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TBOWT Episode 29 – News and Muse
Today’s Topic
Peggy and Larry discuss topics of interest to authors. Today Peggy and Larry talk about four articles that have been in the blogosphere lately. The first topic is about debunking the myth that self-publishing a book kills your chances of traditional publishing.
Next, Larry and Peggy talk about Barnes & Noble and their recent decision to refuse to carry any books published by an Amazon imprint. Next they discuss the Big Six publishers, (now the Big Five), and how they have been using, but not leveraging, print-on-demand.
Amanda Hocking
- Barnes & Noble refuses to sell Amazon-published books
- An author who is marketing like crazy, selling lots of books, but making no money.
- The Big Five continue to buy print-on-demand companies
Links to some great articles
http://floridawriters.wordpress.com
Listener Mail – Peggy and Larry answer questions from listeners.
Comment from Carol
Question from Doug
Larry reviews our podcast statistics.
Other Related Podcasts
Writer’s conferences and book festival
http://www.thebusinessofwritingtoday.com/episode-2
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I was advised to go the self publishing route by a local author in the Lex. KY area. When I checked into doing it I found that the cost of Copy-Editing my manuscript of 140k words would cost as much as a Subsidy Publisher I have spoken with. Is there a cheaper way to get GOOD Copy-Editing for a Fiction Drama genre book which is based on actual events?
Thanks,
BK Williamson
Hello Bryan, I feel your pain. Questions about editing come up frequently in seminars that I give all over the country. If I may, let me define the term “copy editing” before we discuss money. According to most resources copy editing is defined as editing for grammar, usage, and punctuation. This is different from a “substantive edit” which includes sentence structure, story arc and many other things beyond a copy edit. I think it is important that you and your editor are both talking about the same type of edit. Copy editing is less expensive than a substantive edit which usually includes copy editing and more. Your book has a 140,000 word count. If I divide the number of words by 250 (the average number of words per page) that equals 560 pages. The approximate length of your finished book minus the front and back matter. That is a large book. A copy edit for a book that size could cost as little as $500 or as much as $1,200. A substantive edit could be quite a bit more depending on how well the book is written and how many changes, corrections and research needs to be done. In other words, editing costs vary … widely! Their are websites where you can hire editors for very little. One such website is http://www.fiverr.com. I also believe in the old axiom that “we get what we pay for.” Another good site to find editors is http://www.pred-ed.com. Never hesitate to interview and vet your editor. Make sure they are a professional editor which means they edit books for a living. Ideally you will want an editor who has edited books in your genre and reads books in your genre. Knowing a genre well makes for a better edit in my opinion. If you are looking for copy editor I have several who do freelance work for Darby Press and the Business of Writing Today. I hope this has been helpful. The single best way to save on editing costs is to give the editor a manuscript that is as free of errors and unnecessary words as you are capable of providing.
Remember, the editor is there to make your book better. As the famous Agatha Christie detective Hercule Poirot once said to his barber: “A haircut is a partnership … you bring to it your skill while I bring to it my hair.” Your relationship with your editor is also a partnership. You bring to it your book, and he/she brings to it an editor’s skill.
I wish you all the best with this project and thank you for the question. It was a great one.