Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Guest Post by Bob Mayer

I asked bestselling author Bob Mayer to give me a blog post about his decision to self-publish, and was pleased to get this response.

Here's Bob...

I appreciate the opportunity to blog here today, as it’s a very special occasion, not only being the 150th Anniversary of the start of the Civil War, but the continuation of a new era for myself and other authors.

In the military, it’s a maxim that every army is always prepared to fight the last war, not the next one. That gets a lot of people killed. In the Green Berets, we were always looking ahead, preparing for what would be, rather than what was. That was my Special Forces experience and I’m applying it to my writing career. Instead of looking at was, I’m looking forward at will be.

That’s the reason I’ve made the switch from traditional publishing to self-publishing. My next book, the epic Duty, Honor, Country, a Novel of West Point & the Civil War is live today on Amazon Kindle.

I won’t go into the math as that’s been done many times, and you and Barry Eisler laid it all out clearly here. I’ve had the same publisher as the one who wanted to sign Barry, St. Martins, and my last three book deals with them totaled over a million dollars, so I’m walking away from something significant. I’ve also hit all the bestseller lists, NY Times, Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, but that doesn’t equate directly to the bottom line.

My first book came out in 1991 and it’s now over 45 titles later, over four million sold, and I’m more excited than I’ve ever been as a writer. As you know, a year ago I was questioning your numbers. I just couldn’t believe what you were selling. A month ago, I had to publicly admit I Was Wrong and You Were Right. Not only was I wrong, but here’s the thing authors need to understand: it isn’t as much about what’s happening NOW in publishing. It’s where things are going to be a year from now. I see the book deals every day in PW, and just shake my head at the pub dates: 2013, 2014.

Another reason I made the decision to publish Duty, Honor, Country myself was timing. As noted, today is the 150th Anniversary of the start of the Civil War. There’s no way a traditional publisher could have gotten the book out by today. They’re still working on the same business model they had before computers became household items, where their production schedule is normally at least a year once they contract for a book. I’ve had it take as long as 8 months just to get the contract in hand.

Often NY decides whether to publish based not on the book, but on what they perceive the market to be. It used to be a 50% sell through in paperback was the norm. Now they want 80%. How to solve that problem? Retailers are ordering less copies. Higher sell-through but lower volume. Good-bye midlist author. I used to say you needed to make at least six figures for a NY publisher to give you any push. Now it’s seven figures if you consider Eisler and myself walking away from mid-six-figures. I’m consolidating all my titles at Who Dares Wins Publishing and soon will have over 40 titles available.

There’s a huge difference between an author promoting their book and a publisher tossing a book out there. I can give you the numbers. My Area 51 series sold over 1.4 million copies in print for Random House. I sell more e-copies of my Atlantis series per week than RH does of Area 51 in six months. Because I have an incentive to promote and also know how to promote, something NY is still behind the curve on. And I lead with the first book in the series at .99. All the rest of my fiction is at $2.99. I’m pricing Duty, Honor, Country at $4.99 because it’s epic, almost twice the length of my other books, at 175,000 words and took me two years to write and also includes 18,000 words from the opening of my next modern thriller, The Jefferson Allegiance. But follow-on books in the series will be priced lower, at $2.99, and come out faster, which is another key to success.

I don’t think success is any easier in self-publishing than traditional publishing. Both are very difficult. The main difference is that I have more control self-publishing than I ever did in traditional publishing.

I believe one key to success is niche. The Internet has made things more specialized rather than broader. I’ve written in many genres: thrillers, romance, science fiction, non-fiction, but, as I had to do making the decision to self-publish, I had to sit down and decide what I really wanted to write. I based it on my platform: West Pointer, former Green Beret, lover of history. Duty, Honor, Country is the first in a series of books that will feature West Point graduates fighting through history. As a plebe at the Academy we had to memorize a lot of information. I found one piece particularly intriguing and it’s the foundation of the book: in 55 of the 60 major battles in the Civil War, West Pointers commanded on both sides. I always thought—that’s why the war was so bloody and lasted so long. The books focus on the sword’s edge of honor vs. loyalty and the tragedy of how classmates ended up on opposite sides of the battlefield. I’m posting a new blog every day about the book and interesting facts about the Civil War as part of the promotion for this.

Two weeks ago at the Whidbey Island Writers Conference I suddenly realized something: as quickly as a writer can publish their book, is also as quickly as they can quit. It seems many think this is an easy path to great sales and wealth and fortune—a yellow brick road. But success will go to those who first and always, have a well-written book with a great story. Then there is the need for persistence and consistency. While the digital age has made all this possible, I think it has the potential to make quitting much easier since we live in a time of instant gratification. Writers are checking their Kindle numbers daily and bemoaning lack of sales within a week of upload. I think one trait those of us coming from traditional publishing have had is knowing it’s the long haul that counts. Also, in digital, it’s not the spike for the bestseller list, but the long tail of sales that is the key.

Duty, Honor, Country
ends on the first night of the Battle of Shiloh, where more Americans were killed in one day than in all prior US wars combined. The commanders on that first day were like many in traditional publishing, holding on to the old ways. That night, sitting in the rain under an oak tree, Ulysses S. Grant was reflecting on the pummeling his army had received, contemplating retreat and defeat, just like many writers are sitting on the fence right now about publishing, trying to hold on to the old. From the book, and from history, here is what happened:

General William Tecumseh Sherman stared warily at the glowing end of the cigar Sam Grant was puffing on. A flickering lantern highlighted the deep shadows on his old friend’s face. After consulting with the other division commanders and coming to a unanimous conclusion, Sherman was going to tell Grant it was best to immediately put the river between their army and the rebels, but something on Grant’s face stopped the words. Sherman stood still for a moment, rain dripping down on his hat.


“Well, Grant, we’ve had the devil’s own day, haven’t we?”


The cigar glowed as Grant puffed and in that dim light he saw Ben’s blood on his hands. Then he spoke. “Yep. Lick ‘em tomorrow, though.”


And that’s exactly how I feel about self-publishing.

Joe sez: Last year I predicted that legacy publishing wouldn't be done in by technology, or by readers retreating from print and embracing digital. It would be authors who kill the Big 6 by deciding to self publish.

Looking back at my old blog posts amuses me, because they're a combination of eerily predictive and massive underestimation (for example, a year ago at this time I believed I could earn $100,000 in seven months, and I've just done that in seven weeks.) But even though my thoughts about the future were conservative, the majority are coming true. Publishers still don't understand that they aren't going to have anything to publish if they don't immediately change their ways.

Once again, for all those industry folks who read my blog but are too chicken to leave comments, here's what you need to do:

HOW THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY MIGHT STILL SAVE ITSELF

1. Give authors fair e-royalty rates. 50% should be the ground floor, and it should go up from there using various escalators.

2. Share the e-wealth with authors by offering them higher rates on contracts that are still active.

Did you hear that, Hyperion and Grand Central? Pay me more money for my Jack Daniels books and for AFRAID. Let's redo the ebook clauses on my old deals so they're fair in this brave, new ebook world. Because if you don't, I'm going to exploit my interactive multimedia rights, release my backlist as enhanced ebooks, and UNDERCUT YOU ON THE PRICE.

You think people will buy your bare-bones version of WHISKEY SOUR for $4.79 when they can get my enhanced version for $2.99? Would some iPad of Nook Color owner rather have a black and white text version of AFRAID for $6.99, or one with games, artwork, author audio commentary, and annotated clickable links for $2.99?

That's right. They'll buy mine, not yours.

Now IMAGINE THAT HAPPENING WITH EVERY SINGLE AUTHOR YOU HAVE UNDER CONTRACT.

Yeah, I'm yelling. Because you need to wake up fast, or you're over.

3. Drop the prices of ebooks. If anyone in New York has been PAYING THE SLIGHTEST BIT OF ATTENTION TO ME FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS I've made it painfully clear how cheaper ebooks make more money than expensive ones, with reams of data and dozens of examples to support this.

4. If you are an agent, begin to morph your business into an estributor model, or you'll sink along with the Big 6.

There. I've laid it all out for you. Now go have your meetings and act on it, or you're not going to survive the next two years.

257 comments:

«Oldest   ‹Older   201 – 257 of 257
Robert Bruce Thompson said...

includes 18,000 words from the opening of my next modern thriller, The Jefferson Allegiance

I think it's a truly rotten idea to include excerpts from a future book. I never read them now, because more than once I've missed a book in the series because I'd read the excerpt. I'd pick up the new title in a library or bookstore, read the first page or two, and realize that I'd already read it, which of course I hadn't.

The same thing would happen with your book, if I read the excerpt. I read hundreds of authors, and by the time I'm in the market for your next book I'll read the sample and not buy it because I've already read it, or so I believe. Worse yet, I may buy the book, start reading it, and return it because I already read it.

If an author wants to include links in an ebook to other books in the series, great. Update all of your ebooks to add new titles as they become available. But please think twice before you include a preview.

Mark Asher said...

"I have to say... not including the Kindle version with the sale of each dead tree copy of a book seems like a real wasted opportunity for Amazon to push the Kindle format forward."

Amazon doesn't have the right to do that and I see no indication that publishers would go along with it.

It's an interesting idea, though. Maybe it could help save bookstores if each purchase of a mass market book included a download code for the ebook of the same title.

Anonymous said...

@anon (7:18am)

I don't think a lot of agents have nailed their colours to the mast yet, but you can definitely count Trident out, at least judging by their bomments in The Bookseller.

If I was to hazard a guess, I would say a lot haven't decided. It's a tightrope for them, there are a lot of 'conflict' issues, and, in fact, as far as I am aware, the code of practice for UK agents forbids acting as a publisher. Interestingly, some UK agents have become vocal about changing this, and there seems to be a genuine split (Sonia Land is in favour, Simon Trewin seems to be against).

Dave

Josie Wade said...

Bob,
I wanted to say the book is beautiful. I wish my father who was president of our local historical society for many years were alive to read it. It looks like a labor of love.

Keep up the good work.

Sonia G Medeiros said...

I have been holding onto the idea of going with traditional publishing as a first choice. The idea of having to do it all myself seems so daunting...and yet you guys keep hitting me with excellent reasons to really look at self-pub. Shoot! I'm quite a ways off from publishing either way, but it's good to have this information now. I know it will save me a lot of time later.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!

Mike McNeff said...

Bob Mayer is implementing Gen. Sherman's sage advice..."When in doubt, attack!"

When I look at the numbers for publishing my first book with a traditional publisher versus going indie, there is no question indie is the way to go.

Why should I write the book, pay for the editing and do all the marketing for 5% and wait two years to boot? It just doesn't make any sense or cents when I can get 80% to 100% going indie and publish on my time line.

Dee said...

@Mike--Publishers don't make you pay for your own editing, and they don't give you 5%. The lowest number Joe gave was 14.9% after the agent's take. And where will you get 80-100% royalties? You can get 100% royalties if you pay for everything yourself, and somehow distribute yourself, but you'll pay many thousands of dollars to do it. And most won't sell more than a few hundred books.

The most difficult aspect of self-pubbing for most is going to be the same thing that's difficult about starting any new business--start-up capital and the ability to promote effectively. Good art, editing, copy writing, formatting, and maintaining a web presence takes money, and proper promotion is equivalent to a full-time job. Certainly you shouldn't spend less than 20 hours a week on it.

I'm not sure how likely it is that somebody spending $600-$1000 self-pubbing a Western will make that back in a year. I'm guessing most unpopular genres won't sell more than 150-300 a year.

Karen Cantwell said...

Thank you, Joe and Bob for this exceptional post. I had an "aha!" moment while reading this - I've seen some Indy authors taking deals from Big 6 publishers with the idea that it will offer them more exposure, yet I've often considered that the "exposure" element may be shrinking exponentially along with the number of brick and mortar bookstores, making such a decision a death knell for the book(s) being sold. Only time will tell I guess, but what I really took from your discussion was this idea of the FUTURE -- look at the change that is happening NOW and project that into the future. If an author can do that, he/she has control and power. I like that.

Eloheim and Veronica said...

@Dee

"You can get 100% royalties if you pay for everything yourself, and somehow distribute yourself, but you'll pay many thousands of dollars to do it."

I sell the PDF version of my book from my website. I don't get 100% royalties, but I do get everything but the PayPal fee.

This means I make $3.55 on a $3.99 sale.

Veronica
The Choice for Consciousness: Tools for Conscious Living, Vol. 1


Things I have learned about self-publishing (so far)

Selena Kitt said...

"I have to say... not including the Kindle version with the sale of each dead tree copy of a book seems like a real wasted opportunity for Amazon to push the Kindle format forward."

Amazon doesn't have the right to do that and I see no indication that publishers would go along with it.

It's an interesting idea, though. Maybe it could help save bookstores if each purchase of a mass market book included a download code for the ebook of the same title.


I suggested this to Amazon ages ago. I think it would be cool if, at the very least, CreateSpace users could do this. It would be all in-house.

So far they haven't taken my suggestion. :)

Jacklyn Cornwell said...

I suggested this to Amazon ages ago. I think it would be cool if, at the very least, CreateSpace users could do this. It would be all in-house.

I think it is possible, especially for CS users. We could include a coupon code for Smashwords, which has the kindle version available, to download the ebook version with purchase.

Tara Maya said...

Why a coupon code for Smashwords? Amazon would probably prefer the customer stay on their own site, and since they offer the ebook as well, that could be easily done.

Tara Maya
The Unfinished Song: Initiate

Jacklyn Cornwell said...

Why a coupon code for Smashwords? Amazon would probably prefer the customer stay on their own site, and since they offer the ebook as well, that could be easily done.

Since Amazon doesn't offer coupons and Smashwords does, I thought that would work best. If Amazon wants to play along, I'm game.

Bob Mayer said...

It doesn't matter what format a book is in: print, ebook, written on stone; it has to be well written to catch on with readers. In 2006 there were 1.2 million titles available. 950,000 of them sold less than 100 copies. This was when we hit the POD boom and lots of people rushed to that. So it's not just a question of the mode, it's also the product.

Dee said...

Bob said: "there were 1.2 million titles available. 950,000 of them sold less than 100 copies."

So 80% sold less than 100 copies, and 2% sold more than 5000 copies, and those 2% sold more than all the other 98% combined.

I think it would be awesome if Joe would run a poll to see how many books his blog readers are selling. I think people need to know how much they should realistically spend versus how much they can realistically make. Can you do polls on here?

Tara Maya said...

I think it would be awesome if Joe would run a poll to see how many books his blog readers are selling. I think people need to know how much they should realistically spend versus how much they can realistically make. Can you do polls on here?

Robin Sullivan has useful information on her blog Write to Publish.

Tara Maya

The Unfinished Song: Initiate (US)
The Unfinished Song: Initiate (UK)

Jimmie Hammel said...

Pseudonyms -

It's a craps shoot. I like fantasy and sci-fi, but for the most part, I'm not into paranormal romance. I make exceptions for novels with really interesting stories, but seeing YA anywhere in the product description will turn me off in a second. So let's say Author X has a sci-fi book that looks interesting, but the other 4 books she has written are YA, or paranormal romance, that will make think twice before investing my time in her.

There are 2 times when I think it's appropriate to use a psuedonym, and they are sisters of each other.

#1 - When the subject matter is inappropriate for your ordinary readers for age reasons, Adult - YA - childrens,

#2 - When the subject matter has vastly different audiences. Hard-boiled Detective story vs. YA paranormal romance.

Some genres can flow into each other with relative ease, but others clash. Even if a faithful reader would buy your new novel, whatever the subject matter, you could still be turning off potential new readers with your backlist.


What about doing it the way Anne Rice is doing it these days...

All of her old Erotica novels now have her real name next to the pseudonyms.

"Anne Rice, writing as Anne Rampling"
and
"Anne Rice, writing as A. N. Roquelaure"

Bob Mayer said...

Running a poll doesn't help. Every writer's situation is different. What works for one, won't work for another. What are good numbers for one person might be awful in someone's else's eyes. My point in posting those numbers is that success is just as difficult no matter what the mode, be it print, POD, ebook, traditional or self-publishing.
The constants I've seen in those that succeed are good writing, persistence, consistency, and a lot of hard work.

Anonymous said...

@Dee

I don't want to let out any secrets here, but while some genres may look unpopular they can be EXTREMELY lucrative for authors who do their homework. I learned, a long time ago, that a good western novel can sell well for decades. These "unpopular" books have legs unlike any other. Take a look at the western best seller list on Kindle. Look at the rankings on those books. Most are books written 30, 40, 50 years ago, and they continue to sell thousands and tens of thousands (each title) every year. I know how many they are selling because my books often ride alongside those in ranking -- and I'm selling more than 150-300 a year. A lot more.

Louis L'Amour's heirs? They are laughing all the way to the bank every friggin' month from their Kindle sales. And those are *gasp* westerns. Here's another secret: A well-written western can have a shelf life of, heck, a hundred years. L'Amour's sales are still brisk. The books are still in print! Today's vampire romances? Who knows.

Remember, it's about the long tail. A western written today might not sell like Dan Brown's latest out of the gate, but over time it can provide a very nice income for an author, their children, and grandchildren. Remember, ebooks never get pulled from the shelf. The passive income potential is huge. One year's sales mean nothing. Ebook authors are in it for the long tail.

Bob Mayer's book is an example of a novel with long legs. A Civil War novel will be selling for many year. Mayer is not producing "flash-in-the-pan" work. His backlist, in the digital age, is a gold mine.

All authors, even us humble mid listers, can see the potential here. It's very exciting.

Anna Murray

PS: I spent a total of $50 out of pocket to publish my first three books to Kindle. Where did you get the $600-$1000 figure?

Dee said...

Thanks for responding Anna. I got that number from this site. Good cover art alone can run anywhere from $200-500. A good copyeditor (and everyone should have one) will cost at least $300. If you don't format yourself, it'll run $75-150. If you're doing POD, it'll run you more. People who spend only $50 to publish a book run the risk that their book will look like it cost $50 to publish. I see one of your books is #25 in the Western section (around 6,800 overall). Congrats. Do you mind if I ask you what that equates to in number of copies sold in an average month?

Dee said...

Sorry, Anna. I didn't Unbroken Hearts at #12. Even better!

Jacklyn Cornwell said...

Dee, I think you're going really high end on self publishing. I got a great editor and we swap services. My cover artist is a lot less than what you quoted and is a recent art school graduate. I do all the formatting and pull everything together and my book definitely does not look like it cost me $50 to produce.

I would suggest swapping services and hiring up and coming artists or working out some kind of bulk deal on more than one book to cut prices, at least until the money begins coming in, and it may take time, and you can give everyone a raise. Not everything done on a shoe string budget has to look like it.

Anonymous said...

Dee, I think you're going really high end on self publishing.

I agree that publishing a good looking book costs money. $500-$1,000 is a good estimate, especially if you pay for cover design.

I usually pay the most for editing. For my non-fiction books, I pay many thousands for multiple editors.

My learning curve is over when it comes to book typos. If I'm going to get bad reviews, it isn't going to be because my book reads like it was composed on a Blackberry.

Brian Drake said...

One thing I will say about pen names... I developed a pen name for two reasons: My real last name is hard to pronounce (think Schwarzenegger or Swierzynski but shorter) and I wanted something catchy and memorable. Hence, "Brian Drake". The first name is real. Unfortunately, there is a rapper also using the name "Drake". Eventually he and I will do battle amongst the Scottish Highlands because there can be only one....

Dee said...

"Dee, I think you're going really high end on self publishing."

The numbers I quoted are on the low end. If people treat this like a hobby or an art project, it'll pay like a hobby or an art project. This is a business. It takes money to be successful, your own or someone else's.

btw., I like your cover, J.M.

Jacklyn Cornwell said...

I don't think you have to break the bank to publish a good looking book. I didn't I spent far less than the numbers quoted here and I got a beautiful book and a well edited and formatted inside. Then again, I do have a few years of experience on both sides of the process and have been traditionally published.

Jacklyn Cornwell said...

Thank you, Dee.

I don't treat this like a hobby, but I have an edge that most beginning writers don't: experience. I have edited magazines and more than my share of books. I have reviewed some very well known best selling novelists and had my reviews blurbed on their back covers. I have been traditionally published and I have a background in editing, copy editing, formatting and, of course, writing. I also don't have a lot of money, but I do think I have enough experience to get the job done right, which is something I cannot say about my traditionally published first novel, which had more than a few errors.

Workshopping and swapping services is a good way to go for the beginning author, and saving up to splurge a little on the important things, like covers, isn't a bad idea either.

Jacklyn Cornwell said...

Oh, and Dee, you should read the inside, too. ;0)

Mark Asher said...

"PS: I spent a total of $50 out of pocket to publish my first three books to Kindle. Where did you get the $600-$1000 figure?"

You didn't buy pro cover art for $50 unless you are a graphic designer and can DIY.

You also didn't pay for editing, but I'll assume you had crit readers who did editing for free.

Moses Siregar III said...

For anyone interested in the Apple vs Sony Ebook App battle, the one that has possible implications for Kindle and Nook apps, which could affect our royalties, I researched the issue and wrote a blog post about it.

Bob Mayer said...

50% of our gross at Who Dares Wins goes back into the business. And that's a lot. However, that includes things like paying for conference fees and transportation and board, etc. etc. as well as advertising, marketing, outsourcing for professional help.
But we're building a base and have a very long range outlook on things. While e-publishing can happen quickly, the business side takes time to develop and grow. It is indeed a start up. Right now, we're very, very pleased with the way things are going.

Josie Wade said...

Eventually he and I will do battle amongst the Scottish Highlands because there can be only one....
@ Brian Drake

LMAO

Anonymous said...

@Dee

I sell 800-1000 copies across the three titles each month, and they are (all 3) in the top 100 western bestsellers on Kindle store. Unbroken was #1 on the western chart for 16 weeks running in 2010 (from Christmas 2009 through March 2010).

If you check my bio you'll see I've been writing for many years; I ran an electronic publishing and web development company. I do all the technical aspects, and some graphic art work myself, but the covers were produced by my daughter. Two cover photos were taken by a professional photographer friend. I told him I wanted to pay him something for the second photo, and he broke down and charged me $50. The third cover photo was taken by my daughter (Missouri River) on a geological expedition.

I did pay for cover art on my fourth book (most recent work), and it was less than $150.

Friends and family with English PhDs make good editors, and they work for a few Sunday dinners and borrowing the truck to go to the compost heap.

Authors are creatives. They'll find a way to get it done on any budget, within scary and tight restraints -- just like their characters.

Anna Murray

Robin Sullivan said...

I've not read through all the posts here yet so forgive me if this is a repeat but the AAP numbers are out and ebooks beat ALL categories of print and now are 29.5% of the total ebook/print market!!

Robin Sullivan | Write2Publish | Ridan Publishing

Dee said...

Thank you for the great info, Anna.

Robin Sullivan said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Robin Sullivan said...

@Tara Maya said...
I think it would be awesome if Joe would run a poll to see how many books his blog readers are selling. I think people need to know how much they should realistically spend versus how much they can realistically make. Can you do polls on here?

Robin Sullivan has useful information on her blog Write to Publish.


Thanks for the plug Tara - the exact post in question can be found here.

Robin Sullivan | Write2Publish | Ridan Publishing

Anonymous said...

@Dee
Thank you for the great info, Anna.

You're welcome!

Anna

wannabuy said...

@Robin:" the AAP numbers are out and ebooks beat ALL categories of print and now are 29.5% of the total ebook/print market!!"

I graphed. :)

And even with a *very* conservative assumption for indie/small publisher sales, ebooks are past 1/3rd of the market. :)

Got Popcorn?
Neil

wannabuy said...

Oh, I should note, I am loving the Duty, Honor, Country novel... :)

Between blogging and work I'm only 34% of the way through the ebook...

I highly recommend buying Bob Mayer's latest work. :)

Neil

Christopher John Chater said...

Can't negotiate with terrorists or publishers. According David Farland, after looking at a royalty statement he and other writers discovered their publishers were under reporting eroyalties. Up to 90%! Even if publishers agreed to work with writers and try a new model, writers are still better off publishing their own work.

Ed McKeogh said...

To Joe: I've been reading your blog with great interest for a year now, and I have one question: Why are you trying so hard to save the Big 6? You are giving them tons of advice on how to improve their business model and ample warnings as to their ultimate fate if they continue to ignore recent trends. But the self-publishing of ebooks and multimedia/enhanced/repurposed backlist titles IS the future. What's to be gained by anyone--other than some of their employees--if the Big 6 survive?

Anonymous said...

They'll find a way to get it done on any budget, within scary and tight restraints -- just like their characters.

Yes, an it shows. The "Unbroken Hearts" series of covers looks slapped together-- the whole series LOOKS like it was done on the cheap. We can see that. Even the author's photo on the Amazon profile is an obvious amateur shot-- stuff in the background, no make-up, weird expression, etc. Take a look at Tina Fey's picture and you'll see what a good authors' photo should look like.

There's also some reviews on the books that point to grammar issues.

Doing it "on the cheap" can become expensive.

The cover for Takedown is very good.

Jacklyn Cornwell said...

Anonymous, why should a good or bad author picture make a difference? It's the words that matter and not the picture taken of the author. If you want to see a cover done on the cheap, look at mine: Among Women by J. M. Cornwell. It's not cheap looking, but it was inexpensive. That artwork cost me more than everything else, because I didn't do it.

Anonymous said...

JM, I looked at your covers and the cover for Among Women is fantastic.

But the old-timey, "Little House on the Prarie" black-and-white author's photo is extremely odd. It doesn't just look dated-- it's beyond that. Is it a high school photo? The clothing, the hair-- it's obvious that it's decades old. Or meant to look like it's decades old. I don't get it. As a marketing decision, it's a poor one. It would be better if the author's profile had no photo at all.

Anonymous said...

By the way, Robin Sullivan's picture is a great example of a professional-looking author's photo. Even Selena Kitt's avatar is a better choice. At least with Selena, we understand that it's part of her overall marketing platform.

Jacklyn Cornwell said...

Anonymous, I've tried to get away with no photo, but everyone requires one. I hate having my picture taken and that is indeed an old high school picture. I'd rather a blank or an avatar.

Jacklyn Cornwell said...

Anonymous, thank you for the compliment on the cover. See what you can get on a shoe string? It's important to get the best for your money and I have an excellent artist working on my covers. It's my one major expenditure, since I do all the rest, other than marketing. See? It can be done on the cheap without looking cheap.

If you think the cover is good, you should consider reading the book. It's better.

Anonymous said...

@ Anonymous

Yes, an it shows. The "Unbroken Hearts" series of covers looks slapped together-- the whole series LOOKS like it was done on the cheap.

Yet it sells VERY well -- as good and better than most mainstream competitors I've tracked in the same genre. Go figure.I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I love the covers. Simple elegance -- beautiful photos from a professional, acclaimed photographer. If that is "slapped together", then so be it.

We can see that. Even the author's photo on the Amazon profile is an obvious amateur shot-- stuff in the background, no make-up, weird expression, etc.

Well yeah, I thought about using one of those cheesy glam photos, but I'm a real person, and I don't wear makeup. I don't choose a book based on the author photo, and I don't expect most others do either. Look at Joe's photo. I mean, I'll admit he's a hero to me, but he won't win a Mr. America contest. It doesn't matter -- he looks real. He's not wearing makeup or a speedo, and that's just fine, even though I fantasize about seeing Joe in a speedo.

Take a look at Tina Fey's picture and you'll see what a good authors' photo should look like.

I'm not Tina Fey. I'm not selling on a celebrity platform, but, with some breast enhancement I could probably do a Snooki look-alike photo.

There's also some reviews on the books that point to grammar issues.

Those have been corrected, via the miracle of instant edit uploads. Subsequent books have been put through the editing wringer. Live and learn.
I get excellent feedback on that book -- readers love the story and characters.

Doing it "on the cheap" can become expensive.

Yes, but the sales numbers show that readers aren't having the same problem you are with the book. Your opinion is valid . . . I'm just saying it's one of a hundred opinions I've received; others liked the covers, and the book. You're the first to comment on my author photo. The photo has great significance (time, place) in my life and speaks to what I've done with the books, but that's another story.

The cover for Takedown is very good.

Thanks. It has the lowest price AND lowest sales. I paid for a professional cover because I keep reading these blogs where the wise sages say cover matters. It's an experiment; so far sales of TAKEDOWN with the "very good cover" and low price (99 cents) aren't overtaking my other books.

I agree - the cover is important, but this aspect is overrated; over the long haul I'm discovering the story is what matters. You can put a great cover on a bad book, and you might fool a few people for a while. If that's your goal, I say go for it. OTOH, a plain cover on a great book is just fine for long tail sales. My copy of Jane Eyre has a terrible cover, but I don't mind. What's on the inside is what counts in the final analysis.

Good luck with your own book sales, anonymous.

Anna Murray

Lisa Toppin said...

I got a Kindle for christmas and I haven't bought any books at 9.99 or higher. As a customer, I think that is way too high for an ebook. I'm reading more reasonably priced ebooks in the .99 to 6.00 range. If the book I want is only available at the 9.99 price I get it from the library. I can't be the only person doing that.

Anonymous said...

Thanks. It has the lowest price AND lowest sales.

Point taken. I guess you win. Sales trumps opinion.

As for Tina Fey, I used her as an example, not because she's a star, but because she's a "real person" too-- she even has a huge scar on her face, and the author's photo still manages to look great.

Anyway, just offering suggestions. Your sales rank is good, and I hope that it continues to increase.

Anonymous said...

As for Tina Fey, I used her as an example, not because she's a star, but because she's a "real person" too-- she even has a huge scar on her face, and the author's photo still manages to look great.

Anyway, just offering suggestions. Your sales rank is good, and I hope that it continues to increase.


Thank you, anonymous.

Anna Murray

Rai Aren said...

Bob - great guest post! A very interesting read. You are helping a lot of us by sharing your considerable experience and varied path. I just bought a copy of 'Atlantis' - I look very forward to reading it!

Wishing you continued success...

Cheers,

Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands

Robin Sullivan said...

Anonymous said...
By the way, Robin Sullivan's picture is a great example of a professional-looking author's photo.


Aw....Thanks Anoymous - I'm actually incredibly un-photogenic but that picture was taken on a "good day".

Robin | Write2Publish

Gramix Publishing said...

Joe Konrath said:

They own the plain, vanilla text. That's all.

-----------------------

But isn't this a little misleading/unclear? Isn't it true that they don't even own the text, just the license (i.e., rights, permission, etc.) to use what the copyholder (author) owns (i.e., the text) in some limited way as defined in the contract?

A license usually denies ownership, it doesn't affirm it.

The Worden Report said...

The continued application of computer technology to publishing will continue to blur the lines between self-publishing and "published." I am "published" and am considering self-publishing. The increasing popularity of e-books at the expense of brick and mortar bookstores is a factor in my decision to branch out. Even so, I suspect that the author's own editing that comes with the iterative process of a publisher renders self-publishing a more risky choice from the standpoint of quality of writing. For more, please read my essay at ... http://bit.ly/i1tEI9

Dr. Debra Holland said...

Thanks for the great article.

I published my "sweet" historical Western Romances 7 and a half weeks ago. Today, I sold my 2000th one. For ten years I've been told that "sweet" doesn't sell. Sexy does. Yet, I've done very little marketing. A couple of blog posts. Some Tweets. Some Facebook posts. The readers are finding me.

I always believed there were readers who liked traditional romances, and my sales are proving me right.

For ten years, I've had two agents try to sell the books, and I've felt a lot of disappointment at the rejections. Now I'm SO grateful that they never sold. Self-publishing is so fun and exciting. Although I'm checking my numbers too much!

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