Scott Nicholson's Blog, page 37

Bestsellers on crack, bloggers on speed

Writers love to give themselves labels, and bookstores love to use labels, and publishing industry types love labels. It's easier for slotting if something is "mystery," or "horror," or whatever happens to be trendy--like all the paranormal romance authors who used to be horror writers but are now writing "urban fantasy." Book bloggers also tend to have their favorites, and seek their own brands and communities through blog hops. Same stuff, different label.

No matter how trendy, most writers ...

Bestsellers on crack

Writers love to give themselves labels, and bookstores love to use labels, and publishing industry types love labels. It's easier for slotting if something is "mystery," or "horror," or whatever happens to be trendy--like all the paranormal romance authors who used to be horror writers but are now writing "urban fantasy." Same stuff, different label.

No matter how trendy, most writers just want one label: "Best selling." It's practically a category of its own, and usually comes before any genr...

Book of chips

We had a great discussion tonight at the library about how e-books are changing the world--in how content is experienced, in how authors deliver it, and in how various media are going to co-exist and overlap. I believe the e-book model is going to roll in faster than most industry and tech analysts expect, with expectations about six months ago that e-books would comprise 15 percent of the market in five years. Now 50 percent in five years is the general agreement. I think it will happen expo...

Shane Kirshenblatt is a modern Michelangelo

The amazing Shane Kirshenblatt is providing original, limited-edition sketch cards for those placing Grave Conditions pre-orders. Shane illustrated Brian Keene's story "Burying Betsy" in Grave Conditions and the sketches are from various scenes in the book. This talented, hard-working artist is going places, so you better grab these valuable collector items. Only 16 remain as of today.

You also get some Digger sketch cards signed by me, but don't let that scare you away!

Four Ways to Be A Better Reader

I've heard that people are more likely to read a blog with short bulleted lists because then they can skim to the most useful information. So I am leaving out all the information you don't need and hitting the high spots (but I'll bet you didn't read this because you went right to the bullets.)

1. Use your library. If you haven't been in a while, your library is not just books anymore. I love to grab audiobooks for long car trips. It's sort of like averaging an extra book per week. They also h...

Readers as slush-pile slaves

Some people fear the new era of indie publishing will lead to a tide of bad books, with readers swamped by millions of titles.

This fear is fed in part by fearful gatekeepers like Laura Miller of Salon, whose recent article warned of readers faced with unlimited choices and how terrible this is going to be (because Laura Miller will no longer have to tell them what they need to read from among the limited number of major titles of which she approves).

It took about 15 years for Amazon to reach ...

Save the indies? We could have saved each other

I knew this was coming. Again. Remember when the creeping encroachment of chain stores led to a public outcry of "SUPPORT INDIES AND SAVE LITERATURE!!!"? Well, maybe the cry wasn't all that public, emanating mostly from bookstore owners.

And guess what? Indies died by the dozens. They expired like whales on an oil-infested beach, leaving the stench of recrimination on our collective brows.

The next evolution of the outcry is "SUPPORT INDIES AND SAVE REAL BOOKS!!!" This is the case made by The R...

Help me sell your indie book

I spent a few years after my last contract expired trying different things, dumping the agent, and generally spinning wheels (though writing all the while) and saw how much more cynical the industry had become since I had broken in. Agents who don't respond, editors only looking at agented work, agents sneering and laughing at writers in their blogs and tweets. An incestuous system. (And, no, I am not a NY hater, I just understand how the business works and why they make the decisions they do...

Beat of a Different Drummer

Take a local legend, a misfit childhood, and a Civil War re-enactment, add water, and you get my new novel Drummer Boy.

The idea for the novel had been germinating for some time, originally called "The Jangling Hole" after a legend here in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Because the peaks were so rugged and remote, deserters from both sides of the Civil War often hid out in the caves. Since they had no dog in the fight, they often camped together, being careful not to have campfire...

Ebook price move

If you're an indie author, you probably are quite aware, but if you're the average Kindle consumer, you probably don't keep up. But on July 1, Amazon begins paying a 70 percent royalty to authors whose books are priced between $2.99 and $9.99. Right now, $1.99 seems a reasonable price, though I've played with different numbers. Most of my books are 99 cents, though I just moved The Red Church from $1.99 to $2.99. Predictably, the sales tailed off a little.

There will be a lot of experimentatio...