Compiled by Patricia Fry for ten years (since 2003). That’s around 120 issues. Find out, what the book reviewer’s opinion is really worth. Why MUST an author have a website? Also, in this issue, how to get exposure for your ebook? Best blog sites for authors, plus 5 new publishers and great resources for freelance writers.
Editorial – The Reviewer’s Opinion—What’s it Worth?
Here’s What’s New – 8 to report, including bookstore openings in CA and NY and the 2014 Writer’s Market
Opportunities for Freelance Writers – Job boards, new mags seeking writers and a list of articles for freelancers appearing in the new Writer’s Market.
Opportunities for Authors – Lists of blogs for authors plus new publishers to consider.
Book Promotion Opportunities – How to get exposure for your ebook. Why authors MUST have their own websites.
Going, Going, Gone – One to report.
Editorial
By Patricia Fry
Most WPN members are authors. Just about half of you write fiction and half write nonfiction. Some of you write both. And then there are a few of who write children’s books. Most of you have your books at Amazon.com. You’ve received reviews and collected stars. Do you ever wonder what those stars mean and how important the reviews actually are?
I find it interesting that one reader may love, love, love your story or your nonfiction self-help book and another can’t find enough BAD things to say about it. I think most of us appreciate honest critique and feedback, but wouldn’t you rather some of those critics say nothing at all? I would.
What we hope for when we offer our book for review is validation—testimonials and statements that will encourage others to purchase and read our books. But most of us—if we’ve collected very many reviews at all—wind up with at least a few thumbs down. There are people who don’t like what we’ve written, don’t agree with our point of view or for whatever reason write a negative review.
How much difference does it make to our bottom line? Do reviews sell books? I’m beginning to think not. I know one author with over one-hundred 5-star reviews and a handful of 1 and 2 star reviews for the same book. Everyone has different tastes in books. The scenes, plot, characters or language that thrills one reader may turn another one off. And reviewers are simply readers who love to read. Each of them has a preference in books and an opinion.
Some reviews come from random readers. Generally when they leave a review at Amazon, it’s because they really loved your book, really hated it, were offended or angered by it or they know the author and want to support his or her work.
What, exactly do those stars mean when it comes to influencing other readers? I don’t think they carry much power, do you? When I glance through some of your Amazon pages, I see dozens and even over 100 stars, but a low ranking. For others, the stars are few and not very flattering, but the ranking is high. Go figure.
Look at the 2012 blockbuster Fifty Shades of Grey. This book has garnered over 20,500 reviews. A little over half of the reviewers gave the book 5 stars. A third of the reviewers gave it one star and nearly 6,000 of them rated it somewhere between 2 and 4 stars. Does the star system make sense in this case? Do you see public opinion emerging within these statistics? No. What you see is a wide range of views.
Another thing I’ve noticed is that the number of 5-star reviews doesn’t necessarily dictate the book’s ranking at Amazon. Some books with fewer reviews and several 1-3-star reviews seem to be selling better than similar books with numbers of 5-star reviews.
Could it be that those with the higher rankings are doing more of the right kind of promotion to get word out about their books? Perhaps they are bypassing the hundreds of reviewers out there and going directly to their readers. Hmmm, that’s a novel idea and one we should all consider.
Here’s What’s New
It is no surprise that fewer magazines are being launched each year. So far this year, there are 36 fewer new launches than last year. However, July seemed to be a good month for magazine launches with 75 new ones. What kinds of magazines are in demand this year? It’s still food, regional and luxury living. There is good news for those of you who write for magazines or use them to promote your books, fewer magazines have closed so far this year than last year.
WallWisher is now Padlet. This is where you can have your own wall and post anything there you want other people to read. http://padlet.com
It’s always good news for authors when a new bookstore opens. Are you familiar with Diesel Bookstore? A fourth Diesel opened in July in MarinCounty. All four stores are in California. The other three are in Oakland, Brentwood and Malibu.
Northshire Books has opened a new store recently in Saratoga Springs, New York. This is the second for the independent bookseller. The first was opened in Vermont in 1976.
Granada Bookstore opened in Santa Barbara, CA this year on State Street. They seem to be actively supporting local authors. If you want to sell your books through bookstores, you’d better support those in your community.
There’s a new print newspaper in Long Beach, CA. And this is unusual in a time when newspapers seem to be closing or going online.
The 2014 Writer’s Market is out. While there are some great articles in the front pages (see below), and while there are around 20 new publishers listed, I found just 1—yes, 1—new magazine listed among the 800-plus consumer magazines and 300 and some trade journals. But that’s still listings for around 1,000 magazines and all of them paying markets.
Opportunities for Freelance Writers
Wherever is a new magazine related to travel literature, culture and politics. And they pay for material. Submission guidelines at their website. http://wherevermag.com
Thrillist Travel is a new website for men and it looks like the editors welcome freelance material for their travel sections from people who have lived in the destinations featured. It doesn’t appear that they are a paying market, but from the sense of humor I detected at their website, they’re probably fun to work with. http://www.thrillist.com
Here are a few articles of interest to freelance article writers and those who submit stories for publication. You’ll find them in the print edition of the 2014 Writer’s Market. “How to Find Success in the Magazine World,” by Kerrie Flanagan; “Finding Freelance Opportunities Online,” by Carol Tice; “Reprints and Reslants,” by Sue Bradford Edwards and “The Writing Entrepreneur,” by J.M Lacey
Here are a few job sites for freelance writers. Inclusion in this newsletter does not imply our approval. It is up to the individual WPN member to check out the site or company before getting involved:
http://www.freedomwithwriting.com/?source=adcenter&cid=freelancewriter
http://www.indeed.com/jobs (type in “writer”)
http://www.personforce.com/jobs/tags/writer+editor
http://wmfreelancewritersconnection.jobamatic.com/a/jbb/find-jobs
If you are a serious freelance writer who is looking for work and you haven’t found any this year, you probably aren’t reading this enewsletter regularly. We often post job sites where you can go to find work. If this is your first peek at the Market Update, be sure to study our archives. You’ll find thousands of job possibilities.
Opportunities for Authors
Polis Books is a new ebook publisher of crime (Vice, is the imprint), science fiction and fantasy (Elysium) and romance (Crave). Learn more at http://www.polisbooks.com. The new publisher, Jason Pinter, says he will be focusing on previously unpublished works. While he will start out publishing only ebooks, he plans to add a print element down the road. He’d also like to publish YA and nonfiction in the future.
Here’s an interesting website for authors. http://augustwainwright.com. For a list of 50 of the best sites for indie and self-published authors, go to: http://augustwainwright.com/the-indie-50-the-50-best-sites-for-indie-and-self-published-authors
For a list of top ranked publishing blogs, go to: http://www.invesp.com/blog-rank/Publishing
For a list of 52 blogs for self-publishers http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2010/11/52-great-blogs-for-self-publishers (Includes Patricia Fry’s Publishing News at http://www.matilijapress.com/publishingblog)
Here are a few additional blogs you might find helpful: http://wiseinkblog.com
http://publishingtrends.com
I’d like to introduce a few new publisher listings I found in the 2014 edition of Writer’s Market. Most of them are actually new—having established their companies within the last four years. All are new to this edition of the Writer’s Market.
- Arch St. Press publishes only nonfiction and they have a long list of over 30 topics, including memoirs, spiritual topics, language, law and nature. They pay 20% royalties. http://www.archst.press.org.
- R.C. Linnell Publishing accepts both fiction and nonfiction on many topics. If you have a complete manuscript for the young adult audience or maybe a science fiction, short story collection, fantasy, gay, religious, romance, New Age or travel book, you’re invited to just send it along to Cheri Powell at http://www.linnellpublishing.com
- Lucky Marble Books was established last year. They publish just fiction. Guidelines are available at their site. http://www.luckymarblebooks.com
- Ring of Fire is another publisher of fiction, including western, science fiction, short story collections, mysteries, occult, romance, horror and more. Visit the website to learn more. http://www.ringoffirebooks.com.
- Same Old Story Productions was established in 2012. They admit to being a self-publishing/subsidy publisher and they produce 12 to 24 titles per year. All of their books are from unagented writers and most are first-time authors. They publish both nonfiction and fiction. May be worth checking out: http://www.sameoldstory.net.
Book Promotion Opportunities
If you’re looking for good exposure for your ebook, consider one of these blogs. Some of them feature ebooks at their sites free, some charge a fee.
Kindle Nation http://kindlenationdaily.com
Inspired Reads http://www.inspiredreads.com,
Good Reads http://www.goodreads.com
IndieReader http://indiereader.com/author-promotional-opportunities.
Eldon Sarte reviews books at http://wordpreneur.com
Why Authors MUST Have Their Own Websites
I read a brief note that Eldon Sarte wrote in Freelance Writer’s Report. He said that he wants to feature good authors at his website, but he has trouble getting in touch with some of them. Why? Because they don’t have websites. This is something I’ve nagged authors about for years. It is so frustrating for someone like Eldon or me, when we want to contact an author for an interview, book review, or another promotional opportunity and we can’t find a way to reach them. But it is even more of a problem for the author. Please, if you have a book and you hope to get exposure, you really must make yourself visible. Build a website. I don’t care if your publisher has a website, if your self-publishing company features your book at their site, if your book is at Amazon.com and other online and downtown bookstores. Nor do I care if you have a Facebook page, are on LinkedIn… You must have a website with an obvious “contact” button. If you don’t have a website where people can easily find you, you may be missing out on opportunities and sales!
Going, Going, Gone
Maryland Life has closed.