codemer Posted May 7, 2009 Report Share Posted May 7, 2009 Anyone who regularly follows the forums knows that I rarely read paper books any more. With the new digital medium, publishers are struggling to remain relevant. I read in the Times of London that some publishers are pushing into the online realm. In particular, Authonomy (http://www.authonomy.com/) looked interesting to me. There are any number of sites that will gladly take your money to publish for you, but I don't think that model makes sense, and I haven't heard of anyone becoming a success paying to publish their own work. Social sites like Authonomy look like a better alternative, but time will tell. I am interested in hearing what other people are trying to do to get published these days. Are you looking at alternative online publishing sources? IF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve E Posted May 8, 2009 Report Share Posted May 8, 2009 ...In particular, Authonomy (http://www.authonomy.com/) looked interesting to me... CreateSpace looks interesting to me. (Even if it does have a $39/yr per book setup fee.) They distribute/advertise through Amazon (where I buy most of my books these days) and, via Amazon, Kindle. (Did you see the new Kindle DX?) Personally, I don't think it's a bad deal for beginning writers. Not as good as having an international publisher slip you six figures for your first effort but, face it, that's rare. Anyone else find anything that looks "interesting"? -Thoth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emoKid Posted May 8, 2009 Report Share Posted May 8, 2009 There's also Lulu and Blurb. Lulu and Blurb seem to offer more feature choices (like hard cover and stuff) than CreateSpace. Although, I think create space might be a better place to start since it is done by amazon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codemer Posted May 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2009 There's also Lulu and Blurb. Lulu and Blurb seem to offer more feature choices (like hard cover and stuff) than CreateSpace. Although, I think create space might be a better place to start since it is done by amazon. What leaves me unsure about the self-publish services is the "promotion" part. It costs money to advertise a book and push it into book stores. Even if you can sell your book on Amazon, you are not likely to make the featured books list. Authonomy interests me because they basically crowd-source the task of filtering new authors and books. The publisher that sponsors the site can then pick up the authors and books that are voted up by other users. The other thing I like? It's free. I am already investing a great amount of time and energy to write my book. It seems only fair that the publisher covers the rest. Is the Authonomy approach unique? Are no other publishers looking to crowd-sourcing to find new hits? IF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve E Posted May 8, 2009 Report Share Posted May 8, 2009 Just how big is this Authonomy crowd? (The Storyist Forum hit 218 but how many of those are regular readers, let alone regular posters.) True, you are not likely to make the Amazon featured-books list if you're a newbie. But with the right set of keywords you'll still show up in the searches of people who are looking for what you're selling. Authonomy's price (i.e., free) is attractive but you get what you pay for (if you're lucky). Have they had any best sellers? Medium sellers? Folks passing by to browse? Just how effective is Authonomy? Basic questions, man. -Thoth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codemer Posted May 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2009 Authonomy's price (i.e., free) is attractive but you get what you pay for (if you're lucky). Have they had any best sellers? Medium sellers? Folks passing by to browse? Just how effective is Authonomy? Basic questions, man. I've been reading reviews of the site. It has been around for about a year and a half, it looks like. They have book IDs over 6100. No idea how many users, but it would take a few to add that many books. I think the power of this site is publicity and feedback. Some articles said agents regularly peruse the site, and may independently contact authors. There is a social networking aspect which has been compared to a popularity contest. I find the peer review aspect attractive, though. If you are having trouble finding people to review your manuscript, this may be for you. IF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marguerite Posted May 8, 2009 Report Share Posted May 8, 2009 I've been reading reviews of the site. It has been around for about a year and a half, it looks like. They have book IDs over 6100. No idea how many users, but it would take a few to add that many books. I think the power of this site is publicity and feedback. Some articles said agents regularly peruse the site, and may independently contact authors. There is a social networking aspect which has been compared to a popularity contest. I find the peer review aspect attractive, though. If you are having trouble finding people to review your manuscript, this may be for you. IF Thanks for the link, Isaac. The Authonomy site looks pretty interesting. (It's run by HarperCollins and is explicitly designed to identify new, publishable authors via a kind of controlled word of mouth, guys, so it's not exactly the same as the self-publishing sites.) It's currently in beta, so who knows where it will end up. I plan to explore it a bit before deciding whether to join. I do think e-books are the wave of the future, as soon as someone (Apple?) figures out a delivery method that beats the current paperback format. I know this has been predicted for ages, but the technology just hasn't been there. After all, five years ago, "everyone" knew that an online music store could never work, right? Best, Marguerite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve E Posted May 8, 2009 Report Share Posted May 8, 2009 Sorry I forgot to thank Isaac for the link. It is a good find, Isaac. Thanks. M, that's good info about Authonomy. The HarperCollins connection is encouraging. I hope it makes it out of Beta. In the meantime, I/we would like to know your ultimate decision about joining. Lastly: Remember in the late-70's when they started talking about the paperless office? Even with recycling we use more paper now than ever. Let's hope a good e-book isn't so far off. (Kindle is good but generally too expensive to replace the paperback book or newspaper.) -Thoth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marguerite Posted May 10, 2009 Report Share Posted May 10, 2009 M, that's good info about Authonomy. The HarperCollins connection is encouraging. I hope it makes it out of Beta. In the meantime, I/we would like to know your ultimate decision about joining. -Thoth. I did register (my screen name is C.P. Lesley, which is the pseudonym I use for fiction). I haven't uploaded any work yet or defined my profile beyond screen name and website address, which is already on my profile here. I'd like to monitor the comments people are receiving—especially the comments they receive from the HarperCollins staff, which some authors choose to display—and compare them with the texts before I post anything of my own. This is in part because of the format of the site (you can upload new versions as you go, but you will only get reviewed by the publishers once—unless you delete your old manuscript and upload a dramatically revised version as a new book, in which case you have to start from scratch in building your ratings). If the comments are really helpful, it may be worth posting at least the minimum (10,000 words); otherwise, probably not. But the site is still worth checking out. You can read texts and comments without registering; you just can't vote on your favorite authors or upload anything of your own. it's quite interesting to see what people say (making due allowance for comments that probably come from the author's grandma), and there's a blog with writing hints. On the question of active users, some books are listed on 200+ bookshelves, so there must be a fairly large group of people reading the books (much larger than the dozen or so active Storyists). Best, M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codemer Posted May 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2009 On the question of active users, some books are listed on 200+ bookshelves, so there must be a fairly large group of people reading the books (much larger than the dozen or so active Storyists). The bookshelves are limited to five books per user. This makes me wonder whether anyone has created some bots to vote up their own books. It's always tempting. IF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve E Posted May 10, 2009 Report Share Posted May 10, 2009 The bookshelves are limited to five books per user. This makes me wonder whether anyone has created some bots to vote up their own books. It's always tempting. Good point. I know people who write their own reviews (under aliases) on Barnes & Noble and Amazon. B&N invites the author to do so but praising one's own brilliance is a dubious exercise. Frankenbots! Yikes! (Would they come to my house and build some kitchen shelves if I asked nicely?) -Thoth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emoKid Posted May 10, 2009 Report Share Posted May 10, 2009 Good point. I know people who write their own reviews (under aliases) on Barnes & Noble and Amazon. B&N invites the author to do so but praising one's own brilliance is a dubious exercise. I think it's kindof funny when people do this. It's sad, but when you catch it, it's funny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codemer Posted May 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2009 I think it's kindof funny when people do this. It's sad, but when you catch it, it's funny. Yeah, I prefer just to have my mom write all my reviews. IF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emoKid Posted May 11, 2009 Report Share Posted May 11, 2009 Yeah, I prefer just to have my mom write all my reviews. IF Pretty sure that's where my first reviews are going to come from... My mom, my sister (who is married, different last name!), one of my cousins, some bum I pay $5 on the street... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codemer Posted May 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2009 Pretty sure that's where my first reviews are going to come from... My mom, my sister (who is married, different last name!), one of my cousins, some bum I pay $5 on the street... Why pay a bumb $5? I hear you can get Turkish Ph.D.s for as low as $2/hour. Outsourcing is the way of the future! IF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve E Posted May 12, 2009 Report Share Posted May 12, 2009 Why pay a bumb $5? I hear you can get Turkish Ph.D.s for as low as $2/hour. Outsourcing is the way of the future! Ah. But is the critique in Turkish? Pachalafaka. -Thoth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codemer Posted May 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2009 Ah. But is the critique in Turkish? Pachalafaka. -Thoth Are you kiding? Thay spek better Engrish than yu and mee. IF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve E Posted May 15, 2009 Report Share Posted May 15, 2009 Are you kiding? Thay spek better Engrish than yu and mee. Behter? Den ow vill gwe utterstan 'em? -Tothe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codemer Posted May 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2009 Behter? Den ow vill gwe utterstan 'em? -Tothe But seriously, these social network and review methods of identifying good books don't seem as good as counting the actual sales. IF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve E Posted May 16, 2009 Report Share Posted May 16, 2009 But seriously, these social network and review methods of identifying good books don't seem as good as counting the actual sales. Yes. But remember that "good" doesn't necessarily mean "popular". Many a best seller (whose titles will remain nameless in this posting) tricked me into purchasing what was ultimately a lousy read. Taste in literature (as in everything) is a very personal matter for which there is no accounting (or so the proverb goes). I'd further point out that "these social network and review methods" are often reviewing authors that have little or no chance of building a following otherwise. You can't put the cart before the horse: first you have to be good, then (hopefully) you'll get the sales. Still, sales are metric the big dogs follow. Stupid big dogs. -Thoth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codemer Posted May 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2009 Yes. But remember that "good" doesn't necessarily mean "popular". Many a best seller (whose titles will remain nameless in this posting) tricked me into purchasing what was ultimately a lousy read. Taste in literature (as in everything) is a very personal matter for which there is no accounting (or so the proverb goes). I'd further point out that "these social network and review methods" are often reviewing authors that have little or no chance of building a following otherwise. You can't put the cart before the horse: first you have to be good, then (hopefully) you'll get the sales. Really? I was thinking about just buying some Google adwords to spread the word. IF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve E Posted May 19, 2009 Report Share Posted May 19, 2009 Really? I was thinking about just buying some Google adwords to spread the word. Hmm. That could work too. -Thoth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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