Konrath signs directly with Kindle: - CrimeSpace2024-03-29T14:40:39Zhttp://crimespace.ning.com/forum/topics/konrath-signs-directly-with?commentId=537324%3AComment%3A235253&feed=yes&xn_auth=noI do too. I hate the bastards.tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-05-29:537324:Comment:2359922010-05-29T19:13:02.953ZKemosabehttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/lintonlewis
I do too. I hate the bastards.
I do too. I hate the bastards. One of the interesting things…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-05-25:537324:Comment:2356312010-05-25T23:27:38.467ZCamille LaGuirehttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/CamilleLaGuire
One of the interesting things about the new model is the power it gives what Seth Godin calls "sneezers" - that is enthusiastic fans who spread the word about something.<br />
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In the traditional world, the reviewers with the most influence and power were the ones that influenced distributors and libraries. In the Kindle world, there are people like Red Adept, and the Kindleobsessed blog. For individual genres there are fan blogs and such. A number of these people are not professionals at all, just…
One of the interesting things about the new model is the power it gives what Seth Godin calls "sneezers" - that is enthusiastic fans who spread the word about something.<br />
<br />
In the traditional world, the reviewers with the most influence and power were the ones that influenced distributors and libraries. In the Kindle world, there are people like Red Adept, and the Kindleobsessed blog. For individual genres there are fan blogs and such. A number of these people are not professionals at all, just enthusiasts who love their Kindle or other ereader, or just love to read.<br />
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Anybody interested in marketing in this new paradigm should subscribe to Godin's blog.<br />
<a href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/" target="_blank">http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/</a><br />
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As for the hack writers... You know, I have a lot of respect for hack writers. A lot of my favorite writers (people like Donald Westlake and Harlan Ellison) honed their skills at half penny a word. If you look at it in terms of a rebirth of the pulps, I'm all for it. Clay,
"people will be complai…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-05-25:537324:Comment:2356262010-05-25T19:21:03.681ZDana Kinghttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/DanaKing
Clay,<br />
"people will be complaining that the sellers of e-books need to start up some "weeding out" process."<br />
<br />
That may have already begun. Sites like tis and many blogs and review web sites that cater to readers as well as writers provide recommendations. I rarely--actually, never--read mainstream media reviews or care much about ads. All of my reading recommendations come from what I refer to as electronic word of mouth.<br />
<br />
Amazon/Google-style automated, personalized marketing is the next step,…
Clay,<br />
"people will be complaining that the sellers of e-books need to start up some "weeding out" process."<br />
<br />
That may have already begun. Sites like tis and many blogs and review web sites that cater to readers as well as writers provide recommendations. I rarely--actually, never--read mainstream media reviews or care much about ads. All of my reading recommendations come from what I refer to as electronic word of mouth.<br />
<br />
Amazon/Google-style automated, personalized marketing is the next step, along with a NetFlix-style rating system, as someone noted above. (John McFetridge, maybe?) They'll see what you bought and/or read, and how much you liked it, then make recommendations accordingly. Under the Amazon/NetFlix model, there would be no reason to take money to gin the recommendations, as they're figuring you'll buy it from them, anyway. Well, the amount of promotion…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-05-25:537324:Comment:2356252010-05-25T17:50:09.041ZI. J. Parkerhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Ingpark
Well, the amount of promotion an author can do is very limited. At some point, he who promotes heavily will be forced to turn out hack work. Many midlist authors already do this in order to make a living. They write 3 or 4 series under different names and produce 2 books each per year. The system promotes mediocrity.<br />
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The Kindle promotion uses Amazon's expertise and is very good for writers. I have said from the start that Amazon's handling of my books has been just about the only promotion I…
Well, the amount of promotion an author can do is very limited. At some point, he who promotes heavily will be forced to turn out hack work. Many midlist authors already do this in order to make a living. They write 3 or 4 series under different names and produce 2 books each per year. The system promotes mediocrity.<br />
<br />
The Kindle promotion uses Amazon's expertise and is very good for writers. I have said from the start that Amazon's handling of my books has been just about the only promotion I received: they list all my major reviews; they list all my books; they list what other of my books customers have bought, and they offer my books on the sites of other authors. If you go to one of my Amazon listings, you see that each book page has a long list of other books by me that my customers have also bought. That is a testimonial to the fact that they liked the first book well enough to buy the others. Where else would I get this much support? It's just another transition…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-05-25:537324:Comment:2356242010-05-25T16:57:40.104ZEDWARD C MORGANhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/ECMorgan
It's just another transition in the publishing industry. I think that, like news, publishers will sooner or later begin to release titles in varied formats as soon as they are available to be released, and without production time/costs, it stands to reason that e-books will be first. And then hardback, audio, paperback, etc., available for those who prefer those formats.<br />
<br />
Right now, the biggest impediment to e-book growth, <b>I think</b>, is the cost of the devices, but obviously more and more…
It's just another transition in the publishing industry. I think that, like news, publishers will sooner or later begin to release titles in varied formats as soon as they are available to be released, and without production time/costs, it stands to reason that e-books will be first. And then hardback, audio, paperback, etc., available for those who prefer those formats.<br />
<br />
Right now, the biggest impediment to e-book growth, <b>I think</b>, is the cost of the devices, but obviously more and more people are willing to make that investment...and the prices will come down.<br />
<br />
Konrath has made a nice chunk of change off traditional publishing and now is selling e-books at quite a clip. We have to remember two things about Konrath, though:<br />
*He already has a following.<br />
*He is a masterful, tireless and relentless marketer.<br />
<br />
With self-publishing, marketing remains a basic problem. Will authors, who feel that marketing is the job of their publisher, do any better at marketing their self-published work than they did the traditionally published work? I do not know, but if they don't, why would they expect better sales? Also, how much more difficult will it become when what I think will happen comes to pass - a massive increase in books being published (plenty garbage), thanks to e-publishing? How will your book stand out with five times, 10 times, or 20 times the competition than you currently have?<br />
<br />
Konrath certainly has the drive, the ability and the desire to market himself, and he has a hard-earned and I believe well-deserved reputation for delivering a great, entertaining read, among readers to capitalize on. And I think it is very interesting to watch as he explores a new business model that mixes e-books, bound copies and audio with traditional and self publishing.<br />
<br />
I also think there is this simple fact. You could have 100,000 writers just like me - a handful of published short stories but no name recognition - rise up and self-publish. While this statement may be brutal, I believe their impact on the industry would be roughly equal to a fart in a tornado.<br />
<br />
But imagine if Robert Crais or Harlan Coben said "I'm going to self-publish my next book as an e-book." Now that would be the tornado!<br />
<br />
While e-publishing has substantially reduced the cost of self-publishing, and this is great in that it gives an author greater control, I foresee it creating a whole slew of new and equally daunting challenges for authors to overcome. And I just wonder if in five or ten years, people will be complaining that the sellers of e-books need to start up some "weeding out" process.<br />
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Of course, maybe I'm just in a cynical mood today. Yes, the marketing is going t…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-05-25:537324:Comment:2356222010-05-25T16:57:08.746ZJohn McFetridgehttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/JohnMcF
Yes, the marketing is going to be very important. Amazon certainly have a good idea how effective their, "If you like this, you might like this," and "other people who bought this also bought this," buttons are.<br />
<br />
It's the same thing with Netflix, they have to find ways to organize the content themselves and they're getting very good at it.<br />
<br />
Another thng about this deal that I think is very interesting is that it's, "midlist." It isn't an unpublished author or a big name like Stephen King…
Yes, the marketing is going to be very important. Amazon certainly have a good idea how effective their, "If you like this, you might like this," and "other people who bought this also bought this," buttons are.<br />
<br />
It's the same thing with Netflix, they have to find ways to organize the content themselves and they're getting very good at it.<br />
<br />
Another thng about this deal that I think is very interesting is that it's, "midlist." It isn't an unpublished author or a big name like Stephen King writing directly for the Kindle. So, the amount of sales needed for it to be a "success" are more... realistic?<br />
<br />
If a deal like this allows a lot more 'midlist' authors to make a decent living, that would be fantastic. The book businss has fallen into the same trap the movies have of always looking for the huge blockbuster. Books may be more like cable TV looking for the small, steady earner. What I like best about Konrat…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-05-25:537324:Comment:2356172010-05-25T16:04:48.589ZDana Kinghttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/DanaKing
What I like best about Konrath's deal is the marketing potential. Midlist writers too often get the same kind of marketing support as did Moses: put the book in a basket, send it down the river and hope someone finds it. Amazon (and any other online e-book retailer) is set up to automatically contact anyone who ordered a previous book, and allowing them to make an impulse purchase with a couple of mouse clicks. At the price point they have chosen, this alone will lead to quite a few sales as…
What I like best about Konrath's deal is the marketing potential. Midlist writers too often get the same kind of marketing support as did Moses: put the book in a basket, send it down the river and hope someone finds it. Amazon (and any other online e-book retailer) is set up to automatically contact anyone who ordered a previous book, and allowing them to make an impulse purchase with a couple of mouse clicks. At the price point they have chosen, this alone will lead to quite a few sales as people develop favorites who aren't best sellers. I know I often read a book I like from a new writer, and he kind of drops off my radar by the time his next book comes out. This kind of follow-up can't help but be a good thing. Thanks, some interesting clar…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-05-25:537324:Comment:2356042010-05-25T15:22:36.927ZJohn McFetridgehttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/JohnMcF
Thanks, some interesting clarifications.<br />
<br />
Maybe most importantly, PW said the print book would follow the e-book a year later instead of a few months later. I've been trying to get my publisher to release every version of the book at the same time. This idea ofhaving a year in between hardcover and paperback and e-book just seems far too outdated to me. I had a book com eout onhardover in February and it's disappeared. I think if it had been available as a paperback at th time the reviewswere…
Thanks, some interesting clarifications.<br />
<br />
Maybe most importantly, PW said the print book would follow the e-book a year later instead of a few months later. I've been trying to get my publisher to release every version of the book at the same time. This idea ofhaving a year in between hardcover and paperback and e-book just seems far too outdated to me. I had a book com eout onhardover in February and it's disappeared. I think if it had been available as a paperback at th time the reviewswere coming out, some more people may have picked it up.<br />
<br />
I think Joe is really onto something with the cheaper e-books coming out first and the print book coming out soon after. FYI, Konrath says the article…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-05-25:537324:Comment:2356012010-05-25T14:24:39.511ZEric Christophersonhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/datahog
FYI, Konrath says the article is strewn with misleading info and blogs about it today.
FYI, Konrath says the article is strewn with misleading info and blogs about it today. Keep in mind that agents depe…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-05-25:537324:Comment:2356002010-05-25T14:11:48.484ZI. J. Parkerhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Ingpark
Keep in mind that agents depend on publishers as much as authors do, perhaps moreso. Their view is quite often that authors who don't make big bucks are a drag on the agency, while bestselling authors are highly desirable. A perfectly understandable reaction.<br />
<br />
Therefore, if they have authors bucking the system, they won't be enthusiastic about supporting them. Neither will they come out in support of anything that gives publishers a black eye.<br />
<br />
The answer to the quote above is that neither…
Keep in mind that agents depend on publishers as much as authors do, perhaps moreso. Their view is quite often that authors who don't make big bucks are a drag on the agency, while bestselling authors are highly desirable. A perfectly understandable reaction.<br />
<br />
Therefore, if they have authors bucking the system, they won't be enthusiastic about supporting them. Neither will they come out in support of anything that gives publishers a black eye.<br />
<br />
The answer to the quote above is that neither agency nor publisher did anything to promote Konrath or the majority of published authors. Their fate was pretty much sealed in terms of bestsellerdom. Therefore I'll join you in saying "More power to him." What we need is someone who can shake up the old guard into rethinking the business.