One Plague in the Small Pub Industry VS. So Many Cures

Mandy DeGeit's publishing horror story has begun to go viral.  Her blog detailing the unprofessional behavior of Undead Press editor Anthony Giangregorio has been liked, tweeted, and linked all over.  Other authors and industry professionals are writing their own pieces on Ms. DeGeit's experience, and it has even reached the point that heavyweights like Brian Keene and Neil Gaiman have chimed in.

You can read the original post here... http://mandydegeit.wordpress.com/2012/05/14/when-publishing-goes-wrong-starring-undead-press

Don't get me wrong - I agree that Mr. Giangregorio represents the absolute worst that the indie press has the offer.  However, I hardly feel he is a proper example for the whole.  The deplorable actions of one man should not define an entire group.

I was troubled by the post written by Kelli Owen found here... http://kellidunlap.com/?p=3345

It seems to indicate by the very virtue of possibly being POD (Print On Demand), that any legitamacy this individual or group has is instantly rendered invalid.  She does not specifically state that Small Press or Indie Press is inherently "bad," but that is the feeling you are left with.  I should also point out, this is not to say that Small Press all use POD as a means to create physical books.  That is definitely not the case, especially as ebooks begin to take up a vast majority sales share.  However, the derision I often see focused on POD books is quite similar to what I've noticed others in the industry recently give to those authors who have chosen Amazon's KDP modle for e-books.

The industry is changing rapidly.  It's different than it was six months ago, and it will be different six months from now.  In this evolving time, there will be those like Mr. Giangregorio who will seek to take advantage of young authors.  There will be young authors who blunder through their first few years, making mistakes and trying out the new technology.  There will be bitter veterans who cling to tradition out of fear of becoming irrelevant.  There will be new literary heroes and leaders for the 21st century, those opposite of Mr. Giangregorio who still represent the evolution of the industry.

And... we'll still have awesome, respectable Small and Indie Press outfits.  If you take anything away from this post, please let it be the knowledge that many wonderful, talented authors are producing amazing works for companies you may have never heard of.  If Anthony Giangregorio and his Undead Press represents a plague in the Small Press, all these creative individuals are obviously the cure.

http://www.permutedpress.com/

http://darkcontinents.com/

http://www.darkregions.com/

http://www.uninvitedbooks.com/

http://www.badmoonbooks.com/

http://cuttingblock.net/

http://www.abaddonbooks.com/

http://spectralpress.wordpress.com/

http://www.darkfuse.com/delirium-books

http://chizinepub.com/

http://www.creepinghemlock.com/

http://grindhousepress.com/

http://www.rawdogscreaming.com/

http://deaditepress.com/

http://www.subterraneanpress.com/

http://eraserheadpress.com/

http://www.nightshadebooks.com/

http://www.darkredpress.com/

Smashwords: a necessary bane to indie writers?

I don't think it's possible to calculate how many times I've screamed at the computer screen while working at the site Smashwords.  An independent e-publishing site that allows authors to sell their books in all available formats, the concept seems wonderful.  Unfortunately, it appears, someone has somewhere dropped the ball.

I have tons of e-books.  I have the Kindle App that runs .mobi files as well as the wonderful program called Calibre.  Calibre works with any e-book formats (mobi, epub, lit, pdf, etc) along with allowing you to alter the metadata, change cover art, switch formats, and manipulate the way you store your library.  So yes, I know I how e-books look in various formats and bring that eye to my own.  And trust me, not everyone has great looking products.  Strangely enough, I've found it has nothing to do with money - big house publishers are just as likely to screw it up as amateurs.

Amazon Kindle will let anyone upload anything to their severs.  I can see why some crotchety old traditionalists get riled up over this.  It wasn't until recently that Amazon thought to offer formatting tips, and I'll admit that my first two books had a number of errors when I uploaded them.  The thing is, unless you're a superstar, an "A-list Author," you shouldn't be charging a whole hell of a lot for an e-book and guess what - nobody really cares how the chapters headings are formated on their screen.  They bought your $1.99 e-book for cheap entertainment, and while I'll be the first to demand a certain amount of quality control (and pride in your work), there's no need to agonize over font choice display.

Like Smashwords seems to.

A handful of times now, I've almost walked away from the site.  However, I stick around primarily for two reasons.  #1 - Smashwords is truly international, unlike Amazon with their various ".dot" endings.  I've found that folks in other country ocassional can't get my work, especially those in Australia.  Why I have so many fans in Australia, I have no idea, but I want them to have access to my crap books.  #2 - I can put whatever I want on Smashwords for free.  Some magical spell allows you to do the same at Amazon, but I haven't discovered it yet.  I have a simple formula for a D-list Author such as myself - full e-books are $2.99, e-novella are $0.99, and short story are free. 

Out of the nine works I have on Smashwords, ony one has been accepted into their Premium Catalog.  I have no idea what I did differently with that one as opposed to all the others.  They like to remain somewhat vague on the reasons, but everyone who has worked with Smashwords will recognize the response of...

• This book requires modification prior to inclusion in Smashwords' premium catalog.
• This book has failed EpubCheck. 100% EpubCheck compliance is required by Apple. Click to our EpubCheck Help page to learn how to fix.

I've been an Apple guy for over a decade, but WOW, does this piss me off.  Does anyone even buy e-books from Apple?  Where?  The damn iTunes store?  Sorry, I got sick of updating it every three days.  And your "Help Page" is worthless.

People buy e-books because they don't take up any room, they're cheap (usually), and they can read them on their phones or when they're supposed to be working.  Sure, there should be guidelines for how these things are set up, but nobody is going to win awards for Digital Excellence.  Borders has shut down, Dorchester Press has gone under, the old world of publishing is slowly but surely dying.  Instead of trying to cram the old rules onto the the new world, let's make up some new ones. 

I mean, we see how well it's working out over in the music industry...

Scott Nicholson signs book deal with Amazon

Indie-Horror sensation Scott Nicholson talks about how Amazon has "already helped me fulfill my dream of writing full time as a career, and this relationship will open up plenty more opportunities and freedom in the years ahead." 

Congratulations, Scott!  All the best to you!

http://hauntedcomputer.blogspot.com/2011/08/nicholson-signs-book-deal-with-amazon.html

Author Jessica Verday walks away from Publishing Bigots

Thanks to author Rick R. Reed (a GLBT & Horror author from my own hometown) I came across this tonight, and I had to share.  It seems New York Times bestselling author Jessica Verday was told the short story she submitted for the WICKED PRETTY THINGS anthology was "not acceptable" to the publishers (US: Running Press, UK: Constable & Robinson) because it involved two young males in a romantic relationship.  Her response?  Read her blog by following the link bellow...

http://jessicaverday.blogspot.com/2011/03/being-gay-is-okay.html

While I am violently opposed to bigotry in any form - racism, homophobia, sexism, etc. - I also view this as a direct example of why the old school publishing industry needs to simply die.  Once again we see how business-minded mangement drones who care for nothing more than financial returns are allowed to wield control over artists.  It's terrible that Verday was put in a position that she even had to choose her integrity over a paycheck. 

Regardless, I believe Ms. Verday should be supported and appreciated for the stance she took.  As far as I'm concerned, this makes her a publishing hero.