Ryan Field's Blog, page 543
July 18, 2011
Nostalgia From 2006 About E-books
I remember reading articles just like this five years ago. And five years before that I was at a dinner party with an art director from Random House who lives in Bucks County and he was talking about how e-books would one day become very popular.
And, just for the record, this is when everyone else in publishing was saying e-books would never "take off."
Here's the link to the 2006 article, and the beginning is below.
Digital Books Start A New Chapter
Lighter devices, better displays, and the iPod craze could make them best-sellers
Slide Show >>Richard D. Warren, a 58-year-old lawyer in California, is halfway through Ken Follett's novel Jackdaws. But he doesn't bother carrying around the book itself. Instead, he has a digital version of Follett he reads on his Palm Treo each morning as he commutes by train to San Francisco from his home in Berkeley. He's a big fan of such digital books. Usually, there are around seven titles on his Treo, and he buys at least two new ones each month. "It's just so versatile," he says. "I've tried to convert some friends to this, but they think it's kind of geeky."
Geeky? For now, maybe, but not for much longer. Many experts are convinced that digital books, after plenty of false starts, are finally ready for takeoff. "Every other form of media has gone digital -- music, newspapers, movies," says Joni Evans, a top literary agent who just left the William Morris Agency to start her own company that will focus on books and technology. "We're the only industry that hasn't lived up to the pace of technology. A revolution is around the corner."
And, just for the record, this is when everyone else in publishing was saying e-books would never "take off."
Here's the link to the 2006 article, and the beginning is below.
Digital Books Start A New Chapter
Lighter devices, better displays, and the iPod craze could make them best-sellers
Slide Show >>Richard D. Warren, a 58-year-old lawyer in California, is halfway through Ken Follett's novel Jackdaws. But he doesn't bother carrying around the book itself. Instead, he has a digital version of Follett he reads on his Palm Treo each morning as he commutes by train to San Francisco from his home in Berkeley. He's a big fan of such digital books. Usually, there are around seven titles on his Treo, and he buys at least two new ones each month. "It's just so versatile," he says. "I've tried to convert some friends to this, but they think it's kind of geeky."
Geeky? For now, maybe, but not for much longer. Many experts are convinced that digital books, after plenty of false starts, are finally ready for takeoff. "Every other form of media has gone digital -- music, newspapers, movies," says Joni Evans, a top literary agent who just left the William Morris Agency to start her own company that will focus on books and technology. "We're the only industry that hasn't lived up to the pace of technology. A revolution is around the corner."
July 17, 2011
The Woes of Promoting Books...
I read a blog post this week where the young author was promoting his new middle grade fiction release with a tongue-in-cheek, quasi, pledge drive. He wasn't forcing readers to buy the book. He wasn't actually taking money for a real pledge drive. He was just asking his regular blog readers to check out his new release and "consider" buying it. Who the author is doesn't matter. My twelve year old nephew did read his book and loved it, so I left my rating on goodreads. (Kids books are about kids, not adults. I left the rating for my nephew...I paid for the book and he doesn't have an account.)
Well, this author's simple, harmless post sparked a cyber riot that rivaled that last democratic primary. I was shocked, saddened, and frustrated all at the same time.
And it really was a harmless, tasteful post. The readers who went after the author had no right to do it. But it made me think about how difficult it is to promote your own books on the internet, and how you never really do know whether you doing a good job or a bad job.
I don't have any set promotional stragey going on. I never did. And though I wish I could come up with something, I probably never will. That's because I don't just write fiction to sell books. I write fiction because I love writing fiction and sales aren't always my primary concern. This is why I always spend more time writing than promoting.
But I have learned one thing while promoting my own books and watching others promote their books: to lighten up. In other words, I don't get mad at other authors anymore for spamming me with announcements and knocking over the head with their new releases. I used to get mad. I've even ranted here on the blog that I often think authors hurt themselves with aggressive promotion. I still think that is the case. But I don't get annoyed with them anymore, thanks to the way I watched blog readers attack the young middle grade fiction author. I know authors are only trying to get the word out there, and I've learned it's not always easy getting the word out.
So the next time you see a nice young author trying to promote his middle grade fiction on his blog, give the guy a break. The next time you see any author trying to announce releases with aggressive e-mails and notifications, let them slide. The author is not out to "get" you. He/she is only trying to have a little fun and promote a new book at the same time. If you don't like it, all you have to do is ignore it.
Well, this author's simple, harmless post sparked a cyber riot that rivaled that last democratic primary. I was shocked, saddened, and frustrated all at the same time.
And it really was a harmless, tasteful post. The readers who went after the author had no right to do it. But it made me think about how difficult it is to promote your own books on the internet, and how you never really do know whether you doing a good job or a bad job.
I don't have any set promotional stragey going on. I never did. And though I wish I could come up with something, I probably never will. That's because I don't just write fiction to sell books. I write fiction because I love writing fiction and sales aren't always my primary concern. This is why I always spend more time writing than promoting.
But I have learned one thing while promoting my own books and watching others promote their books: to lighten up. In other words, I don't get mad at other authors anymore for spamming me with announcements and knocking over the head with their new releases. I used to get mad. I've even ranted here on the blog that I often think authors hurt themselves with aggressive promotion. I still think that is the case. But I don't get annoyed with them anymore, thanks to the way I watched blog readers attack the young middle grade fiction author. I know authors are only trying to get the word out there, and I've learned it's not always easy getting the word out.
So the next time you see a nice young author trying to promote his middle grade fiction on his blog, give the guy a break. The next time you see any author trying to announce releases with aggressive e-mails and notifications, let them slide. The author is not out to "get" you. He/she is only trying to have a little fun and promote a new book at the same time. If you don't like it, all you have to do is ignore it.
Jimmy Buffs Italian Hot Dogs
I'm originally from the Northern New Jersey-New York area. I was born in Newark, but don't get back there very often. I love where I live in New Hope, Bucks County, PA. It's quiet, artistic, and touristy at the same time. You're just as likely to run into Barbra Streisand walking down Main Street as you are a family from Philadelphia out for the day. But when I found this on youtube I went berserk. You don't get foods like this out here in Bucks County. They just opened a new place in East Hanover, NJ, which isn't far. They are, trust me on this, the best hot dogs in the world.
Catching Up With Goodreads Requests...
I just wanted to mention that I'm always in the process of catching up with requests from readers over at goodreads.com. I may not do it daily. But I do get there at least once a week to check my friend requests and messages. Today there were about twenty-seven, so I wanted to post about it right now in case anyone wonders why it takes me so long to respond.
I'm also still figuring out how a lot of things on goodreads work. Up until four years ago, I was still submitting my manuscripts in hard copy to publishers by snail mail. I'm still getting used to certain social media sites. But I'm working on it all the time, especially when it comes to friend requests and personal messages over at goodreads. And if by chance I miss something on goodreads.com feel free to e-mail me at the address posted on this blog. I'm fast when it comes to e-mail.
I'm also still figuring out how a lot of things on goodreads work. Up until four years ago, I was still submitting my manuscripts in hard copy to publishers by snail mail. I'm still getting used to certain social media sites. But I'm working on it all the time, especially when it comes to friend requests and personal messages over at goodreads. And if by chance I miss something on goodreads.com feel free to e-mail me at the address posted on this blog. I'm fast when it comes to e-mail.
July 16, 2011
More About Book Covers...The Virgin Billionaire's Excellent Adventure: A Novella
Since I've been blogging about book covers so much this week, I decided to share this story, too.
When I submitted the manuscript for The Virgin Billionaire's Excellent Adventure, the publisher and I thought it might be fun to possibly call it the Sexellent Adventure instead of Excellent Adventure. (Oh, someone will shudder and cross her legs about this.)
But when we received the first draft of the new cover on Friday, the artist still had the original title on the draft. Either way, I think it would work. And I'm always too close to the books to be able to stand back and view them objectively, so I let the publisher decide... and it's going to be Sexellent Adventure. (I may not have spelled that right...we'll see...you should see how it comes up on spell check.)
This is the first draft of the cover. I doubt much will change, other than the Excellent being changed to Sexellent. I'll post more about the release date next week.
July 15, 2011
When I Say Take Blog Posts with a Grain of Salt, This is What I Mean...
I'm not saying the information on the amateur blog I'm talking about isn't completely accurate. And I'm not mentioning the blogger because I think he means well...he just doesn't fact check. I don't know anything about Stephen King or J.K. Rowling's rejection records, nor do I care to know about them. For all I do know, this part of the post is spot on.
But I have been following a few books on the NYT bestseller list, and I do question this information:
The New York Times doesn't say exactly how they determine the books on their best seller lists, but they will tell you that they don't collect data on Internet sales (no Amazon! Which explains why Amanda Hocking isn't on it.)
As far as I know, there is a wonderful self-published romance out that's not only on the NYT bestseller list, but most of the sales did, indeed, come from the Internet. It's a.99 amazon kindle book. Where else could the sales come from?
I've posted about how hard it is to find information about how they collect data for the NYT bestseller list.
There are a few other comments in the blog post I'm talking about I could question, too. But they don't matter. The point is that you should never take these blog posts seriously unless you know it's coming from an accurate source. And this includes me. I try to get it right. I try to check the facts. But I could be wrong, too.
But I have been following a few books on the NYT bestseller list, and I do question this information:
The New York Times doesn't say exactly how they determine the books on their best seller lists, but they will tell you that they don't collect data on Internet sales (no Amazon! Which explains why Amanda Hocking isn't on it.)
As far as I know, there is a wonderful self-published romance out that's not only on the NYT bestseller list, but most of the sales did, indeed, come from the Internet. It's a.99 amazon kindle book. Where else could the sales come from?
I've posted about how hard it is to find information about how they collect data for the NYT bestseller list.
There are a few other comments in the blog post I'm talking about I could question, too. But they don't matter. The point is that you should never take these blog posts seriously unless you know it's coming from an accurate source. And this includes me. I try to get it right. I try to check the facts. But I could be wrong, too.
2011 Rainbow Award Guidelines for Gay Books
In case you don't know, there's this event called The Rainbow Awards. It was started by LGBT romance book reviewer, Elisa Rolle, and it's been gaining momentum in the past few years.
Here are the rules and how you can enter.
If you write m/m romance, or m/m fiction, and you haven't checked out Elisa's blog yet, please take the time to do it. You're in for a treat you won't find anywhere else. It not only has a strong international flair and sophistication I love, but also a sense of taste and style. It's different; trust me on this. Style is something you either have or don't have and you can't fake it. Elisa has style. And she cares far more about books and authors than she does about the publishing industry or idle gossip.
I know for a fact Elisa lives and loves m/m romance more than anyone I know. Although she's a full time professional in Italy, with an excellent career, the rest of her life has been devoted to m/m romance. And in doing this, she's helped promote positive, productive LGBT images without an agenda. She just loves what she does.
So check out her site, and if you haven't entered your books in her contest, please check out the guidelines. I might be wrong about this because I haven't checked other guidelines in a while, but as far as I know, this is the only international LGBT award where everyone is invited to participate. In other words, you don't have to be gay. You can be a straight woman writing m/m romance and you are still eligible. And, you can enter e-books. They don't have to be just print books.
July 14, 2011
E-Book Buying and Product Details...
I know I harp about this sometimes, but I do think it's important that new people...customers...who are just now discovering e-books take the time to read every single product detail they can while shopping for e-books.
Even if you buy your books on Kobo, or Amazon, or anywhere, please take the time to shop around the web first to read other product descriptions so you know what you are buying. I buy a lot from amazon. I love amazon. But I get better book excerpts from allromanceebooks.com.
And just recently in this post, I talk about how one of my own book descriptions was rewritten and I had nothing to do with it. There's nothing wrong with the new description. It's basically a condensed version of what I wrote. But when you check out author web sites...and I'm talking about all authors, not just me...you're going to get so much more information about the book you're buying.
I'm not talking about the storyline details. I'm talking about basic product info, so you know whether or not you're buying a short, a medium, or a long digital book (e-book). It's up to authors and publishers to get this information out there. But as a reader, when I'm buying e-books for pleasure, I make sure I know exactly what I'm buying.
And never hesitate to contact an author directly. I know some won't respond; they are far too grand. But most, including me, will get back to you quickly.
Even if you buy your books on Kobo, or Amazon, or anywhere, please take the time to shop around the web first to read other product descriptions so you know what you are buying. I buy a lot from amazon. I love amazon. But I get better book excerpts from allromanceebooks.com.
And just recently in this post, I talk about how one of my own book descriptions was rewritten and I had nothing to do with it. There's nothing wrong with the new description. It's basically a condensed version of what I wrote. But when you check out author web sites...and I'm talking about all authors, not just me...you're going to get so much more information about the book you're buying.
I'm not talking about the storyline details. I'm talking about basic product info, so you know whether or not you're buying a short, a medium, or a long digital book (e-book). It's up to authors and publishers to get this information out there. But as a reader, when I'm buying e-books for pleasure, I make sure I know exactly what I'm buying.
And never hesitate to contact an author directly. I know some won't respond; they are far too grand. But most, including me, will get back to you quickly.
Romantic Times: No More Mr. Romance; WTF?
It was announced that the 18 year old tradition of the Mr. Romance contest has been eliminated. I'm really not part of the RT crowd and I don't want to be. But WTF?
"Over the past few years our attendees have been bringing spouses and have become more interested in spending more time with the authors."
So I guess that bringing a spouse to a convention, someone with whom you live day in and day out, hear snore every night of your life, and pick up after, is way more fun than watching hot guys compete in a Mr. Romance competition? So much for all that fun. And WTF does bringing a spouse have to do with the Mr. Romance contest? No further comment.
But more than that, is this l950? Gay people don't have "spouses." Dah! We have significant others, we have partners, we have life partners, but not spouses. We aren't allowed to have spouses, by law. I honestly can't believe they couldn't even get this right in a public announcement. Talk about show, not tell. Couldn't they at least f*^king placate us like everyone else does? There have to be some gay authors attending this thing, with a significant other.
What surprises me is that a lot of people in publishing believe book covers are the primary reason why some books sell. And the models on those covers are important. I don't always believe this. But I know people who do. And frankly, I have, on occasion, bought a few books just because of the model on the cover. Call me superficial; at least I'm honest about it.
But don't fret none yet Mr. Romance fans!!
There will still be cover models at the convention for those who want to meet them, have pictures taken with them, or dance with them. Cover models, both male and female, have always been extended a special industry rate to encourage them to attend. That has not changed.
Interesting. I wonder if I'll be allowed to dance with any of the male models if I decide to go next year. Not that I'm much of a dancer. But I'd be curious to see whether or not I'd turn a few heads. Or whether or not any of the male models would actually dance with me. I've done a little modeling myself in the past, so I'm not exactly an amateur in this department. I think it would be an interesting test, to see just how open and honest events like this are when it comes to openly gay men dancing with other men. And I wonder how those spouses would feel. And I'm not talking about a campy, funny dance with another guy. You know, ha ha ha, buddy, dude. I'm talking about dancing seriously. This, trust me, is another post for the future.
They are covering their asses, though. They make it clear this is an experiment and they aren't certain how attendees are going to react. I'm curious, too. This is one example of why I've never attended anything like this before, and most likely won't in the future...unless I can figure out a way to spike things up on my own. You know, something that would make the old sweetie over at one romance blog in particular who thinks she owns romance shudder and cross her legs.
I do feel bad for the models. I've met a few and I think they always looked forward to the event. And even though it was mentioned "they" think they are closing the Mr. Romance contest on a high note, I have a feeling a lot of attendees are going to think they are just closing, period. It might even be the end of an era in a larger sense, because when the boring, boring, boring of them all take over, the masses disappear and the genre starts to suffer.
At least offer something as a replacement for those who don't shudder and cross their legs all the time. And I'm not talking about a goddamn tea party.
Release Date: ANOTHER REGULAR BUD
I just got word ANOTHER REGULAR BUD will be released July 22. This isn't exactly a sequel to A REGULAR BUD, but the themes are the same.
Here's an excerpt from line edits I just finished:
When I pulled into Bob's service station, I
passed the gas pumps and parked head on
against one of the open garage doors. My legs
were sore, and my feet were pulsing. I'd just come
from football practice, and it was warmer than
usual for that time of year.
It wasn't a serious football team, and I wasn't
a serious football player. Just a group of guys I'd
know in college who liked to get together and toss
a ball around outside a gym after work. Though
I'd showered with the guys after practice, all I
wanted to do was go home and plop on the sofa.
But I'd been having troubles with the car, and
I didn't want to let the situation get worse. It was
Another Regular Bud
2
the end of October, and I had a busy weekend
coming up and didn't want to deal with car
problems.
Earlier that afternoon, I'd done something
extremely out of character: I'd stopped at a small
erotic boutique to pick up a pair of six-inch black
leather stilettos.
Though I'd never done drag before, my best
friend had talked me into going to a costume
party that Halloween weekend as one of the
characters from the movie Burlesque. Not any one
character in particular. I was just going for theme
this time.
I'd already ordered a sexy, slinky lace and
leather outfit from an erotic website and a short
blonde wig from another. A good female friend
was going to help with the make up and fake
fingernails. But I'd been worried about ordering
the high heels online and figured it was better to
go out and buy them in person to make sure they
fit well. I didn't want to walk around in pain all
night. And to my surprise, the high heels I
bought fit almost as well and were almost as
comfortable as my old black boots, even with my
black socks.
RYAN FIELD
3
Before I turned off the ignition, I pulled off the
high heels and threw them in the back seat. The
saleswoman had warned me it was a good idea to
get used to them before I wore them that
weekend. So after football practice, I decided to
wear them on the drive home. When I pulled up
to red lights and stopped beside other cars, I
couldn't help laughing at what they would have
done if they'd known the nice-looking, straightacting
guy in the car next to them was wearing
black six-inch stilettos.
