When You’ve Hit a Wall: Five Ways to Get Unstuck by Diane O’Connell
By Jerry D. Simmons | October 22nd, 2009 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)

Eventually all writers — even the most experienced ones — hit a wall in their writing. Rather than staring at the computer screen with your stomach tied in knots and cursing the writing gods, do something to break the cycle. Here are five things to try to get you unblocked and writing again:

1. Take a break. Get up from the computer and do a few stretches, walk the dog, phone a friend, empty the dishwasher. It doesn’t matter what you do, just do something other than writing. Activity will help clear your brain so you can come back refreshed.

2. Get more information. Usually when I get stuck, it’s because I don’t have enough information to move forward on whatever I’m writing. Instead of struggling to find the right words, do a little research. Search the Internet, call an expert, refer to a book, or review your notes.

3. Do a journal entry. Sometimes it helps to simply step away from the story and write about what’s getting you stuck rather than trying to write the perfect words. Write what you want to say and perhaps why you’re having trouble saying it. The more you stay with this, the better chance you’ll have of finding your way out of the rut and into something fresh and telling.

4. Try a different angle. Write from the point of view of a different character, or write a letter from one of your characters to another character if you’re writing fiction. If you’re writing nonfiction, try a completely different approach. For instance, let’s say you’re writing a how-to book, and you get stuck on describing how to do something. Try writing the instructions from the viewpoint of your family pet or as your favorite TV or movie character. This will generate some fresh ideas that you can adapt to your piece.

5. Rapid write. In this technique — also known as freewriting — you write continuously without stopping — no matter what. You either keep your hand moving across the page or your fingers typing without pausing for corrections or thoughts. If you don’t know what to say, then write that or keep repeating the last thing you’ve written until something new comes to your mind. Do this for at least 10 minutes without stopping. This will allow the right brain to take over, giving your left brain a much-needed break. When you continually write without letting the left brain interfere, then fresh, original ideas will come to the surface.

Diane O’Connell Literary Services
Specializing in Working with First-Time Authors
Fiction and Non-Fiction
Find out about her very affordable Express Coaching service: http://www.docls.com
Or call (718) 268-9282

“I can state categorically that my first novel would never have been published without Diane.” — Cody McFadyen, international bestselling author of Shadow Man, The Face of Death, and The Darker Side (Bantam).

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Book Publishing is Changing
By Jerry D. Simmons | July 28th, 2009 | 1 Comment » (Click to add yours!)

Forced by the economic downturn and declining unit sales over the past decade and a half major publishers are scrambling to reinvent themselves. Finding their dire situation mirrors that of General Motors but without the possibility of a large bailiout, these guys are not too big to fail. Lagging sales, increased cover prices, and the unwillingness to publish more first time authors or take chances on new sub-genres, the majors are destined to find themselves trailing the quality self-published titles that are emerging.

The fact that quality writers willing to self-publish now have access to major booksellers means their opportunities have never been greater. Taking the production standards of the large traditional publishers and combining that with the rights, ownership and control of a self-published author, this change in book publishing is a major step towards respectability for the self-published book.

For the first time there were more self-published titles in 2008 than the traditionally published ones. Certainly there are still large quantities of these books that will never find their way onto bookstore shelves because they are poorly written and lack an editor’s hand. There is a publisher that provides a comprehensive editorial screening and publishing philosophy that allows for the finest written manuscripts to be self-published in a manner that provides direct sales and national distribution, just like the traditional New York publishers.

For years the self-publishing industry has profited by creating a volume approach to publishing which welcomed any and all titles. This model is sufficient for most authors with a desire for a published book but is not adequate for those quality writers looking for a new approach. A publisher has emerged that will combine production standards with editorial review to create an imprint acceptable to major booksellers while still allowing authors ownership of their work.

Book publishing is changing and for the self-published author, it’s for the better.

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Know Your Reader
By Jerry D. Simmons | June 19th, 2009 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)

I received some questions from a reader about a blog I wrote two weeks ago entitled Know Your Reader. The questions were: How do I know my reader? Does it mean who I’m writing to, or the group I would like to read my book, or whom I think would buy it? Great questions Kim, thank you for sharing with other writers.

Writing instructors will tell you to write in your own voice. Never try to mimic another writer, try to write to fit a style, or match a hot cateogry that seems to be selling books. Your story and writing are unique because of who you are and how you write. Know your reader does not mean write to fit what you think is your audience. Know your reader equates to knowing your market, knowing your audience, knowing who are the likely consumers.

If you visit bookstores on a regular basis, and if you read authors in the genre in which you are writing, and you read books similar to the one you are writing, you should begin to get a clear idea of your market, and in turn who your reader will be. Your reader defines your audience, the consumer who buys books like the one you are writing.

For example, if you were writing a manuscript with spiritual overtones, the questions about knowing your market would be: Spiritual in terms of religious, or spiritual in terms of the supernatural? The answer would help to define your reader, your audience, the end consumer. It tells your publisher how to focus their marketing. The importance in knowing your reader is related to the marketing of your book, not the writing.

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Through The Eyes of An Editor by Susan C. Haley
By Jerry D. Simmons | December 2nd, 2008 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)

When we use the written word as a means of communication with others, we expect to have it read. Whether we are writing to share information, philosophy, experiences, creating a story to inspire or entertain, or simply a personal note, we need a reader. We want that reader to feel and understand what we’re saying. If fiction, we want to take them on a journey into the world of our story. We don’t want to simply tell them; we want to take them into the experience with us.

How often has a book carried you to another place or time, allowed you to feel a new experience? Has it introduced you to a whole new group of people? Maybe to a new hero, role model or friend? You laughed or cried, loved or loathed, felt joy or rage, but you felt the characters. You experienced the story and shared in the adventure! For a while, you left your own world and ventured into another between the covers of a book.

This is the power of good writing. This result is what every writer dreams of achieving. And, it simply cannot be done alone. Enter the editor.

Having some form of editing is especially vital in these days of huge changes in the Publishing industry and the ever-increasing number of authors choosing the POD or Independent publishing route. My focus here is to share some basic tips and ideas stemming from what I’ve observed as copy editor for a small press and independent contracts.

Rarely, do we open a book and not see an acknowledgement to those who helped make the book possible. In most instances, we’ll see credit given to an editor. So, just what is an editor’s role and when do you need one?

There are three types of editing:
1. Content Editing – Actually guides the creation itself.
2. Copy Editing – Structure and Grammar check of a completed manuscript.
3. Proof Reading – Typographical errors – Final set of eyes before submission to an agent or approving a galley for a publisher or a printer.

But first, the writer must have something of quality and potential to present to the editor. Possibly, the most crucial editor of all is the writer. The writer must take care and pride in their work. No one wants to pay for, nor is it the job of the editor to clean up an ill-prepared or sloppy manuscript.

Regardless the genre, all writers hope to end up with a book that’s a page turner, a book that will teach, touch, inspire, or entertain a reader. In successful novel writing, it’s downright imperative.

We could spend an entire day in a workshop on only one element of fiction writing. Voice, point of view, and dialogue come to mind instantly. Yet, there are many more questions we must ask ourselves. Does fiction require research and authenticity, an element of believability? What’s required in era and setting? Character and plot development? In non-fiction, what is the best way to present facts, figures, philosophy or experiences? The list goes on. In this article, however, I’d like to introduce the need for editing more as an ATTITUDE about how we must look at writing.

Having basic skills in grammar and expression is an obvious requirement but as important, and what I’ve seen sorely lacking in most new authors’ work, is a basic knowledge of the elements of their genre. This is especially true in the case of fiction novel writing.

No matter your past experience or profession, no matter your mastery of language skills, there must be an effort to learn the elements required in your chosen genre – fiction or nonfiction. I’ve literally had to labor my way through novels written by accomplished journalists or teachers simply because they didn’t know the elements required in fiction writing. Regardless how knowledgeable they are in their content or the nonfiction story they wish to tell, I’ve noticed that few new writers are aware of how to best present it.

We’ve all heard the motivator “Practice Makes Perfect” or the more you do it, the better you’ll become. True, but first you must know what is required in the mastering of your specific skill. All the practice in the world won’t make a champion speed skater a figure skater if they don’t know the elements of figure skating. The same is true in writing. An award winning essayist can write ten novels but the tenth will be no better than the first if the elements required in good fiction are still missing.

Once you’ve chosen the type of book you want to write, the easiest and best way to sharpen skills is to read a lot of genre-related books by various authors. Get a feel for it. In the role of reader, what moves you and what doesn’t?

Before you start seriously putting a manuscript together, invest in a few How To books relative to your genre. Get a pocket copy of Strunk and White’s Elements of Style, a dictionary, and a Thesaurus. Research the wealth of information available on the Internet and in your library. A subscription to Writers Digest or The Writer magazine is another valuable and affordable asset to all novice writers. Know how to set up a basic Word Document file that is manuscript specific.

There are basic and powerful rules that do apply to all genres.

More is not necessarily better. Every single word must move the content forward. Redundancy, repetition and long boring dissertations can be death for a book. In fiction, the hue and cry is “cut, cut, and cut!” I’ve copy edited novels that could be improved simply by cutting a hundred pages or more.

Stay focused on the plot, the subject, or the message. The reader doesn’t want to go off on an irrelevant side trail just when you’ve captured their attention or moved them to the edge of their seat. If it happens too much, you’ve lost them. Never subtly intrude on your character’s personality by inserting author-driven opinions or assumptions. This is called author intrusion and it robs your characters of their own voice and impact.

Never write with a condescending tone, assuming you have to over describe, explain and reiterate. If the reader isn’t getting your message or visualizing your scene, maybe it’s because you aren’t presenting it with clarity and active tense. In fiction novels, good dialogue is crucial. There are entire books devoted to mastering dialogue. Invest in one. Know how to do it and do it well. Know how to punctuate it. A successful novel depends on it.

Avoid ‘ly’ adverbs describing tone. If your character is angry, make the comment itself show the anger rather than the continual ‘he said, angrily’. Or ‘she said, thoughtfully’. Avoid speaker attribution when it’s obvious who’s speaking. He said/she said after every line of utterance is the first indicator of bad dialogue. Write it like you’d speak it. Make use of contractions frequently. That is how we speak as a norm and it brings the character to life.

Be consistent. If you choose to attempt a dialect, slang, or accent, be familiar with it and be consistent. If you want to drop g’s, that’s fine, just make sure you are consistent throughout. It’s most helpful to read your dialogue out loud, perhaps with a family member taking another speaking part. Feel the sound of it. It is also imperative to remain consistent in verb tense. Don’t start a sentence in past tense and end it in the present. The one exception may be found in dialogue.

Punctuation is probably the most generally abused element in book writing. In most cases, the hard and fast rules we all learned in high school English apply. But due to the volume and length in book writing, we are given a bit of leeway to facilitate the flow of reading, accentuate a style, and avoid having our book appear like someone dropped bird seed on it.

Over and above the standard rules of prepositional phrases and dependent clauses, think of a comma as taking a breath. Again, read your work out loud and make note of your breathing. The words and, or, and but don’t automatically call for a comma if the statement is one fluid thought.

Learn the proper use of a semi-colon and quotation marks. These are quite likely the most errantly used articles of punctuation. A semi-colon is used when both elements of the sentence can stand alone. Basically, it’s a softer rendition of a period. Many use it as replacement for a comma. Often two short, crisp sentences are more powerful. Nothing is harder to read than long, seemingly endless sentences peppered with commas, emphasis quotes and semi-colons.

Too many quotation marks are distracting for the reader. I call it the picket fence effect. If you want to call attention or add emphasis, use italics. Book titles and proper names are now seen italicized in lieu of quote marks. Single quotes are used only when quoting within a quote. Don’t continually use them for achieving emphasis.

Limit overuse of exclamation marks. Doing so lessens the effect when you really want to show intense emotion.

These are just a few of the things to consider when beginning the creation of a book. Writing is a lot of hard work and a continual learning process. The author is their own first editor by becoming knowledgeable in the elements of good writing and reading out loud, but we are too close to our own work to be the only editor. Close family and friends can offer input and support but, in most cases, shy away from honest critique in deference to author feelings. Writers need impartial and fresh eyes and honest critique. I’m an editor, but I’m an author first and my most valuable asset is my editor.

Susan Haley, Author
RAINY DAY PEOPLE – A Novel
FIBERS IN THE WEB

Susan Haley is the published author of two books, a Children’s E-book, an award winning poet, several articles on networking, the copy editor and book reviewer for Pepper Tree Press Publishing and book reviewer for AME Marketing out of San Diego. She also contributes a column to “The Florida Writer” the official magazine of the Florida Writers Association, of which she is Facilitator for the Sarasota County Chapter. The audio version of her novel “Rainy Day People” was awarded runner-up Finalist in the 2008 Indie Excellence National Book Awards. She also contributes a variety of editorials and excerpts of her work to various E-zines and newsletters and local papers.

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Professional Services offered by Jerry D. Simmons
By Jerry D. Simmons | September 4th, 2008 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)

Sales & Distribution
Direct face-to-face presentation of your book to buyers from the largest booksellers in the country by a professional sales force is what the INDI PublishingGroup is all about. For complete details on how to qualify for this unique program contact me via email.

Personal Consultations
Publishing offers a myriad of choices and navigating the process without professional, experienced help is costly and risky. These one-on-one consultations answer all of your questions, saving you time and avoiding mistakes most unsuspecting writers make when trying to make decisions on their own without the proper information.

Manuscript Development
Write what you know and follow your passion, both great recommendations from bestselling authors. However, a marketing eye can spot inconsistencies before you shop your manuscript to agents and publishers. This is a marketing approach to avoiding the pitfalls that many writers fall into, manuscript development is a complete and thorough reading and opinion, based on having reviewed thousands of manuscripts over 30 years in publishing.

Pre-Publication Plan
Writing is half the process of becoming an author, the second half is figuring out that next step. This plan thoroughly examines the goals for your book, combined with your personal motivations for becoming an author. You will receive the pros and cons of each facet of publishing and this plan will offer guidance and advice on the best method to meet your goals and match your motivations.

Editorial Critique
For writers who want an objective professional opinion on their writing. The goal is to give you the information that an editor at a New York publisher would provide. For a very small investment you can have your manuscript read in its entirety and critiqued by a professional freelance editor who will outline in great detail what you need to do to improve the reading and quality of your writing. These critiques add value and expertise to your writing. This is a very important step for every writer.

Complete Editorial Services
All the marketing money in the world will not succeed at selling copies of a book that is poorly edited. An investment with a professional is critical if you want to become successful at selling your book.

Content Editing
Once your manuscript has been evaluated and critiqued, the next step is the content editing. This involves a professional freelance editor making absolutely certain the writing follows a lucid story arc. Content editing involves the development of a story line and or logical display of information, depending on the genre, as well as the development of the characters in the manuscript. With informative nonfiction, the editor focuses on consistency, logical order, a comprehensive overview of the material and clear competent thinking.

Copy Editing
After your manuscript has been evaluated and developed for content, it requires a line by line appraisal to assure standard usage, workable grammar for the context, efficient sentence structure, spelling corrections and other suggested changes. This is time consuming, meticulous work and is critical to the success of any published work. Copy editing is not flawless, in corporate publishing the rule of thumb is an allowable three mistakes per every one thousand key strokes, so this process is necessary but not without human error.

Proofreading
This is the final step in the editing process and deals with the final polish that copy editing began. Proofreading is the double check at the level of the sentence and paragraph and can only be done effectively once content and copy editing is complete.

Book Coaching
If you would like professional guidance every step of the way, then book coaching provides this and more. From the day you begin writing, or the day you finish your manuscript, through the editorial process and eventually to a finished book, as a book coach I become your partner with every decision. You have at your disposal 30 years of professional experience to help guide you in your decisions, resulting in the best quality book for the least investment. Spending thousands of dollars is not necessary, this is the most cost effective method of achieving your goals as an author.

Query Letter Writing
If you’ve tried yourself and are tired of the time it takes and rejections then consider a professional service. You complete a lengthy questionnaire then have the letter written and submitted for you. We will rewrite and revise the letter and continue the campaign until you have received a minimum of ten requests for your full manuscript. That is our promise to each of our authors. We cannot make promises that you will receive a contract but we guarantee your manuscript will get attention, and that is the critical step.

Book Proposal
Literary agents and publishers typically want a complete book proposal on every title they consider. This includes a thorough overview of your manuscript or book, sample chapters or complete manuscript, author bio, market analysis, competitive analysis, promotional and marketing plans, and more. The query letter is important, the proposal is what seals the deal. We offer a professional service that will write a complete and detailed book proposal that will impress both agent and publisher.

Cover Design
Packaging is important, making certain your cover fits the market is the key to selling books. Creating the proper package for your finished book requires an experienced eye. It’s not about your personal likes, it’s about creating a design that consumers will pick up and want to own. Packaging is more than designing a cover, it’s about creating a finished book that looks professional and feels of quality. Includes front and back cover, spine, placement of quotes, front and back copy. Also includes the digital file transfer of your formatted manuscript to the printer. The finished product is print ready in a digital format that is then transferred to your printer.

Manuscript Formatting & Interior Design
Your typed manuscript has to be converted into a file that can easily be married with your professionally designed cover and forwarded to your printer. Each page must be designed and set in a printable format, making certain the borders are sufficient and the inside bound column is of adequate size to maintain a quality look and feel. In addition each page requires a heading and individual page number, chapter and sub-chapter layout which gives the book the overall appearance.

Printing Your Manuscript
The quality of the finished product and appearance is vitally important. You need professionals to help you make this very important decision. You need flexibility in trim size, paper quality, paper color, and quantity with small first print runs. Don’t cut corners and never go with the least expensive, it will be a mistake that could cost you sales.

Book Reviews
The more positive book reviews and quotes you can receive, the better. We offer a free book review for any author. All that is required is you become a member of Nothing Binding and sign up for the free book review. Membership is also free, so don’t waste a moment, go to www.NothingBinding.com and sign-up today.

Additional Professional Services
I offer a complete range of services to fit any need that results in a professional finished book of the highest quality. I have 30 years of experience, 25 with two of the largest publishers in the world. I have the knowledge and will provide you with all the publishing tools necessary to make your experience a good one. In addition to all of the services listed above, I can provide:

Marketing Materials
Once your book is published, I can assist you in the development of marketing materials. This may include promotional items such as bookmarks, sell sheets, handouts, anything that draws attention to your published book. I can also assist with the creation of brochures, folders, author photos, and virtually anything you request.

Industry Book Numbers
I can advise you on an ISBN number for your book, Library of Congress Number, and bar code.

Author Web Site
The creation of your own web site for you and your book is an important component of any successful author. I can offer advice on what you need to start and what you don’t, what tends to work and what doesn’t. I’m not a computer expert but I have experience to guide you before you invest thousands of dollars unnecessarily. If you decide this is not an expense you are ready for in the beginning, then create a personal profile for free at www.NothingBinding.com and link all of your author information to that site.

Summary
I provide everything you need to publish the finest quality book with the greatest potential for success possible. I make my living working with authors and publishers, each of the services offered require my time. A small investment of time is better than trying to make decisions without necessary and relevant information. I do not attempt to “sell” you on any particular type of publishing, I match your goals with the best option for the market. I have the experience, knowledge, and objectivity to offer you the best advice gathered over 30 years of experience. I would be more than happy to extend to you a free 15-minute discussion to explain how I can help. You may contact me via email, thank you.

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Take a Break if You Need One
By Jerry D. Simmons | February 6th, 2008 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)

We all need to take a break from writing once in awhile. Even though authors say that writers need to write everyday, sometimes the words just don’t happen….at least for me. I’ve been on a hiatus of late and haven’t been writing like I want. I just had to take a break. Now the transition time is over, it‘s back to reality.

In a recent interview, John Grisham told a reporter than he didn’t start writing until late in life, he never took a writing class, he learned how to write from reading lots books. Now he writes at least one page a day. Of course John Grisham is the exception in many ways, but his book wasn’t published until he was 30 and, we wrote about things he knew.

Authors with whom I’ve traveled over the years have similar stories. Many didn’t start writing until they were adults, they had no formal training, and they try and write something every day. Regardless of whether or not they ever use their daily writing, they write. The best way to learn to write is to write, as much as possible.

A very close friend of mine told me the other day that if you encounter writers block, change your environment. Move to another room in your house or even go to the park or a library. Don’t allow your surroundings to create a block to your writing.

If you want to read a really great book on writers block, read WRITE. 10 Days to Overcome Writer’s Block. Period. Written by Karen E. Peterson, Ph.D. The quote on the cover is from Kurt Vonnegut, “As well researched and helpful a book on writing as I’ve ever read.”

Bottom line, take a break if you need to take one. Don’t force it, for me, that didn’t work. Hopefully I will continue to be energized by all of you. If you have a writers block story you’d like to share please send it to me.

This blog is unedited, please disregard mistakes in spelling and grammar.

 

How To Have a Successful Book Signing by Judy Azar LeBlanc
By Jerry D. Simmons | May 17th, 2007 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)

Judy is an Award Winning Author and friend to this website.

Success always comes after failure only if you try again. Everyone loves a successful book signing! When I had my very first book signing it was a total flop! Well, maybe not totally, the book store did order 6 books and I did sell 2 of them!

So what went wrong, I asked myself. Several things went wrong. First, I didn’t invite anyone to come to the book signing; I didn’t have any promotional material with me; I barely spoke to the customers because I “foolishly” thought they would all run up to my table to see what the book and author were all about, and the worst thing I did, was to stay sitting behind that little table for the whole 2 hours! Wrong – wrong – wrong.

Today, because of that failure, I have not had a book signing any where that has not been a complete sell-out!

So, how did I go from being a complete flop to becoming a complete success?

Here’s how: Where I live in Arizona, all of the Barnes and Noble Bookstores are independently run, whereas Border’s Bookstores are centralized. That means that each Barnes and Noble bookstore decides independently on who, what, when and where and if they will authorize book signings. In this case, it is important to get to know the “store” and the manager at each store. Establish a rapport with him or her, and give them a little background about yourself and your book. Don’t be afraid to ask if you can have a book signing at their store, or to emphasize the fact that you are a local author.

Because Border’s Bookstores are centralized, that means that the Regional Manager decides on all of the book signings for all of the stores. Here is where you really want to establish a rapport. I made it a point to do so with our Regional Manager and since then, she willingly books me at any of the Border’s bookstores that I want. Some are too far for my willingness to travel, so I usually decline. The reason for this is that I was informed about the demographics! Who would have thought? Apparently, each bookstore sells a particular type of genre more than others. For example, where I live, the community is very family oriented, so a book on fantasy, child rearing, and especially children’s books are hot items. A few miles further south, there is a university town … believe it or not, “romance” books are a hot item at that store! Who would have thought that would be the case in a university town?

Although The Regional Manager does book all of the book signings for all of their stores, each Border’s Bookstore “handles” the mechanics of the book signing independently. Here again, it is important to get to know the store and the Store Manager because that means they give you a better location, more traffic gets directed to you, and more announcements are made about you over their loudspeaker.

Next, prepare … prepare … prepare. I can’t say enough about this. We are published authors which connotes “professionals” … Prepare for your book signing just as a professional would.

This may seem like a lot, but believe me, when it is laid out on the table, it isn’t much. Keep in mind we are professionals, so everything you do, think like a professional.

Last but certainly not least – never sit at your table. Don’t be shy, greet the customers as they walk by, smile, introduce yourself, hand them a flyer, and tell them that you are a local author who is having a book signing today on behalf of (name of bookstore). Tell them a little about your book.

If you are like me, book signings are a lot of work, but they are also a lot of fun! You meet a lot of very interesting people, and even if they don’t buy your book, they walk away with a flyer or a postcard and they will either read it or check your web page.

More importantly, when you are done, ALWAYS thank the store manager and the staff who participated in your book signing. Never leave without a thank you and a hand shake.

Since I have practiced this, I have been invited back several times to most of the bookstores in my area, and they now order a minimum of about 25 books, and I always sell-out!

Good Luck and Happy Book Signing.

Judy Azar LeBlanc, Award Winning Author of Many Faces to Many Places. Visit Judy’s website www.manyfacestomanyplaces.com.

 

Book Reviews
By Jerry D. Simmons | May 9th, 2007 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)

There was an article in this past Sunday’s New York Times Book Review written by Motoko Rich and originally published on May 2nd, titled Are Book Reviews Out of Print? The article heading states that “All across the country, newspapers are cutting book sections or running more reprints of reviews from wire services or larger papers.”

The author notes that the Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently eliminated the position of Book Editor, the Los Angeles Times merged their once stand alone book review into a new section reducing their page count from 12 to 10, and the San Francisco Chronicle’s book review was cut from 6 to 4 pages. “Author’s and critics claim this is one more nail in the coffin of literary culture.”

The problem with that statement is that from a purely commercial standpoint, the literary culture has been eroding for years, barely registering a blip on the page of book sales for a long time. Publishing today is about movie stars, high profile court cases, political high drama, the kind of things that stand out on the nightly news and in the tabloids. Literary culture? I don’t think so!

Newspapers are suffering as they try to hold onto readers while more and more people are tuning to blogs for information about books. The old guard book reviews are seen as nothing more than an forum where the big publishers can advertise their books. Thus blogs have replaced the stodgy old line newspapers for readers attention and information about books.

Another thing the article points out is that this “Inevitable transition toward a new and more democratic literary landscape where anyone can comment on books,” is a good thing. I agree, and also know it is time for blogs to write more about Independently Published books. If that seems like a tough hill to climb, then we just create our own blogs about Independent Books. Why waste time joining them when we can create our own book reviews, do you think readers really care which blogs write about books?

This blog is unedited, please disregard mistakes in spelling and grammar.

 

Book Sense
By Jerry D. Simmons | April 25th, 2007 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)

Last week I encountered an angry Book Sense executive. I was emailing an author from NothingBinding.com and accidently hit the reply button which sent the intended email not to my colleague but to the Book Sense office. In case anyone is not familiar, Book Sense is an organization designed to offer Independent Bookstores news, reviews, and information about titles from small publishers.

My comments went something along the lines that Book Sense would never promote Independent titles because they are funded by the big six publishers and have become a mouth piece for the big publishers and thus would not be interested in promoting Independent titles to Independent bookstores. Well I quickly received an email response from Book Sense intended to clarify my position.

First off the gentleman I spoke to was upset that his name was used in the private email and that I was spreading false and misleading information. He did tell me he would send corrected information to me to clear up the misinformation. He seemed to think the fact that I have been away from NY for over four years had a direct impact in my lack of understanding.

Well here is what I do know: (1) I have yet to receive corrected information, (2) I made a mistake including the name of a former colleague, and (3) It does cost an Independent Author to “place” his or her title in the Book Sense newsletter. Aside from that I stand behind my earlier comments until I hear different from the Book Sense staff.

Why am I telling you this? And why should you care? Because it is not my intent to mislead anyone with my writing, I try to be as accurate and honest as possible about what I write, whether in a private email or blog for everyone to read. In this case I stand behind everything I wrote earlier until I hear otherwise from a respected and credible source.

This blog is unedited, please disregard mistakes in spelling and grammar.

 

Contractions in Publishing
By Jerry D. Simmons | March 28th, 2007 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)

As many of you may have heard, a very large book customer that represented a large share of the market for all publishers filed for bankruptcy a short time ago. Their business of supplying books to retailers quickly jumped to two other large book customers. This was by any stretch of the imagination an extremely large contraction of the bookselling and distribution marketplace.

This kind of reduction in the number of book customers serving the market has a ripple effect throughout the industry. Fewer large customers mean fewer sales representatives and national account personnel. It means the business is concentrated in the hands of even fewer companies which will squeeze the razor thin margins of publishers and drive smaller competitors out of business.

On top of that already gloomy news is the fact that one of the two largest retail bookstore chains is considering closing stores around the country because they simply cannot make them profitable. All of this means the supply of books to retail will shrink and the prices of the copies that do make it through will rise. Publishers will be less willing to try new genres and new authors. Fewer quality writers will get the opportunity to publish their manuscripts and the business will continue to contract.

There is no new or creative thinking in the world of major publishing. All the top executives are products of the system they helped create and they will continue down their path of destruction until they break. Now that five of the six major publishing companies are foreign owned, the industry still has a pulse but the growth for writers and their books is fading. Thinking outside the box is an oxymoronic statement in the world of major publishing.

This blog is unedited, please disregard mistakes in spelling and grammar.

 

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