3/1/2013
Modern Self-Publishing: Writing's "Minor Leagues"
So this is kind of eerie, blogging when nobody's listening.
As of today, my website isn't even up yet...and I still haven't received my "big box of books" (sample copies) from AuthorHouse, my publisher. Goodbye to Beekman Place went live several weeks ago, but I'm still waiting for some frustrating little glitches to get fixed...like, for example, the story's lack of description (or, "about this item") on both Amazon and BN.Com...issues that must be corrected before I start to formally market the novel. No worries, though. It gives me more time to get this website up and running.
I've worked for Barnes & Noble for almost a decade now, and I've witnessed the growth of digital publishing...and it's affect on modern bookstores. I remember the days when print-on-demand titles were considered cheap & amateurish, and were easily recognized from books from the big publishers (especially when their titles were written in Comic Sans font).
It was only 10 years ago when POD books were known for poor quality. I swear to God, whenever I thumbed through a self-published title from that era, the reader was lucky if a writer remembered to press the spellcheck button, let alone hire an editor. Who could have predicted that in less than 10 years, POD publishers would be considered the "minor leagues" - the place that the major houses would search for new writing talent. And who could have known that digital e-books would someday warrant their own NYT top-ten list, next to the Pattersons, the Roberts, the Baldaccis, and the Fifty Different Vampires.
I certainly couldn't.
Off to work.
Modern Self-Publishing: Writing's "Minor Leagues"
So this is kind of eerie, blogging when nobody's listening.
As of today, my website isn't even up yet...and I still haven't received my "big box of books" (sample copies) from AuthorHouse, my publisher. Goodbye to Beekman Place went live several weeks ago, but I'm still waiting for some frustrating little glitches to get fixed...like, for example, the story's lack of description (or, "about this item") on both Amazon and BN.Com...issues that must be corrected before I start to formally market the novel. No worries, though. It gives me more time to get this website up and running.
I've worked for Barnes & Noble for almost a decade now, and I've witnessed the growth of digital publishing...and it's affect on modern bookstores. I remember the days when print-on-demand titles were considered cheap & amateurish, and were easily recognized from books from the big publishers (especially when their titles were written in Comic Sans font).
It was only 10 years ago when POD books were known for poor quality. I swear to God, whenever I thumbed through a self-published title from that era, the reader was lucky if a writer remembered to press the spellcheck button, let alone hire an editor. Who could have predicted that in less than 10 years, POD publishers would be considered the "minor leagues" - the place that the major houses would search for new writing talent. And who could have known that digital e-books would someday warrant their own NYT top-ten list, next to the Pattersons, the Roberts, the Baldaccis, and the Fifty Different Vampires.
I certainly couldn't.
Off to work.