If Ya Can't Beat Em..

...Call 'em names...

Well, I did refrain from namecalling when I first mentioned the overtures I'd received following my ellimination from the ABNA contest. I have to admit that I was cynical about the motives for offering me a POD contract, and perhaps about the motives behind the ABNA contest in general. I mean, what better way to create a potential client base for a fledgling online venture than to provide several thousand unsuccessful candidates, all dressed up to get their work finally published and now nowhere to go...

But I have to admit that, to date, my dealings with CreateSpace, the POD arm of the ABNA contest, have been nothing but satisfactory. The good people at CreateSpace have been responsive, encouraging and professional, and while they've offered me no "magic bullet" to getting published in a traditional format, I'm inevitably being won over by their soft but supportive approach to finally seeing my completed manuscript actively FOR SALE on their site.

The biggest thing that's deciding me, aside from their quick response time, is the fact that to their credit, so far, there has been no high-pressure sales pitch; although they offer a "Professional POD Package" for a fee of $50, they make no big deal of it. It seems quite ok with them if I want to stay with the basic program. Their offer of a free "proof" copy of my MS seems genuine, as is their promise to create a sales page on their website. My draft copy of Author bio and cover blur is up there now, waiting my final approval after checking out the proof copy they tell me is on the way.

I've long believed in, touted, as a matter of fact, as the only logical way to save the planet, that we harness the power of modern communications technology to eliminate the incredible waste inherent in manufacturing items "on spec", many, most perhaps, of which languish in showroom,s or almost as bad, end up in remainders sales and second-hand stores where the original creators reap no benefits from their sales. Why not develop the capability to produce, on demand, and to the customer's specifications, whatever gizmo, widget or complex machine the customers desires?

The same logic holds true for books. The convergence of POD and Amazon's ability to exploit the "long-tail" of consumer demands is coming into its own - and my book is moving a step closer to being available at CreateSpace as a Print-on-Demand title only. If it's any good, the customer reviews and vast customer outreach potential of the web and Amazon will ensure that it actually becomes a legitimate in-demand publication. If it's basically wasted words, then it probably makes sense for it to simply fade away into POD Heaven.

Watch for it at CreateSpace. "Mai Shangri-La": a novel of the near future by Robert J. Rubis

on the other hand...

...maybe there is... After reviewing the setup steps laid out to get my "free" galley copy of my ABNA entry, I found that it didn't seem like I could get through the setup to the "Order your Free Copy" without choosing the "Enable" button on the "POD with us?" question.

Finally, after reviewing the setup another three times and not actually getting the "ask" for my credit card number (although the "offer" is there to upgrade to a premium package, which will, it says so right in print, MAXIMIZE my profits on any sales of my book!)

So far, this whole venture hasn't cost me a dime (if you don't count my time, and I don't want to even go there...) I decided to call them on it. So, apparently my book will appear on the virtual shelves of an online (to remain nameless for the moment) POD company at the low, low price (set my me) of $24.99 (of which around $3 will be my cut - turns out they compacted my tome into 380 pages, which saves money on copy costs). In exchange, I'm supposed to get my very own, real (paperback bound) copy of my book, shipped to me in the real mail.

We'll see...

Ain't no Free Lunch, Abigail...

I've finally had a close look at the consolation "offer" I received as one of the 4,000 or so Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award "entrants" that didn't make the cut to become official "Semi-finalists"

At a glance, it looks enticing. "Get a free proof copy of your novel" as an Amazon entrant. "...as well as discounted publishing services ... as a benefit of entering the contest." Then there are the teasers, embedded in the flashy text that comes along with the offer. "Set your own price" "YOU choose how much you want to make on your book". What is there to lose, right?

Well, actually, Abigail, there is, if you do the math on the fine-print that follows just the opening screen. Or at least, there's no pot of gold at the end of the POD rainbow.

"Royalty Summary", it reads. Sounds grand, doesn't it? Then there's the kicker.

"Amount earned on sales = Your list price minus our share (shown below)"
Our Share = Fixed Charge $3.15 / unit PLUS Black and White Printing (or) + $.02 / page*
PLUS Share for sales on E-Store +20% / sale PLUS Share for sales on Amazon.com +30% / sale .

When I add that up, it looks to me that if I set the price for my 600 page blockbuster wanna-be at $30, I'm going to earn exactly - WAIT a minute! At $30 selling price (a bit steep, you might say, for a First Novel by an unknown author), I'm going LOSE 15 Cents on every book I sell...

Such a deal. So, Abigail, I guess it's back to the Editing desk. Let's cut that 600 page white elephant down to a 300 page white rhin0. At that size, I can sell the book for $20 (sounds more reasonable, right?) and make a grand profit of 85 cents on each copy I sell. If I BUY at least 50 copies for friends and relatives, I can get my book for the super-delux deal of $18.00/copy.

Maybe I should concentrate on cutting my SECOND book (it's only 300 pages) down to 200. The, with $20 sale price, I'd make the princely sum of $2.85 on each book sold.

Guess I'd better not quit the Day-Job, Abigail...

Writing with the Door Closed

I became a Dad a few months ago. Although this event was not entirely unanticipated (we had tried for three years), when it did happen, it took me almost completely by surprise. Suddenlly, every routine I had established over a lifetime of childless adulthood was turned on its ear. The first to go, it seemed was the writing regimen I had established only two years ago. Luckily, by the time my son made his appearance, I had my first book (Mai Shangri-La) "in the can", so to speak, and my second book at what I estimated was 70% complete.

So much for good intentions. In the seven months since Jr.'s birth, I have completed the first draft of the second book ("The Wayback Machine"), but the second draft rewrite has languished - and my marketing efforts have pretty much dried up on Mai Shangri-La.

"Too long for a first novel," said one publisher. "Too complicated," said one prospective agent. "The flashback technique isn't compelling," said another. "Not my kind of book," said a third, although I HAD carefully (I thought) researched the market to match potential agents with my genre and writing style.

And so, I find myself now with TWO completed manuscripts, and, at the moment, nothing in the way of a really promising publishing prospect in the works. This begs the question, "Should I launch the new book that's been simmering away on the back burner ever since I was halfway through Mai Shangri-La, or should I concentrate on getting something into print to confirm my belief that make the break into the publishing world will, ultimately be achievable.

I'm not a whiner by nature, but if anyone was ever to read this post who can offer a new, sure-fire suggestion for making that first big break, I"m all ears....