Will 99-Cent E-Books Destroy The World As We Know It?
By dgaughran
In today's post I look at Amanda Hocking, John Locke, and the
rise of the 99 cent e-book. I cover criticisms that this is a
race to the bottom that will ultimately devalue books in readers'
eyes, and I finish by outlining strategies to succeed at higher
price points.
Let’s rewind.
When an author or publisher uploads their work to Amazon (and the rest of the e-tailers), they are free to choose the price that they sell at. With most companies, the minimum price you can sell at is 99 cents. Until recently, only a small portion of writers were choosing to sell their work at this price, mostly new writers, without an established audience, hoping to build a following.
On paper, that’s a good strategy, although other writers have
complained that this was a race to the bottom, and that they were
being priced out of the market.
Read the rest of
Will 99-Cent E-Books Destroy The World As We Know It?
A prayer for Mrs Hooper
By Nibs
This blog isn't about me.
I'm writing this blog to request everyone who reads it to spare a
thought and a prayer for Mrs Hooper who was a passenger in
Denise's car along with Denises husband and both foster
children as it skidded off the road and plunged into the
depths of the lake whilst holidaying in mid Wales.
All but Denise perished in this terrible accident.
The story has even reached the national news.
Mrs Hooper had been a customer at my sisters hairdressers on
Barry road for decades.
She was a deeply religious lady.
The fostered boys were well known and liked by everyone who knew
them.
Denise's husband was also very well liked and loved. It has
been repeatedly and truthfully said that these were good kind
people.
This accident has been a dreadful shock to fellow customers at
the hairdressers and neighbours alongside the relatives and
friends.
I'm also sure I don't ask too much of folk to send their love and
healing prayers to Denise herself, to help her come to terms with
it all.
And help her through this very sad time.
God Bless
Thanks
Nibs
added note
accident happened at Llyn Clywedog resevoir, near Llandidloes -
Powys
high as can be, sittin' on a cloud.
By zomb00This seems a little empty, so, to stir some conversation, how do you encourage creativity?
I figure I'll just wait for another idea to come to mind, then just interlink them. Most of my stories are actually seperate past-ideas woven together. How do you do it?
Our First Festival Freebie Favourites
By HarryAll Festival goers were promised that three lucky people would be picked for free extra help & support by the WW. We've picked the first two of those:
- Kerry Fisher. Who won the comp on Saturday night, and got an agent very interested in her completed project ... but not quite interested enough to offer representation. That agent is, however, very keen to see Kerry's WIP, so we've promised to help Kerry with that, as soon as she's ready for us.
- Our very own John Onceupon. His MS has dangled tantalisingly close to publication standard for a while, but he's got one agent very interested in his work - and with a bit more editorial work from him and a good old shove from the WW's finest, I've every hope that he'll finally gets the success he deserves
Kerry and John have every chance of making the grade, I'd say, and it'll be an honour for us to help em get there.
Judging a writing competition
By EmmaDhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00g9nmf
and it's 1.40hrs in.
It was a good interview, which is chiefly down to the presenter. Whenever I do interviews of this sort I'm always impressed again by the professionalism that underlies this kind of daily general programme; how presenters can switch from topic to topic, with the briefest of briefings, talk to people in a different studio 100 miles away, and weave it all into something agreeable and easy to listen to, beats me
Emma
"I've written something really stupid"
By HarryDouble Agents?
By dgaughranNothing in the publishing world inspires more diverse reactions than the mention of agents.
For some, agents are the holy grail, the star-makers, the gatekeepers to the dream factory. Others are less kind, and I won’t repeat their opinions, but suffice to say they view agents as amoral Svengalis who, like recruitment agents, have created a need for their services where before there was none, and are an additional, superfluous barrier between writers and publishers (and readers).
The truth is somewhere in the middle, and agents, like any profession, run the full gamut of experience, ability, and propriety. There are some that can send your career into the stratosphere, and there are others where you would have been better off having no agent at all.
But what future do agents have in a digital world? How will agents survive as more and more people decide to self-publish? How are some agents preparing for the future? And how is this causing the beginning of a split in the agenting community?
Eau de Book, anyone?
By HarryA splash of Conan Doyle? A whiff of Twilight? A drop or two of Wuthering Heights for the romantic-but-self-destructive?
So - let's have suggestions for (i) which book Lagerfeld should use as the basis for his perfume, and (ii) what the resulting product should be called ...
Travel Insurance
By GelsThink they have had a a few annoying, past claims!
Am I covered?
The aim of the game is to do as much as you can to keep
yourself safe. Having your medical bills paid is little consolation
if you are stuck in a foreign hospital or have to cut your trip
short.Here are some general rules:
1. Pretend for a moment that you don't have any travel insurance.
How would you behave? Act as though you are uninsured! This mind-set is a good way not to ever have use of our excellent services.
Keep your belongings safe, and if they really mean a lot to you, don't ever let them get out of reach.
2. Accidents happen: stupidity doesn't
Say, you meet a 'friend', agree to engage in sexual activity and as a result wake up in the morning with no bag, passport and a headache, are you covered? It depends. MAYBE, you are covered for unprovoked assault by a third party, and you would probably be covered for replacement of your personal belongings, but NO, we wouldn't cover you if the "liaison" was illegal under local sex-tourism laws.
3. Is it safe to go there?
While we cover travel for most countries of the world, unfortunately the small print of travel insurance inevitably contains exclusions. The major one is if you go somewhere and you know it's not safe or your government's travel advisory advises you shouldn't go there. Bottom line: if you put yourself at risk or you place yourself in the crossfire, then you are unlikely to be covered.
4. Feeling adventurous and being adventurous are two different things
The adventure sports and activities we cover depends on your country of permanent residence and your particular level of insanity (and more importantly, skill).
If you are wildlife-watching in the extremes of Alaska and are attacked by a polar bear, are you covered? It depends. You see, if the bear attacks you while you were watching them as a part of a wildlife safari or trekking, then YES we would cover you (assuming the bear didn't catch you of course), but if you were chasing the bear having had a beer too many the night before and you thought it would be a laugh... err... then NO, we wouldn't.
If you are skiing and you're caught in an avalanche, are you covered? It depends. For example, if you leap out of a hovering helicopter while trying to pretend that you're in a Hollywood action movie, then NO, you aren't covered.
Got the message? If you are unsure about anything, ask us and we'd rather clear up a grey area before you have a claim.
Interesting Event
By GerryThis looks an interesting event. Does anyone know anything about it?
7th
May, 12-4pm, Phoenix Artists Club, Charing Cross Road,
London
Feedback from Literary Professionals – In small groups, each
attendee with have a chance to discuss work and ideas directly
with each Literary Professional.
Hannah Sheppard -
Commissioning Editor, Teenage Fiction, Headline Publishing
Group
Kate Lyall-Grant - Former Commissioning Editor, Hodder &
Stoughton and Simon & Schuster UK, freelance editor
Darin Jewell - Author and Managing Director of The Inspira Group,
literary agency
Gareth Howard, Authoright, one of UK’s top book marketing
companies
Nick Griffiths – National journalist and author of a number of
fiction and non-fiction books
Jonathan Reuvid – Author, editor and consultant editor of over 30
business books and Partner in Legend Business
Rupert Eales-White - Successful business book author
Tom Chalmers - Managing Director, Legend Press and Paperbooks
Publishing
Cost: £59.99. To book your place, click below or
email conference@legend-paperbooks.co.uk