Ryan Field's Blog, page 569
March 5, 2011
Highest Rated Books - Best Selling Books..Huh?
It never ceases to amaze me how certain books will receive high ratings and reviews, and then other books will receive mixed reviews and wind up outselling the books with the highest ratings.
And I'm not just talking about my own books here. I've discussed this with other authors and they've all experienced the same thing. If you have over five published books out there there's bound to be at least one that has received stellar ratings but didn't do as well in sales as books with mixed reviews have received.
I can't even begin to explain this. Maybe some books resonate with readers and they can't wait to rate and review them. In other words, something the author did hit home and it affected the reader in some way. This has happened to me before. When I read Anne Tyler's Back When We Were Grownups in 2001 I was going through a small crisis and the book resonated with me...to the point where it actually made me feel good. And at the time, it was the last thing I expected. I was only reading the book to pass time. But I'll never forget the wonderful feeling I experienced when I read the last paragraph. And I've read this book six times since then and I've always experienced the same feeling.
There are very few patterns authors and publishers can follow when it comes to a how a book is going to be received. A few of the books I've had released and didn't have high hopes for actually wound up doing better than I'd imagined they would. There's one short story I'm still scratching my head about. It was published in an anthology by a print publisher five years ago, the editor of that anthology recommened it to another editor for a "Best Of" anthology two years later, and then I released it as a stand alone short e-book and it's been on the fictionwise bestseller list since it was released. (Of course the reviews have been extremely mixed.) And when I wrote this story and submitted it, I never thought it would sell well at all. I just figured I was submitting something I normally didn't do...it was actually more of an experiment.
The only real pattern I've noticed over the last twenty years is that you can't predict anything. And, the books with only the highest ratings never sell quite as well as the books with the mixed ratings. (There will always be fewer ratings for the books with excellent reviews because they didn't sell as many copies.) If you don't believe me, check out a few bestselling books on goodreads.com or Amazon.com. Then check out a few books with nothing but five star ratings. It's interesting to examine. And you start to wonder whether or not readers actually do pay attention to excellent ratings and reviews as much as they pay attention to buzz and hype. I even know some authors who claim the worst reviews help their sales. Go figure!
And I'm not just talking about my own books here. I've discussed this with other authors and they've all experienced the same thing. If you have over five published books out there there's bound to be at least one that has received stellar ratings but didn't do as well in sales as books with mixed reviews have received.
I can't even begin to explain this. Maybe some books resonate with readers and they can't wait to rate and review them. In other words, something the author did hit home and it affected the reader in some way. This has happened to me before. When I read Anne Tyler's Back When We Were Grownups in 2001 I was going through a small crisis and the book resonated with me...to the point where it actually made me feel good. And at the time, it was the last thing I expected. I was only reading the book to pass time. But I'll never forget the wonderful feeling I experienced when I read the last paragraph. And I've read this book six times since then and I've always experienced the same feeling.
There are very few patterns authors and publishers can follow when it comes to a how a book is going to be received. A few of the books I've had released and didn't have high hopes for actually wound up doing better than I'd imagined they would. There's one short story I'm still scratching my head about. It was published in an anthology by a print publisher five years ago, the editor of that anthology recommened it to another editor for a "Best Of" anthology two years later, and then I released it as a stand alone short e-book and it's been on the fictionwise bestseller list since it was released. (Of course the reviews have been extremely mixed.) And when I wrote this story and submitted it, I never thought it would sell well at all. I just figured I was submitting something I normally didn't do...it was actually more of an experiment.
The only real pattern I've noticed over the last twenty years is that you can't predict anything. And, the books with only the highest ratings never sell quite as well as the books with the mixed ratings. (There will always be fewer ratings for the books with excellent reviews because they didn't sell as many copies.) If you don't believe me, check out a few bestselling books on goodreads.com or Amazon.com. Then check out a few books with nothing but five star ratings. It's interesting to examine. And you start to wonder whether or not readers actually do pay attention to excellent ratings and reviews as much as they pay attention to buzz and hype. I even know some authors who claim the worst reviews help their sales. Go figure!
March 4, 2011
Why This Editor Always Gives Feedback To Authors Who Submit To Anthologies...
I'm going to be posting a few things about the anthology I edited, LASTING LUST, in future posts next week. But I wanted to explain a little about how the process works for me, when I'm working as an editor, with regard to handling the authors who submitted short stories for the book.
First, and I'd like to make this clear, the reason I handle authors with respect is because I am an author and I've been treated shabbily by certain editors who think they are above reproach. Not all editors are like this. Most are very nice to work with and they treat their submissions and their authors with respect. But there are a few who seem to be either too high and mighty to deal with lowly authors, or they simply don't give a damn. And though I hate to admit this, I find this superior attitude mostly exists with editors who work with traditional print publishers, not with e-publishers. I'd like to make it very clear that all my experiences with e-publishers as an author have been more than positive. Editors who work for e-publishers do, in fact, treat authors with respect...so far.
Either way, it sux whenever an author submits a short story to an editor for an anthology and they aren't treated well. And by well I'm talking about a basic reply regarding the author's submission and a brief comment as to why the author was rejected. This is what I did with LASTING LUST when I rejected authors who submitted to me. It's basic courtesy, it's ethical, and it shows professional respect.
But not all editors who put together anthologies feel this way. And the ironic thing is these editors aren't all that special themselves. They always reminded me of the snotty salesclerk in a high end department store working for minimum wage who looks down on the customers. And when editors look down on authors who are submitting their work, they aren't much different from these snotty salesclerks.
Ultimately, editors make their own rules when it comes to how they deal with authors. And my own personal rule when I'm editing is to always treat the author with respect. Every single author who submitted something to the LASTING LUST anthology received a reply from me. In some cases, I built lasting relationships with these authors. I told them why they were being rejected and thanked them for submitting. In each case, they were being rejected because the story didn't fit with the theme of the book. It had nothing to do with the quality of their work and it was nothing personal. And I think authors need to know this. I know I like to know this when I'm submitting something to an editor.
First, and I'd like to make this clear, the reason I handle authors with respect is because I am an author and I've been treated shabbily by certain editors who think they are above reproach. Not all editors are like this. Most are very nice to work with and they treat their submissions and their authors with respect. But there are a few who seem to be either too high and mighty to deal with lowly authors, or they simply don't give a damn. And though I hate to admit this, I find this superior attitude mostly exists with editors who work with traditional print publishers, not with e-publishers. I'd like to make it very clear that all my experiences with e-publishers as an author have been more than positive. Editors who work for e-publishers do, in fact, treat authors with respect...so far.
Either way, it sux whenever an author submits a short story to an editor for an anthology and they aren't treated well. And by well I'm talking about a basic reply regarding the author's submission and a brief comment as to why the author was rejected. This is what I did with LASTING LUST when I rejected authors who submitted to me. It's basic courtesy, it's ethical, and it shows professional respect.
But not all editors who put together anthologies feel this way. And the ironic thing is these editors aren't all that special themselves. They always reminded me of the snotty salesclerk in a high end department store working for minimum wage who looks down on the customers. And when editors look down on authors who are submitting their work, they aren't much different from these snotty salesclerks.
Ultimately, editors make their own rules when it comes to how they deal with authors. And my own personal rule when I'm editing is to always treat the author with respect. Every single author who submitted something to the LASTING LUST anthology received a reply from me. In some cases, I built lasting relationships with these authors. I told them why they were being rejected and thanked them for submitting. In each case, they were being rejected because the story didn't fit with the theme of the book. It had nothing to do with the quality of their work and it was nothing personal. And I think authors need to know this. I know I like to know this when I'm submitting something to an editor.
Release Day: Jolly Roger
Today's the release day for another short story e-book titled, JOLLY ROGER. Here's a link where it can be purchased at the publisher's web site. And I'm sure it either is, or will be within days, available on most major web sites where e-books are sold.
Another version of this story was originally published in a print book by a large lgbt publisher. This was years ago and I own the rights so I decided to release it as a stand alone e-book now, with more than a few editorial changes. Though I loved the print book this story was in and I never thought I'd release it anywhere else after it was published, there have been a lot of changes since that time and I think readers who are getting into m/m erotic romance would rather purchase individual short stories that cost less than purchase entire anthologies at higher prices not knowing whether or not they are going to love each author. The cost to print short stories as individual print books would have been unrealistic until recently, and publishers rarely ever did this. With regard to m/m fiction the only short story I can think of that was published this way was "Brokeback Mountain." But with the advent of digital books, it's become reality and both readers and authors are enjoying individual short stories now. In other words, readers have more choices now. I know I was disappointed in the anthology I edited for Ravenous Romance, titled, LASTING LUST. Not because I don't like the book. It's actually one of my favorites. I'm going to do a post about this soon and explain things. I think readers will be surprised to learn a few facts about this book I've never discussed before. Anyway, back to Jolly Roger...
The tag line reads:
The Untold Story of Jolly Roger, a Pirate Who Either Left Them Guessing or Begging for More…
And the cover copy says:
From the origin of his name to the ways he spent his free time, Jolly Roger had always been able to fool them all, including the best historians. And though there were indeed rumors about Jolly's favorite way to pass the time, only the strongest and the best men ever knew for sure whether or not those decadent rumors were true. Captain Hargrove was one of those men. On a warm night on an exotic island, Hargrove discovered what all the rumors were about, when Jolly Roger dropped his pants and pulled off his shirt. As Jolly's handsome young crew members stood watching, Hargrove found something he'd needed for a very long time, something the women in his life had never been able to offer. Left with no defenses and no way to turn back, his only choice was to grab Jolly by the back of the head, yank him to the ground, and plunge into the most memorable night of his life, with his fists braced for battle, his chest heaving, and his pants around his ankles.
March 3, 2011
What Is a Blurb?
For a long time, as least as far as I always knew, a blurb in publishing meant a comment of praise...a good, short review...from another author about a book. It's used as a promotional tool on book covers. I've written them and requested them many times. Blurbs have always been, for me, an extra added bonus for readers to see how another author feels about a book before the reader makes the purchase. And authors take this seriously. They don't just write blurbs for other authors in an off-handed manner. And when you see a blurb, you know the author really liked the book enough to put his or her name on the line.
But the definition of blurb doesn't stop there. I've been seeing different definitions of blurbs on social networks, and a lot of people are now referring to blurbs in several different ways. With the advent of new authors entering the arena, a lot of the old terms are either changing or taking on multi-purposes because the authors aren't familiar with the jargon. And they are all correct. So here are a few quotes from wiki about blurbs I think nail it pretty well:
A blurb is a short summary or some words of praise accompanying a creative work, without giving away any details that is usually referring to the words on the back of the book jacket but also commonly seen on DVD and video cases
The concept of a "brief statement praising a literary product" dates back to medieval literature of Egypt from the 14th century. The concept was known as taqriz in medieval Arabic literature.[1]
The word blurb originated in 1907. American humorist Gelett Burgess's short 1906 book Are you a bromide? was presented in a limited edition to an annual trade association dinner. The custom at such events was to have a dust jacket promoting the work and with, as Burgess' publisher B. W. Huebsch described it,
"the picture of a damsel — languishing, heroic, or coquettish — anyhow, a damsel on the jacket of every novel"
In this case the jacket proclaimed "YES, this is a 'BLURB'!" and the picture was of a (fictitious) young woman "Miss Belinda Blurb" shown calling out, described as "in the act of blurbing."[2]
The name and term stuck for any publisher's contents on a book's back cover, even after the picture was dropped and only the complimentary text remained.
A blurb on a book or a film can be any combination of quotes from the work, the author, the publisher, reviewers or fans, a summary of the plot, a biography of the author or simply claims about the importance of the work. Many humorous books and films parody blurbs that deliver exaggerated praise by unlikely people and insults disguised as praise.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail - "Makes Ben Hur look like an Epic"
1066 and All That - "We look forward keenly to the appearance of their last work"
The Harvard Lampoon satire of The Lord of the Rings, entitled Bored of the Rings, deliberately used phony blurbs by deceased authors on the inside cover. One of the blurbs stated "One of the two or three books...", and nothing else.
In the 1980s, Spy Magazine ran a regular feature called "Logrolling in Our Time" which exposed writers who wrote blurbs for one anothers' books.[1]
On the Internet a blurb is used to give a brief written description or promotion of an article or other larger work. The visual equivalent to blurbs are trailers, in particular teaser trailers.
But the definition of blurb doesn't stop there. I've been seeing different definitions of blurbs on social networks, and a lot of people are now referring to blurbs in several different ways. With the advent of new authors entering the arena, a lot of the old terms are either changing or taking on multi-purposes because the authors aren't familiar with the jargon. And they are all correct. So here are a few quotes from wiki about blurbs I think nail it pretty well:
A blurb is a short summary or some words of praise accompanying a creative work, without giving away any details that is usually referring to the words on the back of the book jacket but also commonly seen on DVD and video cases
The concept of a "brief statement praising a literary product" dates back to medieval literature of Egypt from the 14th century. The concept was known as taqriz in medieval Arabic literature.[1]
The word blurb originated in 1907. American humorist Gelett Burgess's short 1906 book Are you a bromide? was presented in a limited edition to an annual trade association dinner. The custom at such events was to have a dust jacket promoting the work and with, as Burgess' publisher B. W. Huebsch described it,
"the picture of a damsel — languishing, heroic, or coquettish — anyhow, a damsel on the jacket of every novel"
In this case the jacket proclaimed "YES, this is a 'BLURB'!" and the picture was of a (fictitious) young woman "Miss Belinda Blurb" shown calling out, described as "in the act of blurbing."[2]
The name and term stuck for any publisher's contents on a book's back cover, even after the picture was dropped and only the complimentary text remained.
A blurb on a book or a film can be any combination of quotes from the work, the author, the publisher, reviewers or fans, a summary of the plot, a biography of the author or simply claims about the importance of the work. Many humorous books and films parody blurbs that deliver exaggerated praise by unlikely people and insults disguised as praise.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail - "Makes Ben Hur look like an Epic"
1066 and All That - "We look forward keenly to the appearance of their last work"
The Harvard Lampoon satire of The Lord of the Rings, entitled Bored of the Rings, deliberately used phony blurbs by deceased authors on the inside cover. One of the blurbs stated "One of the two or three books...", and nothing else.
In the 1980s, Spy Magazine ran a regular feature called "Logrolling in Our Time" which exposed writers who wrote blurbs for one anothers' books.[1]
On the Internet a blurb is used to give a brief written description or promotion of an article or other larger work. The visual equivalent to blurbs are trailers, in particular teaser trailers.
Another Cleis Press Book Up For a Gaybie Award: COLLEGE BOYS
Yesterday I posted about the SKATER BOYS anthology that's up for a Gaybie award. And while I was getting links together, I also noticed another Cleis Press book I'm in is up for an award as well.
This book is titled, COLLEGE BOYS, and it was put together and edited by Shane Allison. Once again, I'm thrilled to be part of this. There are a lot of great authors in this book, including Neil Plakcy, who edited SKATER BOYS. Here's the link where you can see who else has been nominated. I'm honestly not very familiar with this site. But it looks interesting and there's a long list of categories, filled with lgbt entertainment.
March 2, 2011
My Short Story - SKATER BOYS Anthology: Nominated For Best Erotic Fiction - 2011 GAYBIE AWARDS
I just heard that a book I'm in, SKATER BOYS, edited by Neil Plakcy and published by Cleis Press, was nominated for the 2011 Gabie Awards. Here's the link where you can vote. And there are other categories for other mediums and genres you can vote for too.
My short story in SKATER BOYS was titled, "In This Our Day." And although it is erotic to a degree, I'd have to admit this is one of my more romantic stories. And it is also about a May - December romance between a nice guy in his forties and a younger guy in his twenties.
I've read the entire book myself and I liked all the stories, and I'm thrilled to be part of a book that's been nominated for a Gaybie. I also love being in books edited by Neil Plakcy. I've been in Lambda books that were either nominated or won a Lambda Award. But this is a first for a Gaybie. The print book can be purchased here, on Amazon, as well as the Kindle version.
However, as a side note, even though I'm thrilled about being in this book and being part of a book that was nominated for a Gaybie, I'd like to stress that when an author like me submits a short story to a publisher for a book like this I'm only paid a flat fee. For this book, as I recall, the flat fee was $60.00. I make no money at all on the back end, and this includes all digital sales.
I have no complaints about this at all. I knew what I was doing when I submitted the book and signed the contract. I wanted to work with Neil Plakcy and I love Cleis Press books. The flat fee payment is the way things are done, and I don't see this changing anytime soon. But I'd also like readers (and book pirates who seem to think we're making huge bucks here) to know that while I'm promoting this book right now in this post, it's truly because I love it and I'm thrilled about the Gaybie, and it's not because I'm making any money at all with regard to sales, digital or print. In other words, I don't have to promote it at all. There's nothing in it for me other than the fact that I love the book and I think readers will love it just as much. And, there's another Cleis Press book I'm in that's also been nominated for a Gaybie. It's titled, COLLEGE BOYS, and I'll post more about that one tomorrow. I just thought it would be better to post about each book individually, with respect to the editors.
February 28, 2011
My Own Personal Thoughts On Self-Publishing
Though I've never self-published anything myself, I've been watching other authors do this for a while now. I've even read and posted about a few self-published books in the past two years, trying to help support and promote the authors because I loved the books. I meet these authors everywhere, from social networks to personal blogs, and if I like what I read in the cover copy, I'll usually buy the books and check them out.
Ten years ago I would never have recommended self-publishing to anyone. It was expensive and you had to worry about everything from hiring an editor to distribution. But the world was different back then and digital publishing was something print publishers, editors, and literary agents laughed at. Actually, a friend of mine who is a literary agent told me three years ago that digital books were only a half a per cent of the market and they'd never be anything more than that. This was right about the time I started submitting little things to e-publishers. I had a feeling digital books and e-readers would become more popular and I'm glad I didn't take his advice that time. He's usually right about everything. But this time, along with most of the publishing industry (who are now scratching and clawing to get those digital rights), he was sooo wrong.
With the advent of digital books, self-publishing has become a viable option for authors who aren't willing to submit to the requirements of publishers. And now I'm lumping all publishers together this time, including print and e-publishers. Because e-publishers are now reaching the point of saturation as far as author submissions go. I'm hearing more and more that excellent authors are being rejected by e-publishers simply because the e-publishers have too many submissions already and they can't take on any new authors.
So, many of these authors are getting into self-publishing their work and they are seeing good results. In some cases, better results than with publishers. Where this will all lead I haven't a clue. But I do know that if the opportunities for self-publishing had been around when I was first starting out twenty years ago I would have taken advantage of them just out of curiosity.
Ten years ago I would never have recommended self-publishing to anyone. It was expensive and you had to worry about everything from hiring an editor to distribution. But the world was different back then and digital publishing was something print publishers, editors, and literary agents laughed at. Actually, a friend of mine who is a literary agent told me three years ago that digital books were only a half a per cent of the market and they'd never be anything more than that. This was right about the time I started submitting little things to e-publishers. I had a feeling digital books and e-readers would become more popular and I'm glad I didn't take his advice that time. He's usually right about everything. But this time, along with most of the publishing industry (who are now scratching and clawing to get those digital rights), he was sooo wrong.
With the advent of digital books, self-publishing has become a viable option for authors who aren't willing to submit to the requirements of publishers. And now I'm lumping all publishers together this time, including print and e-publishers. Because e-publishers are now reaching the point of saturation as far as author submissions go. I'm hearing more and more that excellent authors are being rejected by e-publishers simply because the e-publishers have too many submissions already and they can't take on any new authors.
So, many of these authors are getting into self-publishing their work and they are seeing good results. In some cases, better results than with publishers. Where this will all lead I haven't a clue. But I do know that if the opportunities for self-publishing had been around when I was first starting out twenty years ago I would have taken advantage of them just out of curiosity.
February 26, 2011
Nice Review For TOUCHDOWNS
I was adding friend requests to my goodreads.com account tonight and noticed this review for TOUCHDOWNS and I wanted to share. The review has been taken verbatim from goodreads and can be viewed there as well. And when I was searching for the link, I saw the same review on amazon too.
As a side note, I'd like to add that my story in this book is actually a lost chapter from THE VIRGIN BILLIONAIRE SERIES, about Cory Rhodes and what his life is like away from Luis, Jase, and Cider Mill Farm. I wrote it in a day, and enjoyed building upon Cory's character.
I love anthologies - there is always something for everyone and it's a great way to sample new authors without buying into a full-length novel. This anthology has the kind of variety that I enjoy - humor, emotion, varied settings, and lots of yummy sex.
Hall of Famer by Bradley Church is a sexy and ultimately sweet look back over a long love.
The Mascot and Captain by Garland is a hilariously hot scene between the title's namesakes.
The Absence of Shame by Ryan Field combines his trademark erotic prose with a story of friendship turning into something more.
Giving him Fitz by Suleikah Snyder is an unexpected, laugh-out-loud caper between a pro player and his image consultant.
Reunion Game by Rebecca Leigh makes sure that his reunion is worth putting up with bad punch in the school gymnasium.
Halftime Entertainment by Kyell Gold is an erotic race against the clock for two players who take teamwork to a whole new level.
After Party by Ellis Carrington combines humor and hot sex in a tale of new beginnings after the game is over.My only complaint is that the novellas were too short - I didn't want to leave these characters!
Fire At Houston Day Care...
This is one of those things that hits hard when you read it. You know there's nothing you can say to the parents and loved ones of these children that will make anything better.
My heart goes out to each and every person affected by this tragedy.
http://www.aolnews.com/2011/02/26/fourth-child-dies-after-houston-day-care-blaze/?icid=main%7Chtmlws-main-n%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk3%7C203559
My heart goes out to each and every person affected by this tragedy.
http://www.aolnews.com/2011/02/26/fourth-child-dies-after-houston-day-care-blaze/?icid=main%7Chtmlws-main-n%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk3%7C203559
February 25, 2011
The Thing About Publishers, Lending E-books, and Libraries...
Is that the publishers aren't paying attention to the voracious habits of people who read e-books. A craze that continues to grow almost daily. It seems they are still treating e-books like print books, and even worse, treating people who read e-books like people who read print books.
I've learned a lot from the comment threads on my blog posts about why people pirate e-books. In this particular post, people have opened up and shared more than I ever thought they would. I've always been a huge supporter of libraries and I often buy used books. I even bought my Kobo because I can borrow e-books at the library with it. And, I don't just read library books and used books. I buy new books often.
HarperCollins did something interesting with a loan cap on e-books. You can read more about it here, where the details are explained far better than I ever could. Read the comments, too. This one is particularly interesting. "This will hurt the publishers but they don't know it yet. They will lose sales by cutting us out. Readers don't buy all the books they read, but they have always bought enough to pay the bills. We buy books, too. If nobody can share a book, nobody cares. That's not piracy, that's "social networking" before it got trademarked."
All I can say is that as an author I've always supported the public library system. As a reader, I have my own print copy of THE HOTEL AT THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET circulating between two different friends as I write this post. And if publishers continue to make it harder and harder for libraries and readers, no one's going to wind up happy...especially not the authors. And I can tell you right now I've had my own share of grievances with print publishers regarding back listed e-books I've been in. I'm just glad I signed non-exclusives with these publishers at the time, never thinking my work with them would wind up in digital print and I wouldn't be receiving royalties. And now I'm not too thrilled about the restrictions they are putting on libraries.
I've learned a lot from the comment threads on my blog posts about why people pirate e-books. In this particular post, people have opened up and shared more than I ever thought they would. I've always been a huge supporter of libraries and I often buy used books. I even bought my Kobo because I can borrow e-books at the library with it. And, I don't just read library books and used books. I buy new books often.
HarperCollins did something interesting with a loan cap on e-books. You can read more about it here, where the details are explained far better than I ever could. Read the comments, too. This one is particularly interesting. "This will hurt the publishers but they don't know it yet. They will lose sales by cutting us out. Readers don't buy all the books they read, but they have always bought enough to pay the bills. We buy books, too. If nobody can share a book, nobody cares. That's not piracy, that's "social networking" before it got trademarked."
All I can say is that as an author I've always supported the public library system. As a reader, I have my own print copy of THE HOTEL AT THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET circulating between two different friends as I write this post. And if publishers continue to make it harder and harder for libraries and readers, no one's going to wind up happy...especially not the authors. And I can tell you right now I've had my own share of grievances with print publishers regarding back listed e-books I've been in. I'm just glad I signed non-exclusives with these publishers at the time, never thinking my work with them would wind up in digital print and I wouldn't be receiving royalties. And now I'm not too thrilled about the restrictions they are putting on libraries.
