Eleanor Arnason's Blog, page 75
July 10, 2011
Storm on Saturn (Courtesy of Cassini and NASA)
A storm on Saturn, so big that it wraps all the way around the planet. Photo taken by the Cassini space probe and posted on Phil Plait's Bad Astronomy blog.
July 9, 2011
Last Launch
Space shuttle orbiter Atlantis left planet Earth on Friday, July 8, embarking on the STS-135 mission to the International Space Station. The momentous launch was the final one in NASA's 30 year space shuttle program that began with the launch of the first reusable spacecraft on April 12, 1981. In this reflective prelaunch image from July 7, Atlantis stands in a familiar spot on the Kennedy Space Center's pad 39A, after an early evening roll back of the pad's Rotating Service Structure. The historic orbital voyages of Atlantis have included a Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission, deployment of Magellan, Galileo, and the Compton Gamma-ray Observatory, and seven trips to the Russian space station Mir. Scheduled to dock once again with the International Space Station on Sunday, Atlantis has now made its 33rd and final trip to orbit.
July 7, 2011
Even More About E-Publishing
Another cross-post from Wyrdsmiths:
Doug Hulick comments on my post below, asking how likely is it that anyone would buy foreign rights for a self-published e-book. Not likely, I would think. Two questions occur at once. Could English language readers get the original e-book on Amazon? This would knock out the British and Commonwealth Market. Given that translating costs money, would it be cost-effective to translate an e-book, which may be available at Amazon in English? How would it be sold? As print on paper or an e-book? How big are the markets involved? How creative are most publishers?
Doug also points out that Michael Stackpole is an established author in the world of paper books. Marketing becomes less of a problem, if people already know you name.
Finally, Stackpole writes very fast. Per his essay, he can write a novel in two months. That's six novels a year. This will give you a considerable backlist, over time. It also means you might have enough spare novels so you can try self-publishing.
If it takes you a year or more to write a novel, you are less likely to take risks with it.
Doug Hulick comments on my post below, asking how likely is it that anyone would buy foreign rights for a self-published e-book. Not likely, I would think. Two questions occur at once. Could English language readers get the original e-book on Amazon? This would knock out the British and Commonwealth Market. Given that translating costs money, would it be cost-effective to translate an e-book, which may be available at Amazon in English? How would it be sold? As print on paper or an e-book? How big are the markets involved? How creative are most publishers?
Doug also points out that Michael Stackpole is an established author in the world of paper books. Marketing becomes less of a problem, if people already know you name.
Finally, Stackpole writes very fast. Per his essay, he can write a novel in two months. That's six novels a year. This will give you a considerable backlist, over time. It also means you might have enough spare novels so you can try self-publishing.
If it takes you a year or more to write a novel, you are less likely to take risks with it.
July 6, 2011
Publishing and E-Publishing
What follows is a post from the Wyrdsmith's blog, commenting on an essay by Michael Stackpole:
Stackpole begins by talking about how little the New York publishing houses do for most of the books they publish. This is true. It's also nothing new. I had four SF novels published by New York houses between 1986 and 1993. What did the houses do for me? They copy edited the books, not always well; they printed them; they put covers on, usually with bad art; and they sold the books to bookstores, especially the chains. My books might have gotten a modest ad in Locus. That, so far as I know, was it; and that was 20+ years ago.
At the time I was furious at the lack of marketing. Now I think of it as par for the course; and it is not nothing. The New York houses do produce books that look like science fiction, which is important for reaching a science fiction audience. Much of their cover art is not good, though it has gotten better, due to the use of photography and computer graphics. (You no longer need to worry about artists who can't draw hands or do a three-quarters view of the human figure.) However, the blurbs and the cover copy are often pretty good. According to my editor of 20+ years ago, it's the covers and word of mouth that sell most books. Not reviews and not ads. The art grabs attention, and then -- I suspect -- the cover copy finishes the job of selling. If one is lucky, there is also word of mouth.
The New York houses get their books into bookstores, especially the chains. I check every time I go to my favorite Barnes & Noble and always find books by Kelly, Lyda and Doug.
All of this matters, even though we wish our publishers would do more.
Stackpole goes on to argue for self-publishing; and there are times when self-publishing may be a good idea, especially now, when you can produce e-books and sell them via Kindle and Nook. But the problem remains marketing.
The current system filters and channels. First if all, publishing houses do not publish just anything, though it sometimes seems they do. People who (in theory) know about books make decisions. Work that looks unsellable is not bought. The art and marketing departments decide how to package the book; and the sales team pitches the book to book store buyers. This is not a trivial task. The buyers can refuse to buy. I had a book pulled from production back in the 1980s, because the chain buyers did not like the (marvelous) cover.
Then the book store shelves the book in a section devoted to SF. In most cases, the section is of limited size and mostly contains recent books from New York houses, though some books and authors remain in stock, because they keep selling. When books first come out, they go onto the new release shelves, where they are more visible and have less competition.
I pick books by going to the new release shelves on a regular basis and looking first for authors I know and then for books with covers that look interesting. And I am influenced by word of mouth and (in some cases) reviews.
So even the minimal job a New York house does gets your book to a place where potential readers are likely to see it.
I have no idea what happens, if you self-publish an e-book. How do readers find it, among all the books on Amazon, Kindle and Nook? If they know your name and can spell it, they will find you. But what if you're an unknown author?
Stackpole begins by talking about how little the New York publishing houses do for most of the books they publish. This is true. It's also nothing new. I had four SF novels published by New York houses between 1986 and 1993. What did the houses do for me? They copy edited the books, not always well; they printed them; they put covers on, usually with bad art; and they sold the books to bookstores, especially the chains. My books might have gotten a modest ad in Locus. That, so far as I know, was it; and that was 20+ years ago.
At the time I was furious at the lack of marketing. Now I think of it as par for the course; and it is not nothing. The New York houses do produce books that look like science fiction, which is important for reaching a science fiction audience. Much of their cover art is not good, though it has gotten better, due to the use of photography and computer graphics. (You no longer need to worry about artists who can't draw hands or do a three-quarters view of the human figure.) However, the blurbs and the cover copy are often pretty good. According to my editor of 20+ years ago, it's the covers and word of mouth that sell most books. Not reviews and not ads. The art grabs attention, and then -- I suspect -- the cover copy finishes the job of selling. If one is lucky, there is also word of mouth.
The New York houses get their books into bookstores, especially the chains. I check every time I go to my favorite Barnes & Noble and always find books by Kelly, Lyda and Doug.
All of this matters, even though we wish our publishers would do more.
Stackpole goes on to argue for self-publishing; and there are times when self-publishing may be a good idea, especially now, when you can produce e-books and sell them via Kindle and Nook. But the problem remains marketing.
The current system filters and channels. First if all, publishing houses do not publish just anything, though it sometimes seems they do. People who (in theory) know about books make decisions. Work that looks unsellable is not bought. The art and marketing departments decide how to package the book; and the sales team pitches the book to book store buyers. This is not a trivial task. The buyers can refuse to buy. I had a book pulled from production back in the 1980s, because the chain buyers did not like the (marvelous) cover.
Then the book store shelves the book in a section devoted to SF. In most cases, the section is of limited size and mostly contains recent books from New York houses, though some books and authors remain in stock, because they keep selling. When books first come out, they go onto the new release shelves, where they are more visible and have less competition.
I pick books by going to the new release shelves on a regular basis and looking first for authors I know and then for books with covers that look interesting. And I am influenced by word of mouth and (in some cases) reviews.
So even the minimal job a New York house does gets your book to a place where potential readers are likely to see it.
I have no idea what happens, if you self-publish an e-book. How do readers find it, among all the books on Amazon, Kindle and Nook? If they know your name and can spell it, they will find you. But what if you're an unknown author?
More About E-Publishing
In his essay Michael Stackpole writes:
A dozen books a week is 624 a year. Stackpole prices his books at $5. This results in aa annual gross of $3,120. Stackpole's net will be between $2,964 and $2,184, depending on whether the books sell off his website or at Amazon.
Kelly and Lyda and Doug and Naomi can correct me, but my understanding is the current New York advance for a book by a new author is $5,000. I think there's an argument for selling to the New York houses, if you can.
The old advice for SF short fiction was start with the top markets, the ones that pay the best and are the most visible, and then work down.
It would seem to me that the hierarchy for novels starts with the New York houses, then goes to the SF specialty presses. Like the New York houses, the specialty presses produce books that look like science fiction. Some of them can get their books into chains. All of them (I think) are on Amazon. They have websites and catalogs. Many of them sell at conventions. And the best of them have good reputations. What they publish is worth looking at.
I would put self-publishing last. You get to keep more the revenue, if you self-publish, but you also do more work; and you are alone, without whatever help a publisher can provide.
When does one self-publish? My tendency right now would be to self-publish work that cannot be otherwise sold. Short story collections are very hard to sell, especially to the New York houses. Out-of-print novels have almost no market. You aren't going to make a lot of money, unless you have an extraordinary back list. But money is money, and it will mean that people who like your work can find it.
(Having said that, all of my out-of-print novels are available on Amazon, along with the three small press books I have done. All of Lyda's Archangel books are available, as are all of Naomi's books. Of course, if they are being sold by used book sellers, we don't get a cut.)
I would also argue that it's important to keep publishing, to remind yourself and the world that you are alive and writing. So if you hit a dry spell and can't sell, it may be a really good idea to self-publish a chapbook or collection or novel. It's another line in your bibliography. It's a new and recent publication date at Amazon.
When you get to the end of this blog, you'll see advertisements for books of mine. I know from experience, that the advertisement will sell, over the next week, a dozen copies of the books mentioned. The ones sold off my website will pay me 95% of the asking price immediately. The ones sold through Amazon will make me 70% which gets paid in 60 days.
A dozen books a week is 624 a year. Stackpole prices his books at $5. This results in aa annual gross of $3,120. Stackpole's net will be between $2,964 and $2,184, depending on whether the books sell off his website or at Amazon.
Kelly and Lyda and Doug and Naomi can correct me, but my understanding is the current New York advance for a book by a new author is $5,000. I think there's an argument for selling to the New York houses, if you can.
The old advice for SF short fiction was start with the top markets, the ones that pay the best and are the most visible, and then work down.
It would seem to me that the hierarchy for novels starts with the New York houses, then goes to the SF specialty presses. Like the New York houses, the specialty presses produce books that look like science fiction. Some of them can get their books into chains. All of them (I think) are on Amazon. They have websites and catalogs. Many of them sell at conventions. And the best of them have good reputations. What they publish is worth looking at.
I would put self-publishing last. You get to keep more the revenue, if you self-publish, but you also do more work; and you are alone, without whatever help a publisher can provide.
When does one self-publish? My tendency right now would be to self-publish work that cannot be otherwise sold. Short story collections are very hard to sell, especially to the New York houses. Out-of-print novels have almost no market. You aren't going to make a lot of money, unless you have an extraordinary back list. But money is money, and it will mean that people who like your work can find it.
(Having said that, all of my out-of-print novels are available on Amazon, along with the three small press books I have done. All of Lyda's Archangel books are available, as are all of Naomi's books. Of course, if they are being sold by used book sellers, we don't get a cut.)
I would also argue that it's important to keep publishing, to remind yourself and the world that you are alive and writing. So if you hit a dry spell and can't sell, it may be a really good idea to self-publish a chapbook or collection or novel. It's another line in your bibliography. It's a new and recent publication date at Amazon.
July 5, 2011
Today
I went to the bank and the main library, then to a coffee shop to write. Then I walked along the Mississippi. It's high for this time of year. Part of walk near the Upper Landing is under water and closed off. The Lower Landing, where a lot of tow boats dock, is also under water and closed. Nothing is docked there now.
The day started overcast. By the time I took my walk it was sunny and into the 80s. A bit warm for me, but I enjoyed the river and the flowers planted along it. Most looked like wild flowers to me, though I saw some barnyard roses. And milkweed and butterfly weed.
I'm currently working on a fantasy that begins with an incident in the Egils saga, where Egil kills two slaves. At the time, Egil was 80 and blind, so it seemed impressive. Though hard on the slaves, who had done nothing wrong.
In my story, one of the slaves is not killed, but escapes into the land of the elves. I'm giving him a guided tour of elfdom: first the light elves, based on Icelandic folk tales, then the dark elves, mentioned briefly in the Prose Edda, and finally the Irish fey.
This is the fourth story I've written that uses saga material or Icelandic folk lore. I figure the stories ought to be a chapbook, titled The Hidden Folk, which is one of the names for elves in Iceland.
The stories are not all about the elves. One is about the undead slave Glam in the Grettis saga. Another involves the devil and trolls. A third involves hydroelectric power and trolls. Only this last story involves elves. But all the stories are about dark and hidden things.
The day started overcast. By the time I took my walk it was sunny and into the 80s. A bit warm for me, but I enjoyed the river and the flowers planted along it. Most looked like wild flowers to me, though I saw some barnyard roses. And milkweed and butterfly weed.
I'm currently working on a fantasy that begins with an incident in the Egils saga, where Egil kills two slaves. At the time, Egil was 80 and blind, so it seemed impressive. Though hard on the slaves, who had done nothing wrong.
In my story, one of the slaves is not killed, but escapes into the land of the elves. I'm giving him a guided tour of elfdom: first the light elves, based on Icelandic folk tales, then the dark elves, mentioned briefly in the Prose Edda, and finally the Irish fey.
This is the fourth story I've written that uses saga material or Icelandic folk lore. I figure the stories ought to be a chapbook, titled The Hidden Folk, which is one of the names for elves in Iceland.
The stories are not all about the elves. One is about the undead slave Glam in the Grettis saga. Another involves the devil and trolls. A third involves hydroelectric power and trolls. Only this last story involves elves. But all the stories are about dark and hidden things.
July 4, 2011
More on Marketing
I'm going to talk about some of the plans I have. I'm not sure how much I am actually going to do.
The main problem I have is actually getting the work done and out. I procrastinate a lot, and I am a perfectionist. This is the main problem, and one I can solve by myself. Write! Finish! Get the stories out!
The next step (obviously) is publication. I have enough short stories for five collections. The big New York houses publish almost no short story collections. So the first step is to go independent presses. There are a number of these: Night Shade, Tachyon, Golden Griffin, Aqueduct... I have an ongoing relationship with Aqueduct, so I will go there first. However, I have a contract with Aqueduct for the sequel to Ring of Swords, and I need to finish it, before I go to Aqueduct about any other books.
The backup plan is to self publish the collections as e-books and market them via nook and Kindle. Naomi Kritzer over at Wyrdsmiths has done this and can talk about what's involved.
There is also the question of my out of print novels. There are four of these, and e-books sound like the right solution. Aqueduct has expressed some interest in doing an e-book reprint of Ring of Swords. The others I will probably have to do myself. I don't know HTML. But there are people who will turn a book into an e-book for not too much money. Again, Naomi knows more about this than I do.
Once I have books available, I can think about marketing. What I'm doing now is watching what other people do.
I said I don't think things like bookmarks and post cards and refrigerator magnets don't help much. However, they don't cost a lot, and they are fun. I have one of Kelly McCullough's's magnets up on my refrigerator, and I am always happy to get bookmarks. I'm using one of Lyda Morehouses's right now.
The key thing, I think, is to pay attention to how much marketing is costing you in money and time. As a fun sideline, it's okay. But if it sucks resources better put into writing, pull back.
The late Joel Rosenberg gave me wonderful advice once. He said, "Most of what happens in publishing is outside our control. We need to focus on what we can control, which is getting the writing done and out."
The main problem I have is actually getting the work done and out. I procrastinate a lot, and I am a perfectionist. This is the main problem, and one I can solve by myself. Write! Finish! Get the stories out!
The next step (obviously) is publication. I have enough short stories for five collections. The big New York houses publish almost no short story collections. So the first step is to go independent presses. There are a number of these: Night Shade, Tachyon, Golden Griffin, Aqueduct... I have an ongoing relationship with Aqueduct, so I will go there first. However, I have a contract with Aqueduct for the sequel to Ring of Swords, and I need to finish it, before I go to Aqueduct about any other books.
The backup plan is to self publish the collections as e-books and market them via nook and Kindle. Naomi Kritzer over at Wyrdsmiths has done this and can talk about what's involved.
There is also the question of my out of print novels. There are four of these, and e-books sound like the right solution. Aqueduct has expressed some interest in doing an e-book reprint of Ring of Swords. The others I will probably have to do myself. I don't know HTML. But there are people who will turn a book into an e-book for not too much money. Again, Naomi knows more about this than I do.
Once I have books available, I can think about marketing. What I'm doing now is watching what other people do.
I said I don't think things like bookmarks and post cards and refrigerator magnets don't help much. However, they don't cost a lot, and they are fun. I have one of Kelly McCullough's's magnets up on my refrigerator, and I am always happy to get bookmarks. I'm using one of Lyda Morehouses's right now.
The key thing, I think, is to pay attention to how much marketing is costing you in money and time. As a fun sideline, it's okay. But if it sucks resources better put into writing, pull back.
The late Joel Rosenberg gave me wonderful advice once. He said, "Most of what happens in publishing is outside our control. We need to focus on what we can control, which is getting the writing done and out."
July 3, 2011
More Con Report
I also went to a discussion of the writing of Cat Valente, which was both interesting and somewhat depressing. Interesting because her work sounds interesting, and depressing because she is a very fast writer who is getting a lot of recognition for her work at a young age. Writing fast helps, of course. Since she is winning awards, she is likely to be a good writer. (Not all awards are given to good books. But she has won the Tiptree and Mythopeoic Awards. These are both juried awards with good track records.)
Good, fast writing in enviable.
Finally, I went to a discussion of the Short Fiction of Eleanor Arnason. I more or less highjacked this and talked about marketing problems, maybe because of the marketing panel and Valente discussion.
Later, I reread the discription of the discussion. It was supposed to be on the Short Fiction of Eleanor Arnason as literature. Well, it's always a bit disconserting to think of one's work as literature. Rather like the shock of finding out that one speaks prose.
I swear, next time anyone wants to talk about my work, I will sit in the back and keep quiet. I publish the damn stuff. It's out in the world. Other people have a right to their opinions.
Good, fast writing in enviable.
Finally, I went to a discussion of the Short Fiction of Eleanor Arnason. I more or less highjacked this and talked about marketing problems, maybe because of the marketing panel and Valente discussion.
Later, I reread the discription of the discussion. It was supposed to be on the Short Fiction of Eleanor Arnason as literature. Well, it's always a bit disconserting to think of one's work as literature. Rather like the shock of finding out that one speaks prose.
I swear, next time anyone wants to talk about my work, I will sit in the back and keep quiet. I publish the damn stuff. It's out in the world. Other people have a right to their opinions.
Con Report
I went to three panels at CONvergence. One was on marketing for writers. I have real doubts about how much effective marketing most writers can do. The panelists talked about making bookmarks and postcards, going to cons, having a blog, being on facebook, taking out ads in trade magazines. These are fairly typical ways to try and increase visibility.
I am acutely uncomfortable about self-promotion. It doesn't fit my Minnesota idea of the right way to behave. Don't push in front of your neighbors. Don't blow your horn.
It was explained to me at Wiscon that self-promotion and marketing are different. Marketing is finding your target market and ways to reach that market. When I heard this, I thought, "Wiscon is my target market: feminist readers of science fiction and fantasy."
I'm not sure what else I can do, besides going to Wiscon every year. Go to other cons. Make friends. Be a decent human being. Believe in people and art and good politics and life.
Back in the 1970s, I set out to become a good panelist, in spite of introversion and stage fright. I think I've done a pretty good job. I did it, because I wanted to become more visible in the field, and I wasn't sure my writing would ever become known. And because there were things I wanted to say about people and art and politics and life.
Anyway, I found the panel a bit depressing. It sounded like the same ideas for self-promotion I've heard before, and which do not seem to work especially well to me.
However, publishing is changing rapidly, as we all know; and writers are trying to figure out all the possible ways to use the Internet and e-publishing. Borders is in chapter 11. Barnes & Noble is trying to sell itself. I'm not sure of the future of the brick and mortar chains. Nor am I sure of the future of the big, New York, print-on-paper publishers.
Because the situation is fluid, it seems like a good idea to pay attention.
So I will.
I am acutely uncomfortable about self-promotion. It doesn't fit my Minnesota idea of the right way to behave. Don't push in front of your neighbors. Don't blow your horn.
It was explained to me at Wiscon that self-promotion and marketing are different. Marketing is finding your target market and ways to reach that market. When I heard this, I thought, "Wiscon is my target market: feminist readers of science fiction and fantasy."
I'm not sure what else I can do, besides going to Wiscon every year. Go to other cons. Make friends. Be a decent human being. Believe in people and art and good politics and life.
Back in the 1970s, I set out to become a good panelist, in spite of introversion and stage fright. I think I've done a pretty good job. I did it, because I wanted to become more visible in the field, and I wasn't sure my writing would ever become known. And because there were things I wanted to say about people and art and politics and life.
Anyway, I found the panel a bit depressing. It sounded like the same ideas for self-promotion I've heard before, and which do not seem to work especially well to me.
However, publishing is changing rapidly, as we all know; and writers are trying to figure out all the possible ways to use the Internet and e-publishing. Borders is in chapter 11. Barnes & Noble is trying to sell itself. I'm not sure of the future of the brick and mortar chains. Nor am I sure of the future of the big, New York, print-on-paper publishers.
Because the situation is fluid, it seems like a good idea to pay attention.
So I will.
June 30, 2011
New Post
I haven't posted anything here since the first half of May. Seduced by facebook, I guess. I don't like chitchat, what I call cocktail party conversation, though I don't know anyone who gives or goes to cocktail parties. But I like the chitchat on facebook. I like talking about the weather, what I had for breakfast, what I'm reading or writing. I like hearing about other people's gardens and dinners.
In among all this chatter are serious comments about life and politics, plus a fair number of interesting links. It's a great way to keep track of old friends I don't often see, and I've met some new people I like.
But facebook is set up for short entries, designed for chitchat. I think I want to discuss some topics that will take more room. So here I am back at the blog again.
Pause to get coffee from the fresh pot.
I went to CONvergence yesterday. It's a large (in the area of 5,000 people) local con, more media than literary, but with enough literary programming to keep me happy. When I got to the hotel, it looked like Minicon, which is the legacy local con. A thin scattering of middle aged and elderly fans were in the hotel's lobbies. There were few costumes. No one looked especially neat or cool.
"What is this about?" I thought. Then I remembered it was 11 am.
I stayed six hours. As time went on, more and more people appeared, younger and a lot cooler looking than the morning people. Many wore costumes, especially steampunk, which is this year's theme. Even people in fannish civvies made fashion statements, such as good punk hair cuts.
By the time I left the place looked ready to rock. I would have stayed, except I had an offer of a ride, and I live on the other side of the metro area from the con hotel.
In among all this chatter are serious comments about life and politics, plus a fair number of interesting links. It's a great way to keep track of old friends I don't often see, and I've met some new people I like.
But facebook is set up for short entries, designed for chitchat. I think I want to discuss some topics that will take more room. So here I am back at the blog again.
Pause to get coffee from the fresh pot.
I went to CONvergence yesterday. It's a large (in the area of 5,000 people) local con, more media than literary, but with enough literary programming to keep me happy. When I got to the hotel, it looked like Minicon, which is the legacy local con. A thin scattering of middle aged and elderly fans were in the hotel's lobbies. There were few costumes. No one looked especially neat or cool.
"What is this about?" I thought. Then I remembered it was 11 am.
I stayed six hours. As time went on, more and more people appeared, younger and a lot cooler looking than the morning people. Many wore costumes, especially steampunk, which is this year's theme. Even people in fannish civvies made fashion statements, such as good punk hair cuts.
By the time I left the place looked ready to rock. I would have stayed, except I had an offer of a ride, and I live on the other side of the metro area from the con hotel.
Eleanor Arnason's Blog
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