# Commentary on the Publishing Business



## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Lawrence Osborne writing in Forbes Magazine:

 A Writer And Reader On Why Book Publishers Fail


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## Gables Girl (Oct 28, 2008)

Sad but true.  Publishers seem to be all follow the leader any more.  If vampires are sellingthen we see a slew of vampire books, if religious conspiracy theories res selling, then more of them.  Don't get me started on the "celebrity" authors and the fact they would publish their grocery lists if they could get them it seems.  Books have  tended to be more tolerant of individual likes and land dislikes, and one of the reasons I read is so I don't have like and read what everyone else does, unlike TV where you get a mass mind set for viewing.


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

Gables Girl said:


> Sad but true. Publishers seem to be all follow the leader any more.


The Kindle and Amazon's Print On Demand service is changing that.

You might check out the indie author threads on Amazon.com. I've been reading nothing but indie author's books for over two months. Some of the books are pure drivel but there are also some gems that traditional publishers would never touch.


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## Guest (Dec 16, 2008)

Jeff said:


> The Kindle and Amazon's Print On Demand service is changing that.
> 
> You might check out the indie author threads on Amazon.com. I've been reading nothing but indie author's books for over two months. Some of the books are pure drivel but there are also some gems that traditional publishers would never touch.


The early stats show that Kindle isn't changing the trend at all. Check the Kindle Top Ten lists.

Much as it kills me to say this, I don't see this trend reversing itself for a number of years. The print/publishing industry is in its death throes, and publishers are increasingly unwilling to take a chance on a novel unless something else just like it has already proven successful. I *hope* that e-publishing can eventually reverse that trend by revitalizing an almost dead art/entertainment form.

Let's look at the numbers again in ten years.


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

Bacardi Jim said:


> Let's look at the numbers again in ten years.


I won't be around in ten years but maybe you could hold a séance and let me know what you find out. 

I fear that the top sellers in books and beer will always be those with the bigger advertising budgets.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Jeff said:


> I've been reading nothing but indie author's books for over two months. Some of the books are pure drivel but there are also some gems that traditional publishers would never touch.


So far my experience has been that "some" vastly understates the number.  

Care to share a few that have been gems? I'd like to support indie authors, but just haven't found any whose writing would hold my interest yet.

As the article indicates, the push to get only best-sellers out there has left a lot of mid-list authors without a way to get published. A case in point is the late George C, Chesbro, who had a pretty successful series of books going, and suddenly couldn't get any publishers to handle him except in France.

Mike

Edit: Changed "any with something to say" to "any whose writing would hold my interest." Much more accurate. Sorry.


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

jmiked said:


> Care to share a few that have been gems?


No, Mike. Doing that would diminish any book I didn't mention. I have too much respect for anybody who has the guts to publish their own book. Even if their book's a stinker.

Jeff


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Jeff said:


> No, Mike. Doing that would diminish any book I didn't mention. I have too much respect for anybody who has the guts to publish their own book. Even if their book's a stinker.
> Jeff


By that logic, we would never talk about anything, since it would diminish all the things we didn't mention.

Mike


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

jmiked said:


> By that logic, we would never talk about anything, since it would diminish all the things we didn't mention.


Most of the indie authors on Amazon are my friends so I was trying to give them a boost. Obviously, it was a very bad idea.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

jmiked said:


> As the article indicates, the push to get only best-sellers out there has left a lot of mid-list authors without a way to get published. A case in point is the late George C, Chesbro, who had a pretty successful series of books going, and suddenly couldn't get any publishers to handle him except in France.
> 
> Mike


Put Nora Roberts in that category. She wrote several very successful series and standalones, and then suddenly, couldn't get published. Fortunately, she did find a new publisher and is one of the most successful romance authors out there.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

If you look at my top 10 list for the year (posted on the other thread) you'll probably say, "I've never heard of any of those books" (except for maybe the one by Walter Tevis). This is one of the great things I have discovered with my Kindle: ebooks from small publishers (bordering on indie authors) which are instantly available, reasonably priced, well written and very entertaining stories. It is like a whole new world has opened up to me and I am not forced to swallow alot of the dreck that big publishers are trying to force down our throats. It's great.

Very interestingly: one of the books that I listed as "most disappointing," Phyllida and the Brotherhood of Philander, was originally self-published by the author. A junior editor from HarperCollins "discovered" it in the Amazon catalog and the author was offered a contract. It was published last spring. Reading it I had one of those, "This is so bad it's funny" experiences. 

I do think publishing is changing and am hopeful about what is coming down the pike.

L


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## Michael R. Hicks (Oct 29, 2008)

Well, I have to agree with Jim that major changes aren't going to happen overnight in terms of what we see in "bestsellers," and the monkey-see, monkey-do biz of the major houses as they pile on the bandwagon of the day (vampires, three-legged dogs, whatever).

Quality-wise, both in terms of what the author's trying to say and in basic things like proofreading, I think a lot of traditional publishers have been sliding downhill over the years. One of the reasons I decided to write _In Her Name_ was that I got so frustrated with one book by a big-name author (and very irritated that I'd paid full price) that was, in short, a pile of steaming rubbish. I literally threw the book at the wall and yelled, "_I_ could write something better than that!" And that's what I set out to do. 

But technology is radically changing things: devices like the Kindle, multi-platform readers like Mobipocket, and in the dead tree world, print-on-demand. This has given would-be authors unprecedented abilities to get their works published, and is really a golden opportunity for readers to expand their horizons. And with technology like the Kindle's preview feature, readers can sample the work of untested authors with no more than a modest investment in time (although you still may not always get what you expect).

This is really a double-edged sword, though. As Mike pointed out, a LOT of self-published books are - not to put too fine a point on it - garbage. And the reason so many are - and why self-published (SP) books are generally looked down upon by reviewers - is that the authors don't have editors (you can hire editors, but they don't come cheap!) to help them get their work into decent shape (or be honest and tell them that the would-be author has absolutely no talent), nor do they take extra time to try and clean their manuscripts up as best they can. I knew one individual, in particular, who will crank out a "book" and publish it on the Kindle without even basic proofreading. I enjoyed a lot of what he wrote, but that was a major distraction that's an automatic Big Red Button for any remote chance at more than a very narrow niche of readers (but maybe he's happy with that, and that's great, too).

But, getting to Leslie's point, the Kindle and similar devices simply give us so many more choices in a more convenient way than we've ever had before, whether the authors are published by mainstream houses, small-press, or self-published. And I believe that, over time, readers *are* going to discover a lot of gems like Jeff mentioned, authors who do go the extra mile to make their work professional or offerings from serious small presses, and do have something to say that many people might like to hear (although not everyone will like any given book, obviously)...


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

We've been discussing Scott Sigler's offerings on the horror thread... He has some interesting distribution methods. I've only read one of his books - Infected - I really enjoyed it.

http://www.scottsigler.com/


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## Michael R. Hicks (Oct 29, 2008)

pidgeon92 said:


> We've been discussing Scott Sigler's offerings on the horror thread... He has some interesting distribution methods. I've only read one of his books - Infected - I really enjoyed it.
> 
> http://www.scottsigler.com/


Hmmm, interesting. I'll have to study that a bit closer...


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## BrassMan (Dec 8, 2008)

Jeff said:


> The Kindle and Amazon's Print On Demand service is changing that.
> 
> You might check out the indie author threads on Amazon.com. I've been reading nothing but indie author's books for over two months. Some of the books are pure drivel but there are also some gems that traditional publishers would never touch.


Good for you! I mentioned High Spirits on another thread, which is another quality indie book that's also on Kindle (besides mine).

A few reviewers attempt to sort out the good ones from the drivel. PODBRAM is one (Google it). It reviewed Distant Cousin early on, fairly and honestly. I volunteered to write reviews for them myself. The site lists others which can try to sort out the good ones also.

//////Al


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## Guest (Dec 17, 2008)

kreelanwarrior said:


> Well, I have to agree with Jim that major changes aren't going to happen overnight in terms of what we see in "bestsellers," and the monkey-see, monkey-do biz of the major houses as they pile on the bandwagon of the day (vampires, three-legged dogs, whatever).


Thanks.  But don't make it a habit of agreeing with me. You won't get to hang out with the cool kids anymore.


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## BrassMan (Dec 8, 2008)

kreelanwarrior said:


> Well, I have to agree with Jim that major changes aren't going to happen overnight in terms of what we see in "bestsellers," and the monkey-see, monkey-do biz of the major houses as they pile on the bandwagon of the day (vampires, three-legged dogs, whatever).
> 
> Quality-wise, both in terms of what the author's trying to say and in basic things like proofreading, I think a lot of traditional publishers have been sliding downhill over the years. One of the reasons I decided to write _In Her Name_ was that I got so frustrated with one book by a big-name author (and very irritated that I'd paid full price) that was, in short, a pile of steaming rubbish. I literally threw the book at the wall and yelled, "_I_ could write something better than that!" And that's what I set out to do.
> 
> ...


Right on, bro. Ref my previous post about PODBRAM, about sorting gold from dross. (I still haven't figured out how to quote several posts at once; sorry.)

I'm sooo glad to be an indie author. If a traditional publisher had published Distant Cousin it would have had a small print run, not been adequately marketed, sold some, and not been reprinted. It would now be out of print. Instead, it's still in print and doing better and better as word gets around. Kindle has been great. I don't blame anyone who's hesitant to gamble $20 on a multi-niche book, even if they read the samples to see it's decently edited. Linda said she was almost put off by that "another planet" stuff, but is now glad she took a chance. Kindle made that possible!

We don't need no stinkin' giant publishing conglomerates!


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## MonaSW (Nov 16, 2008)

I read what I like. And if I ever look at a top 10 list, I am surprised if I have even read one of the books on there. And am even more shocked if something I loved is on a top 10 list, they usually aren't. 

The thing that really saddens me are the authors who spend many years writing excellent fiction, then start writing uninteresting junk that could have been fantastic. You can see the bones of a good book in there, but it just ends up so bad you don't even want to finish it but you keep on because it just has to get better. It's enough to make you cry.


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## BrassMan (Dec 8, 2008)

jmiked said:


> So far my experience has been that "some" vastly understates the number.
> 
> Care to share a few that have been gems? I'd like to support indie authors, but just haven't found any with anything to say yet.
> 
> Mike


That depends on what you mean by "anything to say." Personally, I have nothing trenchant to observe about the human condition. I just have a story to tell. Remember what Mark Twain said in his foreword to Huckleberry Finn?

"Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot."

Or how about Samuel Johnson? He's a pretty respectable critic: "We read Milton for instruction, retire harassed and over-burdened, and look elsewhere for recreation; we desert out master and seek for companions." Art should be "harmless pleasure."

If that is acceptible, then yes, I am an indie author with something to say.

/////////Al


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## Guest (Dec 17, 2008)

^^^ _Deja vu_


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Jeff said:


> Most of the indie authors on Amazon are my friends so I was trying to give them a boost. Obviously, it was a very bad idea.


Not at all. Giving indie authors a boost is a great idea. Certainly the publishing houses aren't doing anything to widen their offerings. I was just looking for some recommendations of ones to try. If you don't feel comfortable with that because they are your friends, that's fine.

Mike


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## Michael R. Hicks (Oct 29, 2008)

Bacardi Jim said:


> Thanks.  But don't make it a habit of agreeing with me. You won't get to hang out with the cool kids anymore.


It's my inner rebel! 

Besides, I've never worried about "cool," only about where the beer is. I keep lobbying at work to bring back the beer machines (like we USED to have back in the "old days"), but I haven't been able to convince anybody yet...!


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## Michael R. Hicks (Oct 29, 2008)

MonaSW said:


> The thing that really saddens me are the authors who spend many years writing excellent fiction, then start writing uninteresting junk that could have been fantastic. You can see the bones of a good book in there, but it just ends up so bad you don't even want to finish it but you keep on because it just has to get better. It's enough to make you cry.


Mona - Bingo! Leslie and I had a conversation a while back about "organic" writing - which is basically writing from the heart - vs. writing to keep a contract alive with a publisher. There have been several authors that I enjoyed early on, but then after a while their work just turned into drek-ola, or was simply more of the same, rehashed a bazillion times. Sure, I understand the need to keep money flowing in, but you sort of wonder what else those authors might have written that would have been really good had they not let themselves (or been put) into a rut. Rowling is a good case in point of what should happen: she had the wisdom to end the HP series, rather than keep writing and writing until it was trash...


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## BrassMan (Dec 8, 2008)

kreelanwarrior said:


> Mona - Bingo! Leslie and I had a conversation a while back about "organic" writing - which is basically writing from the heart - vs. writing to keep a contract alive with a publisher. There have been several authors that I enjoyed early on, but then after a while their work just turned into drek-ola, or was simply more of the same, rehashed a bazillion times. Sure, I understand the need to keep money flowing in, but you sort of wonder what else those authors might have written that would have been really good had they not let themselves (or been put) into a rut. Rowling is a good case in point of what should happen: she had the wisdom to end the HP series, rather than keep writing and writing until it was trash...


Robert Tanenbaum is another such. The first ten or twelve of his Butch Karp legal/action stories were wonderful, but then they tapered off and finally, by #12 or so, became so gothic and outlandish that I had to give them up. I noted two things: Tanenbaum is a lawyer, getting more elderly with each book, and at #12 he changed editors. His first editor went on to become a decent novelist on his own. It's possible Tanenbaum's early success was due to his editor! We indie types can't do that!


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

jmiked said:


> I was just looking for some recommendations of ones to try. If you don't feel comfortable with that because they are your friends, that's fine.


Mike,

I'd feel obligated to recommend them all and although they're all my friends, they're not all terrific writers. I'm, in fact, a terrible book reviewer because I can't bring myself to criticize other people's work in public; although I occasionally send my negative comments to the authors.

The worst thing about indie books, in my opinion, is that most indie authors can't afford a professional editor. It would have cost me over $5,000 for my books and delayed publication for as much as a year, so I just read and re-read over and over until I was sure I hadn't missed a single typo. Sounds good - doesn't work.

Anyway, thanks for being understanding.

Jeff


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## BrassMan (Dec 8, 2008)

Jeff said:


> Mike,
> 
> I'd feel obligated to recommend them all and although they're all my friends, they're not all terrific writers. I'm, in fact, a terrible book reviewer because I can't bring myself to criticize other people's work in public; although I occasionally send my negative comments to the authors.
> 
> ...


You're right, Jeff, about editing being a tough spot. My book would have also cost nearly $5000 to edit, and who's to say that editor would do any better than, say, Stephen King's editor?

You're also right that it's nearly impossible to edit one's own work. Floyd M. Orr, the man behind PODBRAM, has some ideas about that, as good as I've seen. It's at http://iuniversebookreviews.blogspot.com/2007/02/proof-is-in-nitpick.html. There's a lot of helpful info for idie authors elsewhere on the site, if you look around a bit.

Best,
Al


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Jeff said:


> The worst thing about indie books, in my opinion, is that most indie authors can't afford a professional editor.


Agreed. A good editor is a treasure. I've read comments from top-selling authors that affirm this.

Mike


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

BrassMan said:


> You're also right that it's nearly impossible to edit one's own work. Floyd M. Orr, the man behind PODBRAM, has some ideas about that, as good as I've seen. It's at http://iuniversebookreviews.blogspot.com/2007/02/proof-is-in-nitpick.html. There's a lot of helpful info for idie authors elsewhere on the site, if you look around a bit.


Thanks for the tip, Al.

I actually read my books back to front hoping to avoid the mindset of knowing what was supposed to be on the page rather than seeing what really was. It didn't work.

It's been my great good fortunate of late to have found new friends on the internet who have liked my books enough to do some proof-reading. With their help I hope to have revisions published by early next year.

Regards,

Jeff


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## Michael R. Hicks (Oct 29, 2008)

Jeff said:


> The worst thing about indie books, in my opinion, is that most indie authors can't afford a professional editor. It would have cost me over $5,000 for my books and delayed publication for as much as a year, so I just read and re-read over and over until I was sure I hadn't missed a single typo. Sounds good - doesn't work.


Jeff -

Yeah, I looked at the prices for editing services and just about gagged. I did the bulk of the proofreading for In Her Name - probably half a dozen passes - and caught *most* of the little bloopers, and a couple of alert and helpful readers have, I think, caught the rest.

But I think the real value of a true editor goes far beyond the proofreading. I think the really good editors are able to see not just the minutiae, but the "big picture" - they can see the rough spots and inconsistencies across the story arc and make changes that can help make a good manuscript into a great one.


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

kreelanwarrior said:


> But I think the real value of a true editor goes far beyond the proofreading. I think the really good editors are able to see not just the minutiae, but the "big picture" - they can see the rough spots and inconsistencies across the story arc and make changes that can help make a good manuscript into a great one.


No doubt that's true but now we're talking about ¼ of a cent per word. That would have cost me $15,000 to publish my 3 books. At 35 cents profit per copy that would be a very risky investment.


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## BrassMan (Dec 8, 2008)

kreelanwarrior said:


> Jeff -
> 
> Yeah, I looked at the prices for editing services and just about gagged. I did the bulk of the proofreading for In Her Name - probably half a dozen passes - and caught *most* of the little bloopers, and a couple of alert and helpful readers have, I think, caught the rest.
> 
> But I think the real value of a true editor goes far beyond the proofreading. I think the really good editors are able to see not just the minutiae, but the "big picture" - they can see the rough spots and inconsistencies across the story arc and make changes that can help make a good manuscript into a great one.


I can't quibble with that...but I will anyway. There's all kinds of editing, from proofreading to copy editing, which is what you're talking about. I did, once, pay for an "evaluation" of Distant Cousin, which is sort of like copy editing without the editing. I'd say I got my hundred bucks' worth of decent advice, IF (a big IF) I had wanted to put out the typical big-publisher, we've-all-read-something-like-that story, designed for maximum marketability. But in my stubborn, indie author fashion, that wasn't what I wanted, and I didn't follow the editor's suggestions.

As for the other editing, even though I'm an English prof, I still cannot fully see everything I write. I mean, I know what it's supposed to say, so to my eye it tends to say that. My wife, on the other hand, is a Spanish prof and journalist by trade, and she missed nothing, or almost nothing. It's caused me some anxious moments in our 40 year marriage but when it comes to proofing a novel, hey, she da man!

Floyd M. Orr's advice (which I mentioned a couple posts back) is to READ the thing out loud to someone who follows along in the printed version, with a pencil handy. It takes time, but boy does it grind exceedingly fine.


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

BrassMan said:


> Floyd M. Orr's advice is to READ the thing out loud to someone who follows along in the printed version, with a pencil handy. It takes time, but boy does it grind exceedingly fine.


Thanks again for your advice, Al,

I converted my files with Microsoft Reader and listened to the text to speech engine read them. It helped but it's no substitute for another real person being involved in your project. I have five more unpublished books and am hoping to develop some _beta_ readers before launching them.

JH


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## Michael R. Hicks (Oct 29, 2008)

Jeff said:


> No doubt that's true but now we're talking about ¼ of a cent per word. That would have cost me $15,000 to publish my 3 books. At 35 cents profit per copy that would be a very risky investment.


Hey, if you found somebody to do it for 1/4 cent per word, that was a steal compared to the ones I was seeing! But at 325,000 words, In Her Name wouldn't have been cheap, either! LOL!

At 35 cents per copy? We need to talk about your margins, dude!


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

kreelanwarrior said:


> At 35 cents per copy? We need to talk about your margins, dude!


My books are essentially history books with an interwoven fictional plot. They don't have the broad appeal that yours do. Up until now, I've priced them very low to attract readers, but at Cush's urging, I'm going to raise the prices in January.


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## Gables Girl (Oct 28, 2008)

Jeff said:


> My books are essentially history books with an interwoven fictional plot. They don't have the broad appeal that yours do. Up until now, I've priced them very low to attract readers, but at Cush's urging, I'm going to raise the prices in January.


I just bought all three, I figure I'll grab them while they are still cheap.  I love history, so they look interesting.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

kreelanwarrior said:


> But I think the real value of a true editor goes far beyond the proofreading. I think the really good editors are able to see not just the minutiae, but the "big picture" - they can see the rough spots and inconsistencies across the story arc and make changes that can help make a good manuscript into a great one.


Yep. That's the difference between editing and proofreading. They are not at all the same thing.

Mike


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

Gables Girl said:


> I just bought all three, I figure I'll grab them while they are still cheap.  I love history, so they look interesting.


Thank you very much *BUT* - they're free to all KindleBoards members:

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,532.msg11439.html#msg11439

Get your money back, PM me and I'll give you the download links.

Jeff


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## Gables Girl (Oct 28, 2008)

Jeff said:


> Thank you very much *BUT* - they're free to all KindleBoards members:
> 
> http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,532.msg11439.html#msg11439
> 
> ...


I can afford the .99 and I figure you can use the .02 you probably get! I felt bad for only paying .99 for them.


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

Gables Girl said:


> I can afford the .99 and I figure you can use the .02 you probably get! I felt bad for only paying .99 for them.


I thank you. I hope you enjoy them.


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## dsalerni (Dec 18, 2008)

jmiked said:


> Care to share a few that have been gems? I'd like to support indie authors, but just haven't found any whose writing would hold my interest yet.


I hope I'm not repeating something here, but although Brass Man mentioned POD Book Reviews and More, I'm not sure if he provided a link to the main site. Brass Man (Al) and I are both reviewers at that site, so we try our best to separate the wheat from the chaff without being sarcastic or nasty.

I have read some very excellent indie books in the past year, as well as some stinkers. When faced with a really bad one, I try to write a serious review that is respectful of the author's feelings, while still telling the truth. I try to be tactful, although Al can always tell when I hated a book (he sends a sympathy-email).

I agree with those people here who have said that editing is the key to a successful indie book, painful though it might be. I have been in other discussion groups where indie authors have loudly proclaimed, "But a good story is more important than a few typos!" That always sounds like, "The dog ate my homework!" to me. I'm a fifth grade teacher in my "real life," and I've heard every excuse possible from people who know they are not turning in the very best work they can do. Considering the cost of self-publishing your own work, it seems a real waste of money to go forward with it if you *know* there are mistakes in the editing.

Anyway, for those people who are interested, here is the link to the Review site: http://iuniversebookreviews.blogspot.com/

I should probably disclose that I'm not only a reviewer here, but I am also an author of a book that was reviewed here. That is, of course, why I feel so strongly about improving the reputation of indie books -- but you probably guessed that already!


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Thanks for your comment, D. I agree with you about the typos!

Is your book available on the Kindle? If so, feel free to post a link. We don't mind authors promoting their works here (I know lots of sites were that is taboo).

L


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## dsalerni (Dec 18, 2008)

Leslie said:


> Thanks for your comment, D. I agree with you about the typos!
> 
> Is your book available on the Kindle? If so, feel free to post a link. We don't mind authors promoting their works here (I know lots of sites were that is taboo).
> 
> L


Thanks, Leslie!
Yes, my book is available on Kindle. It's historical fiction, based on the true story of Maggie Fox and the rise of Spiritualism in the 1850's -- and Maggie's romance with Elisha Kent Kane, a celebrity Arctic explorer from that period. It's called High Spirits: A Tale of Ghostly Rapping and Romance.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Hi Dianne (I saw your name on Amazon!),

The story sounds great from the descriptions and reviews. I love historical fiction. I went to college in Troy, NY (no, not RPI, the other one, LOL) so this will be fun to read.

I downloaded a sample as a bookmark to myself and will get back to it when I finish my current in-progress stories.

L


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## dsalerni (Dec 18, 2008)

Ooooh, bad things happened to Maggie Fox in Troy!
But I'm sure it has improved since then!  

I hope you enjoy the book!

Dianne


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

My question is - if when reading we find a typo or a glaring problem, is it ok to contact you wonderful authors?  Not sure how to point them out when reading on the kindle, but will figure that out - at no cost!  Just for the pleasure of reading.  I'm retired with nothing to do but write on kindleboards and read.

My brother is an author and he gets a tad upset with me if I point out something.  He's not too terribly bad, has some good stories, but some are full of too much graphics that I just skim over.  He only writes for his own pleasure, gave up on the great American novel idea long ago.

Feliz navidad y'all
Dona


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

Anju said:


> My question is - if when reading we find a typo or a glaring problem, is it ok to contact you wonderful authors?


I can only speak for myself, but I welcome any and all feedback.

One really great thing about publishing on the Kindle and using a POD service is that authors can fix and revise their work. I'm planning updated, typo fixed versions of all three of my current books in the spring before I publish the next books in the series.


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## Michael R. Hicks (Oct 29, 2008)

Anju said:


> My question is - if when reading we find a typo or a glaring problem, is it ok to contact you wonderful authors? Not sure how to point them out when reading on the kindle, but will figure that out - at no cost! Just for the pleasure of reading. I'm retired with nothing to do but write on kindleboards and read.


Dona -

Personally, I like to know if somebody finds a blooper! That helps me improve the quality of the writing, and I update things periodically with any "fixes" that need to be made. For example, I'm going to be releasing a new Kindle (and Mobi) version of In Her Name soon to incorporate some minor changes before the book club. But if you (or others) do find anything, please do PM or email me. 

Mike


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## BrassMan (Dec 8, 2008)

Sure, I'd like to know! I know there are a handful of typos throughout, but no more than you find in most books. I'd be interested in whatever you have to say. 

Al
aka BrassMan
DistantCousin.net


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## dsalerni (Dec 18, 2008)

Dona,

Speaking for myself, I really do like the feedback, and I think most authors feel the same way.  If your brother feels differently, maybe it's just because it's coming from "Sis!" 

Or perhaps he was just looking for other feedback at that time.  I know that if I gave my husband a freshly written chapter to read and all he said was, "There's a typo on page 3," I'd be disappointed.

Dianne


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## mumsicalwhimsy (Dec 4, 2008)

Thanks to all the authors who post.  Just bought Jeffs 3 books... yes, I know they are free.  Wanted to buy them, instead.  Also one clicked Diannas book..... really looking forward to digging into these.  Just completed Distant Cousin by Al Past.... really a fun and interesting read.
Perhaps I missed it... is there an actual listing of our posting authors??
I enjoy the new voice.
Merry Christmas


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

mumsicalwhimsy said:


> Just bought Jeffs 3 books... yes, I know they are free. Wanted to buy them, instead.
> Perhaps I missed it... is there an actual listing of our posting authors??
> I enjoy the new voice.
> Merry Christmas


Thank you very much. Please don't hesitate to send me your feedback. My email address is exposed in my profile.

If there is a place to list authors on this forum, I don't know where it is.

Merry Christmas,

Jeff


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## dsalerni (Dec 18, 2008)

mumsicalwhimsy said:


> Thanks to all the authors who post. Just bought Jeffs 3 books... yes, I know they are free. Wanted to buy them, instead. Also one clicked Diannas book..... really looking forward to digging into these. Just completed Distant Cousin by Al Past.... really a fun and interesting read.
> Perhaps I missed it... is there an actual listing of our posting authors??
> I enjoy the new voice.
> Merry Christmas


Thank you, Musical Whimsy! Please let me know what you think of it!

I'm pretty new here. (I don't have a Kindle ... yet ... still trying to decide if it's within my budget.) So I'm still trying to find my way here and learn more about how the Kindle operates, etc. I should be over in the FAQ's section ... but like reading about the books more!


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## mumsicalwhimsy (Dec 4, 2008)

Welcome, Dianna.

It may be awhile before I actually get to your book... as I have been very busy with my one clicks.
But, I am so looking forward to reading all these new books.  This is the excitement of the Kindle for me.
Many thanks.  I admire the mind that can write.


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