An Amazon Business Plan

27/3/2012

I agree that self-publishing and the Amazon Kindle phenomenon will only last if writer engage a manuscript critique and professional editing before uploading their work… keeping eBooks as readable as traditionally published work. I hope Amazon doesn’t take your advice and start charging a fee. Rather that the writer spend their money wisely on making their book as best as can be.

Good point, spend that money on editing etc! Thanks for your comment Diane x

@LiteratureLou
www.facebook.com/louise.gibney.writer

I generally agree, there should be a continued focus on editing to make sure the market doesn’t get filled with unreadable content.

There are also some interesting new media coming out for self-publishing in the touch-screen tablet world, though, assuming you find your own editor. My friends run http://www.demibooks.com/ which allows people to publish interactive books (especially for kids) with touch-screen functionality, on-screen animation, sounds and embedded videos.

It’s really cool to see how digital books are evolving and certainly makes you think more about the possibilities of self-expression.

Yes, I’ve seen something like that Alicja – for instance, where butterflies fly across the screen on a woodland scene in a kid’s book. Very clever, and a great learning tool!

Not sure I agree — vanity publishing used to thrive, and most of what was published (at great expense to the author) was pretty dire.

People find it difficult to judge their own writing, and once you’ve sweated blood over a novel it’s hard to accept that nobody wants to read it.

I think Amazon would be better to take a fee and use it to run an editorial board that reviewed everything submitted and rejected those that are obvious cash ins.

Or authors need to join forces to create a ‘seal of approval’ for ebooks to show they have been peer reviewed.

First time to your blog and just wanted to say hello.

Hi NP, thanks for stopping by. Keep an eye on the blog, more material coming soon! x

I’m a writer based in South Wales, with an unhealthy obsession with stationery and baking. I mainly blog for my own sanity, but I’m also working on a novel. Still.

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The 21st century phenomenon of ebooks is familiar to readers and writers worldwide. Kindles and the like are selling by the container ship load, and I believe the new and affordable technology has revived a keen sense of reading in many people. I’ve published my first novel ‘Girl Meets Boys’ on Kindle, and it’s selling well. I’m very proud of my first tentative step into e-publishing. The new way to read has ensured that everyone who wants to write can easily publish in some form or another, at no cost to the writer.

I want to argue that this should not be the case. I am not judging to any specifics, and this is not a personal sling at anyone in particular, but I believe that the quality of ebooks would increase if Amazon requested a small amount for the privilege an author has of publishing their books electronically.

Of course, I don’t want to exclude anyone who cannot afford to publish via ebooks due to lack of personal means, but most people who have an internet connection on their laptop have a spare couple of quid to pay for the publishing of their ‘baby’. If they’re serious about getting their book ‘out there’, the author will hopefully have worked incredibly hard on the story, the editing, and the cover, and have priced it accordingly. My argument is that Amazon charging a minimal fee would root out those who are not serious or passionate about writing and publishing their own work. It may well result in better books from more serious writers.

We’ve all heard the line “everyone has a book in them”. Heaven forbid they all let it out. For instance, Suzie Allegra says 81% of Americans say they have a book in them.

We also know not everyone can (or should) write. Perhaps ‘in them’ is where the book should stay. Bad writing tends to breed like rabbits. It’s exponential in the spread of bad grammar, structure and plot, poor imagination and under developed stories and characters.

Now, I know you’re looking at this post, thinking ‘typo!’ or scrutinising my sentence structure, but I am under no illusions. I am not a literary genius, I am no expert in penning a good yarn. I write for the pure pleasure, therapy and creativity of it. I do my best, I use copy editors to tweak my publications, and I am learning more every day. Ebooks are a fantastic outlet, especially for the longer (heavy) and shorter (less popular with publishers) novels and many millions of excellent short stories which are available. I just think a small contribution from the author would make the medium of ebooks a more seriously considered product.

As always, let me know what you think.

Lou x

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