About the Kindle, the Nook and Two Giants

I got a Kindle recently but must admit I'm not crazy about it. To me an ereader just doesn't compete with the sensory pleasure of holding a print book while reading in bed, preferably when buried under a down comforter. However, I'm enjoying using it for research. Another WiDo editor has a Nook and we're comparing notes on what books are successful where.

It appears that the indie authors who are doing incredibly well on the Kindle, like Amanda Hocking and John Locke, aren't bestsellers on the Nook. It appears that Amazon, as always, has positioned itself as a leader in the publishing and bookselling revolution, making the Kindle especially attractive to the self-published. While Barnes & Noble is pushing the offerings of the large publisher (just like in their brick and mortar stores) and  sort of "hiding" the self-published books. So basically they each have their niche that they established with print books some time ago, and are continuing in ebooks.

It's hard to see any ereader competing with either the Nook or the Kindle any time soon. There's the iPad, which is useful for so much else and somewhat heavy for reading. I like the size of the Kindle for reading and I have read a couple books on it. However, the iPad isn't designed just for reading and besides, one can also access the Kindle and Nook on the iPad. So there we go again-- the ebook wars seem to be between the two bookselling giants--Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

I hate to see either of these behemoths getting a monopoly on ebook publishing and royalty rates. That could be bad news down the road for authors and publishers, especially if Amazon follows its pattern.

Amazon was very accepting of indie authors and small publishers when it first started selling print books, and a whole new world of possibilities opened up for those who had been shut out of the bookstores. But then Amazon's discounts and charges got steeper and steeper as to eat up any small profits made. Gradually as they became more well-known, you had to have your books listed there to get online sales. But you didn't make any money on those sales unless your little indie book became a blockbuster and you could justify a huge print run. (Like The Shack). Small digital press runs would kill you on Amazon sales. They still do.

This is what I don't want to see happen in ebooks-- Amazon taking greater and greater discounts and paying authors less in royalties while Barnes and Noble shuts out the self-published and small presses. That would simply be a reflection of their print book business models.

Now I'm no expert, but this is what I saw in the past decade with these two giants, and what I fear in the future for ebooks. Here's a couple warning signes to watch for: Amazon cutting its royalty rates. B & N putting the big publisher books front and center (similar to how those with deep pockets pay for front table space in the stores).

Not to rain on the happy indie ebook parade, but I'm just saying to be careful out there. We writers should be aware of the market yet avoid fads. Especially avoid rushing to self-publish at the expense of quality. And watch your back. There are giants lurking about.

The Problem with Self-Publishing

It used to be distribution. A self-pubbed book couldn't get into bookstores. Now? Does that even matter at all? No, not really.

The self-publisher can go electronic, promote like crazy using social media and a link on the blog, and sell amazing amounts. Karen McQuestion did just that with her ebook, A Scattered Life, and now it's being published by Amazon (when did they become a big press???) and made into a movie.

A book not making it to the bookstore shelf is mattering less and less as we speak. A recent NY Times article chronicles the problems bookstores, including the massive Barnes & Noble, are facing due to the ebook explosion. And booksellers thought they had it bad back when Amazon took hold. Man, that was nothing compared to what's happening now!

So here's the question. Why bother with a publisher at all? Why bother with finding an agent, getting rejected, looking for a publisher, getting rejected, writing queries, getting rejected, submitting partials, getting rejected? Why not just save time, forgo the misery, and go straight to Smashwords? Or CreateSpace and Amazon?

If distribution doesn't matter, and marketing dollars are scarce (authors are having to promote like crazy anyway), then why not just do it all yourself and end up with a bigger piece of the pie?

A post yesterday on Melissa Cunningham's blog, A Writer's Reality, answers these questions, from the perspective of a debut author. EDITING. Did you hear that? I'm sure you did since I was shouting. EDITING. One more time. EDITING.

Sure you can have your work critiqued, even pay thousands of dollars for an editing service-- but all those people are so easy to ignore when they tell you something hard to hear, like:

These 3 chapters drag and don't add anything to the story--No way! That's my favorite part and is the essence of my book!

150,000 words is a bit much for a YA novel. Better cut by half-- I can't take out that much. Look at the 4th Harry Potter. It sold fine.

Your main character is annoying and will alienate readers-- What? The main character is based on my cousin, and this is true to her personality. I can't change it.

The boy and girl are both named Corey, very confusing-- So what? I like the name Corey.

There's an awful lot of telling in the first six chapters-- But that's because the reader needs to know the background to understand what comes next.

An editing service will be nice, make suggestions, and end up letting you do what you want because you're the boss. You are paying them. Not so with an editor at a publishing house. Who will be a complete jerk may not be nice, who will make unreasonable demands, incredibly annoying requests, give strongly worded direction for the changes that must be made to your manuscript before it can go any farther.

Now if you're an amazing writer with the ability to self-edit with great skill, and the ability to take critique and run with it, polishing your work until it shines-- then you may be an excellent candidate for self-publishing.

I have nothing against self-publishing. Each writer needs to go the route that makes the most sense for him or her. But the editing.... that can be the real stumbling block. So if you're considering self-publishing, just be aware of the editing. Have a plan for that.

I Support the Supportive Bookseller

Borders is the best indie bookseller that isn't indie. They have a policy of supporting local authors, whether published traditionally through a large or small press, or self-published. This means if you, the author, live near a Borders, you can call and ask to speak to the buyer. Give her a brief pitch and summary of your book, asking if she would mind carrying your title in the local section.

The answer will be "Bring it in so I can take a look." Take 5 copies and you'll most likely have a cash sale. Your local Borders will also be happy to schedule a signing. If you do well at the signing, selling 20 books or more, your title will automatically be logged into the Borders.com website and can then be ordered from any Borders brick and mortar store in the country.

I guarantee that, if you're with a small press, or without distribution, you won't get this kind of treatment from Barnes & Noble. And if you're self-published, your local Barnes & Noble won't even talk to you. But as soon as your book is listed with Amazon, then suddenly it shows up on B&N.com, linked from the Amazon site. That still doesn't mean it can be ordered in person from a B & N bookstore. It can't. They'll tell you to go home and get it online from B & N.com, which is another word for Amazon.com.

Where I live in the Salt Lake Valley, there are two indie bookstores and one chain indie. The chain indie will take books carried by a distributor. The indies will take them only on consignment. My publisher will not do consignment, therefore these two bookstores do not stock any of the books published by WiDo. Even though WiDo Publishing is out of Salt Lake City and has titles by authors who live here. I don't call that supportive, do you?

It seems to me that the indie bookseller should be supportive of the indie publisher. Right? Farm Girl is stocked in independent bookstores across the Great Plains states. Yet you can't order it from indiebound.org. It's not listed and doesn't show up in the search bar. If you don't live near one of the stores that carry Farm Girl, you'll have to order it from Amazon. Or from this website.

I am all for supporting the local independent bookstores. But why should I when they don't support me as a local author? My books have been well-reviewed, and Farm Girl does well at every store that carries it. (I'm pretty sure Uncut Diamonds will sell out in Ireland but that's neither here nor there.)

What reason do these local stores have for not doing business with my publishing company and stocking my books on a non-consignment basis? No rational reason that I can see, especially considering that it's stocked by a variety of other indies throughout the country. Just not here. Where I live. Where my children play. Where my husband and I sleep.(Godfather 2 throwback there lol.)

So when I want to buy a book, I drive past Barnes & Noble, I drive past Deseret Book (the local indie chain that said no to both my books), I drive 20 miles to get to Borders in Murray, Utah and there I spend money on books. When I was at the Orem (or was it Provo?), Utah Borders for a signing, I spent $40. If I'm traveling and I want to buy a book, I will seek out the Borders and give them my business.

I would love to support the independent bookseller but instead I support the supportive bookseller. That is Borders. Wherever you live, if there's a Borders, know this: they will support the local author. It's their nationwide policy. Long live Borders.