Short & Sweet

Class Action suit filed against Apple and numerous "big 6" NYC publishers for the agency model, over the pricing of e-books, claiming Apple & the pubs are "in voilation of a variety of federal and state antitrust laws, the Sherman Act, the Cartwright Act and the Unfair Competition Act". I was fairly sure it would only be a matter of time . . .why do I sense Amazon's presence lurking behind the scenes? Being it is a "class action" suit anyone who bought e-books for what they consider to be an unfair price are invited to join in. I sense yet another judicial donneybrook looming.

Valiant author Leslie "L.A." Banks succumed to cancer. Her imagination and beautiful smile and soul will be missed.

Washington Post has eliminated their book editor. The book section will remain, WP says. Oh really? We'll believe it when we see it. I'm holding out faint hope that they do - and that the last bastion of book review in newsprint, the NY Times, doesn't follow suit.

Borders has gotten court approval to auction off their intellectual property. Guess you don't need a shopping bag, huh?

Books A Millions has open arms for Borders employees, an upbeat note for all those ladies and gents now scrounging for work.

The bestseller list game is a wild and wooly one. Every list is put together from different sales sources. USA Today has added Costco book sales to their compilation which also includes Amazon, B&N, BAM, as well as Sony Reader Store and Kobo. Since non-traditional book sellers are the new big thing, it will be interesting to see who follows suit, especially with Borders now out of the picture.

For those romance authors who did not attend RWA's 2011 National Conference in NYC, or who didn't sit in on the Spotlight on Avon, Avon spent the entire session focused on their bright and shiny new e-imprint, Avon Impulse. The digital only line has attracted a lot of attention from would-be authors for Avon, one of the largest publishers of romance among the big traditional houses. Be forewarned however, if you submit to Avon, you will either get a response that they are interested - or you'll get nothing. If they are not interested, there isn't going to be a response at all. This smacks of disrespect, in the publishing business, where I'd like to think we are equal partners in the process. Guess I'm alone in that thought. I've heard rumors of another house doing similar, but haven't gotten a confirm on who that might be.

In addition to Carina Press (HQ digital imprint), and Avon Impulse, Ballantine Dell has an e-imprint launching too. Seems like they've got their finger in the wind and are climbing on the e-book wagon.

"The Help" will be the subject of a court hearing next week when they hear the case of the woman who claims she is the model for the maid in the book. This will be an important case both for authors and the film community - since the movie based on the book opened Wednesday to glowing reviews. Will that mean $ in compensation? Will it mean authors need to be more diligent in disguising those characters drawn from real life? We'll wait and see!

What's the hottest genre going? YA paranormal. Can I borrow somebody's teenager? (Don't rush the podium, parents!).

And speaking of RWA - Romance Writers of America for those unfamiliar with the largest non-profit organization for authors and aspiring authors of romance fiction - the jungle drums are beginning to beat from chapter to chapter and loop to loop with grumbling of dissatisfied members. Rising prices for membership, hints of changes of member status and the ongoing debate over the validity of authors' digital publication are apparently particular bones of contention. Some members are opting to give up their membership in National, despite their fondness for local and on-line chapters, because they simply can't see they are getting their money's worth. With luck RWA will address these concerns, particularly the new President stepping up in October.

Oh, and one last thing. If you have been following the market, it's obvious the world is in flux, financial speaking. But while the publishing industry is watching the numbers crawl downwards for every aspect of print, what's not going down? You got it. Digital.

The numbers are in for e-books: 2010 saw $838 million in sales. And that ain't chump change, folks.

And on a personal note, I'm looking forward to attending the NYC Chapter of RWA's Golden Apple Awards in September. The chapter is celebrating its 25th Anniversary this year and at the September 15 event we are honoring: Sherrilyn Kenyon, Lifetime Achievment Winner (and moving National Conference speaker); Author of the Year, Elizabeth Kerry Mahon, author of "Scandalous Women", Editor of the Year Leah Hultenschmidt of Sourcebooks, Publisher of the Year - Grand Central and Agent of the Year Kate Folkers.

2010 Roundup

The year is winding down, it’s time for that annual activity known as “looking back at the year that was while we’re all waiting for the old mirror ball to drop in Times Square” so let’s see what we remember about the year in publishing:

Amazon. Nook. iPad. Kindle. Kindle. Kindle. iPad. Google. Barnes & Noble. Dorchester. Digital. digital, digital. Then there was Riggio vs. Burkle. RWA vs. Harlequin. BEA vs. Tools of Change. Wiley vs. Random House. Rowling vs. Meyer. Salinger vs. Colter. E-book pirates against everyone.

Need a bit more to refresh your memory?

I think it is safe to say the word of the year was “Digital”.

Contrary to the predictions of all and sundry, digital did not begin a slow, steady march toward the expected “10% of sales by 2012”. It put on its boogie shoes and made a mad dash for double digits, leaving folks in a state of shock and awe as month, after month, the e-book sales went through the roof. (as reported by PW, digital showed a 171.3% year-to-date increase in digital sales).

One reason? It was the year of the e-reader wars. Sony was already lagging far behind when the Kindle began really heating things up. Then came the newer Kindle. Then came the Nook. And the iPad. And Kobo. Now the playing field is rife with e-reader gadgets and dozens of apps and while Kindle still reigns supreme, the iPad is nipping at its heels. B&N’s bookstore and sales of its original Nook and now the hot and well-received Nook Color, have been managed beautifully and their strategy is paying off (unlike Borders whose dismal third quarter is raising new speculation that they risk “liquidity issues” [PW, 12/13/10], B&N’s 2010 third quarter sales were up 64.3% over last year, based in great part on sales of the Nooks, the success of their new B&N on-line store and digital book sales). Much-anticipated books like Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol and Ken Follett’s monster Fall of Giants were reported to have sold more in digital copies than hard copies. Other bestsellers did similar business, lending weight to the publishing fears that digital was going to cannibalize print.

From our particular perspective, the recent NY Times article supported what we already knew – that romance has always, and continues, to drive digital sales. Something Ellora’s Cave, Samhain and others could have told NYT! The powerhouse Harlequin has the Carina e-book imprint and the print houses are all on board with simultaneous (or nearly) release of digital formats for all their romance titles, making it not too farfetched to expect similar supremacy, and an even more massive rise in sales for next year.

Several publishing heavyweights have predicted that by 2012 digital will represent 25% of all book sales. No wonder everyone in the industry is scrambling to adjust those business models!

Beyond the issue of sales, comes the other big one-two punch for authors when we’re talking e-books: Changes in contracts regarding the digital format release of books and how it compares to print release, particularly as it pertains to the definition of “out of print”. Agents and publishers are already haggling over how to tweak this definition. It will be a vital issue for authors who are looking to regain rights over titles so that they can utilize the digital format for re-issuing backlist titles. Definitions too favorable to the publishers may mean an author can expect to NEVER see rights to those titles revert. The second sticky wicket as far as authors are concerned is even more contentious: Royalties on e-books. Right now, they are all over the place but generally not favorable to authors. We get 40% from some digital publishers. 25% from print publishers (against an average of 4 or 5% for print format). Arguments that lower production costs to publishers mean they should be paying a higher royalty to authors have so far fallen on (apparently) deaf ears. And the pricing tug of war between sellers like Amazon and publishers, and among publishers themselves over pricing of digital versus print, adds another wrinkle to the problem. As advances shrink, print runs get smaller, shelf-space for midlist titles continues to decrease, and marketing funds are chopped, for authors not in the top tier, might this make digital a more appealing option, if only for the higher royalties available? Except for the bestselling authors who get the full-page print ads and TV interviews, the rest of the pack of authors are out scrambling for ways to market and sell themselves anyway, so the smaller print advances, against higher digital royalties, may well make it a more appealing option.

Beyond the digital news, sadly, the world of books lost some major authors, and, by extension, some much loved characters. Robert Parker died at his desk, leaving one last Spenser novel to enjoy. J. D. Salinger slipped away, but we’ll always have Holden to remember him by. Belva Plain, whose epic romantic novels swept us away died at 95. Genre authors Dick Francis, Philip Carlo and popular romance author Elizabeth Thornton passed away, as did Eric Segal, author of that iconic three-hanky book of 1970, Love Story.

In our little corner of the world, we saw RWA quietly back away from their hard-line stance against Harlequin. Further, they have made baby steps toward studying the issue of digital and how it affects – and stands to benefit – the 10,000+ RWA members. We found some new confidence in the Dorchester situation as the independent publisher changed commanders at the helm. As authors of genre-blended romance and romantic fiction that doesn’t quite fit in the “box”, we saw our stories being accepted in greater and greater numbers by the e-pubs who are willing to give us – and our readers – a chance to embrace more diversity. Erotic romance and its steamy brethren continued to surge ahead, and Amish and Mennonite romance became a “thing”, but the real story was the continued rise of YA paranormal. We saw Publisher’s Weekly begin a romance review section (what were they waiting for?) and there was increased coverage of our genre by the news media, as well as a starring role for romance novels in the film RED.

What will 2011 bring? Obviously – more discussion and debate. More jockeying for supremacy on line and in the hearts of readers. Perhaps a Google settlement, once and for all. There’s bound to be new readership figures, contract quagmires, store closings, higher digital sales, new apps (by the dozen), better and cheaper e-readers. New strategies by the old-timers, and more innovation by the new kids on the block. There’s sure to be a “surprise” bestselling hit that makes a new star out of someone (perhaps even a digital-only novel!), and no doubt we will see the slew of books optioned for films resulting in yet another blockbuster motion picture.

What is the one thing that we can all be sure of?

People will keep reading.

So keep writing.

Here’s to success in 2011.

Welcome to the Monster Mash!

In my post of this past Thursday I commented briefly on the healthy state of paranormal publishing, vis-a-vis the report that Hachette owed its second great year to Stephanie Meyers and the ongoing "Twilight" phenom. When the last Harry Potter novel was released lo those coupla years ago, everyone in publishing held their collective breath. Could the book survive the boy wizard's finale? What was the next great book/writer just over the horizon?

Well, along came Stephanie, and the rest is very recent history.

But that's not all, folks.

Every time the discussion rolls around to genres and trends, there are a few comments that vampires are (pardon the pun) dead, and that paranormal is waning as a genre. There's the discussion of a "new" monster that's all the rage. Whether the talk is of YA, or romance, or paranormal fiction, everyone has an opinion on this genre.

Mine? Well, my opinion is that it is here to stay. Evolving, for sure. But the wealth of writers out there each putting their own spin on the genre are creating a monstrously great selection.

Just this week's edition of Publishers Weekly (print, I'm talking, not online, where there's even more), there were the following stories, blurbs and announcement:

The "Pick of the Week" is the new M. J. Rose paranormal, "The Hypnotist" (Mira).

The aforementioned story of the Hachette success, led by the ka-ching engendered by Ms. Meyer.

The Hardcover Bestsellers/Fiction list includes J. D. Robb' latest, "Fantasy In Death" at 3 and "Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter" at #4 - with the notation that Abe may be headed for the movies - via Tim Burton. And another paranormal title on the list? "Black Magic Sanction" by Kim Harrison. And the Paperback Bestseller lists the Dresden creator, Jim Butcher, with the latest wizard installment, "Turn Coat". And PW goes on to note that the late and much lamented Dresden TV series, canceled over vociferous complaints from his fans, is out on DVD.

Then there's the major story on a "The Passage" (and an 800 page one at that). The first paragraph says "Every few years a book comes along that seems destined for bestsellerdom." The book is the first in a trilogy by 47 year old Justin Cronin, from Texas. And he's not just your everyday author - he's a PEN/Hemingway award winner for a literary fiction novel. But when was the last time you heard about a literary novel garnering a $5.5 million three-book deal AND film deal ($3.7 mill for the boook and $1.75 million option deal by Ridley Scott)?

Moving on to the story, "London Briefcase: What the Big Six Are Bringing to the Fair" (referring to the 2010 London Bookfair). Penguin touts their title, "Blood Oath: The President's Vampire". Macmillan's Thomas Dunne imprint has "The Demon Trapper's Daughter", first in a new YA series. And HarperCollins has the indominatable and prolific Meg Cabot with her "Insatiable", a sequel to the paranormal grandaddy, "Dracula", which has already gathered a slew of foreign rights sales.

In the reviews section we get 6 varying reviews including one on a fantasy world (Bertrice Small's "Crown of Destiny"), a dark horror novel, ("Katja From the Punk Band" by Simon Logan), "Climate of Change" from Piers Anthony, his latest Geodyssey novel, "The Green Leopard Plague and Other Stories", a short-story collection encompassing alternative history, hi-tech sci-fi, psychological fantasy and more including several Nebula winners. A "sword and sorcery yarn" by Michael Ehart ("The Tears of Ishtar"), and, but of course, Sookie's next adventure, "Dead in the Family" by Charlaine Harris.

The "Soapbox" column end-page by Andrea Jones discusses a painful incident involving her title, "Hook & Jill" - which is a retelling of Peter Pan for adults.

But Publishers Weekly does not corner the market on paranormal news. I'd mentioned the positioning of the new release, "Angelology" on the Boston Globe bestseller list. Daily Variety reported on the new TV series, the animated "Ugly Americans" from Comedy Central where monsters, mythical creatures and more will abound. And "True Blood"'s third season package was announced, including the mention of their still exemplary Nielsen numbers.

What else is in the paranormal news? Theatre doesn't escape the lure of the supernatural either, and the sequel to Phantom of the Opera, "Love Never Dies", is poised for a launch.

USA Today (and everyone else) ran a story on the new "Twilight" graphic novel, the first of only many to come, I'm sure.

Publishers Marketplace's Daily Deals reports on foreign rights sales for the "Twilight" graphic. The Publishers Lunch Delux weekly reports sales for a new L. A. Bank's fallen angels series ("good deal" = $100,000 - $250,000), Sylvia Day's new trilogy (book one "Angel Enchained") which has fallen angels, vampires, and lycans - at auction to NAL (and we all know what "at auction" means!). Carol Nelson Douglas's "Silver Zombie" plus a second title, sold to Juno, and it has a paranoraml investigator in Kansas (?) and deals with "zombies, weather witches and demon drug lords". Under the "romance" sales is also announced 2 titles from Vivi Anna, featuring demon hunters, to Silhouette Nocturne.

Children's Middle Grade sales including "The Story of Liesl & Po", with its elements of magic and magicians.

YA sales: "Forever" by Maggie Stiefvater (3rd title in the trilogy), AND 3 new stand-alone fantasy titles to Scholastic, OR Melling's mythological adventure "The Celtic Princess", and William Hill's "Department 19", which is from a series about a government agency of vampire hunters, again at auction for a three book deal.

Okay, though I could go on and on, I won't. But these stories are all ones that I did not hunt up, but simply came across on one, that's right, ONE, day of reading my trades.

So, paranormal dying out? Vampires passe? Weres old hat? I think not.

Authors continue to discover new twists to old favorites, from vampires to shifters and weres. Witches, fae, demons, gargoyles, zombies are being joined by the latest craze - the fallen angel. Dark and appealing, just check out your local bookstore for the covers with the tell-tale wings. With ingenuity, creativity and in some cases sheer genuis they tweak and twist and reform ideas and creatures and keep the genre expanding, growing and moving forward.

Television, film and even theatre are all on the paranormal bandwagon in a big way.

But so much of that comes from the books themselves. From the whimsical to the wacky (Dakota Cassidy's "Accidental" series, anything by Nina Bangs, for example, who populates some of her worlds with everything from the vamp and the were to the cosmic troublemaker and Gods), to the dark and horrific (both Laurell K. Hamilton series, Anita Blake and Merry Gentry), to the darkly comedic (Jim Butcher and Simon Green), to the sexy romances filled with gods from Atlantis, darkhunters and dreamhunters (Sherilyn Kenyon), the hot and steamy (J. R. Ward) and the historical gothic ("The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker" by Leanna Renee Heiber, first in a Victorian gothic series to be followed by "The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker").

There are romances, mysteries, YA, kids books and picture boooks all romping merrily in the paranormal world. Futuristics, time-travel, historicals, erotic romances: there's no end to the genres and sub-genres that are embracing paranormals.

So I think we can safely assume that, for now, all those things that go bump in the night, all the something wickeds that this way come, well, they're here to stay!

Spring Is Springing and the Ides Are Gone: Today's Publishing News

Like the daffodils and crocuses in my front yard, publishing news is bursting forth all over the place, in just as many hues and varieties as my garden boasts.

First things first, of course: Amazon News! What's a day without another digital donnybrook in the headlines? Fast on the heels of their loss by decision bout against publisher Macmillan (or what I like to call "Where's my 'buy' button-gate"), Amazon is coming out of their corner swinging. Today’s New York Times story by Motoko Rich and Brad Stone says “Amazon.com has threatened to stop directly selling the books of some publishers online unless they agree to a detailed list of concessions regarding the sale of electronic books, according to two industry executives with direct knowledge of the discussions.”

I think we’ve all pretty much got Amazon’s number by now – they’re trying to be the BMOC of the ebook world. With tough competition growing daily (Sony’s Reader was joined by the Nook and more recently the Apple iPad, not to mention the dozens [or hundreds?] of non-Kindle apps proliferating throughout the e-book universe), they’re trying to hang onto their behemoth status and force the publishing world to it’s knees via e-book pricing on their terms (and I can practically hear those millions of writers’ knees knocking together because when the pricing wars heat up, they can expect to get their fingers – or more – burned). Maybe the Amazon folk thought the staid and somewhat antiquated print publishing world would be an easy mark, but as they’ve already proven, the hallowed old halls of NY publishing are filled with visionary types who are embracing digital, and the internet, and publishing business models are evolving even as brand new partnerships are formed (including the “big 5” of the 6 NY publishing houses – Random House abstaining - who huddled up with Apple to carve out the deal for iPad digital book delivery). This is a story that is going to heat up and stay in the headlines for some time to come.

Beyond Amazon there’s lots to cover, so let’s get to it:

New gadgets abound – the Kindle app for the Mac computer is now available (whoops, there’s Amazon again!). And the whimsically named ALEX from Spring Design is now on sale today, though approximately $100 more than the Kindle or Nook or Sony Reader. Its got a 6 inch, E-Ink panel and color touch screen panel, along with Wi-Fi (color was a Nook benefit only, til now – unless you count the $1,000 Japanese gadget).

Another player wades into the “is it history, or fiction”, pool (not to be confused with the plagiarism/copyright infringement pool, or the always amusing “first it was a memoir and then it was a novel” pool): The Charlotte Observer reports that multi-book author Gerald Posner (formerly of The Daily Beast”) told the AP that because of research procedural SNAFUs, his non-fic title, Miami Babylon, might have used text from the book “Clubland” by Frank Owen without proper credit. With bookstores (and James Cameron who’d wanted to film the property) clearing “The Last Train From Hiroshima” off their shelves following the revelations (reported just about everywhere) that not only was author Pellegrino’s source apparently a fabricator, but questions on Pellegrino’s own background making everyone oh-so-nervous (Huffington Post, March 1, 2010) this has gotta hurt all the way around. If these situations keep cropping up, I can envision a vetting process for authors that will feel more like an interrogation in a dark basement room complete with phone books and rubber hoses.

But there’s some upbeat stuff going on, too.

Columbia University announced the winners of their 2010 Bancroft Prize: Linda Gordon for “Dorothea Lange: A Life Beyond Limits”; Woody Holton for “Abigail Adams” and Margaret D. Jacobs for “White Mother to a Dark Race: Settler Colonialism, Maternalism, and the Removal of Indigenous Children in the American West and Australia, 1880-1940” (which title may also be in the running for longest title and subtitle combo – a real prize, by the by). Congrats to all on their serious, thought provoking work.

Also on the prize front comes the longlist for the Orange Prize, which list includes the recent Booker prize and National Book Award-winning “Wolf Hall” by Hilary Mantel, and perennial critical darling, Barbara Kingsolver with “The Lacuna”, as well as that runaway bestseller, “The Help”. This book is not only Kathryn Stockett’s debut and a reading group fave, but is also a soon-to-be-major-motion-picture from Dreamworks. Good luck to everyone!

And speaking of prizes, word is that the National Enquirer (yes, the one by the check-out register at your local supermarket) is being mentioned in the same breath as “Pulitzer Prize”. They are the ones who broke the John Edwards’ scandal (you might have heard about it?). The times, they sure are a changin’ folks.

No surprise to anyone, Stephanie Meyers and her undead crew are still going strong. Sales of her “Twilight” series (and the accompanying profits from box office of the first two films and merchandising) helped Hachette post a second record year in 2009. And to make sure all markets are tapped? The first “Twilight” graphic novel is here!

(See my post tomorrow for a wrap-up of the amazing paranormal phenom, in which Ms. Meyers is a major player).

For writers looking for publishers, there’s a new “matchmaker” in town. Seems like bunches of publishers have staff reviewing literary magazine, The View From Here, in search of new writing talent. Check out the site for yourself for another market for your fiction that might just be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

E-publisher (and winner for the 2nd year in a row of the Editors and Preditors “Best Publisher” award) The Wild Rose Press has a wide range of romance genres and story-lengths for which an author can submit. They are currently looking for the shorter works, 65,000 words and under, for all of them. They’ve got some Eppie winners in their midst, and some of these shorter titles are available for the new Nook, and all can be purchased direct from TWRP themselves.

Best seller lists abound, in print and on-line. Today here are some of the top place-holders from The Boston Globe, 3/21-27: #1 on the Fiction list is the aforementioned “The Help”. “Angelology”, the recent release by Danielle Trussoni (can you say paranormal’s not dead?) is on the list at #2. Ibid paranormal comment: “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” – and already optioned for film by Ridley Scott – by Seth Grahame-Smith (his follow-up to the wildly successful “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” – which spawned a whole new monster-mash genre of fiction) is number 7. No surprise on the non-fiction list, “Game Change” rules in the top spot. But the serious entries (including “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” and “The Pacific”) are tempered by the #2 title, “Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang” by comedian Chelsea Handler (she of the “Are You There, Vodka, It’s Me, Chelsea?” and “My Horizontal Life”).

On the “people on the move” front, with import beyond the bare facts, Barnes & Noble Inc. has a new chief executive (as reported by Publisher’s Lunch today). William Lynch succeeds Steve Riggio, but of greater interest (to me, anyway) is that Lynch was the president of the B&N website. With their re-launch of the Barnes & Noble e-book store, the new Nook and their collaboration with Google* to provide as much digital content as any e-reader could possibly hold, it seems pretty apparent that they are at the head of the pack as far as the Amazon competition goes, and planning on giving them a run for their money – literally. Who better to lead the race than a tech exec?

And last but not least, for those of you who hope one day for publication, or who are laboring on a project of love that seems to be a long journey, look for the March 23 release of the debut Vietnam era-novel, “Matterhorn”. It was written, over 35 years, by Karl Marlantes, a Marine vet, and he tried to find someone to read it and buy it for decades. And now, thanks to the Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Program, he’s made it. You can too. Hooah!

Getting on my soapbox (it’s had a nice rest, after all) if you don’t already, I’d like to encourage you to read at least one newspaper, every day. I read the New York Times daily and 2 free NYC AM papers daily, and The Long Island Press weekly. But I also juggle The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Daily News, and sometimes splurge for The Washington Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Boston Globe (cost is higher for these out of town papers). The NYT has wonderful coverage not only of books, with its daily book reviews, as well as its Sunday Times Book Review section (a fast disappearing animal in today’s newsprint world) – but it has tremendous coverage of the business of publishing and the digital revolution. As authors or publishing industry personnel, knowing how the biz is going gives you a leg up on the competition. Take the time to read some different papers. As a professional resource and research tool they are invaluable, and they can even provide story ideas.

Whew. This was a long one. SO, until tomorrow when I explore the explosive paranormal genre in business and print, may your day be filled with great words – be they yours or others’.

* On the Google settlement front? No word from Judge Denny Chin. Are they taking bets on this deal in Vegas yet?

P.S. I almost forgot! I’m sure all your Janet Evanovich/Stephanie Plum fanatics out there already know, but just in case: It’s finally going to happen! Stephanie Plum’s coming to the big screen. The casting of Katherine Heigl moves the project “One For the Money” forward (options happened, but no production got underway for years and years). Now for the good stuff: Who they gonna cast as Ranger and Morelli? Inquiring minds want to know!

Google Settlement Watch - Feb. 18, 2010

For all you "Google settlement watchers", today was "the day". High Noon at the OK Corral. But no joy for either side today, as Judge Denny Chin announced (from the AP):

"To end the supense, I'm not going to rule today. There is just too much to digest."

Everyone and their mother, and that includes the Department of Justice, Amazon, and Microsoft have chimed in on this settlement agreement, both pro and con. And famed fantasy author Ursula K. LeGuin resigned her membership in the Authors Guild over their participation in the deal. But at 300+ pages even I threw up my hands at trying to digest ANYTHING about it.

Rumors are rife as to whether Google and the Authors Guild will go back to the drawing board (or should we say the drawing iPad?) to attempt to restructure the deal yet again if it is not accepted by Judge Chin. Though from what I've gleaned, a fairly obvious solution might be to simply put the onus on Google, rather than on the rights holders. Instead of forcing the rights holders to be the ones to OPT OUT of the gargantuan undertaking (thus allowing Google to scan at will if you, the rights holder, don't notify them you aren't interested in allowing them to do this)if, instead, the rights holders must OPT IN before Google could scan any title, it seems many of the objections would go away.

But of course, there's the rub. That would put a serious crimp in the ease of uploading and, yes, SELLING, books.

As was further reported in the AP story by Larry Neumeister today, Sarah Canzoneri, who is one of the plaintiffs against the settlement and a member of the Children's Book Guild, summed up the opposition view fairly succinctly:

"It's not going to be a great library, it's going to be a good store."

Not for nothing, but Google spokespersons' comments rarely mention the ka-ching involved for them (and please, if you understand how the trickle down monetary theory would work in this convoluted quagmire for publishers and authors, let me know!).

Sorry to dash your hopes.

That's all for now folks.

I'm off to play with my new e-book reader (Yes, sad but true, I've been dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st Century) and prep for my pitch at the upcoming March 13 first annual Liberty States Fiction Writers' conference in New Jersey.

There's plenty more to come on digital news, personnel shifts, and the glorious world of book publishing. Soon!

Until then, have you made your presence known in the book-buying community today? A day without a post, tweet, comment or blog is a day wasted when promoting your "brand"!

My Head Hurts: The Google Settlement (Amended), et al

PW reports on the amended settlement in the Google/Authors Guild deal. Judge Chin accepted the revised agreement and imposed a new deadline for objections to the revised deal of January 28, 2010. A final "fairness" hearing is set for Feb. 18, 2010.

Unfortunately, it still looks to me that the losers in the deal will be (surprise, surprise) the authors. I have a print-out of the redlined revised amendment. Someday when I have nothing better to do I'll read all 337 pages of it. Oy. Apparently the onus has been shifted, somewhat, off the rights holders and onto Google. And international books have been taken out of the deal (US, UK, Australia and Canada remain). But I'd love to have one of the attorneys sit me down and explain exactly how it works. When Google finds an "orphaned" work, they snatch it up, start providing it and make money off of someone else's book/writings, without ever paying a penny for it. And if the work has a rightsholder front and center? They get 67% of the income. Google and the other "resellers" split the diff?

Too much math involved (and for those who dont' know my math skills are commensurate with my nuclear physics skills - which is to say non-existent).

In one corner of the world (i.e. ROMANCE) these last 2 weeks the glare of the spotlight was squarely on Harlequin. After a previous announcement of the start-up of their YA line (all good), and after the 60th Birthday celebrations died down, HQ announced the Carina all-digital arm. Angela James, digital proponant and late of Samhain and the gone-before-it-got-started Quartet Press, was announced to be the head of the new launch(good for you, Angela!) Rather than the release of e-books that had been or were being released as print titles, and different than the Spice Briefs and Nocturn Bites (shorts) that were all e-book shorts, Carina plans full-length novels, of a variety of types and flavors, without any future print release.

This started the rumblings amid the groups who don't favor e-books. And many, many questions arose as to royalty rates, etc., esp. when the Carina site indicated no advances would be paid (I can practically hear the squeals of distress from RWA over that one) and that the DRM process would not be implemented (opening the door to easier piracy and sharing of books, meaning fewer royalty dollars for authors). But apparently there were sufficient interested parties (read: desperate authors) because the Carina site was deluged with submissions.

Then - like a precursor to a Richter-scale sized quake - after the pre-shock - Carina - came the biggest news. HQ's even newer project: Harlequin Horizons - a self-publishing operation (called a vanity press by most) - with little tantalizing bits of info that would give the rejected Harlequin submittee a new 'lease' on their writing life by paying to be pubbed by the Harlequin Horizons line. That "Harlequin" would (kind of/sort of) be their publisher. And the additional tease that, if sales were good, they might be reconsidered to be a 'real' author (the quotes aren't mine - my opinion on self or vanity pubbing is a heated subject for another time and place).

The outcry against this op began with the Romance Writers of America whose "alerts" alerted their members that HQ was now verboten. Out. Kicked to the curb. No advertising HQ titles in Romance Sells. And they banished every single ARM of HQ - not just the Horizons folk. What this meant for RWA members pubbed, or dreaming of bineg an HQ pub was not clear. (Can I be in PAN? Can I get a "First Sale" notice?) HQ pubbed authors were concerned about the diluting of the brand that they were published with (and the taint of the self-pubbed author) (note that 2009 Pres. Diane Pershing was a multi-pubbed HQ author; so is this year's President, Michelle Monkou). What might it mean for entering the RITA with an HQ pubbed book, or having HQ attendees at the National conference, and many other questions arose and with lightening speed zoomed across the Yahoo group loops, blogs, Twitter, Facebook and every other conceivable avenue of communication.

There have been few responses from National to these questions from their members. But when the Mystery Writers of America and Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers joined the outcry, HQ began making subtle and quiet changes. Now the self-publisher is "DellArte Press". No sign of the vaunted HQ name anywhere. Apparently some of the other "too good to be true" bait has also been removed. Satisfying the HQ pubbed authors and, perhaps, the writing organizations who have booted HQ from their "reconigzed" (read: approved) publishers. No word that I have seen as to how the triumverate of writers' groups are responding to this change.

What I found particularly ironic is that numerous other "real" publishers already have partnerships in place with self-publishing operations (Random House, Thomas Nelson's West Bow Press and Smashwords - partners with B&N) were blithely ignored. Can't quite figure out why.

Time will tell! But the vitriol was at such a fever pitch that I was expecting word any minute that Donna Hayes and her henchwomen had been dragged from their Canadian offices and were being tarred,feathered and ridden out of town on a rail. Can you say "i'ts just business"?

As we creep up on the end of the year (a tough business year, for sure), the holiday gift-giving season and no new Twilight, Harry Potter, Dan Brown or other mega-mega title coming down the pike, what does 2010 hold in store? (Adult hardcover sales were up 2.9% for the quarter, but all thinking is that this was a Dan Brown phenom, rather than an upswing in the sales game overall.)

Well, Kensington's doing that little Snoopy dance, having had a stellar year. But they seem to be one of the few bright lights in a continuing tough year.

Fewer mall stores than ever before (Barnes & Noble & Borders) planned. B. Dalton and Waldenbooks stores being phased out. Will 2010 improve the bleak brick & mortar picture? The big three of non-bookstores: Target, WalMart and Amazon continue the "how low can you go" game of lowering prices on books to $8.97, undercutting publishers, hurting the dedicated booksellers and, naturally, the authors. (Lower publishers' profits and that will become fewer titles purchased, lower advances, etc.).

Barnes & Noble is making sure that they don't have all their eggs in one brick and mortar basket, however. They re-launched their e-book store, and its partnership with Google to sell digital books was expanded by its launch of the NOOK e-reader (Count 'Em! 700,000 titles!). Orders were such that the ship date was pushed from Nov. 30 to Dec. 18 (still in time for Christmas). Admittedly not a subject I'm all that well versed in, techno-phobe that I am, but I'm intrigued by the Nook's wireless capabilities (what always kept me from the Sony E-Reader). With lots of little perks - like "sharing" a title with a friend, free downloads while in-store to read as much as you want, and - for those who care - designer Nook covers by such heavy hitters as Kate Spade, it looks to put a crimp in the Kindle holiday stocking of profits.

December's just days away. NaNoWriMo is in full swing as writers the world over seek the elusive 50,000 word MS. The turkey's just a memory (well, not in my house...) and holiday titles are sweeping onto the shelves. "New Moon" is breaking box office records (no dearth of goodies under the tree for Stephanie Meyer, eh?) and somewhere out there is an author deciding how to best get her book into print. Print? Digital? Self-publish? Chisel and stone tablet?

It's a tough business. And every author has to make their own decision as to what process suits them best. Make sure to educate yourself - don't be sucked in by the advertising, word-of-mouth gossip, or the lure of cash. Only you can know what is best for you. Whether you are able to market yourself, or want to rely on someone else to do that. Whether you want to hie to a prescribed formula for a genre novel, or break the rules, break out of the box and tell your story your way. Whether you want your words available in as many formats as possible so you can share your story, or whether you want to hold that physical thing that is a book in your hands (or put it in your parents' stocking). Whether you want the cash up front or are willing to put in the work to get the royalties coming to you over time - or even paying up front to get the book published and then be your own sales person. Many decisions to make. And as a creative professional, only you know what is going to work for you.

WTF?

OK. So we've been inundated in recent months with all sorts of digital news. The good, the bad, and the truly ugly. But what seems to be the ugliest is often the response to the various changes in the publishing industry. IMNSHO (in my not so humble opinion), people really need to get a grip.

A few months back, Amazon made a "mistake" by suddenly removing a huge number of titles from their lists, losing those titles their rankings, and in many cases, the authors' pages were deleted as well. Twitter-rage was all that got a response, in the end (after a long and obvious silence) from Amazon. "Whoops", was essentially their response. Nothing meant by the fact that the books so slighted were all the sort of gay, erotic, or banned titles that have so frequently been maligned. They lost their rankings but it was just a mistake. That furor died away.

Then fast on the heels came the 1984 debacle. Having purchased and sold an e-edition of 1984, it turned out the seller did not actually have the rights to the title, and so Amazon - WHOOPS - yanked it back from all the customers who bought, paid for, downloaded and in some cases not just read but notated it. One must wonder what, exactly, is Amazon's vetting system that they were unaware of the rights issue. Secondly came the hue and cry (and lawsuits) from folks who felt it was inappropriate that the books they bought could be - at Amazon's whim - taken away. Sure, they were reimbursed but the ironic "big brother" feeling left a bad taste in many Amazon/Kindle customers' mouths. So Amazon suffered a period of tarnished rep. What happened to those lawsuits? How is Amazon rectifying the problem? What happened about those banned books? Investigation? Anyone take responsibility? Anyone still wondering if it was as innocent as it sounded?

So, on we go. Digital books are selling like hotcakes. Ibid the new technology, applications. Ditto ibid the willingness of every concievable publisher to jump on the digital bandwagon. Traditional publishers are all vacillating, but after the Dan Brown hold-your-breath moment, when the e-book was released simultaneously with the hard copy edition (and sold like the proverbial e-hotcake), notices began being released that all the pub folk were all going to release simultaneously. They were going to investigate digital "arms" for their business operations. Yada Yada.

With reports citing 200-400% increases in sales of digital titles, it is no wonder that everyone's looking to the e-book for salvation from the tough economic times. Big bookstores are hurting (some more than others), publishers are looking anorexic, and the future is rather bleak (if not downright apocalyptic in some quarters). But we've got the Kindle, the Sony Reader, and a variety of other dedicated e-reader machines, and VOILA just in time for the gift giving season, THE BARNES & NOBLE NOOK! It's sold out, delivery dates are being pushed back and since it's partnered with Google (and how's that settlement thing going, guys?) it's got a gazillion (give or take) titles available for wireless download (take that, Kindle!)

Then we get the news that Macmillan has issued a new boilerplate contract. Bad news for authors (I mean, really, when do authors really get any GOOD news?) - Macmillan is lowering the standrad 25% digital royalty rate (25% of NET, mind you) to 20%. Hue and cry from agents, and authors, but in the end, what clout do we have, actually? If other publishers get the feeling they can make the same change, they will - in a heart beat. (Don't believe it? Hold your breath. You probably believe in Santa Claus, too.)

Things are looking all topsy turvy. Being an author is like being Alice in Wonderland stuck in the middle of a slice-and-dice terror film where the Red Queen is armed with razor-sharp fingernails. Can you say "Oh, My Goodness!" (oh, wait, that was Shirley Temple! But I digress...)

Then mere days ago, that big old behemoth in lipstick, Harlequin, announces Carina Press. All e-books, all the time. After going digital with HQ titles(simultaneous e-book releases of all titles) and short fiction offerings (Spice Briefs and Nocturne Bites) they've plunged into the profit pool big time. Within days they were so overwhelmed by submissions from hopeful romance authors that the site froze up. (Writers, desperate? Say it ain't so!).

There was grumbling, mumbling and all manner of dire forecasts. But - as someone famous once said - hold onto your shorts, you ain't seen NOTHING YET!

Today came the announcement - eliciting a Richter-scale response - that HQ - the grand mere of romance fiction, the be-all-and-end-all of romance publishing (happy 60th bdy, BTW) was (gasp) GOING INTO THE "VANITY PRESS"/SELF-PUBLISHING BUSINESS!

Within nano-seconds the airwaves (rather, the internet) was awash in communications riddled with despair, fury, disgust and any number of other responses to this dire news. Because, of course, self-published authors would immediately destroy romance.

Right.

OK - let's get a grip, folks. First, let's give it a chance. The self-publishing game ain't cheap. It also is not always a disaster (anyone heard of Eragon? The Shack?). Sure, some crappy titles will get published if people - in this tight financial world we live in - have the spare cash to toss out to get themselves in print. But hey, there are some crappy e-books out there, too because it is so easy to get a start-up publisher and get into the e-book game and not everyone is looking for quality product. Instead they're looking for quality ka-ching. And be honest - there are some (many?) crappy print books out there, too. I've bought some of them and have, in a moment of pure disgust, thrown them away (for those who know me, you'll get how astounding that act is).

Secondly, if everyone else is in the self-publishing game (including Amazon), why shouldn't HQ be able to cash in? And as their site indicates, they'll be keeping their savvy little eye on the authors whose books do well through Harlequin Horizons. Once you've plunked down your cash and gotten through the publishing process if you actually have the wherewithal to market your book, promote yourself, get your brand going and SELL the freaking thing, you might just get the attention of the old girl herself, and get a book deal with a "real" publisher. (I just hate that!)

From the RWA (I haven't heard much from the non-RWA types yet, but it's coming, I have no doubt) I can only imagine there was a collective gasp of horror and universal plotzing. If e-books are the ugly, redheaded, step-child of the organization, can you IMAGINE how they'll take the bastard kid, self-published books?

What I want to communicate with all this is that the industry is a' changing, folks. Digital, internet, branding, Espresso Machines, bookstores folding, publishers merging, and self-publishing growing - the old-fangled publishing model is getting arthritic. It's changing and technology is moving at light speed. Instead of sitting around pouting that the industry is embracing new ways of getting stories and writing to readers, why not investigate? Why not get active on these fronts? Why not learn as much as is possible about how these things are going to work before you get all het up about them. Instead of bitching, grab the bull by the horns and make it work for you. Don't buy into the furor. New things always get trashed.

Look at rock and roll, for heaven's sake.