Candy Paull

From information on publishing to people and resources that I think you will enjoy or find helpful, this page offers a ragbag of ideas, links, thoughts, and cogitations for your pleasure.

Six months ago I would have said, "Yeah, go ahead and try for a traditional publishing deal." No more. I have seen so many parallels between where Music Row in Nashville was in 1999 and where traditional New York publishing is in 2011. Author and blogger Kristine Kathryn Rusch has written some stellar blogs on current developments in book publishing. I consider them "must reads" for any author. When I published my e-books in 2009 and 2010 it was an act of faith. That act of faith is proving to be prophetic. I urge you to check out the links on this page, and especially these three below. These great bloggers are keeping up with the changes to the industry, and the industry is changing at lightning speed. Consider this a gift from one author to all other authors. The publishing industry is not dying, it's transforming, but the process could be very messy during the metamorphosis. While things are shaking out, please seriously consider self-publishing. And read Rusch's series on publishing changes to help you make the most informed decision about your writing career. It's indie time, sweethearts. I'm telling you this because I love you!

Smashwords is my main retail partner and distributor. I also want to introduce you to other favorite retail partners. In the ever evolving e-book landscape, these people are the best friends an author can have. I'm offering links to each partner, and encourage you to go see why I'm proud to have my books carried by these great e-tailers.
More links to Sony, Kobo, and Apple coming soon.

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Here are links to two articles on self-publishing and e-books that offer a solid overview of how you can find alternatives to the traditional publishing model.

One can study a caterpillar forever and never be able to predict a butterfly.
Buckminster Fuller

Times of chaos and change may be perceived as overwhelming crisis, or an opportunity to reinvent yourself. The book publishing industry is now facing the same challenges as the music industry did a few years ago. Traditional publishing used to be the only game in town. Now, a new paradigm is emerging, offering opportunity in turbulent times.

E-readers have been around for over a decade, but the real e-revolution started in 2009, and over 13 million e-readers will ship by the end of 2010. Amazon predicts e-books will soon outsell paperbacks on their site. Apple will ship over 15 million iPads in 2010, 36.5 million in 2011 and 50.4 million in 2012. E-books currently account for less than 6% of all book sales. What happens when it’s 10%? 30%? What will that mean for the book industry—and for authors?

Here are some practical resources and personal perspectives on industry developments and how the move to digital may be a golden opportunity for writers today. This perspective is based on over two years of intensive research and nearly thirty years involvment with publishing as store buyer, marketing manager for a small publisher, freelance writer specializing in marketing materials for publishers, author, songwriter, and workshop presenter (and budding artist).

I have culled the best from blogs and internet resources to offer this overview of the evolving e-book publishing situation. I'll be adding and updating information as I can. It is only one person's perspective in a landscape that is evolving too quickly for any one person to grasp.

If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said, "faster horses."
Henry Ford

I believe the evolution in the publishing industry can be compared to the evolution of the transportation industry. Henry Ford built his first automobile in 1896 in his workshop behind his house on Bagley Avenue. In 1903 the first Model A rolled off the assembly line. That was the year that saw the Wright brothers' first flight at Kittyhawk, the invention of a way to mass produce the glass lightbulb, the first Harley Davidson, the groundbreaking movie The Great Train Robbery, and a host of other inventions that would change the world and define the 20th century. In that era, railroads were still king and rivers and lakes the other main highways for shipping and transportation. By the 1920s there were enough roads being built for automobiles that entire transportation industries were being changed in ways unimaginable in 1903. By the 1950s we saw the beginnings of the modern freeway system and the dawn of the age of suburbia. From movies and television to music and publishing, each new technology opened new opportunities while changing the way established players had to do business.

I believe we are seeing the same in publishing. While television did not replace the movies, and cable did not replace the established broadcast stations, all were irreversibly changed.The digital revolution sweeping the media world is rewriting the rules of the book industry, upending the established players which have dominated for decades. In less than a year we have seen the rise of the agency model, direct access to online distribution for authors, the advent of the iPad, and continued evolution of print-on-demand options. It is not decades, or even years, for the changes are accelerating by months. The transition from physical product to digital file is creating opportunities for authors to have access to distribution and promotion that was formerly only available through traditional book publishers.

I believe that those of us who write and create intellectual property can reach our audiences directly and build more sustainable careers than ever before possible. I also envision new synergies with established publishers, as both authors and publishers find ever more creative ways to share ideas and energies.

May these ideas, resources, and links help you find your own understanding of these momentous (and sometimes crazymaking) changes in the publishing landscape.

I publish all my e-books on Smashwords. I read about them in Publishers Weekly in spring of 2009 and published my first e-book, Inner Abundance, with Smashwords on September 11, 2009. I published my free "best of" e-book, The Heart of Abundance, in mid-March 2010 and have been formatting previously published and new books for Smashwords since. I have begun to see royalties (small, but growing). I'm excited about the developments and feel I'm on the ground floor of something wonderful. I have provided a link to Mark Coker's blog, with a presentation on how Smashwords works.

Also from Mark Coker, a great summary of e-book success. This is part of the plan I am following as I build my e-book business.

The Seven Secrets to E-book Publishing Success (plus bonus):

1. Write a great book - Your reader's time is more valuable than their wallet. Readers have unlimited choice for high-quality content, so authors must respect the reader's time by publishing the highest quality book possible. As the publisher, it's your responsibility to do what many traditional publishers do so well, and that's to honor the editing and revision process.

2. Write another great book - The best-selling authors at Smashwords offer deep backlists. Think of each book as a fish hook in the ocean. When each book cross references the other books with simple hyperlinks (both inside the book and within the retailer's merchandising systems), you create a net. A deep backlist also offers you the opportunity to earn the trust of the reader. Once the reader trusts that you'll respect their time with a great read, they'll be more inclined to sample and purchase your other titles.

3. Maximize distribution - Availability is the precursor to discoverability. If your book isn't serendipitously discoverable in multiple places via topical or themed search engine queries, or via keyword or categories searches at retailers, it might as well be invisible. Get your books distributed in as many online bookstores as possible. Many readers go to a bookstore with the intention to find a great read, and they're not necessarily looking for a specific title, so if your book isn't there it's not discoverable or purchasable. Some of the same rules of print publishing apply to ebook publishing. The more bookstores that carry your book, the more chances you have to connect with a reader.

4. Give (some of) your books away for FREE - The highest grossing authors at Smashwords offer at least one book for free. FREE is one of the most misunderstood and underutilized ebook marketing secrets. Free works best if you have a deep backlist. [NOTE: I'm giving a full-length e-book "best of" away, The Heart of Abundance, which you can download from my site/​Smashwords]

5. Trust your readers and partners - Some authors don't publish ebooks due to fear of piracy. That's silly. Piracy cannot be prevented. J.K. Rowling doesn't publish ebooks, yet within hours of each release of her Harry Potter series, her books were available online as pirated ebooks. Don't make it difficult for your fans to purchase legitimate copies of your book. Trust your readers to honor your copyright (and for those readers who won't, there's little you can do about it). If you limit the accessibility of your book by infecting your book with DRM, then you'll limit your ability to connect with readers. Last week during my trip to Brazil, I spoke at an ebook publishing presentation sponsored by Singular Digital alongside Rodrigo Paranhos Velloso, the director of business development for Google Latin America. Rodridgo made an absolutely brilliant observation about DRM. He said, "when you DRM something, you make the non-DRM'd versions more valuable." In other words, when you apply DRM, you encourage piracy.

6. Have patience - It takes time to build your publishing business. Unlike traditionally published print books that hit store shelves and usually go out of print soon after, ebooks are immortal. When your book lands at a new retailer, think of it as a seedling. With time and proper nourishment, it has the chance to build deep roots (customer reviews, sales rank, SEO). Never remove your book from a retailer's shelves because you're dissatisfied with its sales compared to other retailers (see distribution above).

7. Marketing starts yesterday - Start building your marketing platform before you finish your book, and then invest time every day to build that platform. Implement a solid social media strategy. Participate in social networks, and more importantly, contribute to your social networks. If you view your Facebook and Twitter followers has people to be sold to, you'll hurt yourself. Instead, add value. Help your fellow authors be successful. When it comes time for you to launch your book, your social network friends will want to return the favor by opening unexpected doors of opportunity.

8. (bonus) Architect for virality - In the presentation, I described my concept of "first reader," the person you convince to purchase your book. Every reader is a first reader. If your book resonates with them, they'll promote the book to their friends. If it doesn't resonate, they won't promote it. Since readers will determine the success of your book, you, as the author or publisher, can take steps to facilitate the virality (word-of-mouth) of your book. The presentation outlines those steps, as well as how to avoid what I call Viral Decay and Negative Virality.

See the presentation via the blog link below.