R. Lawson Gamble's Blog: R Lawson Gamble Books, page 26

The ISBN Puzzle

Every book for sale needs a specific reference number called an ISBN (International Standard Book Number). While theoretically any book can be researched by this number, I have found that this is not always the case. Some eBook authors do not use ISBN numbers. This limits distribution, as some retailers (Apple, Sony) will not display them without one. And in some cases, even when a book has an ISBN assigned number, it may not be properly registered or recorded. It is best to try to locate a book by author or title or publisher.

And there may not be just one ISBN for that book. An eBook may have several, one for each format. Smashwords, for instance, does not require an ISBN to publish, but recommends it. It is then assigned to their particular format. You may provide your own if it is a unique number (but just try verifying that – it is more difficult than verifying that a book title has not already been used), you may let Smashwords assign a free one for you, or you may purchase your own. But Smashwords provides a number just for ePub format, no other. If you wish to print that book, for instance, you will need a different ISBN number.

Complicated? But wait. There are different length ISBN numbers. There are nine, ten, and thirteen digit numbers. All books printed (ePub or print) after 2007 will have 13 digit ISBNs. But if you are searching for an older book, you may be looking for a smaller number. If you search by ISBN, your search engine may need to know the difference. Theoretically (again) all books with ISBN numbers are registered with R.R.Bowker, LLC . But  if you do not find it there, that does not mean it doesn’t exist. ISBN numbers can be lost somewhere in the machinery.

But as clumsy and sporadic as this system may be, it does at least offer a way to catalogue books from every nation around the world. And with hundreds of thousands of new authors entering the market through electronic publishing, the system is sorely needed.

Tagged: ePub authors, isbn numbers, marketing, writers

Social Media Tips

At a recent writers’ conference we were addressed by Caroline O’Connell of Caroline O’Connell Communications. She was a fount of information, a fount that kept on flowing by eMail even after the conference was over. if you have the chance to see, hear, or meet her and you are selling a product, do not pass it up.

She suggests a primary focus on a book website (or if multi-book writer, an author website) that is the control center for everything via SM. Have a capture button to keep the communication going. And link all Social media together and all pointed at your website.

Her approach is quite similar to one I learned when studying the wine business. Although advertising, media, and the usual channels are important, the best-selling device for wine is the wine club. Why? Because it establishes a relationship, a cordial one, with those to whom you desire to sell. Here’s how it works:

The potential buyer drops by the tasting room. That customer is greeted warmly, made to feel comfortable, praised for his/her good taste, discernment, class (they came to our tasting room, after all!). After the tasting the customer is invited to consider joining the club because we saw that he/she enjoys good wine. The opportunity is presented as an honor. Think about it? Fine – just leave your contact information and we’ll send you all the information you need to decide.

Once we have that contact  information, we are connected to that potential customer. We can offer free stuff, invitations to events, special considerations. So when that customer considers buying wine, he/she considers our wine first. Successful sales are all about establishing relationships that are enjoyed by both parties.

See the parallel? Create your book website, invite travelers in via links from Facebook, Twitter, etc. Have a capture button at the website for guests to leave contact information. Give freebies. Build the relationship.

Thank you, Caroline O’Connell.

 

Tagged: marketing

Editing Tools

At a recent writers’ weekend several presenting editors reinforced my belief that the best self-editing tool out there is Self-Editing For Fiction Writers by Browne and King. I have found this publication useful both as a learning tool and as a reference book. The book assumes that the writer knows basic grammar, spelling, and vocabulary (although most word processors will do that for us). This volume is more about writing style and developing a mature and sophisticated presentation. The authors display some common errors of beginning and less experienced writers within works the authors themselves have edited and even in published works by known authors.  At the end of each chapter comes the opportunity to practice the art of editing (answers are in the back). Such guided practice quickly sharpens the eye.

The topics Browne and King selected for this work are instructional in themselves, and underline what the authors consider important issues in writing. In the first chapter they discuss when to show and when to tell. Narrative is important and often compelling yet dialogue might be more intriguing and  instructive in certain circumstances. Characterization and exposition appear in the second chapter. How much is really important to know about  about a character and when is it best to relay the information? Not until Chapter Three do we begin to discuss POV, a facet many writers consider first and foremost when embarking upon a writing project. But narrative distance is often intrinsically embedded within decisions the writer makes about exposition and about dialogue as a narrative tool. Which should come first? And how much? This problem is addressed in Chapter Four, titled Proportion.

By now the reader will have seen  a subtle movement from coarse to fine in the instruction of Browne and King. At first they present a global sense of writing concerns and after the proportions of stylistic technique are understood they then embark upon considerations of finer detail. Mechanics of dialogue  are presented in Chapter Five, not all mechanics,  only those habits that reveal the inexperienced writer at a single glance, such as redundant attributes and the age-old hackneyed attempt to find creative substitutes for the word ‘”said”.

Now breath deeply. In Chapter Six it’s time to edit by reading aloud, or having others read the work aloud to us. How does it sound? Are the words right, or is something not quite there?

Moving to finer detail once again in Chapter Seven the authors address interior dialogue, a sophisticated technique when done smoothly and consistently within the work, or disastrously amateurish if otherwise. In Chapter Eight they return to the subject of dialogue in Simple Beats, discussing he said she said and how many saids should there be? Then Chapter Nine, Breaking Up is Easy to Do. Who knew the importance of white space, those places where the author does and says nothing? Those places where words are not? There is a symmetry to all things, not least the written text. Describe the flower in your work, but it show beautifully in its presentation also, paragraph by paragraph.

The last chapters in this work are devoted to truly sophisticated detail, a glance at writing decisions that , quite literally, separate mature writers from their former selves. In Chapter Ten, Once is Usually Enough warning is served to avoid repetition, particularly if underestimating the reader. Seldom does a thought need to be drummed into that dear little head. Not by exposition, not by supplemental narrative, not to serve memory in a later chapter, not as redundant ideas in subsequent novels. Seldom. Sophistication in Chapter Eleven exposes as and -ing constructions, -ly  adverbs, comma usage, the overuse of italics and exclamation points! and straining to use a metaphor or a particular vocabulary word simply because it intrigues the author.

My favorite chapter in the book is Chapter Twelve. Here the authors touch the very tip of the iceberg of Voice. The first example given, the maturing voice of Herman Melville,  sets the stage magnificently. Name the novelist who does not aspire to a wondrous voice? Arguably, the voice makes the writer and the work. How to achieve it? Read, read, and read some more.

And most particularly, read Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: how to edit yourself into print by Renni Browne and Dave King.

Welcome!

LAWRITERS (for Los Alamos) is intended to serve several purposes. First, to separate my stories, fiction, and essays from the character, leadership, and political articles I publish in “Thoughts from under the Palm”  , to offer a space to discuss writing, fiction and nonfiction, agents, publishers, E-publishing, and things writing, and last and not least to publish the work of fellow writers would like their book reviewed or who wish to present short stories, essays, or fragments of novels on these pages.

This is a brand new site currently under construction.  Stay tuned and watch it grow. Begin with us at the beginning!

The Editor,

RL Gamble

Tagged: writers