Theodore’s Comments (group member since Apr 01, 2017)

Theodore’s comments from the Navigating Indieworld Discussing All Things Indie group.

Joyce wrote: "o.k. Thanks for the quick reply. This is my first attempt at self publishing where I do each step myself. My first book, I went through a publishing company (AH) and they did the process for me (bo..."

Yes, most of these houses do a good job...eventually...but can cost an arm and a leg! Once you take a little time to learn the process, things turn out to be rather "simple" (which is to say, rational). The US Copyright Office's Website can appear daunting at first, but their Help Line has been most useful to me at times.

Joyce wrote: "Can a Indie author proceed with publishing their book without the copyright in their hands for their book. (i.e. still waiting for it) ? I understand that it may take a little while for the final d..."

Absolutely. I always apply for my copyrights on the day I publish my books.

Alex wrote: "I think ROI stats would show a lot of money flowing from authors' banks accounts to Amazon's, and very little flowing the other way."

Bingo! We have a winner!

Alex wrote: "I think the biggest thing to note in this is 1 person's success with AMS, compared to the thousands, if not millions, of people using it. Now if the success rate was 50% or better, I might be more ..."

Yes, would love to see ROI stats!

Carole wrote: "what surprised me was learning that different genres have different typeface styles"

If you mean in the case of my books, I wanted something for children that made it easier for them to read at the K-3 level. The letter forms in Segoe Print are simple and without the embellishments of a cursive script (The typeface is san-serif). Nice, simple, clean. It's probably on you computer.

In the Kindle edition, of course, I had to use something more pedestrian. Very limited, there, to be sure.

Take a look at this piece I received yesterday from Amazon Marketing Services. It sure does paint a rosy picture of one man's success using AMS to market his product. Frankly, just about everyone here would give their whatever to duplicate his results . . . but (why is it that there always a big butt to everything?) . . .

http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images...

"One man’s story of using Amazon Marketing Services
to go from manuscript to movie deal.

"After a decade in internet startups, A.G. Riddle spent two and a half years writing his first novel, The Atlantis Gene, which was edited by his mother and featured a cover he designed himself. Over two million copies later, all sold through Amazon, we think it’s safe to say his novel did indeed “take off,” making his story not only one of emerging author success, but one demonstrating the value of Amazon Marketing Services."

Hmmmm . . . that's quite a result! So, I went up on Amazon.com and looked up the author, RG Riddle:

https://www.amazon.com/A.G.-Riddle/e/...

Seems he was more than just a participant in those startups: "A.G. Riddle spent ten years starting internet companies before retiring to pursue his true passion: writing fiction."

I'm not knocking the guy's success! He's living the American Dream. But you have to wonder how this story relates to you and me (well, at least to me; you're probably rolling in dough), given I expect he's spent Big Coin with Amazon to propel his book--and his earnings--to those lofty heights.

Marketing ain't cheap. It's more difficult than writing, for sure. And there's a thousand more people out there waiting to take your money on the marketing side, believe me, than those offering to help you publish your book. Ask Carole how much effort she puts in every day on marketing...and the funds it takes.

Guard your wallet well.

Ted

PS With his kind of financial backing available, I'm surprised he hasn't submitted one of his books to Kindle Scout. They're always looking for people with the resources available that are needed to create platforms for the books they "select" for publication. And make no mistake, THEY want YOU to foot the bill for a heft piece of the marketing and will claw back any part of the royalties paid up front that aren't achieved after your book is published.

Carole wrote: "pretty"

I like the classic look. At this point, I want to try something different, experiment a little. I love typefaces...there are a zillion out there. Always fun to find a new one that seems "just right" for this or that application. Was thrilled when I discovered Segoe Print while doing my illustrated children's books.

Have a great Fourth.

I was reading Romney & Romney’s “Printer's Error: An Irreverent History of Books” the other day when, in Chapter 10, I came across a great discussion of THE DOVES TYPE® in Chapter 10. Here’s the URL for the Romneys’ book; you can read more about the typeface in the figure I’ve posted below, the URL for which is listed beneath that of the Romney’s book.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00R1R64OG/...

https://typespec.co.uk/doves-type/

Suffice it to say, this is one of the most beautiful typefaces I’ve yet to see, and I simply had to have it for my book of flash fiction, which I hope to release in January, 2018. I’ve used a variety of typefaces in my various novels, anthologies, and children’s books—usually Georgia for the adult books and Segoe Print for the children’s—but none has excited me as much as DOVES. It’s simply a classic that provides an elegance to the text I’ve not seen in a long time among the many books in my collection. Alas, it won’t be possible to reproduce this beautiful typeface in the Kindle edition, but still, those purchasing the paperback edition will, I hope, appreciate the flowing lines and structures of this type.

P.D.R. wrote: "Actually in the British Commonwealth, which means me in New Zealand, we are told not to bother with this paying for a copyright certificate lark. That it is unnecessary and just a way to make write..."

Actually, the US signed the Berne Agreement in 1989...better late than ever (our behavior regarding copyrights has been shameful, that's for sure). You can see the List of Parties for all agreements at the URL below:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...

You are correct: once you commit to paper, you "own" the intellectual property. However, if I'm going into court or otherwise must prove ownership for some reason or another, having that piece of paper from the US Copyright Office would appear to be a handy item to put before the judge.

Alex wrote: "It seems my mum's health issues have not been resolved, she collapsed this morning and had to be taken to hospital, where she had another seizure.
Still no idea what's causing these problems but s..."

So sorry, Alex. Sending good thoughts your way and hoping for a speedy recovery on your Mom's part.

Theodore wrote: "Am in the middle of a "discussion" with Outskirts Press at the moment regarding their demand that I pay them an annual fee of US$25 to store the digital file for the paperback edition of my novel, ..."

Just to put a cap on this discussion, I never did hear back from Outskirts Publishing regarding this issue. I have to believe they have deleted my paperback file from their server, leaving only the Kindle edition available on Amazon (aside from the used paperback copies still available, of course).

Again, if you use one of the many publishing houses out there to publish your next book, read carefully the terms that apply, especially in the out-years. You may find the gift that keeps giving...to the publisher, at your expense!

Amy wrote: "Ok thanks for the info. How do places like that survive with CS and KDP now I wonder?"

Well, the number of people self-publishing has grown considerably, and many need help with formatting, editing, covers, etc. It takes quite a bit of skill, when you think about it, to put a book together. But where these houses really take people for a ride is on the marketing end, and that's where things can get out of hand fast. Rarely are expectations met, much less even approached.

Amy wrote: "Well if you haven't sold any for a while, why pay the fee? I was in contact with AuthorHouse a few years ago before I published. Is it any good?"

Exactly.

I published my first few books with AuthorHouse and they did a fine job. (I used the same team in Bloomington, IN, for these; absolutely superb group...very responsive.) Then, I was asked to help a young man publish a book of poems. In the middle of the effort, AuthorHouse moved shop to the Philippines, and things went to Hell in a handbasket. We finally got the book out, but it took more than twice as long as it should have, with files already reviewed being sent back to us for unneeded rework. It was at that point that I tried Outskirts, which did a fine job, as well, but frankly, CS and KDP are today's solution, even if you need help with your covers. Here, help is available both from CS and KDP as well as from places such as SirSpeedy and others like them.

Am in the middle of a "discussion" with Outskirts Press at the moment regarding their demand that I pay them an annual fee of US$25 to store the digital file for the paperback edition of my novel, House of Cards: Dead Men Tell No Tales. I'm sure if I were to look into the fine print of the contract I signed some years ago I'd find that requirement, but frankly, it's become onerous over the years, given I haven't sold one paperback in quite a while. (The Kindle edition, on the other hand, is another story.)

What I find disturbing is that prior to having that book published by Outskirts Press (and make no mistake, they did a fine job producing both the Kindle and paperback editions), I published several books through AuthorHouse (that's another story). The latter has never charged me a cent for maintaining my digital files.

Now, of course, I use CreateSpace and KDP for all of my publications.

I have basically said I will no longer pay the "storage fee," which will result in the paperback edition of HoC no longer being available. Frankly, I'm hard-pressed to see the downside.

Lesson: check carefully if you use a publishing house to put out your books for charges such as these that could more than erase any royalties you might otherwise receive in the out-years.

Seems to be working, Annabelle. Looks terrific.

In the US, you can apply for a copyright online:

http://copyrightregistry-online-form....

The charge depends on the type of publication (either $35 or $50). A novel, for example, would be $35. A collection of short stories, on the other hand, would require payment of $50. Check out the URL above. The application process can be tricky in places, so read the instructions carefully. You can start and application and save your data, returning to it later. Telephone assistance also is available.

Carole wrote: ";)"

Alyssa thanks you! (;>)

Am completing the data set now. Thanks so much.

Carole wrote: "Voted!"

Booyah!!!!!

Thanks, Carole!

Annabelle, have your Webmaster/mistress take a look at the HTML code for your Header. Your name is showing up in both Chrome and Firefox, but the "call" for whatever image you should be showing isn't appearing in either of my browsers, for some reason. It might have to do with an incompatibility among browser editions. I'll post below the "call," but your Webmaster/mistress will have to look at the coding to see why it's not coming up on some browsers. Again, your name does appear, however.

src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZrtSm232UZg..." style="display: block" width="890px; "