As an Indie author I am elated to hear others say that February should be "Support Indies Month." For those readers who still are not sure of the definition of an Indie, I will try to explain.
There are six big publishing houses and a whole lot of small publishing houses. Unfortunately, a lot of really good authors are overlooked by the big name publishers. Why? Because there are more writers/authors than the big publishing houses are willing or able to publish.
Until the ebook industry arrived, all those unrepresented authors had nowhere to turn to get their books published. Some were picked up by the small publishing houses. Others paid outrageous fees for vanity press publishing which generally resulted in limited exposure and very limited sales. Other writers just kept on writing, in spite of the fact that they'd probably never get published. Those writers stored up poems, short stories, novellas, novels, memoirs in boxes under their beds, in closets, in garages, in storage sheds and on their computers. Years and years of writing was stored away in hopes that someday those books would see the light of day.
So this is how the Indie industry came about. With the creation of ebooks, eReaders (like Kindle, Nook, iPad, etc.) and Indie publishing (like KDP, Smashwords and others), Indie books became available. Amazon seems to have taken the lead in the ePub Industry with Smashwords and others following behind. I don't want to get into an argument here over who was first or best. I can only testify by my own experience that Amazon's KDP has been a boon to Indie authors.
Now here's where it gets tricky. Not all Indies are Indies. Many ePub books are backlists from authors who wrote for the big six publishing houses. Now that their book rights have been returned to them, they're ePubbing their backlists. So in effect, many big name authors are now also Indie authors. This is cool. As a reader, I love discovering old favorites being ePubbed and now available as ebooks which I'm rapidly adding to my Kindle.
Here's where I point out (every chance I get) that I love my Kindle, because it has the capacity to hold thousands of ebooks on one small device that fits in my purse. I think of it as a miniature library that I take along with me everywhere I go. If I eventually fill my Kindle to capacity (which I haven't done yet), then I can archive thousands more ebooks in the Cloud. Then I can switch the books around from my Kindle to the Cloud and back again whenever I want. Isn't that cool?
This is also where I point out that eReaders are a matter of choice. I happened to fall in love with Amazon books long before the Kindle hit the market. So it was a perfect fit for me to buy a Kindle. Other devotees of say, Barnes and Noble, swear by the Nook. Others (those with more money than me) swear by the iPad. There are other eReaders out there, so as a reader the choice is yours.
Now back to the issue of Indie authors. Some people (I won't name names here) think that Indie authors are inferior writers because they weren't published by the big six somewhere along the line. Since I'm an Indie author myself, I refute that claim. There are a lot of amazing, wonderful, spectacular, awesome Indie authors out there. Gee, I hope I hit somewhere in that spectrum, but you never know. Anyway, yes, some Indie books may not be as good or as polished as others, but all of them are books that you, as a reader, would never have discovered if it wasn't for the ePub Industry.
Think of Indie books as unpolished gems just waiting for you to discover and read. Try to overlook some of those formatting problems (believe me, formatting can be a bitch at times). Try to overlook the sometimes less than perfect editing. After all, this is a new industry and Indie authors are learning their trade. Just remember that it's the story that counts and Indie books are filled with incredible stories.
A handful of Indie authors recently decided that February should be "Support Indies Month." As I've already pointed out, since I'm an Indie author I'm elated that we should have a month of our very own. However, I'm also hoping this will grow into a "Support Indies Year." In the long run, I'm hoping that readers will finally accept Indie authors as welcome members of the book industry. Honest, we have great stories to tell and we want readers to enjoy those stories. So in the end, it's all about the readers and offering them every kind of story imaginable.So yes, February needs to be "Support Indies Month," but don't forget to support Indie authors all year long.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Saturday, February 11, 2012
What Would We Do Without Indies?
I keep asking myself, "What would we do without Indies?" I mean, really, think about it. There are like a zillion indie books out there right now, mine included. Many of them are really great reads (mine included?).
I wonder how many people are born with the "writer gene." Yeah, there has to be some genetic connection to being a writer. We're wired for story telling. Something, from the moment we are born, is telling us that we have to tell stories, have to embellish the life around us. We write this cool stuff and try to convince others to read it.
Well, I'm digressing here. I wanted to write about Indies, those mysterious writers who lately popped out of nowhere in record numbers. Actually, we've been here all along, writing our little fingers to the bone. We've been making up stories from the crib. Yeah, that's not my poop in the diaper. The dog did it. Our stories started in the crib and have progressed from there.
There's a lot of controversy over Indies. Are we good enough to be published? Do we have something worthwhile to say? Well, of course we do. We've been writing this stuff down since day one. No one has paid us to write these stories. We just started writing and can't stop no matter how often the world tries to beat us down. Monetary reward has never been our thing. We just write because we have to write.
So most of us Indies have bunches of short stories, poems, novellas and novels stored on our computers, in boxes in our closets or under our beds, in stacks by the bedside, in storage in the garage. It's been said that everyone has a story to tell. Well, a number of us keep writing this stuff down, day after day, month after month, year after year.
Most of us Indies actually tried to get published through the years, but to no avail. I have bunches of rejection letters, most from my earliest years of writing. I started out with a published poem in my late teens. I was sure that would eventually lead to published short stories and novels. It didn't happen, but I kept on writing.
I remember one of my early rejections for a short story. It went something like this, "I love your short story, but short stories are no longer popular. If you'd written this before, then it would have been published." Huh? Before what? I've always wondered.
My first contemporary romance novel garnered similar responses. An agent said, "If I'd only worked with you from the beginning." The beginning of what? The beginning of the novel? The beginning of time? What beginning?
Somewhere along the way I got brave enough to let one of my college professors read a suspense thriller I was working on. I really trusted this professor. He'd read a couple of my short stories and liked them. So I figured, what the heck, let him read the first five chapters of my novel. Bad mistake. This professor slammed my novel, actually said it was the worst thing he'd ever read. Was I really that bad? Needless to say, I was devastated.
Well, I went home and gathered up everything I'd written up to that date, with the exception of a few poems. The short stories, my novel, writing notes, everything, went into a big pile. Do you know what I did with that stuff? I burned it all. Yep, every bit of it. If I was that terrible of a writer, then it all had to be destroyed.
Two weeks later my professor approached me and apologized. He said he'd been thinking about my novel for the last couple weeks and he realized that it really was good. He explained that he didn't normally read suspense thrillers, so he had a negative reaction to my novel. Only when he thought about it, he realized that I really could write, that I had a way with dialogue, etc., etc. He said I really needed to finish my novel.
Did I tell my professor that I'd burned the novel and all the rest of my writing? No! Did I try to rewrite what I'd destroyed? No! I considered it a lesson learned. Then I started on a new novel (one that is still sitting in a box somewhere). I've accepted the fact that everyone has an opinion. Some love what you write and some will hate every word.
Now fast forward by many years. Am I still writing? Yes. Did I ever burn any more of my work? No! I keep everything, all my notes, all my ideas, all my partials. I keep writing because I have to write. Oh, there have been years in between when I put aside my writing and turned to other things, like working a day job dreaming that someday I'd go back to writing.
So here's where I get back to the Indie thing again. Ask any Indie author and they'll tell you about their long road to ePubbing their books. They all wrote and wrote and got rejected and kept on writing. How can we not write? We have all these stories to tell, stories we hope others will read.
The ePub industry has been our release. After years of hard work and dreams our stories are out there. Many of these Indie books are incredible reads. If it wasn't for the ePub industry these books would still be hiding out in boxes or still taking shape in our heads.
Think of these indie books as little gems, little nuggets of gold. Read them, savor them. They may not be perfect, but they're glimpses into worlds that never would have existed if it wasn't for the ePub industry. Do we really want Indies to go away?
I wonder how many people are born with the "writer gene." Yeah, there has to be some genetic connection to being a writer. We're wired for story telling. Something, from the moment we are born, is telling us that we have to tell stories, have to embellish the life around us. We write this cool stuff and try to convince others to read it.
Well, I'm digressing here. I wanted to write about Indies, those mysterious writers who lately popped out of nowhere in record numbers. Actually, we've been here all along, writing our little fingers to the bone. We've been making up stories from the crib. Yeah, that's not my poop in the diaper. The dog did it. Our stories started in the crib and have progressed from there.
There's a lot of controversy over Indies. Are we good enough to be published? Do we have something worthwhile to say? Well, of course we do. We've been writing this stuff down since day one. No one has paid us to write these stories. We just started writing and can't stop no matter how often the world tries to beat us down. Monetary reward has never been our thing. We just write because we have to write.
So most of us Indies have bunches of short stories, poems, novellas and novels stored on our computers, in boxes in our closets or under our beds, in stacks by the bedside, in storage in the garage. It's been said that everyone has a story to tell. Well, a number of us keep writing this stuff down, day after day, month after month, year after year.
Most of us Indies actually tried to get published through the years, but to no avail. I have bunches of rejection letters, most from my earliest years of writing. I started out with a published poem in my late teens. I was sure that would eventually lead to published short stories and novels. It didn't happen, but I kept on writing.
I remember one of my early rejections for a short story. It went something like this, "I love your short story, but short stories are no longer popular. If you'd written this before, then it would have been published." Huh? Before what? I've always wondered.
My first contemporary romance novel garnered similar responses. An agent said, "If I'd only worked with you from the beginning." The beginning of what? The beginning of the novel? The beginning of time? What beginning?
Somewhere along the way I got brave enough to let one of my college professors read a suspense thriller I was working on. I really trusted this professor. He'd read a couple of my short stories and liked them. So I figured, what the heck, let him read the first five chapters of my novel. Bad mistake. This professor slammed my novel, actually said it was the worst thing he'd ever read. Was I really that bad? Needless to say, I was devastated.
Well, I went home and gathered up everything I'd written up to that date, with the exception of a few poems. The short stories, my novel, writing notes, everything, went into a big pile. Do you know what I did with that stuff? I burned it all. Yep, every bit of it. If I was that terrible of a writer, then it all had to be destroyed.
Two weeks later my professor approached me and apologized. He said he'd been thinking about my novel for the last couple weeks and he realized that it really was good. He explained that he didn't normally read suspense thrillers, so he had a negative reaction to my novel. Only when he thought about it, he realized that I really could write, that I had a way with dialogue, etc., etc. He said I really needed to finish my novel.
Did I tell my professor that I'd burned the novel and all the rest of my writing? No! Did I try to rewrite what I'd destroyed? No! I considered it a lesson learned. Then I started on a new novel (one that is still sitting in a box somewhere). I've accepted the fact that everyone has an opinion. Some love what you write and some will hate every word.
Now fast forward by many years. Am I still writing? Yes. Did I ever burn any more of my work? No! I keep everything, all my notes, all my ideas, all my partials. I keep writing because I have to write. Oh, there have been years in between when I put aside my writing and turned to other things, like working a day job dreaming that someday I'd go back to writing.
So here's where I get back to the Indie thing again. Ask any Indie author and they'll tell you about their long road to ePubbing their books. They all wrote and wrote and got rejected and kept on writing. How can we not write? We have all these stories to tell, stories we hope others will read.
The ePub industry has been our release. After years of hard work and dreams our stories are out there. Many of these Indie books are incredible reads. If it wasn't for the ePub industry these books would still be hiding out in boxes or still taking shape in our heads.
Think of these indie books as little gems, little nuggets of gold. Read them, savor them. They may not be perfect, but they're glimpses into worlds that never would have existed if it wasn't for the ePub industry. Do we really want Indies to go away?
Friday, February 10, 2012
Me and My Kindle: A Romance
Before digressing further I need to get to the heart of the story. I'm having a right fine, beautiful romance with my Kindle. It started out a little rocky at first. I'm a die-hard reader, addicted to books and all that entails. In fact, I'm a book hoarder. I have shelves full of books, boxes of books, books in closets, books under my bed, books in stacks here and there throughout my house. Yep, a book lover and hoarder.
So right off the bat I resisted the idea of an eReader. In fact, I swore up and down that I'd never read an ebook. Never. Ever. A writer friend of mine, Michele Bardsley, yeah, that Michele Bardsley of paranormal comedy fame, first started talking about ebooks years ago. I said, "Yeah, yeah, okay." But behind her back I said, "No way. I'll never read an ebook. I need to hold that hardback or paperback in my hands. I need to run my fingers across the printed page. I need to smell the paper and the printer's ink in a new book. I need to smell the mustiness of an old well-read book." Nope, no ebooks, ever.
At the time I lived in Las Vegas of all places and belonged to both the Cactus Rose Chapter of RWA and my very own co-founded writers' group, Desert Rogues. Talking to our little group of Desert Rogues, of which Michele was a member, she insisted that ebooks were the books of the future. No, no, no, I screamed in my head.
Now fast forward a number of years and I'm back living in the South, in the part of Florida called the Panhandle, which all of us here know is really Lower Alabama. At this point I've already discovered Amazon, due to another Desert Rogues BFF, Ruth Kerce, yeah, that Ruth D. Kerce who writes for Ellora's Cave, Changling Press and her very own indie ePubbed sensual short stories.
Okay, like I said, Ruth introduced me to Amazon, so I was already hooked on buying books from there. It's a great place for a book addict to shop, because I could look at books and place orders all night long if I wanted and often did. Yes, I could literally shop 'til I dropped.
Now one day, or was it one night? I don't rightly remember. Anyway, I saw the ad for the Kindle. An eReader? No way! But then I got to thinking. Could I really have one small device that held hundreds, if not thousands, of my very favorite books? I could tuck the Kindle into my purse and take it with me everywhere. Everywhere? You're darn tootin'.
I got to thinking. This could be a good thing. A really good thing. Then the clincher was all those free classic ebooks that Amazon was offering. As an English major, someone who cut their teeth on the classics as a small child, well, heck, this was a marriage made in heaven.
Still hesitant, I didn't give in to the first generation Kindle. No, I waited and dreamed and waited some more. When the second generation Kindle came around I couldn't take it any more. "What do you want for your birthday?" That was my husband asking. "A Kindle," I replied. "Huh?" My husband's not a reader (except for science magazines and the Internet). So he said, "Huh? Why would you want a Kindle?"
Well, I got that Kindle for my birthday and instantly fell in love. I started filling it up with all my favorite classics, like Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Pride and Prejudice, War and Peace, Anna Karenina, Far From the Madding Crowd, The Last of the Mohicans, Riders of the Purple Sage, Little Women, Madam Bovary, The Three Musketeers, The Age of Innocence, The House of Mirth, Swiss Family Robinson, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Vanity Fair, I could go on and on.
Suffice to say that I did load up my Kindle with every classic favorite and all those classics I always wanted to read, but never got a chance to do so. So began a lengthy romance which lasted well into the wee hours most nights. I'd wake up in the morning blurry eyed, but happy as a lark.
When the third generation Kindle 3G (Keyboard) came out, I had to upgrade. My second generation Kindle was having problems, maybe from overuse? So it was an easy matter to send the second gen. back and get the third gen. With my new Kindle the romance blossomed and grew to enormous proportions.
I don't go anywhere without my Kindle love. I've added hundreds of contemporary romances, historical romances, romantic suspense, time travel, westerns and a smattering of everything else. I love history (I was going for a double major of English and History, but didn't quite finish the History part). Anyway, I've added history books about the American Revolution and Civil War, the fall of Rome, histories of Britain, Europe, the Middle East, you name it. Oh, the romance is building.
Yes, I'm not embarrassed to say "I love my Kindle." Yep, I really do. It doesn't matter what mood I'm in, melancholy or elated or something in between, there's always a book or books in my Kindle that will fit the bill. I can switch from one book to another with just a few clicks. What can be better than that?
Now don't get me wrong. I still love hardbacks and paperbacks. I'm not about to give away a single book (although my husband would probably like for me to do just that). I still have bookshelves full of books, boxes of books, books in my closets, books under my bed, books in stacks here and there around the house. I even have duplicates of some of my favorites--classics in both paperback and on my Kindle.
My Kindle Keyboard, currently the love of my life (don't tell my husband that), is a bit battered. We all age, don't we? It doesn't help that my dog, Dude, during his puppy days (was it only a year ago?) chomped down on my Kindle and left his puppy teethmarks in the case. He also left his marks in the cover which, thankfully, protected the Kindle from further harm. So my Kindle and its case are a bit battered, but I love it just the same. Inside is a wonderful world of books--a virtual world of love, romance, dreams, adventures, travels and more.
At Christmas time I guiltily looked at the Kindle Touch and the Kindle Fire with longing in my heart. I came so close to buying one of them, a gift from Santa, of course. But I didn't do it. How could I? My Kindle Keyboard is well-loved and battered, but it's still breathing (hey, I swear it's alive). So I'll stick to my Kindle love, 'til death do we part. Maybe, just maybe, I'll sneak a Kindle Fire into the household and use it to read just some of my favorite books, every now and then mind you, not all the time. But whatever you do, don't tell my Kindle Keyboard what I'm thinking. This is a romance that needs to go on and on.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Gatekeepers and Other Ideas
I keep hearing that indie authors need Gatekeepers. The idea is that indie authors are unable to produce quality books and need some entity to regulate said books. It is my hope to not be adversarial in this matter. On the contrary, I am trying to sort through the problems and how to fix them.
1) Book Covers - Indie ebooks have an assortment of covers. Some are traditional and some are not. Some are great and some are not. Some are home-made and others are purchased at often astronomical fees. Why is this a problem? As a reader, I love variety. If every book out there had a cookie-cutter cover I would quickly get tired of looking at books. Yes, I love book covers. I can spend hours just looking at book covers. Is this some personal quirk or do other readers do that too? I'd really like to know.
Do I judge a book by its cover? Yes and no. A great cover will catch my eye in an instant. But what I consider a great cover may be a turn-off for another reader and vice-versa. Personally, I love landscapes, seascapes, mountainscapes. That's because I love nature, scenery, the great outdoors. I also happen to paint landscapes, in oils and acrylics. So it's obvious I have a thing about landscapes. I love all the colors of nature, so a book with a beautiful color palette always draws my eye.
I love dogs, cats, horses and all kinds of wild creatures, great and small. So if there's, let's say, a dog, horse, zebra, elephant, camel or alligator on a book cover, I'll most likely take a good look. I love flowers too, so I'm drawn to books with flowers gracing the cover. These are just my personal preferences and not necessarily those of the rest of the reading public.
For instance, somewhere along the line someone decided that romance books should have close-ups (head shots) of the hero and/or heroine. Am I the only one who thinks this has been overdone? Personally, I prefer to form a picture of the hero and heroine, and all those wonderful secondary characters, out of my own imagination. Floating heads and floating body parts aren't my thing either. Remember, this is just my personal preference.
In addition, I imagine we all love to see those gorgeous pecs and abs on a to-die-for-hunk. But even that can get old after a while. Great pecs and abs are so prevalent on covers that they no longer catch my eye. Also, I find those headless people gracing book covers to be rather creepy. I'd rather see the face and the rest of the body instead of just a torso. Though don't get me wrong. This is just my personal opinion.
What I'm getting at here is that book covers are a personal choice. The cover one person may love another may hate. So when it comes to indie authors, why do we need a Gatekeeper to determine what kind of cover can be put on our books? Think about it. This is all about choice, the reader's choice. The reader looks at the cover and decides, yes, that's a book that looks interesting or no, it doesn't look interesting. If a cover is really terrible, probably no one will ever look at what's inside. On the other hand, maybe someone will look. It's all up to the reader.
Time will tell. By this I mean, the readers will determine what they do or do not like in book covers. A Gatekeeper can't make that decision for them. It's as simple as that. If a cover really offends the eye, then don't give the book a second thought if you don't want to know what's inside.
Surprisingly, some readers don't give a care about covers. So while we're all arguing about assigning a Gatekeeper to determine what looks like a professional cover and what doesn't, there are readers out there who don't care a hoot one way or the other.
2) Editing. Now this gets a little trickier. We all want our books to be perfect. We want every single word to be just right. We don't want grammatical errors, misspellings, punctuation errors, etc. However, the very best of books, even professionally edited, often contain errors. I can't recall a single book I've read, traditionally published or indie, that doesn't have some errors, mine included. After all, we're human beings, not machines. We're not perfect so how can our books be perfect?
Yes, as authors, indies and traditional, we should all strive to produce books that are as flawless as we can possibly make them. That said, the book closest to editing perfection might be one of the dullest books on the planet. Honest, I've read some grammatically flawless books that I'd never read again. I've also read some grammatically flawed books that were incredible works of fiction with stories I will long remember.
Editing is important, but slamming indie authors for not hiring an expensive editor to go through their books is very wrong. If you're rich and can afford a thousand dollar or higher editing job, then go for it. Only remember, editors are people too and can make their own errors. Yes, there are incredible editors out there. If an author, particularly a new indie author, can afford one of those pricey editors then that's great. But don't put a Gatekeeper in place to regulate and insure that all indie books have been edited by a professional editor.
Please don't get me wrong. If you're an editor, I love you. If I could afford to pay you to edit my books, I would. But most of us indie authors are poor (starving) writers and can't afford the luxury of a professional editor. It doesn't mean our books aren't edited, it just means we may not have paid big bucks to get the job done.
As my five year old grandson would say, "Professional Cover, check. Professional Editor, check." From what I've heard, Gatekeepers are supposed to check the boxes and make sure that all indie books meet the supposed Gatekeeper's criteria. Why? I'm really confused here.
I like to think that all authors, indie and traditional, will only publish their very best work. I also think most indie authors would love to be represented by the Big Six. But we all know that's not going to happen. Does that mean indie books are of inferior quality? No. It means that for whatever reason(s), indie authors didn't get that lucky break along the way.
Most of us indie authors have been writing forever. My first short story goes back to my grammar school days. I started collecting rejection slips before I was legally old enough to drink. I have boxes and boxes of short stories, poems, partials, finished and unfinished novels. Not to mention enough rejections letters to fuel a nice fire in the fireplace (only I don't have a fireplace).
Believe me, indie authors have been through the fire just like those authors represented by the Big Six. Only since we didn't get published in our early years we had to take on other jobs to survive. Jobs like admin. assistant, secretary, sales clerk, file clerk, stock clerk, tech writer, bank teller, boat builder, model, substitute teacher, academic counselor, marketing specialist, welfare caseworker, mortgage closer, and survivor of all that life throws in our way. And yes, I worked all those jobs and more. Most indie authors can provide a similar career list.
Now this is where I point out that indie authors have lived and worked and scrounged and yes, survived. So we have a lot of life to pour into our books. Is that a bad thing? No. Indie books may not be as "professional" as books published by the Big Six, but the stories are full of life. Do we need Gatekeepers to determine that our books meet some arbitrary criteria? Personally, I don't think so.
3) Formatting. Now this is one of my pet peeves. Personally, I'm turned off by a book that isn't formatted properly. Does that mean I won't read a book that has formatting problems? Heck, no! I've read some books that are formatting nightmares, but the stories were so good that I overlooked all the flaws. However, not all readers will do that. If the formatting is crap, chances are the readers will think so too and will be sure to let you know.
It makes sense that a book should be formatted correctly. There is some leeway in this. Paragraphs or block? Indent or don't indent? I could go on and on. But it is advisable not to write a three hundred page novel that is all one paragraph. There are plenty of guidelines out there to lead the new author in the right direction when it comes to formatting. I believe that all authors, if they want people to read their books, should study those guidelines and format their books accordingly.
However, do we need Gatekeepers to determine that a book is formatted according to a set standard? No. Indie authors should strive to follow the guidelines in order to present a book that is visually easy and pleasing to read. It goes without saying that books that are poorly formatted will most likely have fewer readers.
This is where I mention that for indie authors who ePub via Smashwords, a book has to be formatted according to Smashwords' guidelines in order to receive Premium Distribution status, If the formatting sucks it doesn't get Premium Distribution status. Other ePublishers can do the same, which will take care of the problem of poorly formatted ebooks.
4) Price Points. Now this is a big issue. There's a lot of controversy over price points. Are indie authors selling their books cheap in order to undercut the big authors? No. In most cases, indie authors are unknown to readers. So low price points, and even free, are needed to entice readers to give them a try. It doesn't mean that indies are trying to steal the market away from established, known authors. It just means that indie authors need to lower their price points to get the attention of the readers. The readers expect to pay less for a book by an unknown author.
Let's look at it from the reader's point of view. As a reader, I have a list of favorite authors that I read no matter what. In most cases, I buy their books in hardback or paperback format. Why? Because I love those authors' books and know I'll want to reread them. I also know I want their books to grace my bookshelves.
Well, you ask, what about ebooks? I happen to own a Kindle (the Keyboard version). I could just as easily have bought a Nook, or iPad or any other eReader. It just so happens I fell in love with the convenience of Amazon years ago. I'm a night-owl and it's a perfect way to spend those long nights, by perusing all those wonderful books that I can buy with the simple click of a button.
So what do I read on my Kindle? Backlist books from my favorite authors, books from authors I've just discovered and lots of indie books. Reading indies has not stopped me from reading books by my favorite authors. The only change I've noticed in my reading habits is that I make fewer trips to the library and used bookstores. I'd rather stay home and just download the book onto my Kindle.
Now back to price points. Do I buy high priced indie books? No. As a reader, I expect to pay less for an indie book. So if the book is priced too high, then I don't buy it. Now I've heard that some readers won't even consider a free or .99 cent book and will only read high priced ebooks. That again is the reader's choice. I don't believe a Gatekeeper should be setting the price points for indie books.
I hope in writing this post that I don't come out looking like I have egg on my face. I'm not trying to name call or provoke any disagreements. I'm honestly trying to understand why some people think we need Gatekeepers to regulate indie authors. As I've already pointed out, I think the readers can handle the regulating on their own.
Now I've heard the fears that if a reader happens to encounter a poorly written, poorly edited or poorly formatted book, then they'll be turned off from ever reading another book. Hog-wash! Readers love books. Readers are addicted to books. A crummy book is not about to keep us from ever reading again. It might keep us from reading more books by that particular author, but that's about it. In the long run, the better books will come out on top. The poorer quality books will go by the wayside.
We've all seen those critical reviews, many of them very constructive. Yes, the readers have the right to let us know what they think. Then we, as authors, can strive to do a better job the next time around or re-edit the not-so-good book or just walk away.
Now here is where I defend myself as an indie author. Do I need to defend myself? Well, that's for the readers to say. I don't claim that my books are perfect, but they are edited and formatted. The book covers are designed in a style I would like as a reader. As for the content, well, I don't claim to be a great author, but I do write from the heart. I like to think my readers will enjoy and love my books.
Isn't writing all about telling a story and then sharing that story with others? So whether you're an indie author or a traditional author, remember, it's the stories that count and the readers who enjoy them.
I'm hoping this will be a starting point for a much needed discussion about whether or not indie authors need Gatekeepers. You all know where I stand on this issue. What about you? It's our industry. How do we make it the best possible without turning it into a battle or a witch hunt? How do we write, create and ePub books that readers will love?
Thank you so much for taking your time to read my post. I may be way off base here, but I'm honestly trying to work my way through this. We've got a lot to talk about and I hope you'll join in and add your comments below.
1) Book Covers - Indie ebooks have an assortment of covers. Some are traditional and some are not. Some are great and some are not. Some are home-made and others are purchased at often astronomical fees. Why is this a problem? As a reader, I love variety. If every book out there had a cookie-cutter cover I would quickly get tired of looking at books. Yes, I love book covers. I can spend hours just looking at book covers. Is this some personal quirk or do other readers do that too? I'd really like to know.
Do I judge a book by its cover? Yes and no. A great cover will catch my eye in an instant. But what I consider a great cover may be a turn-off for another reader and vice-versa. Personally, I love landscapes, seascapes, mountainscapes. That's because I love nature, scenery, the great outdoors. I also happen to paint landscapes, in oils and acrylics. So it's obvious I have a thing about landscapes. I love all the colors of nature, so a book with a beautiful color palette always draws my eye.
I love dogs, cats, horses and all kinds of wild creatures, great and small. So if there's, let's say, a dog, horse, zebra, elephant, camel or alligator on a book cover, I'll most likely take a good look. I love flowers too, so I'm drawn to books with flowers gracing the cover. These are just my personal preferences and not necessarily those of the rest of the reading public.
For instance, somewhere along the line someone decided that romance books should have close-ups (head shots) of the hero and/or heroine. Am I the only one who thinks this has been overdone? Personally, I prefer to form a picture of the hero and heroine, and all those wonderful secondary characters, out of my own imagination. Floating heads and floating body parts aren't my thing either. Remember, this is just my personal preference.
In addition, I imagine we all love to see those gorgeous pecs and abs on a to-die-for-hunk. But even that can get old after a while. Great pecs and abs are so prevalent on covers that they no longer catch my eye. Also, I find those headless people gracing book covers to be rather creepy. I'd rather see the face and the rest of the body instead of just a torso. Though don't get me wrong. This is just my personal opinion.
What I'm getting at here is that book covers are a personal choice. The cover one person may love another may hate. So when it comes to indie authors, why do we need a Gatekeeper to determine what kind of cover can be put on our books? Think about it. This is all about choice, the reader's choice. The reader looks at the cover and decides, yes, that's a book that looks interesting or no, it doesn't look interesting. If a cover is really terrible, probably no one will ever look at what's inside. On the other hand, maybe someone will look. It's all up to the reader.
Time will tell. By this I mean, the readers will determine what they do or do not like in book covers. A Gatekeeper can't make that decision for them. It's as simple as that. If a cover really offends the eye, then don't give the book a second thought if you don't want to know what's inside.
Surprisingly, some readers don't give a care about covers. So while we're all arguing about assigning a Gatekeeper to determine what looks like a professional cover and what doesn't, there are readers out there who don't care a hoot one way or the other.
2) Editing. Now this gets a little trickier. We all want our books to be perfect. We want every single word to be just right. We don't want grammatical errors, misspellings, punctuation errors, etc. However, the very best of books, even professionally edited, often contain errors. I can't recall a single book I've read, traditionally published or indie, that doesn't have some errors, mine included. After all, we're human beings, not machines. We're not perfect so how can our books be perfect?
Yes, as authors, indies and traditional, we should all strive to produce books that are as flawless as we can possibly make them. That said, the book closest to editing perfection might be one of the dullest books on the planet. Honest, I've read some grammatically flawless books that I'd never read again. I've also read some grammatically flawed books that were incredible works of fiction with stories I will long remember.
Editing is important, but slamming indie authors for not hiring an expensive editor to go through their books is very wrong. If you're rich and can afford a thousand dollar or higher editing job, then go for it. Only remember, editors are people too and can make their own errors. Yes, there are incredible editors out there. If an author, particularly a new indie author, can afford one of those pricey editors then that's great. But don't put a Gatekeeper in place to regulate and insure that all indie books have been edited by a professional editor.
Please don't get me wrong. If you're an editor, I love you. If I could afford to pay you to edit my books, I would. But most of us indie authors are poor (starving) writers and can't afford the luxury of a professional editor. It doesn't mean our books aren't edited, it just means we may not have paid big bucks to get the job done.
As my five year old grandson would say, "Professional Cover, check. Professional Editor, check." From what I've heard, Gatekeepers are supposed to check the boxes and make sure that all indie books meet the supposed Gatekeeper's criteria. Why? I'm really confused here.
I like to think that all authors, indie and traditional, will only publish their very best work. I also think most indie authors would love to be represented by the Big Six. But we all know that's not going to happen. Does that mean indie books are of inferior quality? No. It means that for whatever reason(s), indie authors didn't get that lucky break along the way.
Most of us indie authors have been writing forever. My first short story goes back to my grammar school days. I started collecting rejection slips before I was legally old enough to drink. I have boxes and boxes of short stories, poems, partials, finished and unfinished novels. Not to mention enough rejections letters to fuel a nice fire in the fireplace (only I don't have a fireplace).
Believe me, indie authors have been through the fire just like those authors represented by the Big Six. Only since we didn't get published in our early years we had to take on other jobs to survive. Jobs like admin. assistant, secretary, sales clerk, file clerk, stock clerk, tech writer, bank teller, boat builder, model, substitute teacher, academic counselor, marketing specialist, welfare caseworker, mortgage closer, and survivor of all that life throws in our way. And yes, I worked all those jobs and more. Most indie authors can provide a similar career list.
Now this is where I point out that indie authors have lived and worked and scrounged and yes, survived. So we have a lot of life to pour into our books. Is that a bad thing? No. Indie books may not be as "professional" as books published by the Big Six, but the stories are full of life. Do we need Gatekeepers to determine that our books meet some arbitrary criteria? Personally, I don't think so.
3) Formatting. Now this is one of my pet peeves. Personally, I'm turned off by a book that isn't formatted properly. Does that mean I won't read a book that has formatting problems? Heck, no! I've read some books that are formatting nightmares, but the stories were so good that I overlooked all the flaws. However, not all readers will do that. If the formatting is crap, chances are the readers will think so too and will be sure to let you know.
It makes sense that a book should be formatted correctly. There is some leeway in this. Paragraphs or block? Indent or don't indent? I could go on and on. But it is advisable not to write a three hundred page novel that is all one paragraph. There are plenty of guidelines out there to lead the new author in the right direction when it comes to formatting. I believe that all authors, if they want people to read their books, should study those guidelines and format their books accordingly.
However, do we need Gatekeepers to determine that a book is formatted according to a set standard? No. Indie authors should strive to follow the guidelines in order to present a book that is visually easy and pleasing to read. It goes without saying that books that are poorly formatted will most likely have fewer readers.
This is where I mention that for indie authors who ePub via Smashwords, a book has to be formatted according to Smashwords' guidelines in order to receive Premium Distribution status, If the formatting sucks it doesn't get Premium Distribution status. Other ePublishers can do the same, which will take care of the problem of poorly formatted ebooks.
4) Price Points. Now this is a big issue. There's a lot of controversy over price points. Are indie authors selling their books cheap in order to undercut the big authors? No. In most cases, indie authors are unknown to readers. So low price points, and even free, are needed to entice readers to give them a try. It doesn't mean that indies are trying to steal the market away from established, known authors. It just means that indie authors need to lower their price points to get the attention of the readers. The readers expect to pay less for a book by an unknown author.
Let's look at it from the reader's point of view. As a reader, I have a list of favorite authors that I read no matter what. In most cases, I buy their books in hardback or paperback format. Why? Because I love those authors' books and know I'll want to reread them. I also know I want their books to grace my bookshelves.
Well, you ask, what about ebooks? I happen to own a Kindle (the Keyboard version). I could just as easily have bought a Nook, or iPad or any other eReader. It just so happens I fell in love with the convenience of Amazon years ago. I'm a night-owl and it's a perfect way to spend those long nights, by perusing all those wonderful books that I can buy with the simple click of a button.
So what do I read on my Kindle? Backlist books from my favorite authors, books from authors I've just discovered and lots of indie books. Reading indies has not stopped me from reading books by my favorite authors. The only change I've noticed in my reading habits is that I make fewer trips to the library and used bookstores. I'd rather stay home and just download the book onto my Kindle.
Now back to price points. Do I buy high priced indie books? No. As a reader, I expect to pay less for an indie book. So if the book is priced too high, then I don't buy it. Now I've heard that some readers won't even consider a free or .99 cent book and will only read high priced ebooks. That again is the reader's choice. I don't believe a Gatekeeper should be setting the price points for indie books.
I hope in writing this post that I don't come out looking like I have egg on my face. I'm not trying to name call or provoke any disagreements. I'm honestly trying to understand why some people think we need Gatekeepers to regulate indie authors. As I've already pointed out, I think the readers can handle the regulating on their own.
Now I've heard the fears that if a reader happens to encounter a poorly written, poorly edited or poorly formatted book, then they'll be turned off from ever reading another book. Hog-wash! Readers love books. Readers are addicted to books. A crummy book is not about to keep us from ever reading again. It might keep us from reading more books by that particular author, but that's about it. In the long run, the better books will come out on top. The poorer quality books will go by the wayside.
We've all seen those critical reviews, many of them very constructive. Yes, the readers have the right to let us know what they think. Then we, as authors, can strive to do a better job the next time around or re-edit the not-so-good book or just walk away.
Now here is where I defend myself as an indie author. Do I need to defend myself? Well, that's for the readers to say. I don't claim that my books are perfect, but they are edited and formatted. The book covers are designed in a style I would like as a reader. As for the content, well, I don't claim to be a great author, but I do write from the heart. I like to think my readers will enjoy and love my books.
Isn't writing all about telling a story and then sharing that story with others? So whether you're an indie author or a traditional author, remember, it's the stories that count and the readers who enjoy them.
I'm hoping this will be a starting point for a much needed discussion about whether or not indie authors need Gatekeepers. You all know where I stand on this issue. What about you? It's our industry. How do we make it the best possible without turning it into a battle or a witch hunt? How do we write, create and ePub books that readers will love?
Thank you so much for taking your time to read my post. I may be way off base here, but I'm honestly trying to work my way through this. We've got a lot to talk about and I hope you'll join in and add your comments below.
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