This weekend, I asked in both a post here and at Romance Divas for recommendations of books from small press. I didn’t limit by genre, but I did specify that people couldn’t recommend their own book, they had to have read the book (no recommending your friend’s book just because ) and that it had to be over 12,000 words. No genre restrictions, since I’ll read pretty much anything. Maybe it was the holiday weekend, but this seemed to be harder than I thought it would be (with the number of people on Romance Divas who write and read small press, I expected more recommendations from there, actually).

I ended up buying about 11 books, ranging in genre and from 8 different small presses.

It was interesting, though, the things I learned about buying/reading small press as a result of this.

1) Distribution is important. I ruled out any press/book that I couldn’t buy at an online bookstore (I didn’t want to enter my credit card number 7 times, so I didn’t want to shop direct from publishers this time, though I often do for certain presses). So any publisher/book that wasn’t available at Fictionwise, AllRomanceEbooks or BooksOnBoard I didn’t even consider. I think one stop shopping is important because most customers are not going to be like me, and hunt 3 different places for all the books they want. They’re going to buy what’s available where it’s convenient for them. Also, a publisher without distribution isn’t catching the “browsers” at the online bookstores.

2) Price to word count is also important. There were a few books that I would have bought based on the blurb, but when I checked the word count versus the price, I quickly changed my mind. I’m sorry, but $5-$6 for a 25-30k book is obscene. To give you an idea, a book that length is about half the length of a normal Harlequin Desire or Presents (category). Half.

3) Word count matters. I found that I very much appreciated Fictionwise putting the exact word count on the books. Most small presses have a word count range for each book, some a large spread, so you don’t know if you’re buying and getting the low end of 30k or the high end of 60k at that price. I based a lot of my purchasing decisions on Fictionwise’s provided word count. It made for easier shopping and I appreciated that.

4) Sales sell books (at least to me). I ended up doing almost all of my shopping at Fictionwise because of their great anniversary sale. I bought more than I would have otherwise, but the psychology of it also hit me, because when I went to look at other sites, I found myself more reluctant to buy a “full price” book.

The reading experience. At the end of the weekend, I had read 7 books from 6 different presses (still have two presses unread from my weekend purchases):

1) I appreciate good metadata. I put all of my books into Calibre for two reasons: Cataloging and transfer to my Sony. Since most of the books came from Fictionwise, and were multi-format, I believe that means that Fictionwise actually formatted them. And Fictionwise doesn’t have the best metadata. It’s okay, but not great. I know I work for Samhain, but I have to tell you, the metadata kicked ass when I put the books into Calibre. (Yes, Samhain was one of the presses I read this weekend). The Samhain metadata includes title, author name, publisher, release date AND the book blurb. It was beautiful. Now, to be fair, since I didn’t buy direct from the other publishers, I don’t know what their own metadata is like, but for a digital book, metadata is important!

2) The blurb at the front of the book (after the cover) is convenient. Once I’d put the 11 books on my Sony, I didn’t necessarily remember what each was about and I appreciated those publishers who put the blurb at the front of the book. It made it easy for me to decide if that was the book I wanted to read right then.

3) Editing matters. And not all small presses are created equal in editing. I am not critical of small errors that slip in. Boy, wouldn’t that be hypocritical? And I have actually gotten pretty good at turning my internal editor off when needed for pleasure reading. But there were some books where it wasn’t possible to do that and I found myself thinking that I would be reluctant to buy 1) from that press again and 2) that author again. Editing matters and small press needs to do better than traditional press at this, unfortunately, because we come under greater scrutiny. People expect small press epublished books to be badly edited and that’s unfortunate for all of us!

4) A good premise can’t trump bad editing/execution. For me, at least, and I think maybe other readers, I realized that though I appreciated the idea of the story/plot, even the freshness of a good premise was overcome by poor editing and execution. Awkward dialogue, stilted narrative, inconsistent plot threads…those things matter.

5) Explicit words and descriptions don’t make a scene sexy. The eroticism of a scene depends on more than the words/acts the author uses and has her characters engaging in. It depends on the intimacy of the setting, the sensuality of the moment and the connection the characters have to each other, and I have to them. Some authors have an amazing talent writing this.

6) I appreciate small press for its diversity. One thing about the recommendations I got and the books I read, is that they were diverse, not just in genre, but also in length. It was nice to be able to choose a shorter book to read just before bed, but a longer book to indulge in during the day, and to be able to get everything from a m/m/f BDSM romance to sweet contemporary.

I had pre-posted a blog over on the Samhain blog but am just now getting a chance to log in and post about it here. If you’re interested in knowing what genres sell well and which aren’t quite as popular, head over and give it a read.

For those following along, I’m currently in the Wisconsin Dells on an unscheduled stop at a resort with a huge indoor waterpark. A nice break for Brianna. I should make it home by Wednesday with just enough time (Thursday) to pack (and get a haircut and a pedicure, yeah, I’m insane for all this back-to-back traveling but it’s worth it!) for my 8 day trip to the WRW retreat and then RT. Wheee

All of the articles I wrote in the Epublishing series are now live here on my blog for easier reference and linking (in case anyone would have a reason to link to them).

If I missed any topics, please let me know and I’ll continue the series.

Okay, not really. I was actually talking to Sarah and Jane for their third “Smart Authors, Dear Bitches” podcast. We talk about digital publishing and Samhain, tips for aspiring authors, as well as what we’re looking for in submissions. It’s a short podcast, just 15 minutes long, so check it out!

Smart Authors, Dear Bitches podcast with Angela James

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• Tools of Change: Smart Women, Ebooks, and Surveys

Me a question about epublishing, but weren’t sure of the right forum to do it? Now’s your chance:

Angela James is coming to Romance Divas for a 3 day class on Epublishing!

Come join us Jan 13-15 and ask her anything. (Free forum registration required to view the workshop section.)

Everything You Ever Needed to Know About Epublishing (and some things you didn’t know you should know)

Why doesn’t epublishing offer advances?

What are some of the pros and cons of publishing my manuscript via epublishing?

How do I research publishers?

Can I really make money in epublishing?

What exactly is POD?

Can you give me a snappy comeback for people who say that epublishing isn’t real publishing?

Epublishing has evolved and grown, especially in the last 5 years, but with growth comes pitfalls and problems. Trusting an epublisher with your baby might seem like a risky proposition. We’ll cover the basics of epublishing, from choosing an epublisher and contract details to methods of ebook and print distribution to reasons why you might not want to epublish your manuscript.

Bio: In 2005, Angela James joined Samhain Publishing, Ltd, a small press company focusing on digital publishing, as its executive editor, where she has played an instrumental role in building the company from the ground up.

In her executive position at Samhain, Angela is responsible for managing the publisher’s editorial services division. Her responsibilities include the management of editorial staff, quality oversight, networking and marketing efforts at regional, national and international writing conferences to promote the electronic publishing industry as well as Samhain.

In addition to her administrative duties, Angela continues to edit more than 50 authors including national bestselling authors Lucy Monroe, Lilith Saintcrow and Deidre Knight.

Please note, I will answer all reasonable questions about epublishing but there are some things I will not answer (if you’re looking for the answer to “who’s the best epublisher out there” it’s Samhain, duh ). Also, since I’m doing the workshop there starting tomorrow, please don’t leave the questions in my comments, please register and join in starting tomorrow!

(and other random links)

If you’re interested at all in ebook technology and ebooks, you must go read this blog post by Kassia Kroszer at Booksquare. Kassia is another of those frighteningly intelligent and savvy people who intimidate me (I mentioned a few others here). This post made me want to kiss her square on the mouth, but instead I’ll wait and just buy her a drink in February when we meet up at the O’Reilly Tools of Change conference where we’re doing a panel together (more on that later).

JMC is looking for recommendations for sweet m/m romances. Samhain has some, but with the number of people who say they can’t find sweet m/m romances, it makes me wonder what we can do to make them more obvious.

Karen has information about a fundraiser for Sharon Cullars. More on her situation here.

Dear Author is giving away a Sony Reader. A red one! But there’s work involved, so don’t even follow the link if you’re one of those people who complained about contests that ask you to work for the prize. Not that I’m bitter

Smart Bitches are giving away 10 ARCs of their upcoming book, which I blogged about here. You could win one but the catch is that you have to promise to read it (not just enter to win it for the sake of winning). ‘

Keishon is hosting her TBR challenge again this year, and she makes it very easy to participate. This is the one I did last year and managed to stick with it!

And there was one more link that I wanted to share and I’ll be darned if I can think of it. I hate it when that happens! Do you have a link you want to share?

I’ve had this conversation a few times recently, but I’m finally ready to say it in public: what factors are you considering when you choose a pen name? I have to ask, because honestly, I’ve seen some pretty ridiculous pen names that make me wonder why I would buy or contract a book from that person. It’s even worse than judging a book by its cover, I suppose, but there you have it. Why choose something that sounds like either an A) porn star or B)author who never wants her work to be taken seriously? Every time I see an author pen name that borders on the absurd, I find myself wondering if that author thinks Nora Roberts would have been a household name if she’d chosen a pen name like Kristy Kreme (I hope there’s not actually someone with that name and if there is and it’s your real name, my apologies. If there is and it’s not your real name, it’s never too late for a change).

Anyway, you get my point, right? A pen name should be a serious decision and shouldn’t be something you choose because it sounds cute, but because it’s something that’s maybe memorable (and not in a porn star way), easy to sign 100 times at a booksigning, and something that people will take seriously and not snicker at and say “seriously?”.

You should also consider your audience. I suspect that readers of erotic romance are slightly more used to the more off-the-wall names (no offense to erotic romance writers, but well…), but fantasy readers…not so much. Historical fiction? Doubtful. Mysteries, thrillers and fans of just about every genre…really, no. But especially if you write romance, you already have a mark against you in many people’s books, why give them more reason not to pick your book up, more ammunition to ridicule it?

Probably here is where I should apologize for offending someone out there, but truthfully, romance, epublishing, erotic romance…we have to fight hard for respect for all those things and cute, absurd, silly author pen names make that fight just a little bit harder, don’t you think?

I’m over at RtB today talking about publishers as big brother.

Go check it out.

About epublishing (and some things you didn’t know you needed to know). Ha! How’s that for one hell of a long title? I don’t caaaaaare

It’s the title of an upcoming workshop I’m doing at NJRW in October (as well as something online for Romance Divas in September), but also the title of a series of articles based on the same information, that I’ve done for the Erotic Readers and Writers Association. I’ve been planning on doing something like this for over a year, but kept putting it off. ERWA offered me the opportunity to do the series via their website and I decided there was never so good a time as now to do it. I’ll never be any less busy!

Writing the articles has proven much harder for me than giving a workshop. I think information is easier to present in person, and there’s much I can’t say in the articles that I would say in a workshop setting (because it’s so much easier to ramble when it’s in person. In an article, you have to be much more linear and that has been difficult for me). I actually enjoy public speaking, enjoy the dynamics of presenting a workshop to a group of people and being able to do a give and take. Hopefully, now that I’ve got this information laid out, I’ll get more chances to present it in workshop form.

The first of the articles: “A Different Way isn’t the Wrong Way” went live today. Since it’s the start of a series, this first article deals with some very basic information on epublishing, the business model and the pros and cons. I have no problem being very honest when it comes to epublishing.

Later in the series I’ll be covering topics like choosing a publisher, myths and realities of epublishing, financial background, how epublishing works, print, etc. Lots of information to be shared! If you’ve ever wondered about epublishing and how it worked, and think I should cover a particular topic, please let me know.

I hope you’ll check the article out, pass the link on to others, and let me know what you think.

I didn’t make anyone cry. Well, not that I saw anyway.

Today was the day of the conference. We didn’t start until 10am–it’s kind of nice to start later and have time to get ready, without getting up at the crack of dawn! I did an hour of editor appointments followed by an hour of cold reads.

With Roxanne St. Claire reading the first two pages (hi, Rocki! I’ll bet Google Alerts brought you back again, didn’t it?) , Diana (aka Amanda Hilton, the owner/publisher of Siren Publishing) and I had to give feedback on what we heard.

Overwhelmingly, the main advice we gave was that there was too much back story, too much info dump, too much telling–the book wasn’t starting with the hook, the pacing was slow and there was nothing to grab the reader. Or, more importantly at that point, nothing to grab the agent/editor to convince them to keep reading the submission.

One thing we talk about in edits is where the real book starts. Did you write that first chapter to cement the story, the background of the characters, some of their information in your head? Does the reader really need all of those details, and if so, do they need them TOLD to them in the first two pages of the manuscript? Probably not.

I think more attention is being paid to this now, especially as contests like the first line contest Samhain held take place, and authors realize that editors and agents–and eventually book buyers–really do want the hook. As I said today, I want a submission that’s going to grab me by the throat and make me forget I’m reading a submission, make me forget about potty training, and cooking dinner and the laundry that’s piling up. In other words, as an editor, I’m just as in need of a book to transport me as the reader in the bookstore probably is. If it can’t transport me, then I’m not going to buy it, because it’s not going to do that for the reader, either.

The beginning and ending of the books–I think those are probably the hardest to write!

Anyhow, I didn’t make anyone cry, as far as I know, and even had a few people come up and say how helpful it is to hear that, how thankful they were for the honesty we gave. But the truth is, if I didn’t say anything but nice things, some day I might see that submission come across my computer, still flawed, and end up rejecting it because I wasn’t honest to start, and that wouldn’t be fair!

The rest of the conference was great, I also did a talk on Samhain, and then we had a panel with some of the authors of Samhain and Siren. I feel like I talked all day–people were probably tired of the sound of my voice. But if someone gets me on one of my favorite topics–epublishing–and keeps asking my questions, I’ll talk as long as they’re willing to listen.

As I said today–one epublishing convert at a time. That’s all it takes.