Marjory Kaptanoglu's Blog

How not to pay an author

There's a lot of buzz in the author community regarding Amazon/Audible’s relatively new practice of encouraging listeners to exchange audiobooks for no charge up to a full year after purchase. This is even possible for someone who has listened to the entire book.

Here’s the catch: when an audiobook is returned (or “exchanged”) on Audible.com, the author does not receive any royalty for the book. Audible’s policy of unquestioned returns means their customers can read entire books without the author receiving any compensation.

Authors have no objection to customers listening to 10 or 20% of the book to sample it, and then returning it if it’s not to their taste. Nor would we object to Amazon absorbing the loss if they want to allow unlimited returns.

Also notable is that Amazon/Audible has hidden this data on returns from authors/publishers. There is no report that shows it. Until recently, authors had no idea that Audible was essentially giving away their work for free.

Narrators too

It is even more egregious that some indie authors who produced their audiobooks through Amazon’s platform, ACX, are stuck in 7-year exclusivity agreements and can’t take their work out of Audible or bring it to any other platforms. These authors have royalty share agreements with their narrators, which means that narrators are also shafted when fully-read books are not generating any royalty.

For more information…

This excellent blog post goes into this and related issues in much greater detail.

Publishing wide

My own books are published “wide,” meaning they are not exclusive to Amazon (with the current exception of two ebooks that I am taking wide in December 2020). You can purchase my ebooks and audiobooks at most any retailer where these products are offered, including Apple Books, Google Play, Barnes & Noble Nook, and Kobo. Likewise, my paperbacks are available through any bookstore. All you have to do is ask for them .

Three of my audiobooks are currently even offered for free at Apple, Google, etc. But it is my choice to give them away, not Amazon’s.

❤️LIBRARIES❤️

Let me end with this: if you want to get audiobooks and ebooks without paying for them, all you have to do is use your local library. Overdrive, Hoopla, and Biblioteca, for example, all pay royalties to authors for any books borrowed. This way you can get your books free and the author also gets paid. A win/win! If the book you want doesn't appear to be available, just ask your local librarian. They are the nicest people and will bend over backwards to help you.

Thanks for listening!

❤️Marjory

#audiobooks #authors #publishing

The Shawshank Redemption is currently on Netflix and since it’s one of my all-time favorite stories, I spent last evening re-watching it.Because I already knew the plot, I was able to better analyze what story-telling aspects made this such a powerful short novel by Stephen King, and an equally powerful film by Frank Darabont. I made a note of these aspects to remind myself what I ought to be doing every time I write a book. When I finished, I decided to share these notes on my blog in case they’re helpful to anyone. (Possible spoilers below.)1. Find the most dramatic situations to illustrate the plot. When Andy overhears the head prison guard talking about his financial woes, and he gets the idea to offer help in order to get on the guard’s good side, he and his fellow inmates are working on a roof. Misunderstanding Andy, the guard becomes furious at first and threatens to push Andy off the roof. This creates an incredibly tense scene where we’re frightened for Andy’s life. Instead, if this scene had taken place on the ground, the guard might’ve threatened to beat him up, but it would not have grabbed our attention in such a powerful way as the threat of instant death falling from a rooftop.2. Create a powerful theme that is reflected by every aspect of the story. Shawshank’s theme is that no one can truly live without hope. We see this over and over, as hope is the only thing sustaining Andy through all of his travails. Not only this, but also Andy brings hope to others, by playing the opera, by building up the library, by teaching the new young inmate. Andy exemplifies the power of hope. Ideally, you want to have a character who is transformed by the theme, and here it is Red, who like most of the other lifers, has no hope in the beginning of the story but (unlike the others) has gained it by the end. He is effectively contrasted against Brooks, whose inability to gain hope leads to tragedy.3. Use emotional resonance to deepen the story and characters. One of the most powerful moments in the film is when Andy commandeers the warden’s office and broadcasts Mozart’s gorgeous opera, The Marriage of Figaro, to all the inmates. Andy does this for no other reason than his desire to give them a moment of hope, an experience of beauty, music, and joy. Andy receives a terrible punishment for his unselfish act, and we sympathize with him all the more for it. This incident is recalled not long after when Andy literally gives Red the gift of music, in the form of a harmonica. These are only two examples; the story is filled with deep moments of friendship, hope, despair, tragedy, and joy.4. Write quotable lines that resonate with readers long after the story is over. “Get busy livin’ or get busy dyin’.” -Andy“I tell you those voices soared higher and farther than anybody in a gray place dares to dream.” -Red

“Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.” -Andy“Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane.” -Red “I have to remind myself that some birds aren't meant to be caged. Their feathers are just too bright. And when they fly away, the part of you that knows it was a sin to lock them up does rejoice. Still, the place you live in is that much more drab and empty that they're gone.” -RedYes, I know, much easier said than done. Stephen King is a master storyteller and it’s damn near impossible to write something as good as The Shawshank Redemption. But I’ll keep its lessons in mind as I write my next novel. I'll be hoping for the best.

#theshawshankredemption #writingadvice #indienovels

ANNOUNCING...

Gravenwood, the Dreadmarrow Thief sequel, is now available in ebook and paperback formats.

And Dreadmarrow Thief (ebook) is FREE for a limited time.

CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE COPY OF DREADMARROW THIEF

In the hope of providing entertainment to all those who are staying home these days, I’m offering the Dreadmarrow Thief ebook for free for some time—honestly I’m not sure how long—so take it while you can as there is no guarantee it will still be free next week. Follow the link above to get either the epub (ibooks, etc.) or mobi (kindle) version. You will have to sign up for my newsletter but you can drop it any time you wish if it becomes too annoying.

And if you enjoy Dreadmarrow Thief, you can continue on to Gravenwood, book two of the series, now officially published. The ebook is currently only $2.99 and paperback is $12.99. One of these days the ebook price is going to go up, but again, I’m not sure when.

If you already read Dreadmarrow Thief (or it’s not your cup of tea) but you know someone else who might enjoy it, please share the free link with them.

And stay healthy!

Marjory Kaptanoglu

From the Last Girl Standing audiobook review, InD'tale Magazine, November 2019 issue:

“Last Girl Standing” is a creative science fiction, young adult adventure! It is a fresh story in a genre full of recycled tales. Its uniqueness is what makes it stand out and a breath of fresh air.

Ms. Summerville’s performance is one full of energy and life. She brings out the youth and personalities of the characters perfectly.

Read the whole review here:

https://www.indtale.com/reviews/audiobooks/last-girl-standing

#lastgirlstanding #marjorykaptanoglu #shainasummerville #yascifi #audiobooks

The Orange County Register did a nice write-up of the Bedside Reading program at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica, including a photo of Dreadmarrow Thief at poolside with other enticing reads.

https://www.ocregister.com/2019/10/31/playing-it-by-the-book-in-santa-monica-gateway-to-the-fairmont-miramar-hotel-bungalows-reading-program/

#bedsidereading #dreadmarrowthief #funreads #yafantasy #fairmontmiramar #thenine #bethespark #trailblazer

2019 is my year of trying to make the words “Dreadmarrow Thief” synonymous with “Read this book.” Toward this goal, I’ve been experimenting with a variety of marketing/advertising approaches.

Two things happened in the past month that set my heart a-flutter.

One was becoming an Amazon #1 Best Selling Author:

Which got Dreadmarrow Thief rising to #17 on the list of Top 100 Best Sellers in Children’s Literature, and more importantly, sharing a page on Amazon with three Harry Potter books!

The second cool thing was having Dreadmarrow Thief appearing in a re-tweet by Marc Benioff, the CEO of Salesforce, a company that now occupies (owns?) the tallest building in San Francisco. He has one million+ Twitter followers.

Dreadmarrow Thief became a Best Seller thanks to getting a Featured Deal from BookBub. As far as I can tell, no advertiser beats them when it comes to reaching book buyers. These buyers may be cheap, but they love BookBub’s recommendations.

Of course the Best Seller flag disappeared after a few days. But now I can call Dreadmarrow Thief an Amazon #1 Best Seller, and myself, an Amazon #1 Best Selling Author. How much will this aid in my marketing efforts? I haven’t the slightest idea. Not ever having studied marketing, I’ve based my entire method on trial and error.

Dreadmarrow Thief was re-tweeted by Marc Benioff because his book shared a bedside with mine. I signed up with BedsideReading for the month of August, which means they placed my novel at the bedsides of guests at 3 luxury hotels, along with several other cool-sounding books including the one by Marc. (We’re on a first-name basis now that our books have shared an intimate location.)

Here are my books at the hotels where I wish I had been invited for a free stay along with Dreadmarrow Thief.

At the Acqualina Resort in Florida:

Poolside Reading at the Fairmont Miramar in Santa Monica:

At the Dream Inn in Santa Cruz:

Did getting re-tweeted to Marc’s million followers make the name Dreadmarrow Thief stick inside people's heads? Will folks be more inclined to recommend my novel after finding it in their hotel room? Will anyone (other than me and my mom) get excited over my book's fleeting appearance in the Amazon Best Seller rankings? I hope to learn the answers to these questions someday.

In the meantime, if you have any weird marketing ideas, let me know. 2019 is my year of trying everything to make my brand ubiquitous.

#dreadmarrowthief #marjorykaptanoglu #yafiction #fantasynovel #bedsidereading #amazonbestseller

Warning: This blog post has nothing to do with books, film, or any aspect of writing. I am supposed to be working on my novel today but instead an idea came to me for how to disrupt drugstores in the U.S. I only mention the U.S. because I’m not familiar enough with drugstores in other parts of the world to suggest anything for them.

A pet peeve of mine is waiting in drugstores. If your doctor hasn’t called in your prescription and you are bringing it yourself, you must hand it over to the pharmacist and then wait for a minimum of 20 minutes while your prescription is prepared. Other things add on to the time, like waiting in line and waiting for insurance approval.

If your doctor HAS called in your prescription, more often than not they still don’t fill it till you actually show up and ask for it. In any case there will be delays as you wait in line, and then when they use their computer system which doesn’t seem to have been updated since 1980.

So here’s what an enterprising entrepreneur should do: start a new drugstore business that works as follows. The customer sends over a prescription either from the doctor’s office or by scanning the prescription on their phone. The drugstore keeps your credit card info just like Uber or Lyft or Airbnb or any other of the disruptor companies.

The drugstore texts you when the prescription is ready and paid for by their using your credit card on file. You can go to the drive-up window and they simply hand it through to you. If you want to consult with the pharmacist you need to go inside, but that’s up to you. Your prescription will still be ready and paid for.

There could also be a delivery service like Door Dash but that would cost extra.

If you work at a drugstore you’re probably thinking, but we make money from people shopping for other items while they wait. Sure, but you won’t make much money when all those people go to my new speedy drugstore instead of yours. Plus my drugstore will have much less overhead because it doesn't need much space.

I realize you can get drugs mail order, but I don’t think those deliver Same Day, do they? If so, that would work as well. When you have pneumonia you can’t wait another day to get your meds.

So that’s it, I hope someone gets on this right away so I can get back to work on my novel.

#shouldbewriting #marjorykbooks #randomshit

Photo by Tbel Abuseridze on Unsplash

Apparently this happened in 2017 but I only just found out. Anyone can now download images from over 400,000 Open Access (OASC) works of art at the New York Metropolitan Museum. You can use these images for commercial or non-commercial purposes.

This is fantastic. All this beautiful artwork can now be viewed and enjoyed by many more people around the world. I hope all the other museums will soon join The Met in making the part of their collection that’s in the public domain easily downloadable.

I believe it’s the goal of every creator to share their work as widely as possible. However, living creators need to support themselves, which is why it’s important to be able to copyright and protect your work.

But when works leave the public domain, it’s wonderful when ways are found to share these works widely. This is why I also love Project Gutenberg. From their site: “Project Gutenberg offers over 59,000 free eBooks. Choose among free epub and Kindle eBooks, download them or read them online. You will find the world's great literature here, with focus on older works for which U.S. copyright has expired. Thousands of volunteers digitized and diligently proofread the eBooks, for enjoyment and education.” https://www.gutenberg.org/

To start downloading magnificent art from The Met now, follow this link to learn how it works: https://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-m...

A short search led me to this lovely 1878 painting by French artist Jules-Joseph Lefebvre that I’ve never seen before, titled Graziella. If you don't like it, go find your own. Enjoy!

#themet #publicdomain #openaccess #projectgutenberg

Dreadmarrow Thief is participating in SPFBO (Self Published Fantasy Blog Off) this year. This is where a whole bunch of fantasy fiction blogs will be reviewing the submitted books and ultimately deciding on their favorites (https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...). In the meantime, while we wait for their reviews, we have put our ebooks up for sale for only 99 cents. Click on the image above to check out a whole lot of cool-looking fantasy novels.

#fantasyblogs #fantasybooks #indieauthors #99centsale #dreadmarrowthief

Thanks to the efforts of DartFrog Books, Dreadmarrow Thief can now be found in nearly 70 indie bookstores around the U.S. I'm so grateful for their support of indie authors.

Having a local bookstore where you can hang out and browse through books is a wonderful thing. We can't afford to let them disappear. So please, when you can, visit your local store and buy indie. You can also buy indie from the links on my book pages.

Below is the list of indie bookstores that are now stocking Dreadmarrow Thief in the DartFrog Approved display. I think I've gotten them all, but please do let me know if I've missed any or do not have the correct information.

If one of these is near you, I hope you'll drop in to take a look around, whether or not you buy my book. And if your local bookstore is not on this list, you might want to suggest to them that they get on the DartFrog bandwagon. Because why not?

ALABAMA

The Haunted Book Shop, 109 Dauphin St, Mobile, AL 36602 https://thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/

Page and Palette, 32 S Section St, Fairhope, AL 36532 http://www.pageandpalette.com/

ARKANSAS

Nightbird Books, 205 W Dickson St, Fayetteville, AR 72701 http://www.nightbirdbooks.com/

CALIFORNIA

Ink Spell, 500 Purissima St., Half Moon Bay, CA 94019 https://www.inkspellbooks.com/

La Playa Books 1026 Rosecrans St, San Diego, CA 92106 https://www.laplayabooks.com/

CONNECTICUT

Bank Square Books, 53 W Main St, Mystic, CT 06355 https://www.banksquarebooks.com/

FLORIDA

Third House Books, 113 N Main St, Gainesville, FL 32601 https://www.thirdhousebooks.com/

GEORGIA

The Book House 5450 Old Floyd Rd SW Mableton, GA 30126 https://www.facebook.com/TheBookHouse...

The Book Worm Bookstore, 4451 Marietta St, Powder Springs, GA 30127 https://thebookwormonline.com/

E. Shaver, Bookseller | 326 Bull St. Savannah, GA 31401 https://www.eshaverbooks.com/

Gottwals Books 1806 Russell Pkwy #1400, Warner Robins, GA 31088 https://www.gottwalsbooks.com/

Gottwals Books, 311 GA Highway 49 North Suite 190, Byron, GA 31008 https://www.gottwalsbooks.com/

Gottwals Books 909 Carroll St, Perry, GA 31069 https://www.gottwalsbooks.com/

Hiram Bookstore 45 Darby's Crossing Dr, Hiram, GA 30141 http://www.hirambookstore.com/

Story on the Square, 19 Griffin St, McDonough, GA 30253 https://www.storyonthesquare.com/

Underground Books, 102 Alabama St, Carrollton, GA 30117 https://www.undergroundbooks.net/

Walls of Books, 1011 Stonebridge Pkwy STE 105, Watkinsville, GA 30677 https://www.wallsofbooks.net/

Walls of Books, 233 Pottery Factory Dr, Commerce, GA 30529 https://www.wallsofbooks.net/

Walls of Books, 96 Craig St. Ste. 104, East Ellijay, GA 30540

https://www.gottwalsbooks.com/ellijay/

Walls of Books 4508 Armour Rd #5226, Columbus, GA 31904 https://www.wallsofbooks.net/

ILLINOIS

King City Books, 104 N 9th St, Mt Vernon, IL 62864 https://kingcitybooks.com/

Volumes Bookcafe, 1474 N. Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60622 https://www.volumesbooks.com/

Wild Thyme Books, 705 W Main St, Carbondale, IL 62901 @WildThymeBooks on Facebook

INDIANA

The Brain Lair, 714 E Jefferson Blvd, South Bend, IN 46617 https://www.brainlairbooks.com/

Main Street Books, 426 Main Street, Lafayette, IN 47901 https://main-street-books.com/

IOWA

Plot Twist Bookstore 502 N Ankeny Blvd Unit 6, Ankeny, IA 50023 https://www.plottwistbookstore.com/

Walls of Books, 613 N Ankeny Blvd, Ankeny, IA 50023 https://www.wallsofbooks.net/

KANSAS

The Next Chapter Books & Novelties, 2222 W Central Ave, El Dorado, KS 67042 http://www.nextchapterks.com/index.html

Walls of Books, 733 Commercial St, Atchison, KS 66002 https://www.wallsofbooks.net/

LOUISIANA

Blue Cypress Books 8126 Oak St, New Orleans, LA 70118 https://bluecypressbooks.com/

Cavalier House Books, 100 N. Range Ave, Denham Springs, LA 70726 https://www.cavalierhousebooks.com/

The Conundrum, 11917 Ferdinand St, St Francisville, LA, 70775 http://www.conundrumbooks.com/

Tubby & Coo's Mid-City Book Shop 631 N Carrollton Ave, New Orleans, LA 70119 http://tubbyandcoos.com/

MAINE

The Briar Patch, 27 Central St, Bangor, ME 04401 https://squareup.com/store/briarpatch...

Letterpress Books, 91 Auburn St Suite K, Portland, ME 04103 https://www.letterpress-books.com/

MARYLAND

Books with a Past 2465 MD Route 97, Glenwood, MD 21738 https://bookswithapast.com/

Caprichos Books 37 North Main St Suite 102 Bel Air MD 21014 https://caprichosbooks.com/

Fenwick Street Used Books & Music 41655 Fenwick St, Leonardtown, MD 20650 https://fenwick-street-used-books-mus...

Main Street Books, 2 E. Main Street, Frostburg, MD 21532 https://www.facebook.com/Main-Street-...

MICHIGAN

R&B Used Books, 12830 Saginaw Rd # F, Grand Blanc, MI 48439 https://www.randbusedbooks.com/#/

Squirreled Away Books, 22985 W Main St, Armada, MI 48005 http://www.squirreledawaybooks.com/sq...

MINNESOTA

Valley Bookseller 217 Main Street North Stillwater MN 55082 https://www.valleybookseller.com/

NEW HAMPSHIRE

A Freethinker’s Corner, 652 Central Ave suite a, Dover, NH 03820 https://www.freethinkerscorner.com/#/

NEW JERSEY

Sparta Books, 29 Center St, Sparta Township, NJ 07871 https://spartabooks.indielite.org/

NEW YORK

Barner Books, 3 Church St, New Paltz, NY 12561 https://barner-books.business.site/

Battenkill Books 15 E Main St, Cambridge, NY 12816 https://www.battenkillbooks.com/

The Dog Eared Book, 208 E Main St, Palmyra, NY 14522 https://www.thedogearedbook.com/

Off the Beaten Path Bookstore, 28 Chautauqua Ave, Lakewood, NY 14750 https://www.obpbooks.com/#/

NORTH CAROLINA

Adventure Bound Books, 134 N Sterling St, Morganton, NC 28655 https://www.adventureboundbooks.com/

Sassafras on Sutton 108 Sutton Ave, Black Mountain, NC 28711 https://www.sassafrasonsutton.com/

Walls of Books 20920 Torrence Chapel Rd Ste B-6, Cornelius, NC 28031 https://www.wallsofbooks.net/

NORTH DAKOTA

Ferguson Books & More 1720 S Washington St, Grand Forks, ND 58201 https://www.fergusonbooks.com/

Ferguson Books & More 413 E Broadway Ave, Bismarck, ND 58501 https://www.fergusonbooks.com/

OHIO

The Book Rack, 8315 Beechmont Ave, Suite 23, Cincinnati, OH 45255 https://www.cincybookrack.com/

OKLAHOMA

Bliss Books & Bindery 120 E 9th Ave #1, Stillwater, OK 74074 https://www.blissbooksandbindery.com/

OREGON

Arcade Book Exchange, 136 SE 3rd Ave Ste 300, Hillsboro, OR 97123 http://arcadebookexchange.com/

PENNSYLVANIA

Cupboard Maker Books, 157 N Enola Rd (Routes 11/15) Enola, PA 17025 https://www.cupboardmaker.com/

On the Side Books 10 Kennedy St, Bradford, PA 16701 http://www.onthesidebooks.com/on-the-...

Towne Book Center, 220 Plaza Drive #B-3, Collegeville, PA 19426 https://www.townebc.com/

RHODE ISLAND

Savoy Bookshop & Café, 10 Canal St, Westerly, RI 02891 https://www.banksquarebooks.com/

SOUTH CAROLINA

Burry Bookstore, 130 West Carolina Ave. Hartsville, SC 29550 https://www.wheredreamsgrowwings.com/

Fiction Addiction 1175 Woods Crossing Rd. #5, Greenville, SC 29607 https://www.fiction-addiction.com/?pa...

TENNESSEE

Reading Rock Books, 122 N Main St, Dickson, TN 37055 http://www.thereadingrock.com/

VIRGINIA

Book No Further | 112 Market St SE, Roanoke, VA 24011 https://www.booknofurther.com/

Fountain Bookstore, 1312 E. Cary St., Richmond, VA 23219 https://www.fountainbookstore.com/

WISCONSIN

BayShore Books 302 Collins Ave, Oconto, WI 54153 https://bayshorebooksllc.indielite.org/

#dartfrogbooks #dreadmarrowthief #indiebookstores #indieauthors

Photo by Daria Shevtsova on Unsplash