Kindle Direct Publishing (Select)

Established authors, as well as self-published authors, are now finding that Kindle Direct Publishing offers many advantages over Print-on-Demand, or POD.  In fact, many authors are not even trying to get their eBooks onto other platforms, such as Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, or iTunes, nor are they interested in producing paperback editions.  At first glance, this would seem to be counterproductive since one would think that sales would increase by also increasing the number of sales outlets for a title.

Kindle Direct Publishing Select offers many advantages, however.  First, Amazon's Kindle store outperforms all other online eBook outlets.  Also, several authors have found that Amazon does a better job advertising titles on their site when authors promise exclusivity.  Sales are definitely generated by Amazon's trademark ads that state, "Customers who bought this title also bought . . . ."

That having been said, it is advisable to follow a few rules of thumb.  Kindle Direct Publishing Select offers an author the option of offering a book for free for a limited number of days for promotional purposes.  Nothing boosts sales more than giving away something for free.  People like to download free books, and this can result in increased reviews on the Amazon site.

In turn, positive reviews result in customers going to the promotional websites of a book or author, sites where the book is also offered for sale by a link back to Amazon.  This is when an author may choose to offer the book for .99 cents for a period or time, after which the price may be increased.  Sales are usually optimal at $2.99 per title regardless of the length of the book, although many authors move up to $3.99.

The book must be well-written, of course, but if an author has a quality product, Kindle Direct Publishing and Kindle Direct Publishing Select offer a great deal of opportunity in this new age of publishing.

~ William Hammett

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Fifty Shades of Boring

Fifty Shades of Grey, an erotic thriller by British author E. L. James, was published in 2011 by Vintage Press.  It has been a huge financial success for its author and publisher.  The public still loves its vicarious sex in an age of "anything goes" combined with "I am so terribly bored with my life."

We have seen this tale before: older man initiates young virgin into the world of forbidden pleasures and sophistication.  Vanity, vanity, there is nothing new under the sun.  Christian Grey will escort young Anastasia Steele into a sordid world that is devoid of any real meaning, corrupting the innocence of his toy in the process.  The world in Fifty Shades of Grey is a depressing place, with no redemption possible on its existential stage.  One survives by submitting to pain or manipulating the body of a lover as one would a puppet or a rag doll.

What is troubling is that we not only have another book of BDSM--bondage, dominance, and sadomasochism--that makes sexual love voyeuristic rather than exciting or meaningful, but we also have sex that is codified by document.  Grey wishes Steele to sign a contract specifying that she will not reveal any of their physical acts, nor will these acts be construed as love.  Contractually, the sexual acts will be sex for the sake of sex, nothing more.  Given that is already the case in the age of the hook-up, forcing someone to sign a contract stipulating that sex will be meaningless is redundant, but it is yet another manipulative tool used by Grey on "Ana."

To sign a contract promising sex--sex under strict, limited conditions--is yet another way of degrading one's lover and robbing him or her of the status of "equal" or "other."  The grand concept of romantic love as a union of partners sharing their bodies and innermost selves with mutual respect and trust is trivialized in this novel of small-minded titillation and gratification of the ego.  Pain and dominance do not achieve worthy goals in any area of life, and we need only look at business and government to see obvious examples.  Pain and dominance have, in fact, fueled most of mankind's wars.  The subjugation of others through arbitrary law, rules, and violence bears no fruit, and it certainly does not enhance personal relationships.  Instead, it creates or reinforces severe dysfunction. 

S&M is nothing new, and for some couples it is a lighthearted role-playing game with "silken bonds."  So be it.  Fifty Shades of Grey, however, portrays BDSM in a more sobering light in which two conflicted souls will sell their integrity to unsuccessfully try to define their humanity and discover the meaning of human relationships.

Walker Percy wrote several novels about the spiritual malaise of the modern age.  He was especially interested in how people who are psychologically adrift will try new lovers, more lovers, and endless variations on the sex act in order to fulfill themselves.  They are, as he said, "lost in the cosmos."  It is obvious that Grey and Steele are among this number, individuals who have such little ego structure that they have no way to live authentically and truthfully.

The book, of course, is not literary fiction, nor does it really qualify as erotica either.  It is soft-core porn according to the definitions of most critics.  Author Sir Salman Rushdie said, "I've never seen anything so badly written that got published.  It made Twilight look like War and Peace."  In the New York Times, Maureen Dowd described the book "like Bronte devoid of talent."  Jesse Kornbluth of the Huffington Post said, "Fifty Shades of Grey is a sad joke, puny of plot."

It's trite.  It's been done before.  To paraphrase Dylan, it's "too much of nothing."  So what are we to make of such a literary success?  The answer is grim.  We want to read anything that will make us forget, however briefly, our own existential angst.  As Walker Percy said, sometimes the best thing a person can do is adopt a little humility and take up golf course maintenance.  Sadly, Ms. James didn't go this route.

~ William Hammett

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Short Fiction

I grew up reading the short stories of Arthur C. Clarke.  Short story collections still exist, but most authors who write short fiction do so for literary journals.  Short stories don't reach the larger reading public to the degree that they used to.

Writing short fiction takes a lot of talent and discipline.  One must work on a smaller canvas, and that means plot, characterization, and pacing have to click off with great precision.  Most great writers from decades past began by writing short stories, and I am left wondering if so many very successful writers today have rambling, poorly constructed plots because they never cut their teeth on short fiction.  Maybe they simply haven't put in the hard work and discipline that it takes to write a really great short story.

Short stories were generally practiced by authors of literary fiction, and with literary fiction falling into the midlist (with notable exceptions), short fiction may be suffering because fewer writers wish to explore these traditional waters.  And then there are the millions of aspiring writers who want to pen the blockbuster novel.  They want to write thrillers and haul in millions of dollars.  They have tunnel vision and don't want to learn their craft and pay their dues.

It's a pity more people don't spend time writing short stories.  A real pity.

~ William Hammett 

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Is Journal Writing Worth the Effort?

Before blogs, many people jotted down their daily musings in a notebook, finding the act of writing with a ballpoint pen to be relaxing.  People also kept journals to simply stay in the habit of writing.  I personally don't keep a journal, but for some people it keeps the muse flowing, and that's never a bad thing.  It is the idea behind Ray Bradbury's advice to keep the connection strong between your brain and fingers, regardless of what you're writing about.

It is also a good idea to keep a journal if you think you might be interested in writing your memoirs one day.  A journal can be an invaluable source of information on events, times, and your emotions through the years.  Many people approach me to write their memoirs but have no source materials to draw from, relying only on their memories.  Keeping a diary or journal ensures that you know exactly what transpired in your life, and it provides important motivations for what you are doing at any given moment.  You can also create powerful and vivid descriptions of scenes that might otherwise fade from memory.

But maybe we should write more often for the sheer sake of writing.  One need only read the beautiful, almost lyrical, letters written by young soldiers during World War II.  These eighteen-year-old men, with only high school educations, wrote some of the most poignant letters I have ever read.  There was a greater emphasis on language and the written word in previous generations, and it's sad that this emphasis is slowing being eroded by terse emails and tweets. 

Is journal writing worth the effort?  I'd say yes.

~ William Hammett

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Print-on-Demand

Print-on-Demand ( or POD) is very popular since people can now publish their work without having to worry about rejection slips from agents or publishers.  This is a healthy trend since a lot of books are published every year that shouldn't see the light of day, and many worthy books are passed over.  To restrict the flow of ideas is almost Orwellian in nature.

But there are a few caveats when approaching print-on-demand publishers.  The basic price from iUniverse, which helped start the POD revolution, was only $99 ten years ago.  Today, prices from POD publishers range from $400 to $1600.  Always check out sample books from the publisher you are approaching to verify that its production values are high and that the cover art is professionally done.

The biggest problem with POD publishers is that they attempt to upsell you with package publishing deals--services that you really don't need.  Their sales reps attempt to get you to buy extra services to promote your book, put you in contact with agents, take you to the next level of publishing, and, in general, position your book to become a bestseller.

Here's the reality about these packages.  The promotional services usually include sending out a one-page press release about your book.  The book is also sent to reviewers who will allegedly help get your title some visibility.  The problem is that the press releases and advance review copies are sent to people, newspapers, and magazines that have little, if any, interest in your topic or genre. The POD companies have a generic list of publications and reviewers that they send all books to.  In the long run, you may get a brief review (which may be more of a summary of your book than a review) and a few lines in an obscure publication.  The reality is that few sales are ever generated by these publicity packages.  The average POD title sells 148 copies to family and friends unless the author, as is sometimes the case, has some advertising and promotional savvy, as well as a platform and credentials to more effectively create interest in the title.

The companies sometimes charge an additional fee to list the book on the Amazon or Barnes and Nobles websites, but any POD fee should include this service as part of the basic plan since anyone can put his or her book on Amazon for free.

In terms of putting you in touch with literary agents, most respectable agents have nothing to do with print-on-demand companies.  If you self-publish your book, agents will become interested in your title if you sell 10,000 copies or more.  If that happens, you will have no trouble getting a return email from an A-list agent.  For a fee, the POD company may indeed send your book to an agent, but don't expect to get representation.

In short, there is nothing in these add-on packages that you can't do more effectively yourself.  Print-on-demand companies take advantage of their customers' lack of knowledge about the publishing industry.  Work hard, but work smart.  Don't pay for unnecessary and ineffective services.

~ William Hammett

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Literary Agents

There was a time when an author could submit novels or nonfiction directly to a publisher.  As recently as the early 1990s, it was possible to send material to a particular editor at a major publishing house.  In the past fifteen years, however, direct submissions have been closed to almost all mainstream publishers with a few exceptions, such as Tor/Forge and some independent presses.  One now needs a literary agent.

Literary agents have been the gatekeepers as to what gets published and what doesn't for many years.  Even when direct submissions to publishers was still possible, the vast majority of books acquired by publishers were the result of agented submissions.  Agents knew where to submit a manuscripts and could secure a better, more profitable contract for their clients.

Getting agent representation has never been easy--rejection rates have hovered between 95% and 98% for many years--but it is now even harder to land an A-list agent.  With the advent of computers and word processing, it became somewhat easier to produce a manuscript.  Typing several revisions on a typewriter was a daunting, time-consuming endeavor, but MS WORD now allows the process to go a bit faster.  People also want to write books because they see how successful genre fiction has become.  The result is that agents receive more queries and book proposals than ever, and even with junior agents combing through the slushpiles, it is difficult to read every single submission in a timely fashion.  Many queries, in fact, go unanswered if the query shows no promise, and many agents just don't have time to return thousands of queries via snail mail regardless of whether return envelopes with postage were included.

Agents are also focusing more and more on seeing who is "breaking through" in self-publishing since many authors have been able to sell tens of thousands of copies of eBooks on Amazon, Smashwords, and other sites that offer books for electronic readers, such as the Kindle, Nook, and other digital platforms.  If an agent can find an author who has already gained an audience, it makes selling that author to a mainstream publisher that much easier.

Agents are an important part of the literary marketplace.  They work tirelessly to secure contracts for their clients.  More authors are turning to options such as Kindle Direct Publishing, but for those writers still seeking agents, it is imperative to send a great query letter with an irresistible hook, one written flawlessly.  There's a lot of competition out there. 

~ William Hammett

Index of Articles

Promoting Your Book

How does one promote a book in an age when even large mainstream publishers are cutting back on promotional dollars, allowing even excellent books to sink to the midlist?  In an age when people self-publish eBooks or use POD, the question of promotion is important for all authors.

First, I can tell you what not to do.  There are many Print-on-Demand companies and ghostwriting firms (really POD companies) that will try to upsell you on "package deals," such as promotional kits.  The promotional services amount to a company sending out press releases, securing reviews for the book, and making the book available online.  The press releases and reviews are ineffectual and usually result in no sales at all since they are sent to people around the country who have no real interest in your book's topic or genre.  They're just on the payroll of the company and get some money tossed their way for a quick review or a mention at the bottom of some obscure publication.  And anyone can put a book on Amazon or Barnes and Noble for free.

You need to take matters into your own hands.  Make an email list to announce your book, making sure you don't spam anyone.  It's crucial to have a website for your book, a personal author website, or both.  Creating a blog to talk about your book and its topic or genre is also mandatory if you expect people to notice your title.  Interact with other bloggers.  The above sites should all be linked so people can navigate from one to the other.

It's also imperative that you use social media to promote your book.  Talk about the title on your Facebook page and create a separate Facebook "author fan page."  Create a twitter account and send out tweets about your book and your other promotional activities.  Give away free copies of your book, and, if possible, get endorsements from other authors (or celebrities).  Make sure you have an online presence on appropriate sites, such as Goodreads.

If possible, arrange book signings at local and indie bookstores.  These days, your book's success is pretty much in your hands.  And that's not such a bad thing.

~ William Hammett

Index of Articles