04-22-09 Alternative Avenues in Publishing, Elizabeth Burton
The transcript below covers the complete #litchat conversation with executive editor of Zumaya Publications, Elizabeth K. Burton on April 22, 2009. The order has been numbered sequentially from the first post to the final post.
| 1 | LitChat Welcome to LitChat. Today we have guest host Elizabeth Burton, ExecEd of @ZumayaBooks with us. Are you there, Elizabeth? #litchat -1:00 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 2 | zumayabooks Yes, I’m just bouncing around the Spaces on my Mac multi-tasking. LOL #litchat -1:01 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 3 | zumayabooks Just hope this utility will work properly in Safari. If not, I’ll have to pop into Windows. #litchat -1:03 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 4 | LitChat Can you tell us a bit about Zumaya Publications and its mission? #litchat -1:04 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 5 | zumayabooks Zumaya wants to publish good books by talented writers, and do it with as little impact on the environment as possible. #litchat -1:05 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 6 | zumayabooks So, #litchat -1:05 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 7 | zumayabooks To #litchat -1:05 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 8 | LitChat Describe what you mean by “with as little impact on the environment as possible.” #litchat -1:06 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 9 | zumayabooks Okay, Windows version isn’t working. Anyway, to that end, we use on-demand printing, do ebooks and refuse to accept returns. #litchat -1:06 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 10 | doart @zumayabooks when you say “little impact on environment” do you mean that you guys stay away from print? #litchat -1:06 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 11 | zumayabooks Bad enough to print books that are never read, but hauling them back and forth from warehouse to store… #litchat -1:07 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 12 | zumayabooks …and then from store to warehouse and then maybe to another warehouse to be shipped out again. Ouch! #litchat -1:07 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 13 | LitChat Is your refusal to accept returns (aka remaindering) the reason why you don’t have distribution in brick/mortar bookstores? #litchat -1:08 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 14 | zumayabooks It’s great mainstream pubs are using recycled stock and eco-friendly inks, but that’s only part of the problem. #litchat -1:09 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 15 | doart @zumayabooks that’s interesting.I’ve always wondered what’s to stop people (aside from morals) from reading a book and returning it #litchat -1:09 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 16 | zumayabooks Au contraire, we are in a number of bookstores, and the number who are willing to at least consider having us is growing. #litchat -1:09 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 17 | doart @zumayabooks do you also try to stay paperless as far as querying, edits, etc? #litchat -1:10 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 18 | zumayabooks @doart I’m sure they do exactly that. And I’m also sure the bookstores hate it. LOL #litchat -1:10 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 19 | LitChat Apologies. I’m glad to hear you’re in bookstores. My research must have been old. #litchat -1:11 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 20 | Jenni_James So do you just print on demand? I’m confused. #litchat -1:11 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 21 | zumayabooks @doart We do. Doesn’t stop people from sending paper, unfortunately, but we do everything electronically. #litchat -1:11 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 22 | LitChat What do you mean by “returns”? #litchat -1:11 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 23 | zumayabooks @Jenni_James Depends what you mean by POD. If you mean subsidy, no. We operate like any other pub. #litchat -1:12 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 24 | zumayabooks @Jenni_James And we do print runs occasionally. A “run” just means you print more than one or two books. #litchat -1:12 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 25 | zumayabooks @LitChat When bookstores order from a wholesaler, they have X days to pay for the order. #litchat -1:13 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 26 | doart @zumayabooks I worked in a normal office for 1 yr. & the paper waste was out of control. At my store we try to be careful #litchat -1:13 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 27 | zumayabooks @LitChat If they don’t sell those books, they can ship them back for full credit, then use that credit to order more books. #litchat -1:14 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 28 | LitChat I’m glad you pointed that out Elizabeth. POD and indie publishers are not always subsidy (aka vanity). #litchat -1:14 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 29 | Jenni_James Ok so do you just skip the middle men, then? And do you accept queries from agented authors? #litchat -1:14 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 30 | zumayabooks @LitChat It’s not easy getting bookstores to pay attention. We offer a higher than standard discount if they order direct. #litchat -1:14 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 31 | doart @zumayabooks Why did you get into this industry? Just curious #litchat -1:15 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 32 | zumayabooks @Jenni_James If their agents are willing to go without an advance, we’re willing. #litchat -1:15 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 33 | zumayabooks @doart I was shanghaied. LOL Literally. Signed up to be an editor, went to EIC and was a partner nine mos. later. #litchat -1:16 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 34 | zumayabooks @doart Had to learn the business on the fly. #litchat -1:16 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 35 | zumayabooks @Jenni_James We use middle men and anyone else that will get our books in front of readers. That’s what publishing is for. #litchat -1:17 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 36 | zumayabooks I’ll note here that last fall when major pubs were suffering, we had our best sales of the entire year. #litchat -1:18 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 37 | LitChat Other than operating budgets, what is the biggest difference between Zumaya (and other small indies) and big pub houses? #litchat -1:18 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 38 | zumayabooks Let’s B clear: POD is a PRINTING METHOD, not a publishing one. #litchat -1:18 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 39 | zumayabooks @LitChat I like to think we’re more author-friendly. And I know we do better editing because I do it and I’m fussy. #litchat -1:19 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 40 | doart @zumayabooks ha! That’s the best way–exactly how I ended up with a studio 🙂 I assume you love books though! #litchat -1:20 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 41 | zumayabooks @LitChat And we can afford to take chances on writers the majors wouldn’t give the time of day. #litchat -1:20 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 42 | Jenni_James What are some of the books you’ve published? What genres do you like best? #litchat -1:20 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 43 | LitChat Yes, POD simply means Print on Demand, meaning only the books that are sold are printed and shipped to buyer. #litchat -1:20 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 44 | zumayabooks @LitChat For example, I just took delivery on a second book in a series from an author who celebrated his 89th birthday recently. #litchat -1:20 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 45 | zumayabooks @Jenni_James I have an Unshelved T-shirt that says “Bibliovore.” I like just about anything that’s well-written with a good story. #litchat -1:21 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 46 | Jenni_James @zumayabooks LOL! I love it! #litchat -1:22 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 47 | doart @zumayabooks POD makes sense. I’m always reading blogs about how the industry is in turmoil and the surplus of books printed, etc. #litchat -1:22 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 48 | zumayabooks We do SF/F, mystery,GLBT,romance,historical, memoirs, true ghost stories, short story collections and YA/middle grade #litchat -1:22 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 49 | zumayabooks Pop over to our website, http://www.zumayapublications.com, and have a look. #litchat -1:23 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 50 | LitChat Yes, the 89-yr-old author sounds like a great story. What is his book? Is he on Twitter? #litchat -1:23 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 51 | mbranesf RT @zumayabooks: Pop over to our website, http://www.zumayapublications.com, and have a look. #litchat -1:23 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 52 | Thandelike @litchat would you say POD books get a raw deal (or undeserved poor rep)? what are reasons? #litchat -1:23 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 53 | zumayabooks Since we started in Canada, I’m slowly doing new editions of some of our backlist so they can have US ISBNs #litchat -1:24 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 54 | LitChat @Thandelike When you say POD, do you mean Printed on Demand or are you referring to self-pubbed? #litchat -1:24 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 55 | zumayabooks @LitChat Not yet, but I’m hoping to get him here. His first book is AMAPOLA, his name is Alan Heywood. It’s on the website. #litchat -1:24 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 56 | zumayabooks @Thandelike Yes, and no. Unfortunately, the low production cost spawned a huge subsidy pub business. #litchat -1:25 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 57 | Jenni_James Ooh! I love real ghost stories! Have you published a MG yet? What is it? #litchat -1:25 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 58 | LitChat Thanks! @mbranesf RT @zumayabooks: Pop over to our website, http://www.zumayapublications.com, and have a look. #litchat -1:25 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 59 | zumayabooks @Thandelike The media choose to focus on that, so don’t show there’s another use of the process. #litchat -1:26 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 60 | zumayabooks @Jenni_James Several. The Affairs of Dragons by Mary Fairbanks, and Murder Sucks by June Whyte, an Aussie. #litchat -1:26 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 61 | zumayabooks @Jenni_James And two Spencer the Adventurer books: The Emerald City & The Castle of Bran #litchat -1:27 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 62 | darwilli040 @zumayabooks Years ago I stumbled onto Zumaya Books via Double Dragon via Fictionwise, how do you attract readers? #litchat #litchat -1:27 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 63 | zumayabooks @Jenni_James We have two collections of ghost stories, and one in the works for next year. #litchat -1:28 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 64 | zumayabooks @darwilli040 My authors, God bless ’em, are great about promoting themselves, and I do everything I can. Like doing this. LOL #litchat -1:28 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 65 | Jenni_James @zumayabooks Ooh! My boys would love the adventure series. #litchat -1:28 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 66 | zumayabooks @Jenni_James Speaking of: the cover artist has an autistic 9-yr-old. He was so taken with her covers… #litchat -1:29 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 67 | zumayabooks @Jenni_James …he couldn’t wait to read the books. And it was hard for her to get him interested in reading. #litchat -1:29 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 68 | zumayabooks @zumayabooks I love hearing that. Makes all the hard work and fuss worthwhile. #litchat -1:30 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 69 | Jenni_James @zumayabooks We have much in common I have an autistic 9 year old and he LOVES art & reading #litchat -1:30 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 70 | darwilli040 @zumayabooks Not for sure of protocol, but would you be Elizabeth Burton, the author of “The Ugly Princess”? #litchat -1:31 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 71 | Jenni_James How do you come by your artists? Ack! i’m heading over to your site now, I’m sure it has all this info! LOL! #litchat -1:31 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 72 | zumayabooks Last year, I set up a small online bookstore so we can do special sales. If y’all will buzz business[at]zumayapublications.com… #litchat -1:31 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 73 | LitChat One of the things indie books get hit for is lackluster cover design and awkward pagination. What is your take on that? #litchat -1:32 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 74 | zumayabooks …I’ll send you an anytime coupon code for 25% off. #litchat -1:32 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 75 | Thandelike @litchat understand physical quality of books has improved, & publishers like zumaya responsible for higher qual inside #litchat -1:33 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 76 | zumayabooks @darwilli040 Yes, and maybe someday before I’m too old to care I’ll get the next Karlathia Chronicle done. #litchat -1:33 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 77 | darwilli040 @zumayabooks LOL. I swear I wasn’t going to ask! #litchat -1:33 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 78 | zumayabooks @darwilli040 Of course, we’ve had the fact we publish my books held against us in some quarters. That would be four out of 200 #litchat -1:33 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 79 | zumayabooks @Jenni_James Some artists find me, some I knew from other publishers, some I’m training. LOL #litchat -1:34 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 80 | zumayabooks @LitChat I can’t speak for anyone but Zumaya. I’m lucky–I’m considered a darn good ed., and I have an eye for art. #litchat -1:36 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 81 | Thandelike @litchat yet (poor quality inside/out) stigma remains. colleague w/series of POD books said never again, impossible to get reviewed #litchat -1:36 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 82 | LitChat How many units (printed or e-book) does the average Zumaya book sell? #litchat -1:36 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 83 | zumayabooks @LitChat I study everything I can to be as knowledgeable as I can be. #litchat -1:36 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 84 | zumayabooks @Thandelike Sad, that, but I understand. I won’t bore you with the horror tale of redesigning a book I got when another pub died. #litchat -1:37 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 85 | zumayabooks @Thandelike They’d done all the formatting in Word–using tabs instead of indents. Eeeek! #litchat -1:37 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 86 | zumayabooks @LitChat Anywhere from none to several hundred and, in one case, several thousand. My bestseller does min. 50 copies/mo. 4 her two. #litchat -1:38 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 87 | zumayabooks @LitChat Also had an SF novel that sold almost 100 copies in ebook–and not a single one in print until I started serializing it. #litchat -1:39 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 88 | Jenni_James I’m on your site now and I notice that your YA books have computer graphics. Would you ever consider painted/photo covers? #litchat -1:39 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 89 | zumayabooks @LitChat Oops, that was supposed to be 1000 copies. #litchat -1:40 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 90 | zumayabooks @Jenni_James I try to match artist to book as much as possible. Check the SF section. Tigra and Obsidian Seed are painted. #litchat -1:40 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 91 | Jenni_James I do have to say I love the cover for The affairs of Dragons–super cute! #litchat -1:41 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 92 | LitChat Serialization. I’ve been reading about more novels being serialized on blogs (and of course Twitterized). Is this a new trend? #litchat -1:41 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 93 | zumayabooks @Jenni_James We find kids like the graphics covers, though. They’re more used to that style than adults, I think. #litchat -1:41 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 94 | zumayabooks @Jenni_James My partner, Martine Jardin, did that one. She’s our creative director. #litchat -1:42 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 95 | zumayabooks @LitChat Serials are one of many ways to build readership for a book. In fact, I ran PRINCESS as a serial and it was my best seller #litchat -1:42 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 96 | zumayabooks The TIGRA serial is on our Myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/zumayabooks. #litchat -1:43 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 97 | Jenni_James @zumayabooks Ooh! I love this one too! Blue Moon! Gorgeous cover! http://tinyurl.com/djt7kb #litchat -1:43 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 98 | SKrishnamurty Have you ever had a series that has crossed genres? For example, book 1 is general fantasy, but book 2 is YA? #litchat -1:44 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| 99 | zumayabooks @Jenni_James Isn’t it? The artist there actually has her own publishing company. #litchat -1:44 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | CarolyBurnsBass @ZumayaBooks Did you run the PRINCESS serial before or after the book was print-published? #litchat -1:45 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @SKrishnamurty I determine YA status based on content, so that particular situation likely wouldn’t arise. #litchat -1:45 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | Thandelike @litchat serialization per se is not new…many 19th century writers serialized their novels (like Dickens) #litchat -1:45 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @CarolyBurnsBass Before. Started it on the Wandering Troll zine then had to finish it on a Yahoo Group. #litchat -1:45 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | Thandelike @litchat perhaps it’s new in terms of the DRM kerfuffle, and whether you can share your content and still reap compensation from it #litchat -1:46 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @CarolyBurnsBass Double Dragon put it out as an ebook, and then I did print after I joined Zumaya. There’s also a Swedish edition. #litchat -1:46 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @Thandelike Exactly. The difference is that the potential audience is huge when you can do it online. #litchat -1:46 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @Thandelike The more of a challenge something is, the more the challenged are going to try and do something about it. #litchat -1:47 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @Thandelike We don’t use DRM unless the vendor, like Mobipocket, insists. #litchat -1:48 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | LitChat @thandelike Yes, many early novels were serialized and serials were popular in the 40s & 50s. Wondering if it’s trending up again. #litchat -1:48 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @Thandelike Our experience is that the vast majority of people are honest. The few who aren’t can be dealt with. #litchat -1:49 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | Thandelike @litchat i like that zumaya/alt pubs understand this about DRM/serials. traditional pubs in deathgrip with content #litchat -1:50 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @Thandelike Not just pubs. Author’s Guild is the same way. Look at their tantrum over Kindle 2 text-to-voice. #litchat -1:51 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | Thandelike @litchat this would be a reason to go with an alt pub — more open-minded about digital possiblities (cuz have to be to make $!) #litchat -1:51 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | LitChat What is you success rate in getting books being reviewed in major media? Kirkus, NYT, PW, etc? Do you pursue these media? #litchat -1:51 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @Thandelike They have to make up for all those 7-figure advances to celebs whose books tank. LOL #litchat -1:51 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @LitChat They won’t touch on-demand books. Well, Kirkus will if you pay them. Not. And they don’t cater to my audience anyway. #litchat -1:52 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @LitChat It’s readers I want contact with, and online bloggers and reviewers are infinitely better at that than the trades. #litchat -1:53 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @Thandelike Exactly! If my authors don’t make money, neither does the company. #litchat -1:53 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @Thandelike We’ve been told our royalty terms are generous, and we post a copy of our contract on our website. #litchat -1:55 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | LitChat Who is the Zumaya audience? #litchat -1:55 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @Thandelike We are very WYSIWYG #litchat -1:55 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | Jenni_James LOL! I love your guidlines your hilarious and tough! http://www.zumayapublications.com/guidelines.php #litchat -1:55 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @LitChat Anybody who loves to read good books and especially those who are bored to death reading clones of the last bestseller. #litchat -1:56 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @Jenni_James Weeds out the people who are likely not going to appreciate my editing style. LOL #litchat -1:56 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | LitChat How would you describe your editing style? #litchat -1:58 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | Jenni_James Sorry juggling kids too. When did you first start? Years? #litchat -1:58 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks Attilla the Hun? LOL #litchat -1:59 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @LitChat Seriously, I’m of the old school of editing that says just because you’re a good writer doesn’t mean you can’t be better. #litchat -1:59 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @LitChat It also helps that, maybe becuz I’m a writer, too, I can “get into” another writer’s style and voice. #litchat -2:00 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | Jenni_James So far my best editors/beta readers are the “Simons” Paulas, Randys and what’s her name (lol) only get u so far. hurt but worth it #litchat -2:00 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @Jenni_James Me personally? Or Zumaya? Zumaya started in ’99. I started in 1958 telling monster stories. #litchat -2:01 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @Jenni_James If it doesn’t hurt at some point, you probably aren’t being helped. #litchat -2:02 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @Jenni_James I had six or seven people work on my last Everdark book, and I still suspect it could have been better. #litchat -2:02 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | LitChat RT @ElizabethBlake: @LitChat I had trouble with cover design. But not the pages. #litchat -2:04 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | Jenni_James @zumayabooks LOL!Monster stories!I tell ghost ones. So 10 years-What’s some trix authors can do 2 get their book out ther what worx #litchat -2:05 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks So, what else can I tell you? Is being digitally published easy? Nope. It’s an uphill battle, but when it succeeds… #litchat -2:05 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | LitChat RT @jcsimonds: “indie books: lackluster cover & awkward pagination” When I started most were awful. Better now: education is key! #litchat -2:05 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | VanessaDobbs have enjoyed the chat although not participated.Have to go Husbands PC playing up.Thanks to everybody learnt lots #LitChat -2:05 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | LitChat RT @MichelleSedas: @LitChat rookie question, but how do author and publisher make $$ on serialized novels in blogs? #litchat -2:06 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @Jenni_James I have nothing against those who chose to self-publish IF THEY DO IT PROPERLY. Alas, most don’t #litchat -2:06 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @LitChat Serials aren’t for making money. They’re advertising. So, they have to be used in conjunction with other efforts. #litchat -2:07 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | SKrishnamurty What do you, personally, enjoying reading? And how much does that carry over into what you ultimately publish? #litchat -2:07 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @LitChat Same for free ebooks. M.D. Benoit okayed me to offer the first book in her Jack Meter series for free to promote the rest. #litchat -2:08 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | Jenni_James @zumayabooks ? I meant what have u seen that have helped ur authors sell big? what works? what doesn’t? #litchat -2:08 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @SKrishnamurty I read anything and everything. And I will publish books that I might not, myself, voluntarily read. #litchat -2:09 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks We’ve killed Twitter. #litchat -2:10 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | Thandelike @litchat thanks all and good night (from Istanbul) #litchat -2:10 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @Jenni_James Know your market. Find out how to reach it. Do so. Rinse and repeat. #litchat -2:10 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | Jenni_James @Thandelike Night! I’m from the UK! #litchat -2:11 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @Jenni_James My bestseller is a cozy mystery series with a quilting theme. Author knew the market was there, had the background. #litchat -2:11 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | SKrishnamurty What is a typical day for you? I’ve heard horror stories about the stress levels… #litchat -2:11 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @SKrishnamurty Stress is there, but you can’t stay stressed if you’re doing something you love. And know how to breathe. 😉 #litchat -2:12 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | Jenni_James @zumayabooks seems so simple! LOL! I’ve been doing straight PR since August when I picked up my agent–that & write/edit/write/edit #litchat -2:13 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | SKrishnamurty Breathing is good 🙂 I tell myself that everyday… LOL. #litchat -2:13 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | LitChat Our kind guest host @ZumayaBooks (Elizabeth) promised us 1 hr of her busy day. Our hour is up, but she’s welcome to stay on. #litchat -2:13 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @Jenni_James But are you targetting your PR? Who is most likely to want to read your book. Where do they hang out? #litchat -2:13 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | MariAdkins @zumayabooks good point. learning how and where to target are important. #litchat -2:14 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @SKrishnamurty Certainly preferable to NOT breathing. LOL I just love being busy. Don’t know what I’d do otherwise. #litchat -2:14 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @MariAdkins They are VITAL. Most of the quilt books sell…at quilt shows and quilt shops. No surprise. #litchat -2:15 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | LitChat In the meantime, I want to thank Elizabeth for her time and the information she’s shared here. The transcript will be up later. #litchat -2:16 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @MariAdkins None of us is overburdened with free time, so making the most of what we have is the only way it will work. #litchat -2:16 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | Jenni_James @zumayabooks hmm.. you’ve made me think. Thanks so much for all of your wisdom! This was awesome! #litchat -2:16 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | MariAdkins @zumayabooks none at all. #litchat -2:16 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @MariAdkins I also stress that marketing one’s book is, in fact, a “second job.” Authors need to set “work hours” for it. #litchat -2:16 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | tim_obrien THEY DON’T! RT @LitChat RT @MichelleSedas: rookie question, but how do author and publisher make $$ on serialized novels in blogs? #litchat -2:16 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | SKrishnamurty Thank you very much for everything.. even if I came in at the end 🙂 #litchat -2:17 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @SKrishnamurty No problem. Are you in India? #litchat -2:17 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | SKrishnamurty Actually, no. I’m in Georgia. But I was born there. #litchat -2:18 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | LitChat @tim_obrien Would love for you to pick this up on blog. I think it deserves more than 140 characters. https://litchat.wordpress.com. #litchat -2:19 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @SKrishnamurty Have two authors there, so was curious. #litchat -2:19 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | SKrishnamurty Whoops. GeorgiaUS. Sorry ’bout that. #litchat -2:20 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @SKrishnamurty If it were the other one, I’d think you’d have been long asleep. LOL I have authors in Georgia, too. #litchat -2:21 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | LitChat Thanks for a great chat today @doart @ElizabethBlake @MichelleSedas @JenniJames @Thandelike @darwilli040 #litchat -2:21 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | SKrishnamurty How would you recommend a fledging writer find unbiased opinions for their work? #litchat -2:21 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @SKrishnamurty Critique groups. There are scores of them online, if you can’t find one locally. Best mix is both pubbed & unpubbed. #litchat -2:22 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @SKrishnamurty Watch to see that they don’t indulge in personal attacks or rewriting someone else’s work. #litchat -2:23 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | LitChat And more LitChat thanks to @Skrishnamurty @MariAdkins @CarolyBurnsbass @tim_obrien @Jenni_James #litchat -2:23 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @SKrishnamurty If there’s a local writer’s group, check with them–they can likely find one for you. #litchat -2:23 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | SKrishnamurty Thanks, I will 🙂 #litchat -2:24 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @SKrishnamurty And I have a terrific self-editing book in my catalog… LOL #litchat -2:24 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | SKrishnamurty I haven’t been able to find any local writing groups, or I would join one. I’ve been going online, but there’ something about f2f. #litchat -2:25 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @SKrishnamurty Something is better than nothing. Writing in a vacuum is one thing. Revising in one is a recipe for disaster. #litchat -2:25 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | SKrishnamurty Yea, I’ve been using my hubby as a sounding board, but it’s just not the same. LOL! #litchat -2:26 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @SKrishnamurty True. You need feedback from people who actually know the craft–and aren’t related to you. ROTFL #litchat -2:27 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | SKrishnamurty Exactly! I’ve gotten some great feedback – but I need to hear it from someone who’s NOT a friend 🙂 #litchat -2:28 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | zumayabooks @SKrishnamurty I know GA has a state writers’ group. Contact them to see if they can help. #litchat -2:29 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | SKrishnamurty I will, definitely. Thank you so much for all you help! #litchat -2:30 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | SKrishnamurty your help, even. LMAO! #litchat -2:31 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
| ## | LitChat Be sure to swing by on Friday for more alternative avenues to publishing chat with @CarmenShirkey, self-pub’d author of THE LIST. #litchat -2:31 PM Apr 22nd, 2009 |
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