So many authors are putting their work on readers & blogging about the positive sales results. The company that I use for my books, BookLocker (they're fantastic), doesn't work with Kindle (they recently sued Amazon & won) or Smashwords, but they are aligned with Apple's iBooks.
Now the successes are the result of hard work - networking, blog tours, & guest posts, and a whole lotta good writing. Scott Nicholson is in the middle of a 90 day tour (& he's givin' away a Kindle or 2 or 3). He's the author of DRUMMER BOY (which I'm reading now - It's very good), THE RED CHURCH & a half dozen others.
Mike Jastrzebski author of KEY LIME BLUES & STORM KILLER just posted about his experience. Mike's got it tough, living on a boat in the tropics. He blogs with some other cool folks at Write On The Water.
Then there's the current Big Dog Daddy of Kindle sales - Joe Konrath. Might have heard of his Jack Daniels series, & A NEWBIES GUIDE TO PUBLISHING. Joe flashes the stats, but does so in an effort to encourage. He's hosting Scott Nicholson today.
Back to what to do. I don't have the time to invest creating an online presence & have no writerly expertise to share. I write YA, rather than Thrillers, Mysteries or Horror, so there's no great audience pull there. And besides, how many kids will be buying e-readers?
Guess I'll resume polishing RECKLESS ENDEAVOR & return to my perch on that fence.
8 comments:
You may have answered your own question in wondering how many people reading YA use eReaders and especially the more expensive iPads which I gather would be the only option for you at present.
But don't downplay the appeal of what you write. YA is one of the fastest growing markets right now, and what you write is good!
You'd be surprised by the number of adults reading YA these days. I think I'm safe in saying that my book has actually been read by far more adults that kids. Carol is right this is a fast growing market.
I love YA books and I love my Kobo e-reader. I especially like that I can put my WIP on it to see how it looks as a book. This may sound crazy, but I need to read a hardcopy before my eyes pick up certain typos and grammar errors. Since buying my Kobo I've been editing my WIP by first reading it while cozying up with my favourite blankey and cat on my sofa in front of the window that overlooks the lake. I read until I find a mistake, then I bookmark, race over to my desktop Mac, correct the mistake, then return to my blankey. Life is hard, let me tell you!
I'm a hard copy kind of reader.
As for your readership...
"I conceive that the right way to write a story for boys is to write so that it will not only interest boys but strongly interest any man who has ever been a boy. That immensely enlarges the audience." -Mark Twain
...You can add to that audience- adults who have raised boys.
Full speed ahead, Dave. Can hardly wait for the new release.
Ronnie told me about the award. CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!
And you aren't going to the ceremony? Are you nuts?
Celebrate! That's an awesome accomplishment!
Woohoo!
(Sorry to interrupt the thoughtful e-reader conversation. :) )
Geez, really late getting back, sorry, been a rough week & my weekend comes to a conclusion in about an hour (w/ the start of my300 mile drive back to Ft Lauderdale - blech).
Carol - We're definitely going to go iBooks. Kindle is the biggie now, but I think that'll change. Amazon has also been known for not 'playing nice'. Final edits on Reckless. Have hired a comma expert.
Laura - I read some YA myself, some of it's been pretty dull. I've had adult feedback that was pretty awesome, but I still like getting emails from the kids.
Joylene - Agree with you. I have to print hardcopies for reading & editing my own work. I wear out lots of red markers. Too easy to skip over things on a screen. No need for a blanky here - 90s & humid.
Ronnie - Thanks Ronnie. That's one of my favorite Twain quotes. I ran across it a few months ago. He was a genius & a curmudgeon. I'm just a curmudgeon.
Becky - So glad to hear from you. I haven't won the award - just a finalist at this point. After careful debate - & threats from Deb - looks like we'll attend the Saturday FWA session. It's cool to make it to the finals - winning would be a huge shock. Heard there were between 400 & 500 submissions. Did I ever mention that I never buy lottery tickets?
New follower here.
Here's how I see the eReader scene among YAs going... and that is much like the ipod/iphone or any smart phone.
Parents get the technology first... then their kids see it. Their kids bug them relentlessly, and probably two or three years after the product is released (at most) the kids get it.
I think there will be a strong market for YA on ereaders (especially considering that so many YA readers are actually adults)... so it's worthwhile, if not annoying, to invest in an online presence.
I really enjoyed this post :)
Heather - Hope (think) you're right. Hearing that more kids are getting & using ereaders & even schools are allowing them. Bought an iPad last Friday night. Anxious to see how that works (already have a Kindle - which I like fine). Now if I could just remember my iTunes password.....
Welcome aboard - thanks for following. Promise, I'll be posting more regularly soon. You (& others) might be sorry! Hah!
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