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Thursday’s Post-Publication Post: The Ebook is Coming, The Ebook is Coming

by Erika Dreifus on
10

Next week, if all proceeds according to plan, Quiet Americans will begin its conversion into ebook format. Which is exciting and, I’ll admit, a bit unnerving (it’s not possible for me to approach any sort of change without at least some anxiety–that’s the only explanation I can give you).

We’ve had some discussions among the Last Light Studio (LLS) publisher and authors about ebook pricing, but I think it’s safe to say that we haven’t determined anything conclusive or across-the-board. In fact, part of the beauty of the LLS model is that each author has quite a bit of say in the pricing of her own book.

Which means that I’d love to hear from those of you with more ebook experience, whether you consider yourself primarily a reader, author, or publisher. What are your thoughts about ebook prices? How much is too much? Does any price ever strike you as perhaps “too little”? What differential do you expect to see between a print and ebook version? (Yes, I’ve read through a number of blog posts and articles on these matters, but I’m interested in what you have to say.)

Please don’t limit yourself to pricing matters if you have more to share. Feel free to comment with any tips you may have about ebook promotion or other relevant issues, too. Are there specific venues you trust specifically for their ebook reviews? Please tell me about them!

Quiet Americans and I thank you!

The Wednesday Web Browser for Writers

by Erika Dreifus on
1
  • Mentioned this already on My Machberet, but it’s worth re-presenting: Last week, Cynthia Ozick was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Jewish Book Council. Read Ozick’s reflections “on what it is to write as a Jew in America” here.
  • Virtual Book Tours 101, a guest post for Grub Street Daily, provides basics and background.
  • Nina Badzin adds a new post to her Twitter Tips series.
  • Former Alaskan David Abrams pays tribute to one of the state’s favorite sons, poet John Haines, who passed away earlier this month.
  • Since I have always found endings to be among the most challenging aspects of short-story writing, I really appreciated this post on the subject from Robin Black (for Beyond the Margins).
  • Speaking of short stories: Fiction Writers Review is launching a “Journal of the Week” giveaway feature, and the inaugural offerings are three free subscriptions from One Story.
  • Looking for some guest-blogging opportunities (and not concerned about getting paid)? Check out this call (for poet-bloggers) from Chloé Yelena Miller, and this one from First Person Plural, the blog of The Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Md.
  • In the unlikely case that you haven’t heard yet about Téa Obreht and her debut novel, The Tiger’s Wife, this New York Times profile will clue you in. (I haven’t read the novel yet, but I did love this Obreht story in The Atlantic.)

    • Thursday’s Post-Publication Post: How to Help An Author Out

    by Erika Dreifus on
    5

    I’m one lucky gal. When my friends and family started hearing that my book of short stories, Quiet Americans, was going to be published, they didn’t only ask me about ebook availability.

    They also asked how they could support me.

    I had a few ideas–and I was and remain overwhelmed by the generosity others have shown me. But I can’t help wishing that I had known/been able to point them to John Kremer’s list of “30 Ways to Help a Book Author You Love” from the start. (NB: The original link seems to be broken; here’s an updated link, with “51 Ways, which I’ve added in 2020—prompted by the FB “Memories” feature.)

    Kremer is a book-marketing guru, and I discovered his list this week (thanks to another marketing maven, Dana Lynn Smith). The best thing about it is that it’s still useful to me: Even if my friends and family were kind enough to offer their assistance pre-publication, most of Kremer’s suggestions can still be used now that the book is out.

    For instance:

    1) Buy your friend’s book. Encourage other friends to buy the book. Go to your local library or bookstore and encourage them to buy the book. Buy books as gifts.

    Or:

    16) Suggest catalogs, associations, and other special sales opportunities. If you receive mail order catalogs that feature books like your friend’s book, tell her about the catalog. The same with associations, groups. corporations, etc. that might be interested in buying bulk copies of your friend’s book.

    Or:

    25) Recommend your friend’s book to your reading group. If you belong to a reading group, suggest your friend’s book as part of your reading program. Or at least tell your reading group about the book.

    You get the idea. It’s a terrific list, and I am grateful to have it.

    Why don’t you peruse it, too? And then, if you think of any other tips that could be helpful, please share them here!

    Friday Find: Friday Reads

    by Erika Dreifus on
    2

    It’s a little scary to me, the extent to which Twitter seems to have taken a hold on my life. But one element of the Twitterverse that isn’t scary at all–nay, it’s inspiring!–is the #FridayReads hashtag.

    As the energetic Bethanne Patrick (@thebookmaven) phrases it: “Basically, if it’s Friday where you are, we want to know what you’re reading.” And in 140 characters or less, people are sharing those titles every Friday. All genres (no judgments!). And if you’re reading the same book for two (or more) Fridays, that’s OK. You can say so.

    Yes, @thebookmaven offers some giveaways, but that’s not what’s motivating thousands of people around the world to reveal what they’re reading each week. There’s something else at work, and I am just one of many, many readers happy to be a part of it.

    So follow #FridayReads to enjoy the sense of being in good reading company and glean some titles to add to your own TBR list. Share what you’re reading, too, and don’t forget the hashtag. (NB: In the past, you had to have an active Twitter account for at least a few days for your hashtag posts to show up, so if you’re just activating your account now, you should be able to participate fully no later than next Friday.)

    And if you’re an author, you may just find that your book is someone else’s #FridayReads. That’s quite a find, indeed.

    Happy reading, happy weekend, and see you back here on Monday!

    Friday Find: How to Plan Your Virtual Book Tour

    by Erika Dreifus on
    1

    So, as I mentioned yesterday, I’ve been hard at work preparing for the blog tour for my short-story collection, Quiet Americans. And it so happens that I’ve been receiving a number of questions about planning such tours.

    True to form, I’ve been pointing my questioners to various links and websites to help them become more familiar with the idea and practice. Now, I have a new resource to share: Sandra Beckwith’s guest post for The Savvy Book Marketer.

    It’s a post filled with good tips, and it’s exactly the sort of thing I would have appreciated back at the start of my own planning process.

    On that note, here’s wishing you all a good weekend. See you back here on Monday for the start of an especially exciting week!