Inara Scott's Blog, page 11

Why I Don't Fear E-Books

You can find articles all over the blog-o-sphere describing the eventual demise of publishing. Many attribute this impending demise to the rise of e-books. Admittedly, things in the world of publishing are a bit dark. Bookstores are going out of business, publishers are cutting staff, and authors are finding themselves (and their advances) squeezed.

But here's why I'm not worried: this weekend, I bought my first e-book.

(I know, I'm self-centered, what can I say? It really IS all about me.)

The book was Call Me Irresistible, by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Now, this is an author I love, so it wasn't a big surprise that I bought the book. I bought her last book in hardcover the weekend it was released. By purchasing the electronic version, I eroded a little bit of her (and her publisher's) profit margin.

But you know what? I bought it, and it was a TOTAL IMPULSE BUY. I wasn't planning on buying it. Though I might have purchased the book if I was in the bookstore, I wouldn't have made a special trip to get it. In fact, I only bought the last one because I happened to be in an airport and there it was. This time, I had considered putting my name on the list for the library version. But given the chance to buy it AT THE VERY MOMENT I wanted it? For a little less than the hardcover? Ooo. Decision made.

I am a creature of impulse. If our consumer culture proves anything, the rest of you probably are as well. Will you make a trip to a bookstore to buy my book? Maybe…if you're my mom. Will you wait for your copy to arrive from Amazon? Maybe…if you've got some reason to really want the book. But will you click and purchase just because it's easy and you were curious and hey there's some good reviews and wow it's only $9.99 instead of $16.99?

I think you will.

(At least, I hope you will. Please! Please! Buy my book! Available NOW in Kindle! )

So that's why I love e-books. Because I am a spineless whimp, and when I want something, I want it NOW or I forget all about it and decide I want something else. I have a very short attention span. I'm childish and immature. And I hope you are too.

Are there lots of other challenges to publishing? Oh yes. Can we expect author advances to go up, publishers to start making big bucks and Borders to rise from the grave? I think not. Sorry. But do I blame e-books?

Hell no.

Blogging By the Lake

It's sunny and warm, but not too hot. The lake is cool, the air is sweet, and I'm…blogging. Not swimming. Blogging.

But of course I'm blogging! There's just SIX DAYS until RELEASE DAY! SIX!

And I have a BOOK TRAILER to share! SQUEE!! I am dying for EVERYONE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD to see this. (Okay, small exaggeration. But did I mention that the girl playing Dancia is absolutely PERFECT? And goregous?)

So, I need a contest to celebrate. Here's the deal — watch the trailer. Send me an email...

The Day I Began to Panic

Yes, folks, today was a notable day. In fact, I circled it on the calendar. And decided to blog about it. Because today is the day I officially began to panic.

Delcroix Academy: The Candidates releases in (quick math here…) 18 days. Eighteen Days. WHAT DO I DO?! I am suddenly convinced there are a million things I should be doing RIGHT NOW and I don't know what any of them are! I am ready to curl up into the fetal position and rock on the floor, head buried between my knees. I suspect that...

Life on the Other Side

So, a lot has happened since I quit the day job and joined life on the other side. Most importantly:

DELCROIX ARRIVED!

After two and a half years, I have a copy of my VERY OWN BOOK in my hands. It went a little like this. My fabulous editor, Ari Lewin, emailed me that I was going to be "very happy" in a few days because they had finshed the first copies of the book and were sending me a few. Needless to say, I ran outside every time the UPS truck passed, hoping it might be The Package I had...

My New Office!

Yes, folks, the life of an author is a glamorous one. Unless you happen to live in a 1600 square foot house that you share with two kids, one husband, not to mention the dog, cat, gerbil, and guinea pig. In desperate need of a home office, I appropriated the dining room table. And the dining room.

Voila! My new office!

Now, I just hope it doesn't rain and we can keep eating outside, or we'll be sitting with our plates on our knees in the living room…

BEA Roundup

For those who haven't heard of it, BEA is short for BookExpo America — an enormous, fabulous conference dedicated to all things book-related. BEA is primarily aimed at booksellers, librarians, educators, and publishers. Though the conference always includes big headline acts (Barbara Streisand! Jon Stewart!) and conference sessions, the best part is I've found is simply walking the floor, where thousands of square feet are dedicated to publisher exhibits with books from their summer and fall ...