Published on November 10, 2010
self-publishing
I received this email from an unhappy POD author:
“I’ve really, really disliked Lulu, and have been very discouraged by the process. I don’t think a paperback of this book should cost so much (they claimed it’s necessary for the Amazon distribution). I actually haven’t marketed this book at all because I’m upset by the costs.
She provided me with her book’s information online. It’s a 390-page paperback (fiction) and it costs (are you sitting down?) more than $25! She’s right. That is WAY too expensive. Why would any POD publisher want to price a book out of the market like that?
I looked online and found two POD publishers that have some (not all) of their books appearing on Amazon with significant price differences compared to the list price on the publishers’ own websites…
Published on November 10, 2010
Angela,
Here’s one more reason people should not swim in the dangerous waters of copyright infringement (read paragraph 4) – they may get caught in a net.
See: https://www.eff.org/press/releases
Published on November 10, 2010
As a writer, consider yourself lucky come the holiday season. With a little creative thinking, you can offer some unique twists on your usual writing services to pad your pocket just in time for the upcoming shopping frenzy…
Published on November 10, 2010
How long does it take Ingram to pay POD publishers? My friend bought my book from Amazon last month and it’s still not showing up in my earnings. And, how fast is Apple paying publishers for their iBookstore sales?
Published on November 10, 2010
I’ve always been a writer, but not of the sorrowful poem or self-help article. Those additions to my writing portfolio came after the death of my son Daniel. With his passing, I realized that writing romance stories like I composed in seventh grade was not going to get me through the lonely nights. I delved into heart wrenching writing for survival.
As my essays and articles were published, I was asked to teach on writing through grief at bereavement conferences and seminars…
Published on November 3, 2010
The nice thing about this time of year is that there’s always something to look forward to when something else has ended. On Sunday night, the boys were sad at bedtime because Halloween was over. I reminded them that Thanksgiving is right around the corner and, after that, Christmas will be upon us as well. When I asked if they wanted to help me make a funny turkey yard decoration for Thanksgiving, they were all smiles again…
Published on November 3, 2010
Letters will return next week.
Published on November 3, 2010
What do you think about Demand Studios?
Published on October 27, 2010
Awhile back, I was posting weekly pictures of our pumpkins, Monster, Half-Pint, Tiny and Punk. Last Sunday, with tears, Max harvested three of his four pumpkins. Surprisingly, Punk (the orange wart pumpkin) is still on a live vine. The three white pumpkins were on dried vines, and starting to attract slugs.
The four pumpkins are the biggest we’ve ever grown and they are now being proudly displayed by Max in our living room. He does NOT want to carve them, however. He wants to go to a local farm and buy pumpkins for carving. He can’t bear to cut into his babies. Isn’t that sweet? 🙂
Here’s Max with three of his babies. Below that is a picture of Punk.
This week’s Maxism:
“That pumpkin is growing fast! And, I’m growing fast, too!!”
Hugs to all!
Angela
Published on October 27, 2010
For the past six weeks, we’ve spent every spare moment judging the hundreds of entries submitted for the Fall 2010 24-Hour Short Story Contest. In case you’re not familiar with our quarterly contest, this is how it works. On the date of the contest, at start-time, we send out the topic for that specific contest to all registered entrants. We also post it online. Entrants then have 24 hours to write and submit their stories. The stories “must deal with the topic in some way to qualify” and they must not exceed the pre-assigned word count.
After reading the entries for each contest, we can see how difficult it is to come up with a unique plot when working with an assigned topic. But, inevitably, a few writers do manage to successfully break away from the pack.
So, sit back, relax, and take a break from your busy day to indulge in the sights and smells of a brisk Fall evening…
