Nancy J. Cohen's Blog: Nancy's Notes from Florida, page 123

EBooks

EBOOKS

"Brainstorming on the Beach" Conference with Novelists, Inc.                                                         

Annette Mahon, Nancy Cohen, Cynthia Thomason

Here are my notes, keeping in mind this is what I heard and my interpretation.

Panelists:

Lou Aronica, Publisher, The Story Plant

Donna Hayes, Publisher and CEO, Harlequin Enterprises

Al Zuckerman, Literary Agent and Founder of Writers House

Carolyn Pittis, Senior VP, Global Author Services, HarperCollins

Heather Graham, NYT Bestselling Author

Alan Kaufman, Literary Attorney

Loriana Sacilotto, Executive VP, Editorial & Global Strategy, Harlequin Enterprises

Angela James, Executive Editor, Carina Press

"Publishers are moving toward digital publishing because consumers want it." Ereaders will be hot over the holidays.

A digital world offers no returns, no print production, and a different distribution avenue. It's a very big opportunity for writers and publishers. Genre readers have adapted to the technology faster than others.

Neilsen Bookscan (if I got this right) reported $40.6 million eBook sales in one month.  The Kindle is responsible for this explosion.

The competition, i.e. B&N, Borders, Amazon, and Google, are growing awareness of this product.  What will really shake things up will be Smartphones.  This is the next big opportunity.  People who don't own dedicated eReaders will have global Smartphones.  Even eReaders may disappear in favor of these devices.  The deciding factor is how long brick and mortar stores stay open.

See this article "Verizon Wireless Brings Kindle Experience to Android Smartphones and Other Devices" at http://bit.ly/9LypQG

Lou:  He doesn't distinguish between print or eBook writers and publishing houses re prestige.  Readers want interaction with writers.  You must connect in some significant way with your readers.  The only way you can stand out from the pack is to market yourself, no matter the publisher or the format.

Regarding whether you should self-publish or go with an epub, Lou reminds you that epubs can manage the different streams of income.  Convenience is a major factor to going with an epub for now.  If eBook sales equivocate to print sales, perhaps these epubs should begin offering advances. 

Print publishers have to set up a new infrastructure while maintaining their legacy print operation, but there may be casualties as their margins are very small.

Angela:  Digital first authors may choose to go with an epub because they want to write something different or they want to start out in a smaller market.  It doesn't mean they've been rejected by the major houses as many perceive it. 

"You don't want to just publish a book.  You want a career." Authors are small business owners and have to market themselves. 

Carolyn:  How do pubs and authors collaborate together as partners in a new business model to sell more books?  The major houses have to figure out how to reduce costs on the print side while increasing their investment in digital.  Readers care about what reviewers think and what their own friends like.  They care about a good story.  She believes too much technology (i.e. enhanced eBooks) may interfere with this experience, at least for fiction. It might work better for nonfiction.

Alan believes things may look similar in five years if the general trade publishers acquire the eBook publishing houses.  Then those pubs may in turn be acquired by Google.

"Publishers act as gatekeepers.  This is their most important function.  If they aren't around to do that, who knows what'll be out there?"

Harlequin is already ahead of the game because it has Carina Press.  Angela says other issues like DRM and pricing will change the landscape.

Other issues mentioned in the panel were consumer pricing and the strong trend toward price reduction, demographics and the behavior of younger readers and their purchasing habits, and the foreign market which is hungry for content. 

Coming next: Digital Rights

I'm guest blogging today over at Fresh Fiction on Creating Memorable Villains.  Please check out my post and leave a comment: http://freshfiction.com/page.php?id=2864

Judy Fitzwater and Edie Claire

                                   

Traci Hall, Sally Schoeneweiss, Kathleen Pickering

Contracts and Copyrights

"Brainstorming on the Beach" Conference with Novelists, Inc.

 Contracts and Copyrights                                                                                                                                       

Panelists:

David Forrer, Literary Agent

Alan Kaufman, Literary Attorney

Carly Phillips, NYT Bestselling Author

Deb Werksman, Editorial Manager, Sourcebooks

Donna Hayes, Publisher and CEO, Harlequin Enterprises

Chris Kenneally, Copyright Clearance Center

Al Zuckerman, Literary Agent and Founder of Writers House

Brenda Hiatt, Author

Here are my notes, keeping in mind this is what I heard and my interpretation.

Ad revenues surrounding e-books will increase.  For example, books will be sold on Google with ads surrounding them.  This will be new revenue to the publishers, and authors should share in it.  Publishers have to staff up their royalty departments. 

Regarding reserves against returns, one panelist believes they should not continue beyond two royalty periods. A book having ongoing sales a year or more after it was published should not have reserves held back. Another agent agreed that if there are ongoing sales above the advance, there should no longer be reserves.

Editors defended their reserves policies. One editor said backlist books are out there for a long time.  50% sell-through is considered a success in mass-market, but there are still going to be returns.  Trade paperbacks can be returned at any time.

Regarding piracy, is it cannibalizing book sales, or would those readers not have bought the book anyway?  One way to combat piracy is through education.  Mention it in your blogs and on your website.  You should let people know, those who feel entitled to getting whatever they want off the Internet, that information is valuable and it is not free. Another solution is to write to the advertisers on pirate sites and alert them to violations.

One panelist said she thinks the used book marketplace as we know it will go away.  If publishers price eBooks reasonably, legitimate readers will buy them. 

What about the issue of returns?  Why are we still doing them at all?  Because booksellers won't stock the books otherwise.  There have been attempts to launch imprints without returns, but the experiments failed.  Booksellers demand return policies.  There have even been eBook returns when a customer clicks on the wrong book or downloads the wrong format.

Reversion of rights and the definition of a book being in print entered the conversation.  We should try to restrict this clause to trade editions, English-language editions, or a dollar amount like $250 sold over two royalty periods.  You could also try to narrow this clause by saying the book is considered to be in print if 300 copies are sold electronically within two royalty periods.  Publishers want to hold onto your rights and they will do so forever because of the clause "in any form whatsoever" as defining a book in print. 

A similar phrase to watch out for is when a book is considered to be in print "in any format now or yet to be invented."  This is a sticky issue today as publishers are trying to grab whatever rights they can. "They have a huge challenge coming up and are running scared."

According to one panelist, the most important rights to keep are your foreign and film rights.  Try for a movie bonus in your contract, i.e. you get extra money if your book is optioned.  Try to get an audio rights reversion clause for six months or later so if the publisher does not exercise these subrights within the specified amount of time, the audio rights revert to the author.  50% of net is a good deal for audio rights.

Also try for a Look Back clause regarding eBook royalties.  For example, after three years, you can renegotiate your royalty rate. 

The advantage of digital first pubs: no advance but a higher royalty rate. The size of the eBook market is equivalent to 67% of mass-market sales or 55% of hardcover sales.  The Book Industry Study Group is looking to measure data but Walmart, for example, doesn't report to them.

Copyright will be more important than anything in the future.

Some publishers are sticking a morals clause in contracts now.  This means the publisher can cancel the contract if the author behaves in an immoral manner.  Try to cross this one out.

And a final quote: "If you're confused, you're beginning to understand the problem."

Panel on eBooks is coming next.

And check my Contest page for new info!

PROMOTIONAL TEAMWORK

THE FUTURE OF PUBLISHING at Brainstorming on the Beach, Novelists, Inc. conference

Thursday, October 7, 2010

This day was entirely devoted to The Future of Publishing and was open to all writers. Impressive speakers spoke to us about what's new and what's coming in the publishing industry. The first panel's topic was Promotional Teamwork. Here are my notes, keeping in mind this is what I heard and my interpretation.

 PANEL ON PROMOTIONAL TEAMWORK

Speakers:

Eileen Fallon, Literary Agent

Brian O'Leary, Magellan Media Partners

Joan Schulhafer, Publishing and Media Consulting

Shannon Aviles, More Than Publicity

Kay Hooper, NYT Bestselling Author

Carolyn Pittis, Senior VP, Global Author Services, HarperCollins

Linda Parks, Co-Owner, Fireside Books

Loriana Sacilotto, Executive VP, Editorial & Global Strategy, Harlequin Enterprises

Joan: "The train has left the station," meaning we're all published authors and we have the choice of many destinations. We cannot let uncertainty about the future paralyze us in terms of what to do for promo. Determine who is your target audience and what you will send them in terms of printed materials. Communicate your plans to your publisher but be careful not to create more work for them. "Every time you have a request or idea, it creates work." So be realistic in your expectations.

Loriana: Harlequin believes in building authors into their own brand. They hold weekly sessions regarding digital media and social networking. "Write consistently what you write best" to build your brand.  Print and ebook sales should be looked at together. Publishers should ask, how is this book selling in each format?  Bestseller lists still influence readers, distribution and discounts.  Is there an alternate way to measure success other than the bestseller lists?  How about total sales and the value of the backlist? 

Carolyn: Review copies still sell books today but we need more book recommendation tools.  Word of mouth hasn't met technology yet.  Think about who your promo activities are geared toward. Also consider the cost of your various promo efforts, i.e. "For this dollar, I get less or more."  Everything online is measurable.  Co-op used to be the major marketing expense for publishers, but things are shifting.  Independent booksellers still have tremendous influence.  A big shift is coming in retailing.  Google will allow indies to sell eBooks competitively with Amazon, etc.  As consumers use more eReader devices, indies can leverage their connections with readers.

The market is booming overseas for English language genre fiction, i.e. vampire romance, thrillers. There's a huge demand in India and Muslim countries in particular. Growing and developing technology in eBook formats, metadata, etc. will increase among pubs.  "You can connect with your readers around the world.  That's where the growth is."  This growth surge will help combat book piracy.

Shannon: "Eastern Europe is in an upswing as are China, Scandinavia, Central/South America" re demand for English language books. Driving it is the eBook biz, apps, handheld tech, integrated marketing, widgets, and enriched content.  Publishers have to recognize measurable numbers for eBook sales.

Linda: Send your book to the indie bookseller, not just a bookmark.  Make a connection with your local independent bookstore.  This will benefit both of you. 

Brian: Ads in PW and newspapers don't sell books.  You want your brand to extend beyond what your publisher does for you.  Social media provide an on-going effort to build your reputation.  "Be visible and be searchable from the moment your book is published." 

Kay: Consider the cost of social networking to your creativity. "You have to find your comfort level because the future is now." 

Ninc has just begun a new newsletter, NINC BLAST, which includes information about our authors' new and upcoming releases, as well as a "Did you know?" feature with tantalizing, little-known factoids about some of your favorite authors.  To subscribe to NINC BLAST, please go to our Website: <http://ninc.com/>   Then scroll down to the middle of the screen, where it says, "Let NINC BLAST you. "  Simply click on the pale blue envelope, then follow the protocols.

Ninc Conference

"Brainstorming on the Beach" Conference with Novelists, Inc.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

We checked in for the Novelists, Inc. conference at Tradewinds Resort in St. Pete Beach. In the lobby, I met authors Cynthia Thomason, Brenda Hiatt Barber, Thea Devine, Ruth Glick, Judy Fitzwater, Barbara Keiler, Annette Mahon, Patricia Rosemoor, and Mary Stella.  It's great seeing people I haven't met up with in a while and meeting new friends, especially folks I've only seen online. It's always good to match a face with a name.

Consisting of multiple buildings, the Island Grand portion of the Tradewinds Resort occupies several acres and includes beachfront property, numerous pools, picturesque footbridges over meandering canals, swans, plus several restaurants and bars.  We went over to a tiki hut our first day.  I had a Trade Winds Sunrise, a mixed rum drink, and hubbie and I split a potato skins appetizer. We ate dinner later in Beef O'Grady's sports bar, a noisy venue with a reasonably priced menu.  We watched the spectacular sunset over the water as the blazing tangerine orb sank into the horizon.           

One of many pools

We had a standard suite, with a comfortable sitting area and a mini-kitchen separated from the bedroom and bathroom by a regular door. There are old-fashioned TVs in each room.  Shampoo, lotion, bar soap, conditioner are supplied. There's a coffeemaker in the kitchen with packaged supplies. The staff are all very courteous throughout the place. Guests can get Starbucks coffee at a bar in the main lobby beginning at 6am.  Breakfast in the Bermudas dining room opens at 7am. My single complaint is that the soundproofing could be better in the rooms. I could hear outside noise through the doors/windows. Otherwise, it's a lovely resort with many facilities and activities throughout the property.

Beach

                                                   

Swan

                                                           

Tiki Bar

                                                                

Sunset

SUBRIGHTS

Books on Tape, Large Print Books, Book Club Selections, Digital Editions…Are you aware authors may have split these rights with their publishers, meaning the publisher has to pursue them? Readers often ask me why I don't put my books into audio or why they aren't available for a book club choice through the mail. I have to explain that it's up to my publisher to obtain these deals. Unless my agent retains 100% of these rights in my contract, I don't have any say in this matter.  And our retaining these rights isn't always the best choice.       

Publishers deal in volume and have more widespread contacts, so they may be in a better position to sublicense those rights. Sometimes that means they'll push their favorite authors or their bestsellers and the rest of us midlisters get dreck, but there isn't anything we can do about it. Don't you think all authors would love to see their books on audio, made into a film, or available to book clubs nationwide?  And even if we could pitch them ourselves, not all of us have the skill or the connections.  A bigger agency with a subrights division could do it, but they'd probably be interested in the same thing as the publisher: push their bestselling authors. And there's a reason for that.  I once queried an audio publisher myself. Their response: they only take on bestselling novels. So it's a self-perpetuating issue.

What can you as a reader do about it?  Write to the author's publisher about how much you'd like the book in xxx format.  Put up good reviews on all the online reader sites.  Hand out the author's bookmarks to your friends, libraries, and local reading groups.  Suggest their book as your local book club selection.  And keep buying the author's newest release or insist that your librarian order it.  It's the sales figures that count.  So if it takes a bestseller to obtain subrights, who else to better help the author get there than her fans?

Caribbean Princess

Caribbean Princess Cruise to New England/Canada       

 DAY 7: At Sea and Ship Review

We joined the culinary demonstration and tour of the galley in the morning and did a wine tasting in the afternoon. The cooking demo was fun. I always enjoy walking through the galley, one of many aboard ship, and seeing the spotless stainless steel countertops and cabinets.  The wine tasting was lovely, with a great selection of appetizers on a platter: lobster, steak tartare, smoked salmon, cheeses, caviar, and more. It was worth the $15 cost but I always wish the waiter would pour me more!  The last day on the cruise was windy and rainy so no one went outside. Too bad, we couldn't really enjoy the deck on this cruise. For better weather, July might be a better month.  Dinner: Roast turkey with all the trimmings and traditional Baked Alaska.                                                                        

Galley Tour

Culinary Demo

 

Review of the Caribbean Princess

 We liked the ship very much.  It's a sister ship to several others, including the Emerald Princess we are going on next to the Southern Caribbean.

Galley Tour

             

Galley Tour

 

Our balcony cabin had a lovely view out the wide doors. The balcony floor is covered with some sort of spongy porous material that works well. We had a refrigerator in the room stocked with soft drinks. Princess gives very comfortable storage space with a large separate closet, plenty of hangars, and a cabinet of floor to ceiling shelves.  Other furnishings included a single armchair, small round table, desk chair, tv, desk console, and two nightstands each with drawers.  No coffeemaker and no sofa in the cabin.  We peeked at our kids inside cabin which had the same generous storage space. You don't get a closed in feeling because the back wall holds a wide mirror.  Their desk space was larger than in our cabin. 

Wine Tasting

The bathroom has a small shower area and a shower curtain instead of a door (RCCL has a glass door in a tiny round space), ultra-thin single ply toilet paper, and rough tissues (better ones in public restrooms).  I got a cold on this cruise and my nose came away looking very chafed.

Bathroom amenities: bar soap, signature lotion, shampoo, and conditioner with a pleasant fragrance.  The lotion comes out a bit thick.

The steward was very efficient.  He cleaned our room when we were absent and left chocolates on our pillow each night.  He did not fold the towels into shapes like on previous cruises.

I think the temperature in a balcony room fluctuates more due to the glass: the room can be colder in cool weather, hotter in sunny warm climates.  We froze until we told the steward to get the thermostat in our room fixed.  The view from our balcony when seated was clear, not obstructed by the railing.  There's a large glass partition up to the rail outside. 

The first night's show included the ship's singers and dancers, pyrotechnics, and a comedian.  The cruise director on this ship was excellent. He's talented in his own right and was often funnier than the guest star.  The second night was a dance production with mist, strobe lights, and flashy costumes.  We missed the comedian's solo performance because he got sick with a migraine. Memorable shows were the Scottish pipe band in Nova Scotia and the crew's talent show.

Buffet Breakfast: Different type of pancakes every day, individual fried eggs, ready-made omelets, breads and pastries, fruit, yogurt, cereal, sautéed mushrooms, breakfast meats, smoked salmon, potatoes, and more.  The coffee tasted good and the caffeine worked for me.  Pitchers of cream are available near the coffee urns.  A nice selection of teas is offered.

Afternoon tea is served in the dining room: you get brewed tea with no choice of flavors; mini-sandwiches, scones with whipped cream and jam, cookies and cakes.  It's served at 3:30 by white-gloved waiters.                         

Desserts

Although Princess mentioned in their newsletter that they were adding a third seating at 5:30, it turned out there were only two seatings on this cruise. We had early seating and it was scheduled for 5:30.  I would have preferred 6:00 but we sauntered in near that time anyway with no problem.  You have the choice of fixed seating or free style dining.  We did not take advantage of the restaurants for which there is an extra cover charge.

There are two outdoor grills by the pool.  One serves pizza and the other station serves hot dogs, burgers, and French fries. Their pizza is thin crust and very good, better than RCCL. (We like the Seattle's Best coffee on RCCL better).

An ice cream bar on deck serves free soft serve ice cream.  We were so full from all the meals, we never got any.  Plus the chilly, rainy weather was not conducive to ice cream. Fresh cookies were available around the pool area in afternoon or at the buffet. You can also get snacks and desserts at the International Café inside at the bottom of the atrium. Specialty coffee is offered her for a fee. Across the way is the Vines wine bar with free canapés and sushi but you have to pay for cheeses.

Princess menu selections are consistently appealing, and there are good choices on the alternative menu too.  Breads and desserts are all good.  (NCL does custard type desserts well but not pastries; RCCL desserts are okay but their menu selection loses appeal over the course of a week). Princess pastries are very good, much to the detriment of my diet.  So now it's time to lose weight and get ready for the next voyage.

Lobster Tail

                                              

                                    

Baked Alaska

            

ship

 

ship

 

For more photos, go to my

Author Interviews

I'm interviewed at several new sites this week  if you'd like to check them out:

Kate Hill's Blog:  http://kate-hill.com/blog/?p=528

Vampire Books:  http://www.vampirebooks.ca/authorinterviews/nancycohen.html

Roses of Prose: http://bit.ly/9AQNzl

And every other Wednesday, I post at Kill Zone Authors.  My blog topic this week is Technology and You:  http://bit.ly/budtaX

Also, I'd like to remind you to sign up for my quarterly  email newsletter to receive breaking news about book sales, contest bonus awards, and more.  Go to http://nancyjcohen.com and fill out the opt-in form in the sidebar.

Cruise Day 6: Halifax

Cruise to New England/Canada on Caribbean Princess

DAY 6: Halifax, Nova Scotia

Approaching Halifax

Nova Scotia has its own unique flavor and we enjoyed this port very much. I'd say it's second to Bar Harbor as a favorite. There's lots to see and do by the waterfront on your own without having to take a tour. The sun came out and warmed us as we strolled along the boardwalk. We went inside the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic to view the very interesting exhibits of Canadian naval history and of the Titanic with relics recovered from the wreck.  Lunch was at an outdoor café in the now delightful weather. We browsed the shops, bypassing most of the artsy items. The kids toured Alexander Keith's Brewery on Lower Water Street and highly recommend this attraction. It's like a living history display, with costumed characters acting in their time period while explaining the brew making process. Samples of ale are offered in a tavern setting at the end.  This is all within walking distance of the ship. The terminal itself offered the most interesting shops, and we spent over an hour looking around at the wares and buying more blueberry and maple products. Scarfs, sweatshirts, tee shirts, and hoodies are available here along with the usual souvenir shot glasses, cookbooks, and such. The only cookbook I bought for my collection was from the Union Oyster House in Boston.

Boardwak

Back on the ship, we watched a folk performance of bagpipers and dancers. It was one of the highlights of the cruise and gave a flavor of the area. Nova Scotia is worth a return visit. It's picturesque with attractive shops and restaurants and scenic attractions if you want them. There's even the requisite citadel on a hill.  Dinner tonight: beef medallions.

        
                   

Brewery

city street

           

Dinner

ship with museum

   

Cruise Day 5: Saint John

Caribbean Princess Cruise to New England/Canada

DAY 5: Saint John, New Brunswick

Saint John

 Another rainy day put us in a dreary mood as we boarded the tour bus for the scenic overview of Saint John, our first stop in Eastern Canada. We had to turn our clocks ahead one hour last night.

We drove through this sprawling, industrial city to Martello Tower, a stone keep which housed soldiers and ammunition in days of old. It seems every port has a fort, and yes, when you've seen one…you've seen them ...

Saturday Spotlight

I am interviewed today as the Saturday Spotlight over at http://rosesofprose.blogspot.com/

Please stop by and leave a comment!