In the various orbits of the writing world, everyone is all abuzz about the future of publishing. Why are the big six clinging so hard to what has become the old tradition of publishing physical books? Personally, I think there will always be a market for books one can line up on a shelf to look at and treasure, and perhaps read again over and over. However, owning an eReader is all the rage these days, and I have no idea how many apps there are out there for all the different little thingamajigs everyone has these days. If it's not a phone that does absolutely everything, it's a pocket-sized computer that can act as a phone, and I'm sure there's just about everything but the kitchen sink in between, and there's probably all manner of apps for all those owners to choose from, but lets keep this subject on books. Why don't they embrace the technology of ePublishing? They think it's all a fad. To be honest, I did too at first, but it doesn't appear to be so any more. One thing they do do that I really like is audio books. Last spring I bought a disk player so I could listen to the books I have while I work. Those people who drive long distances to work could do the same if they wanted. Maybe some do.
People are far more mobile and busy these days than they were 50 years ago. It's common to see people commuting many miles just to go to work. They hop a train or drive, some even fly from one end of the country to the other many times a week. Many of these people still read and many of them are avid readers. Are they supposed to pack a bag full of books? Buy one at every stop? If things don't get any worse then they already are, I'll be going to town tomorrow for about a week. I'll be taking a book. I don't own an eReader of any sort. I'm not all that interested in getting one. It's an expensive little gadget that will serve very little purpose in my life. But since I'm a writer, and since I'm aware that many people do have these little gadgets, there's no reason why I shouldn't provide what the people want.
Real books, however, to me, are still a must. I can't very well hand my neighbor a program to read, especially if they don't own an eReader either. And further more, my boss displays my book on a shelf at the lodge where I work. She told me she will also display my next book as soon as it's published. It would be impossible for me to have such exposure if the only thing I published was eBooks. EBooks are great in their way. They are easy and quick to download; you don't have to wait for the mail to reach your house, wondering if maybe it got lost somewhere along the way.
There's another thing to consider about eReaders. Not only do people commute to work long distances, but they frequently move entirely from one end of the country to the other, or at least from city to city, if not state to state. Packing a library of books would be so much simpler if they were all in this little thingy that fits in your purse. But then, I shudder with horror at the thought, what if it broke? I don't mean the battery ran down, I mean irreparably broken. There's all those nice digital books just gone. That's almost as bad as a house fire.
Lets change the subject and get back on track.
There's another thing about ePublishing that has me confused. Why are authors selling their books for only a dollar or less? Sure, something so cheep, who can resist? Sales go through the roof. Visibility is high. Search engines are flooded with it all. But what are you making, fifty cents? maybe? No, I don't write to make money, but my work does have a value to me. If I want to give my book away, fine, I'll happily give it away, but in truth, there is a profitable reason behind it - so sue me, I'm selfish. I never denied it. What digs me is my book on Amazon is listed for next to nothing and at those prices, I'm not making a dime. Ah well, it's been listed for four years; I don't think sales are going to be improving any time soon. When I get book 3 of that collection finished, all three of them are getting a whole new life, or at least that one will, the other two will be getting a first life. That is, unless someone comes along and shows me a different way to do it between now and then.
The big six dragging their heels has caused an explosion of small publishing companies to spring up; those people passionate about writing and writing well, and about getting other deserving writers published. It seems I've hit the publishing scene at the perfect time. Two small publishers eager to publish my work and another very young publisher looking to take on another of my works, maybe. We're talking. Wow, that means I'm half way through all my manuscripts. Looking good at the moment. Will I be a successful author? Will my name become a household name? Only time will tell. What do you think?
Showing posts with label eBook. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eBook. Show all posts
Friday, February 17, 2012
Friday, May 20, 2011
The Impossible Task
Yeah, that seems to be my tag in writing. My poor characters are leading the impossible life AND I'm having such fun torturing them to boot. haha
I've started going through some of my shorter stories. I'm thinking of getting them into eBooks one of these days - maybe not this summer - I go back to work Sunday and my days are fairly full until September. Maybe I'll get one or two out there - we'll see. Here's a sample. Tell me what you think. Would you buy them? What would you like to read?
THE FORCES OF DARKNESS
This is a tale about a young man doomed to feed on the sin and sadness in the people around him, but to survive the darkness, he needs purity and innocence too. And to complicate things, he can only go out at night. Any light, even the light of a candle, is painful. How can he lead this kind of life? Where does he find the innocence so vital to his survival - the sadness is certainly easy enough to find? What happens when he runs out of darkness and sadness? He must move on. But love isn't going to be left behind so easily, after all he's going to be a father.
ARTHUR
What would life be like if the customs and traditions of Camelot and King Arthur stayed the same into the twentieth century? King Uther sends a patrol of mec-knights out to test the strength of the barbarians outside the wall. His son, Jake and his unit happen to be the next patrol on the roster, but things go badly and the king denies reinforcements. Jake doesn't want to be the last survivor, but he is forced to heal, and the magic takes a terrible toll. When awakened, he makes it out of the hospital, out of the high city, and nearly to the wall before he runs out of energy, little that he had. His subconscious wants to live, but the only way that can happen is if he forgets all the sorrow and disappointment. Jake becomes Arthur, oblivious to his past, he starts his life as a peasant and house champion. He buys a building, and with his winnings he fixes it up and begins to carve a name for himself as an owner of a building and a businessman. His life is very different, very happy, until he runs into his past.
SECRETS OF THE MIND
Agent Todd Dunn is captured, and with drugs, the enemy tries to learn his secrets. But he has been trained for this. No secrets, not to anyone, not until he can be sure the person he's talking to is the right person to talk to. But how do you tell if the world you see and the people you talk to is the real thing or a drug-induced figment of your imagination? Follow Todd as he desperately tries to hack his own brain and escape from the nightmare.
SYSTEM NAUTILUS
(Just in case you want to take a trip into outer space) Ride along on the Nautilus. As space travel became more common-place the systems for running the ships became more complex and complex systems took up massive amounts of space. There was one system capable of the task that took up very little space - the brain. Cat brains made an excellent system for a fighter. Dog brains were good for larger ships like freighters. But more complex brains were needed for the larger luxury liners and the massive warships. Chimp brains simply weren't complex enough, and using two or more created problems. The next logical step was, of course, the human brain, but there were volunteers aplenty. Paraplegics and war veterans, the old and the very poor would volunteer in return for wages being sent to family members or at the very least, their own preservation. Systems were rumored to live many times longer than normal. Eventually, volunteers weren't enough so systems were grown. Knowing nothing but the ship they were grown into, they grew and learned as their ship was built. System Nautilus was one such system, and he was happy with his existence, but then one day he met a girl. And then his ship was struck by an asteroid. The girl saved his life, but what was life without his ship?
I've started going through some of my shorter stories. I'm thinking of getting them into eBooks one of these days - maybe not this summer - I go back to work Sunday and my days are fairly full until September. Maybe I'll get one or two out there - we'll see. Here's a sample. Tell me what you think. Would you buy them? What would you like to read?
THE FORCES OF DARKNESS
This is a tale about a young man doomed to feed on the sin and sadness in the people around him, but to survive the darkness, he needs purity and innocence too. And to complicate things, he can only go out at night. Any light, even the light of a candle, is painful. How can he lead this kind of life? Where does he find the innocence so vital to his survival - the sadness is certainly easy enough to find? What happens when he runs out of darkness and sadness? He must move on. But love isn't going to be left behind so easily, after all he's going to be a father.
ARTHUR
What would life be like if the customs and traditions of Camelot and King Arthur stayed the same into the twentieth century? King Uther sends a patrol of mec-knights out to test the strength of the barbarians outside the wall. His son, Jake and his unit happen to be the next patrol on the roster, but things go badly and the king denies reinforcements. Jake doesn't want to be the last survivor, but he is forced to heal, and the magic takes a terrible toll. When awakened, he makes it out of the hospital, out of the high city, and nearly to the wall before he runs out of energy, little that he had. His subconscious wants to live, but the only way that can happen is if he forgets all the sorrow and disappointment. Jake becomes Arthur, oblivious to his past, he starts his life as a peasant and house champion. He buys a building, and with his winnings he fixes it up and begins to carve a name for himself as an owner of a building and a businessman. His life is very different, very happy, until he runs into his past.
SECRETS OF THE MIND
Agent Todd Dunn is captured, and with drugs, the enemy tries to learn his secrets. But he has been trained for this. No secrets, not to anyone, not until he can be sure the person he's talking to is the right person to talk to. But how do you tell if the world you see and the people you talk to is the real thing or a drug-induced figment of your imagination? Follow Todd as he desperately tries to hack his own brain and escape from the nightmare.
SYSTEM NAUTILUS
(Just in case you want to take a trip into outer space) Ride along on the Nautilus. As space travel became more common-place the systems for running the ships became more complex and complex systems took up massive amounts of space. There was one system capable of the task that took up very little space - the brain. Cat brains made an excellent system for a fighter. Dog brains were good for larger ships like freighters. But more complex brains were needed for the larger luxury liners and the massive warships. Chimp brains simply weren't complex enough, and using two or more created problems. The next logical step was, of course, the human brain, but there were volunteers aplenty. Paraplegics and war veterans, the old and the very poor would volunteer in return for wages being sent to family members or at the very least, their own preservation. Systems were rumored to live many times longer than normal. Eventually, volunteers weren't enough so systems were grown. Knowing nothing but the ship they were grown into, they grew and learned as their ship was built. System Nautilus was one such system, and he was happy with his existence, but then one day he met a girl. And then his ship was struck by an asteroid. The girl saved his life, but what was life without his ship?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)