "Sam" McRae. A simple domestic abuse case turns deadly when the alleged abuser is killed and Sam’s client disappears. When a friend asks Sam to find Melanie Hayes, the Maryland attorney is drawn into a complex case of murder and identity theft that has her running from the Mob, breaking into a strip club and forming a shaky alliance with an offbeat private investigator to discover the truth about Melanie and her ex-boyfriend.

With her career and life on the line, Sam’s search takes her from the blue-collar Baltimore suburbs to the mansions of Gibson Island. Along the way, she learns that false identities can hide dark secrets, and those secrets can destroy lives.

“If you enjoy realistic legal thrillers—and dread the thought of ‘identity theft’ striking home—Identity Crisis will be a genuine treat. Debbi Mack has used her own experience as an attorney to craft a twisty yet completely credible plot. And her protagonist, Stephanie Ann ‘Sam’ McRae, is a perfect example of what every client should hope for in an advocate: a professional who’s willing to take risks both inside AND outside the courtroom.”
-- Jeremiah Healy
Author of RESCUE, TURNABOUT and THE ONLY GOOD LAWYER

“Identity Crisis is a well-written and well-plotted mystery which introduces lawyer-sleuth Sam McRae. She’s an exciting new protagonist mystery readers will want to get to know.”
-- Louise Titchener
Author of MALPRACTICE, BURNED IN BALTIMORE and BURIED IN BALTIMORE

"IDENTITY CRISIS grips you from the first page. Sam is a likeable heroine--smart, feisty and determined." -- Roundtable Reviews, September 2005.

"This is a story with plenty of action, a well-drawn plot and a set of interesting characters. . . . a fun read." -- New Mystery Reader, September 2005.

Plus it's gotten great reader reviews on Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/ntfujt (Sue Grafton fans seem to love it)

BTW, did anyone else read about the author who self-published on Kindle and landed a book contract? http://tinyurl.com/m6em98 It's reportedly a first, but I suspect others will follow suit.

[Morgan Mandel]

As soon as I can figure out how to do it, I'll be getting a kindle edition ready for Killer Career.

Morgan Mandel
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com
http://www.morganmandel.com

[I. J. Parker]

Me, too. Hope you share your experiences.

[Debbi Mack]

Anyone interested in e-books might want to check out this Slate article: http://www.slate.com/id/2222941/

[I. J. Parker]

Okay. I'm definitely interested. But what gets me right off the bat is the pricing here. All my books so far have been priced at $ 9.99 on Kindle. I like that price. If I turn to Amazon with an unpublished novel, can I set the price? What about the cover? Do I take it that Amazon collects 50%? What about rights? Electronic rights have a tendency toward permanency.

[Debbi Mack]

You can set whatever price you like for your books. The issue of pricing is with the traditional publishers. Authors can set any price they like. My book is $1.59 on Amazon.

In terms of percentage, I think authors get 30% (??). Anyone who knows otherwise, please feel free to correct me here.

The main thing (for me, anyway) is to get my books out there. Establish a readership. If I get a few bucks out of it, fine.

And publishing through Amazon does not give them exclusive electronic rights. I've also published in e-book form through Scribd and Smashwords.

[I. J. Parker]

Thanks. Sounds good. I'm getting excited about this. I have actually four recent novels, a trilogy and a standalone, that I have put a lot of time into. My agent has failed to sell them or given up too quickly. Kindle may be the way to go.

[Debbi Mack]

I would definitely consider it. Have you seen Joe Konrath's blog about his experiences with Kindle publishing? You should check it out: http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/ Just search on "Kindle" and you'll pull up the posts.

He and a couple of other authors have even convinced the self-publishing curmudgeon Lee Goldberg to try putting his books on Kindle, too. By way of example: http://tinyurl.com/lund9u. Lee likes to take a bit of a snarky tone in his blog about this. But, hey, he's doing it. :)

[robert walker]

OK...think I have learned something surprising to me; if Konrath is putting his books up at Kindle AND Smashwords, then apparently it is not an exclusive to Kindle only. This could certainly give an ebook twice the play and more as you don't need a kindle to get the book in another format. Lots more sales obviously. So if I put the kindle title onto smashwords and sell at same price, kool.

rob