Welcome to the 21st Century
Publishing Update newsletter. Published about twice a month it is
your source for news and trends in the changing publishing world.
Issue
12 (December 2001)
In This Issue:
-JD Writes
-New This Week
- What's In An Author Website
- Author's Q & A
- News & Updates
- Resources
-New Last Time (in case you missed it)
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Hi, Julie here.
Hi Gang!
It's been a fun couple of weeks (a belated Happy
Thanksgiving to the US folks who subscribe. Hope
you're finished with the Turkey sandwiches by now) but now it's back to
business.
This issue features advice on how to
create an author's website, and answers an author's question about the
different between two POD service providers. The resources section
features awards, associations and more....
I noticed that the links to some books
in last issue's Agents article weren't working. They should be working
fine now.
Well, I hope you all have a great end
of November/start of December and that you get plenty of writing done.
Best,
Julie
NEW THIS WEEK
ARTICLES
What's In An Author
Website?
'Every
author knows they should have a website. Not every author is sure what
to put on that site.
Website coding has
become much more powerful in the past few years, allowing tech-heads and
designers to do beautiful, pointless things. Don’t worry if you
can’t do any of these things. Your aim is to let as many people as
possible see the information about your book and, hopefully, buy it.
Plan to make your site simple and elegant so that even readers with old
computers/browsers can access your site.
A good author/book
site is more than a static brochure, though. Online, readers have become
accustomed to be being able to do more than just look at a page. They
want to click on interesting links, sample the product before they buy,
find out what other people are saying about the product. This is why
your author’s website should have a few distinct pages.
Home Page
The first thing to
note about your home page is that it should really reside at
YourName.com and/or YourBooksName.com (both domains can point to the
same website). Having your book and author names registered lends an air
of professionalism to your site and your project.
Registering a name is
no longer expensive (between
$10 and $35 for a two-year term) and you can find any number of hosting
companies vying to host your website for very little money. There are
even some free services you can take advantage of, although it may
undermine the sense of professionalism, if your readers notice that you
are hosted on a free service. Good web hosting packages are available
for a few dollars a month and allow you to have your own site and your
own email address (you@yourname.com!).
Your home page should
not contain acres of text. It should contain the essential information
and enticing links to other pages. Allowing your readers to click
through satisfies their need for interactivity.
‘The essentials’
means:
Title
The title of your
book should be prominent, large, and in an easy-to read font. This is
more important than replicating the font and text effects on your cover.
Keeping a consistent look is nice, but not if it makes your title hard
to read on the screen.
Cover art
Your book’s cover
should be displayed somewhere fairly prominent. To avoid long download
times, make sure you resize the image. Amazon.com’s images are around
90 x 140 pixels. This is probably a little small for your main page but
may be a good size for a ‘thumbnail’ on the subsequent pages.
Remember that most computer monitors are set at a resolution of only 800
x 600 pixels. This means you can resize your cover to be 200 pixels wide
and still fill a quarter of most people’s screens. The fewer pixels
you include, the faster the image will download. Don’t worry if all
the text is not legible at these small sizes. You will be reproducing
the text in your Title and Author Name sections.
Author name
This one is kind of
obvious, but I had to mention it. And don’t skimp on the font-size
when displaying your name. Even if you are not a well-known author, you
want the browser to remember your name, don’t you? So make it at least
as big and bold as the title.
Summary
A short summary of
the book should go in here. Most casual browsers will not stop to read
more than about three lines of text, so be brief. Try summing up the
themes of your book in one sentence (see my articles on writing a
summary). Don’t worry, you will get to say more on a different page.
Order Now button
Don’t be shy. You
want the reader to buy your book don’t you? Have a button or link on
every page that allows a browser to buy the book on impulse. Make sure
they can complete the transaction right there and then. If you don’t
have credit-card processing facilities at your site, make sure you
provide a link to somewhere that does. If your book is available through
Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, Chapters.com, WHSmith.com or another
well-established online bookstore, provide a link to that store. In
fact, provide a link to all of them. The aim is to provide a link to as
many places as possible, so that your reader can select the venue with
which they are most comfortable.
One recommendation
You are going to add
a whole page of testimonials later, but the home page should carry one
gee-whizz, knock’em dead recommendation, perhaps even above the title
and picture.
If this quote is from
an expert in your field, a best-selling author or a celebrity, great! If
you have none of these, pick a quote from a reader that sounds the best,
the one that captures the essence of your book or shows that the reader
‘got it’. (You have been keeping a file of feedback, comments and
testimonials, haven’t you?).
Links to other pages
on your site
Down one side of your
page or, if you prefer at the top and bottom of your page, provide links
to the other pages in your site. Don’t worry about making pretty
graphics for these links, text works just fine and loads quickly even on
the oldest browser.
Excerpts Page
Readers like to take
a look at the text before buying a book. In bookstores they thumb
through books, online they read excerpts. Most readers don’t read more
than a few paragraphs online, but you should give them a lot to choose
from. Giving the introduction and first chapter is a good place to
start. Then cut to a scene further on in the book, perhaps one with a
lot of suspense, or one that typifies your character’s dilemma, or
that illustrates the most interesting thesis of your book.
Some publishers put
the whole text of the book online for readers to browse. They gamble
that few people are willing to read the whole book online, even if it is
free, but that being allowed to browse any part of the book will allow
them to become intrigued.
Some authors allow
worries about plagiarism or copyright infringement to stop them putting
excerpts online. In this case, however, the benefits probably outweigh
the risks. Readers will rarely buy a book without reading at least a
couple of paragraphs. Yes, it is easy to copy and paste text from a
website, however, if someone really wants to plagiarize your work, they
can do it --- they can retype the text from your book. Of course, it is
easier just to copy and paste from a website. Ask yourself how realistic
is the risk of plagiarism. Have you registered the copyright? Are you
willing to defend it in court if you find out that someone has abused
your copyright?
As long as you have
your cover designer's permission to use the cover art in all reasonable
marketing efforts, you should not worry about putting it online.
Author Bio Page
This page allows you
to tell the reader something about you, the author. As with the cover
bio, this should be written in the third person, although you can add a
chatty, first-person “author’s note” if you like.
If you have written
other books, include a bibliography on this page (with links to
somewhere they can buy any of the titles that are still in print).
For more on writing
the bio, see my article “Inventing The Author”
Testimonials
This is where you get
to overwhelm the reader with quote upon quote upon quote about how great
your book is. You should be collecting comments from anyone willing to say
a word or two about your book. Even if none of your reviewers is
well-known, the sheer volume of positive quotes can convince a reader
there must be something in this book…
Upcoming
books/projects
If you have another
book coming up, devote a page to building buzz about it now. If not
another book, perhaps you have another project that would interest
readers.
If you do have
another project, keep the content on this page changing, to encourage
people to come back. Create an online journal that you update regularly
to let people know how you're getting on with the new project.
Other Services
If you offer other
services, why not tell people about it? Are you available to talk at
meetings? Do you write columns and articles? Provide contact
information, examples and an invitation to contact you.
Press room
This is an area, like
your press kit, for members of the media who might like to write about
your book. If they cannot catch you on the phone, and are working on
deadline, journalists may turn to your website to find the information
they need. Make it easy for them. Include your standard press release
and author bio, along with links to high-resolution pictures of your
cover, and yourself. Displaying a high-resolution picture on the front
page would be wasteful, but journalists may need high-res pictures in
order to print. Don’t make them wait until they can get hold of you to
ask for a ‘glossy’. The Press Room should also contain contact
information for the author or author's PR agent, along with links to the
pages containing testimonials and excerpts.
Fun Stuff/Extras
If your book
lends itself to a quiz, put a quiz online. If you, or a friend, have the
necessary technical skills to make this a truly interactive quiz, great!
Otherwise, a list of questions and multiple-choice answers (think: Cosmo
quiz) can provide some fun. If your book doesn’t lend itself to this
kind of thing, perhaps you can provide a list of resources, or other
sites that people interested in your book may find interesting. This way
you are giving your readers something useful in return for their time.
You are unlikely to
need a chat room or message board unless you are working hard to build a
community. If you do want to do an online chat, you can find an
established venue to host it.
The most important
thing your site should do is hook your readers and make them want to buy
a copy of the book for themselves, and later, for all their friends.
Examples of good
author sites:
http://www.booksbybyers.com/
http://www.wiseowlbooks.com
***
This
week Mickey asks for a
comparison of the two POD companies iUniverse and Infinity Publishing.
This question illustrates the diversity of options within this new field
called POD publishing...
ANSWER
There are a couple
of important difference between iUniverse and Infinity.
iUniverse takes
rights for three years. You can get out of this contract in a year and
30 days if you send them notice that you want to do so. If your book is
doing well, iU will extend your contract on an annual basis. This may
not matter to some authors but in other cases it is significant. If you
want to release other print editions of your book, you may run into
conflicts. If you are seeking a traditional publisher iU will get a
percentage of any deal you strike with that pub if your book is still
under contract with iU (and good luck getting a trad publisher to wait a
year, until you notify iU and get your rights back). Again, maybe not a
problem for most authors, but something to be aware of.
The other main
difference between iU and Infinity
(in fact most POD companies and Infinity) is that Infinity owns its own
presses. It is a division of a company called Professional Duplicating,
a print shop in Pennsylvania.
This means that
they can fulfill orders quickly, and if you need books in a hurry you
can call them an chivvy them along. Customer Service Reps at POD
companies that use a third party printer usually have very little clout
with the printer and can't rush jobs along for you.
The disadvantage
of Infinity owning its own presses is that it is reluctant to work with
Ingram, which puts pressure on companies to use LSi for printing. Of
course, a company with its own presses doesn't want to give its files
and half its profits to LSi, just so that the books can be listed at
Ingram.
However, Infinity
is talking with Ingram and does
have a few of their best-selling books in Ingram's
system.
Both companies are
the nominal 'publisher' of your book, although I think both may allow
you to put your own imprint on the book under some conditions.
I know that
Infinity includes you under its publishers liability insurance, so that
if you ever get sued, you're covered. I'm not sure about iU, but I would
hope so, given that they take rights.
Also, Infinity is
small, fewer than 20 people, and does all its production work in-house.
iU is a lot bigger and does most of its production work overseas (China,
I believe).
Both companies
seem financially secure - for the next year, at least!
Hope this helps.
Julie
WRITERS'
DIGEST BEST SITES FOR WRITERS
Writer's
Digest (http://www.writersdigest.com)
is looking for nominations for its 101 Best Web Sites for Writers issue.
Nominate your favorite sites that provide a distinct service for
writers. Sites must be current and authoritative, offer some free
content and have tangible value to writers. Categories include genre,
poetry, scriptwriting, zines, self- and e-publishing, young writers,
journaling and memoir writing, and photos and illustration. E-mail (wd-tools@fwpubs.com)
your nomination. Include the URL of the Web site in the body and type
"Best Web Site" in the subject line. Nomination deadline is
Dec. 10.
PALM
GETTING INTO THE EPUB
GAME
PDA-maker Palm is to produce a line of e-books published by
HarperCollins. The line will be called PerfectBound eBooks and will
focus on business and technology books, including titles by tech guru
Geoffrey Moore. more: http://wireless.newsfactor.com/perl/story/14945.html
http://www.palm.com and
more...
RESOURCES
THE RESOURCE
section is growing and now includes...
AUDIO
PUBLISHERS' ASSOCIATION
http://www.audiopub.org/
Thinking of
producing an audio version of your content? This site offers news,
reviews, awards, and resources.
THE
E-WRITER'S PLACE
http://www.ewritersplace.com/
A site with
resources, articles, a newsletter, workshops and the SEEDS writer's
prompts. Download a free sample of these useful prompts before you fork
over cash for the full edition.
FONT.COM
http://www.fonts.com
Another place to
buy unusual fonts for your projects. Not cheap, but does give away
freebies sometimes and the fonts are lovely.
Print On-Demand
Discussion Group
A list
specifically designed for POD authors - clients of 1st Books, iUniverse,
Xlibris and the rest. Some complaining about services, some pooling of
resources, recommendations and anti-recommendations, plus advice
give-and-take about how to succeed as a POD author.
Subscription: email to Print-On-Demand-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
INDEPENDENT
E-BOOK AWARDS
www.e-book-awards.com/indie2002/eligibility/requirements.html
For
self-published e-book and digital books. $1000 prizes in three
categories.
INDYPUBLISH.COM
http://www.indypublish.com
Five service
bundles for new manuscripts, $0-$999 and a list of 'add on' extras to
suit your every whim. Publish your previously published book free or for
$99. Publish a controlled-distribution book (i.e. you're the only one
who can buy it from them, and you distribute it how you wish) for $275.
IndyPublish allows the author to set the book's retail prices.
N.B. IndyPublish's prices seem to have been set to be competitive
with iUniverse and Xlibris (who used to offer a free service). Like
Xlibris, this seems to have overwhelmed them. IndyPublish is NOT
ACCEPTING NEW MANUSCRIPTS until they finish working on the ones they
have in the door. While I sympathize, and think they've done the right
thing (to better serve their existing authors), this can't be a good
business plan... To be notified if/when they are accepting mss again,
email: submissions@IndyPublish.com
NATIONAL
ASSOCIATION FOR WOMEN WRITERS
http://www.naww.org
Signing up for
this organization's newsletter gets you a fairly substantial e-book full
of resources for new writers (books, ezines, websites, tips. Formed in
Feb 2001, the org is arranging a conference for Feb 2002 in Texas. The
site features a discussion/critique group. They are looking for regional
representatives to set up chapters.
PENNWRITERS
http://www.pennwriters.org/
A writer's
organization for writers based in an around Pennsylvania. The site has
lots of good info for writers from further afield.
and more...
ABOUT JDWRITE
JDWrite is the online home of writer, journalist and former Xlibris Director of Author Services, Julie McCarroll Duffy.
Julie has expert knowledge of the new world of publishing: Print On-Demand, self-publishing, online publishing, eBooks, the
evolving publishing industry and more. Her role at Xlibris was
to work with authors to help them understand these developments, to listen to authors' needs and communicate those to the
company. She has been a speaker at writers' conferences around the US and seeks to continue to educate authors to understand
their ever-increasing opportunities in the publishing world. After following her husband's career from their native Scotland
to the US, Julie is working on a series of e-books about Print On-Demand
Publishing.
All content copyright 2001 Julie Duffy.
For permission to reprint articles, contact the editor at
jd@jdwrite.com.
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