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 There is good news about self-publishing ...

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alj
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Carol Troestler
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Shelagh
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PostSubject: There is good news about self-publishing ...   There is good news about self-publishing ... EmptyMon Nov 23, 2009 5:57 am

"Self-publishing, the only real success story in an otherwise depressed industry, is booming, thanks to the Internet, digital cameras and more sophisticated digital printing. It's also gaining respect. No longer dismissed as vanity presses, DIY publishing is discovering a niche market of customers seeking high-quality books for limited distribution. 'A real book is a great marketing tool,' says Al Greco, an industry analyst. Architects, photographers, interior designers and Japanese anime artists are using self-publishing websites to produce books that showcase their work in a style comparable to that of established art-book publishers. Professional books like Kaufmann's 'are the fastest-growing segment of our business,' says Eileen Gittins, CEO of Blurb, which launched in May 2006 and is based in San Francisco. She expects revenue to reach $5 million to $10 million this year, as the company expands its printing operations with partnerships in Europe and Asia."

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1617545,00.html#ixzz0Xgs95pVK
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Carol Troestler
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PostSubject: Re: There is good news about self-publishing ...   There is good news about self-publishing ... EmptyMon Nov 23, 2009 6:10 am

Interesting article, Shelagh.

Thanks for posting it.

Carol
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LC
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PostSubject: Re: There is good news about self-publishing ...   There is good news about self-publishing ... EmptyMon Nov 23, 2009 9:59 am

Shelagh, it would behoove us to apply a bit of critical thinking to this article.

<< Self-publishing, the only real success story in an otherwise depressed industry” >>

A success story for whom? For the companies selling self-publishing services, like Blurb, Lulu and Picaboo? Sure. For the authors? Well, how do they define success?

<< A real book is a great marketing tool,' says Al Greco, an industry analyst. >>


Of course a glossy book about you, your work and your company is a great marketing tool. Companies have been doing that for years, but they called their books “pamphlets.” Is a novelist’s goal to write a book that discusses her company? If not, what’s the relevance?

<< "In traditional distribution, you'd see $1 a copy," Gittins says. "A lot of Blurb authors are seeing $10 a copy. This is not necessarily quit-your-day-job money, but it might be new-telescope-lens money. >>

Blurb authors are seeing $10/copy? Yes, until they run out of friends and family.

<< Kaufmann, an architect who specializes in sustainable design, soon realized that Blurb could help transform her business. Impressed with the quality of the finished product, she turned to a more important task: a book that would feature the work of Michelle Kaufmann Designs, the Bay Area firm she founded in 2003. She had been approached by conventional publishers in the past, but as a small business, she didn't want to wait years to accommodate publishing's long lead times. " >>

What IS this bullshit? A conventional publisher approached her for a book about her company? Uh-huh. And this oft-repated “years long lead time” is an urban legend ,repeated over and over by people without a clue.

Finally, this:

Don’t call it vanity press.”

Yes, the CEO of Blurb doesn’t want you calling it that. Don’t you think this article would have more credibility if the CEO of Blurb wasn’t the one supplying all the well, blurbs? lol

You know who else doesn’t want you to call it vanity? The ones who reject your manuscript, then invite you to publish with their vanity press. I hear that's becoming common now since Random House got the ball rolling when they bought a piece of Xlbiris to make money off their slush pile. I think Time has such a press, too. What a coincidence...



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Malcolm
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PostSubject: Re: There is good news about self-publishing ...   There is good news about self-publishing ... EmptyMon Nov 23, 2009 10:14 am

I think publishing is continuing to shift toward more agile companies and more self-publishing.

But when it comes down to it, I don't know any self-published novelists who are making any reasonable money on their books.

Looking at the NYT bestseller list, I see that the success stories are still well-known authors with traditional old-style big publishing and promotion.

At the end of the day, most reviewers and book stores and newspapers are still ignoring self-published books.

Malcolm
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joefrank
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PostSubject: Re: There is good news about self-publishing ...   There is good news about self-publishing ... EmptyMon Nov 23, 2009 10:21 am

11/23/2009

LC...

SO WHAT ! If authors self publish or not !
It's a tough world out there , Why do you have
such an attitude towards other authors ? I think
you have a bad attitude , Who cares what you
think !


Cheers..Joe
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alj
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PostSubject: Re: There is good news about self-publishing ...   There is good news about self-publishing ... EmptyMon Nov 23, 2009 10:36 am

LC, I'm curious. Your focus seems to be that this is a commercial thing, and not good for "novelists." I'm not disagreeing, but wondering if that means you are considering writing a novel. It's my understanding that your credentials are in non-fiction and textbooks.

I taught in experimental schools, and we wrote and published our own supplemental materials. It was only as I was retiring that the textbook companies even began to come up with workable supplements, as we were discussing earlier on another thread.

From what I've read so far, this Blurb option might have been a tremendous help to us.

Ann
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Shelagh
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PostSubject: Re: There is good news about self-publishing ...   There is good news about self-publishing ... EmptyMon Nov 23, 2009 11:10 am

As my dad is fond of saying: "Time will tell."
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thehairymob
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PostSubject: Re: There is good news about self-publishing ...   There is good news about self-publishing ... EmptyMon Nov 23, 2009 12:05 pm

For some of us Pod is the only way to go. Having tried to get main stream publishers' to look at my work and failing like so many others, I gave up. Find Lulu gave me a way to continue my hobby and the end product of working on a story for a year or more is seeing it as a book plus seeing it on the web for sale. It's even bette when you see a sale. There is good news about self-publishing ... Icon_biggrin
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joefrank
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PostSubject: Re: There is good news about self-publishing ...   There is good news about self-publishing ... EmptyMon Nov 23, 2009 1:28 pm

11/23/2009

Hairymob..

I agree with you 1000% . Keep up
the good work , all authors should look at this as
an alternative , many years ago I had an agent in
New York, she was very good, but the competition
was severe ! So Publish On Demand came just in time
to help all authors acheive their goal...

Cheers..Joe
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Carol Troestler
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PostSubject: Re: There is good news about self-publishing ...   There is good news about self-publishing ... EmptyMon Nov 23, 2009 2:19 pm

We are back to the divide between those who write for profit and those who don't. I know you write for profit, LC, and that is not a bad thing. You should be very proud of your accomplishments. They are not what many of us can achieve. There just aren't enough publishing slots for all of us, and we all don't write marketable material.

I have dreams and goals for commercial publishing as you know. I have learned a great deal from this messageboard and others. I have written a good query, pursue appropriate publishers, wait patiently and hope.

And meantime, I keep writing something somewhere. I respect all writers, all those who "put pen to paper" or "fingers to the keyboard" to create, to express themselves, to tell a story, to just write because they have to.

For some it is work, and for some pure pleasure. I hear you work hard at your writing, but don't often see your pleasure. For people like Joe and others, I see their pure pleasure. Both are important in their own place.

For many it is a combination of both, that creativity of writing and the work of editing.

Carol
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joefrank
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PostSubject: Re: There is good news about self-publishing ...   There is good news about self-publishing ... EmptyMon Nov 23, 2009 2:39 pm

22/23/2009

Carol..

I agree with you. I know a lot of authors here
and many for five years, I know their work and yes all have
great stories to tell. I have known many authors over the years
from another site and I have read and reviewed their books ,
each one has a story to tell, wether it's about abuse, Autism,
fleeing their own country from communism, poetry. Each has
touched a reader with their own messages. When my book
" Dusty," came out it touched me to get e mails from mothers
who's children fell in love with Dusty. My goal isn't to get rich,
it's the hope that I can touch someone's life with a story and
hope I would open the doors for people and children to open
their minds to reading instead of playing games or watching
TV... And as for someone who acts snooty because their book
is publsihed by a main stream publisher, good luck but please
don't put your nose in the air against us ...We are a special
breed of authors , each with a specialty of telling a story in our
own way and trying to reach millions of people.....

Cheers....Joe
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Malcolm
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PostSubject: Re: There is good news about self-publishing ...   There is good news about self-publishing ... EmptyMon Nov 23, 2009 7:03 pm

Many of us feel the call to write whether we get paid a lot or a little. It's part of who we are. We can like or not like the latest trends, but regardless of them, we're still going to be telling our stories and looking for the best publishers to meet our needs. Sometimes that's Lulu (been there, done that) and sometimes it's iUniverse (been there and done and done that, too). It would be nice if it were HarperCollins with a nice advance (haven't been there).

But, we keep on writing, don't we, and I like the spirit of that even though I have reservations about earning any money in the current publishing environment.

Malcolm
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LC
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PostSubject: Re: There is good news about self-publishing ...   There is good news about self-publishing ... EmptyMon Nov 23, 2009 7:42 pm

alj wrote:
LC, I'm curious. Your focus seems to be that this is a commercial thing, and not good for "novelists." I'm not disagreeing, but wondering if that means you are considering writing a novel. It's my understanding that your credentials are in non-fiction and textbooks.

I taught in experimental schools, and we wrote and published our own supplemental materials. It was only as I was retiring that the textbook companies even began to come up with workable supplements, as we were discussing earlier on another thread.

From what I've read so far, this Blurb option might have been a tremendous help to us.

Ann

I used novelists as an example because most everyone here is a novelist. But even if people here were nonfic writers, the point is the same: that article was bizarre. The writer mixed up niche printing with publishing. No one would argue that a company benefits from a slick book of its services (although they typically GIVE such materials out -why the heck would a potential customer buy one?). But what does that have to do with "don't call vanity presses vanity?" Did anyone ever call a print shop a vanity press?

As for textbook supplements, again, what does that have to do with not calling a vanity press vanity? If teachers want to print up supplements for their own use, great! If they want to sell those supplements, a printer could work, depending on how plugged in they are to the wider education community. Or they could try to sell their stuff to a textbook publisher! But selling your stuff to one of them and bringing them to Blurb are completely different animals.
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LC
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PostSubject: Re: There is good news about self-publishing ...   There is good news about self-publishing ... EmptyMon Nov 23, 2009 7:52 pm

Carol Troestler wrote:
We are back to the divide between those who write for profit and those who don't. I know you write for profit, LC, and that is not a bad thing. You should be very proud of your accomplishments. They are not what many of us can achieve. There just aren't enough publishing slots for all of us, and we all don't write marketable material.

I know people write for different reasons. I just found that article weird, and even weirder that Shelagh apparently saw it as some sort of "proof" that self-publishing is becoming a valid option to commercial. Self-publishing has ALWAYS been a valid option for niche purposes. But that article tried to pass it off as an up-and-coming option for those who seek a wide audience and financial rewards. Giving an example of a woman who used Blurb to print a book about her architecture firm, and claiming that commercial publishers wanted it but she rejected them because "they take too long" was just bizarre!
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joefrank
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PostSubject: Re: There is good news about self-publishing ...   There is good news about self-publishing ... EmptyMon Nov 23, 2009 8:21 pm

11/24/2009

I see some people Razz don't know when to
leave well enough alone , we are all
authors !!!!

Cheers...Joe... Very Happy
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Shelagh
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PostSubject: Re: There is good news about self-publishing ...   There is good news about self-publishing ... EmptyTue Nov 24, 2009 1:59 am

LC wrote:
I just found that article weird, and even weirder that Shelagh apparently saw it as some sort of "proof" that self-publishing is becoming a valid option to commercial.
Did I say that? I thought I said: "There is good news about self-publishing." You said that the good news was misleading. I said time will tell. I neither agreed nor disagreed with either the article or you.
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PostSubject: Re: There is good news about self-publishing ...   There is good news about self-publishing ... EmptyTue Nov 24, 2009 4:35 am

Hi Shelagh
What is the chance of having your work published, if you have a very good manuscript appraisal by a noted author/Appraisal Council? Such as the Welsh Book Council?
Just asking as I would not have the funds to self publish.
Luigie
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PostSubject: Re: There is good news about self-publishing ...   There is good news about self-publishing ... EmptyTue Nov 24, 2009 6:48 am

Hi Llew,

There are several publishers in Wales, some of which publish only authors living in Wales. Check out the submission guidelines for Seren Books:

http://www.seren-books.com/submissions-policy/

Check out Tŷ Newydd, the National Writers' Centre for Wales:

http://www.tynewydd.org/english/home.html

You will find a list of publishers here:

http://www.walesindex.co.uk/pages/41_624.html

About self-publishing: they don't all charge except for ISBN and distribution. Lulu is free. Authors Online offer a similar free service:

http://www.authorsonline.co.uk/publish_with_us/For_Free/

Good luck!
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jaycox
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PostSubject: Re: There is good news about self-publishing ...   There is good news about self-publishing ... EmptyWed Nov 25, 2009 12:41 pm

This reminds me of my father when he was alive.
When I was a little boy sometimes I would make the mistake
of saying to my dad..."Thats not fair!"
Whenever he would hear that from me he would give the same speech I have heard a thousands times...

"Son...
Life is not fair.
Never has been.
Never will be.
And when you find that out,
you will have a good life."

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
God Bless,
Jay B. Cox
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Carol Troestler
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PostSubject: Re: There is good news about self-publishing ...   There is good news about self-publishing ... EmptyWed Nov 25, 2009 2:17 pm

Last September my four-year-old grandson went to a parade in our town where they threw out candy and the kids scrambled to fill their bags. My grandson did all right and I "rationed" his candy so he would not be ill. Then I put his candy in a little bag for him to take home, but I kept some here for the next time he came. He said, "Grandma, I know you're going to eat my candy and that's not fair!"

Even grandmas aren't always fair.

Carol
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Betty Fasig
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PostSubject: Re: There is good news about self-publishing ...   There is good news about self-publishing ... EmptyWed Nov 25, 2009 3:02 pm

Dear Carol,
I am glad to see you tonight.

Little kids know when you are going to eat their candy. It is no use looking innocent. They know. It is like leaving a baaaaaaaag of gold and trusting the grandma to not spend any of it. It is what grandma's do! Spend the gold eat the candy and tell you lies about the troll that lives under the little bridge.

Now IS Once Upon A Time.
Happy day tomorrow.
Love,
Betty
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Carol Troestler
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PostSubject: Re: There is good news about self-publishing ...   There is good news about self-publishing ... EmptyWed Nov 25, 2009 3:15 pm

Betty, I'm glad to see you here tonight also.

I think it is impossible to fool little kids. They always know.

I am finally feeling better. I am going to my daughter's for dinner tomorrow.

I'd had to revert from walking without assistance to walking with the rolator/walker, but my husband went to my beloved pharmacist and they sent him home with a very nice cane, and it works great, better than the walker.

And my beloved oncology nurse told me yesterday that the new treatment doesn't work until the second month, that it takes the first month for one's body to get used to the new meds. She also said I am going to make it to my anniversary Dec. 26th! I'm going to believe her.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I am here and better than I was last Thanksgiving even after a little setback.

I have seriously hijacked this thread.

Love ya all, Carol
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PostSubject: Re: There is good news about self-publishing ...   There is good news about self-publishing ... EmptyWed Nov 25, 2009 3:48 pm

Dear Carol,
I call these diversions of threads tangents. We are all so much more than the post. Spirit, feeling, hope, dreams, and past and present... it all flows like a river to where it goes, which is our tomorrow. There is a time for rules, and a time for blabbing it out. I blab out that I love you and I do believe that everyone here does love you. I think of Dick and how we should all haave written our love and respect for him. I think he knew, but I want you to not have a doubt. You are special and apart from every one else.

Love,
Betty
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alj
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PostSubject: Re: There is good news about self-publishing ...   There is good news about self-publishing ... EmptyWed Nov 25, 2009 3:55 pm

Serious hijacking is a good thing. It is the sign of a true PA adherent. I'm glad you are feeling better.

Ann
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Betty Fasig
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PostSubject: Re: There is good news about self-publishing ...   There is good news about self-publishing ... EmptyWed Nov 25, 2009 4:29 pm

Hi Ann,
My genius friend,
I wiish you a nice Thanksgiving day. I imagine you are cooking lovley things.

Today, the people round and about came in the rain to pick the green beans and the squash. I gave them home made strawberry ice cream that that lit up eyes.

I put on a hat and picked the mustard for tomorrow. Cooked the bacon and finished the greens.

I think about Mary Ellen Peese when I do the greens. She is up there in the mountains and the hollers. I love that word. 'hollers'. What a kind word it is and descriptive of her plaace.

We aare all more.

Love,
Betty
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