Gail’s Comments (group member since Oct 22, 2012)

Gail’s comments from the Q&A with Gail Z. Martin Oct. 24 - 31 group.

It will be interesting to watch the ebook pricing issue work its way out. I don't think traditional publishers have really changed their business model sufficiently to rethink how they earn their money with the new technology.

On the other hand, it's going to be rough if what happened in music happens in publishing. It used to be that bands toured to promote an album, and the album made them money.

Now, bands release an album to promote a tour, and they make money from the tour tickets and merchandise.

That works great for music, but who wants to go to the Lollapalloza Author Tour and watch us write?

J.M. wrote: "And really, regarding my post above, in today's market where anyone can publish independently, even a halfway decent cover with decent typography will still keep a book in the running for my dollar..."

That makes sense, but does it keep you from buying books from the major traditional publishers? Just wondering, in the wake of the Apple e-books lawsuit (in which my publisher Hachette/Orbit was one of the first to settle).

The whole thing was over how to price ebooks and how to pay publishers/authors. Part of that centered on whether to create common pricing at about $9.99 for major publisher releases (much like nearly all paperbacks are $7.99) or to have a wider variation.

Just curious about your thoughts!

J.M. wrote: "A cool cover does have some impact on my purchasing choice, but it's what's inside that counts. That said, a bad cover absolutely kills a book. This includes typography; even if it's a stellar piec..."

Great point--and I know several authors who believe a good book was killed by a bad cover. Of course, as traditionally published authors, we get no say in the cover!

Hi folks

Thanks for joining in the discussion during my Days of the Dead blog tour. You can find more Q&A, interviews and guest blog posts as well as 26 different free excerpts --details on my www.AscendantKingdoms.com site.

If you want to keep this thread going, I'll be glad to participate.

A little later in November, I'll be starting a topic in honor of NaNoWriMo. Hope to see you there!

Gail

J.M. wrote: "I often go by word-of-mouth, but I also frequent Goodreads. I tend to check out books that score high marks there, then I'll head over to Amazon, check out how many stars and reviews a book has, an..."

That's interesting. Do you ever just take a chance on something that catches your eye with a cool cover, good price or snappy description?

I do think that it's interesting to see the influx of Middle Eastern/Indian/Chinese and other cultures in what traditionally was focused on Western Europe. Definitely also invites a broader audience!

We talk about this in my Thrifty Author Meetup group on the divide between "pantser and plotter" meaning seat of the pants vs. outline. And most of us decided we did both, depending on the situation.

Betty wrote: "I suffer from periodic attacks of lack of confidence, which most people call "writer's block." I agree with Gail that writing fanfic can help. I was blocked on my work in progress this summer and s..."

I play the same game in my mind, and find that once the imagination starts moving, it's easier to transfer it back over to your own stuff.

Betty wrote: "I tend to go to online resources only if I already have a title in mind. This makes me nervous about how to market my own books as ebooks."

I think that's a hazard of the online bookshop. Amazon can suggest all the "people who bought that also bought this" titles, but it's not quite the same as meandering down an aisle and picking up a book to look at.

So then the issue becomes--how can you get people to hear about you and your book so that they have a title in mind when they go online--your title!

I did a comment for a blog recently on why I still write about heroes. But antiheroes--or at least, characters who aren't clearly hero or villain--are very popular. So what's your preference in what you read and write and why?

A little of both. I find it helpful to do an outline (and my publisher requires it!), but it's not surprising to deviate from that outline as the story evolves. The outline is often rather vague, since I usually am clear on the beginning, middle and end of a book and a little wobbly on how to get between those parts when I begin. if I get stuck, I will outline the next chapter or two in detail to get going again.

Amanda wrote: "Gail wrote: "Amanda wrote: "Procrastination is my mortal enemy. I would love to write, but I keep getting distracted by music, work, and my own general thoughts. I also write a lot of video game no..."

Fanfic can be a great way to practice writing and gain confidence. I started writing fanfic in junior high, and it's where I learned that I could entertain people. The point is to keep at it!

Lucinda wrote: "I favor the fantasy genre above all others for the reason that it sparks ones imagination, thus opening our minds to all the extraordinary and remarkable things that are accepted in a fantasy world..."

Thank you! You really said it all!

Amanda wrote: "Procrastination is my mortal enemy. I would love to write, but I keep getting distracted by music, work, and my own general thoughts. I also write a lot of video game novels, and that is also a bad..."

Coming up with a complete storyline doesn't sound like a problem for you--you sound like you have a lot of imagination.

Are your video game novels for the game publishers or fan fic? Either way, I agree they're good practice.

Can you schedule "distraction breaks" when you write--maybe ten minutes every half hour or 45 minutes so that you get the reward of some time off, but you can maintain your focus in bursts? When my mind wanders a lot, that helps me stay on task.

What makes you fall in love with a fantasy book and an author's world? And what makes you grind your teeth? Let's talk about world building, characters, action, monsters, cliches and covers--and anything else that matters when you're reading fantasy!

Trevor wrote: "I don't do impulse buys. That's for cons and libraries. I just received a Kindle in July as a gift. All my buys so far have been by site recommendations, authors tweeting and retweeting about them..."

My point is that when I do an in-store signing (something else you can't do on Amazon), most of the time the people who buy didn't come to see me--they walked in and met me and made an impulse purchase. For authors, that is harder to achieve in a completely online environment.

Lucinda wrote: "Gail wrote: "Lucinda wrote: "Unless I know that I am going to buy something specific on a website like Amazon for example that is perhaps cheaper than from a bookshop, I do not tend to buy books fr..."

That's a real issue for authors as we (sadly) move into a world with fewer real bookstores. Not only do you lose the effectiveness of store window displays, stand-up displays and end caps, as well as the "shelf talkers" you describe, but you also lose the input from friendly, book-loving employees who can make knowledgeable suggestions.

And, as any reader knows, a lot of books are impulse purchases that begin with picking up something that "looks interesting" and then deciding to take it home with you (unplanned).

It's very difficult for an author to come up with marketing that effecitively makes up for all those changes (and most publishers leave 99% of the consumer marketing up to the author except for the top bestsellers).

Lucinda wrote: "Gail wrote: "Lucinda wrote: "Daily tasks such as houswork, dogs, spending time with family can at times limit the amount of time when i write. If i am doing something that needs to be done by the t..."

Good for you! I want to hear how it goes!

Lucinda wrote: "Unless I know that I am going to buy something specific on a website like Amazon for example that is perhaps cheaper than from a bookshop, I do not tend to buy books from online sites at all. The m..."

That makes sense. One of the issues I've heard other authors worry about is that the experience of browsing bookshelves is so different between a real store and online--harder to just happen upon a new author online--or so many authors fear.

In a bricks-and-morter bookstore, you can wander the aisles, pick up books with great covers, read the back, skim the middle, maybe even sit down in a chair or on the floor in the aisle and read a chapter or two. it was a great way to discover new authors, books and series.

How do you make your selections on an online bookseller when you can't handle the merchandise? What makes you choose one book over another when you aren't looking for a particular book or author? Do you ever take a chance on a new book, or just go looking for something you already know you want?