I'm featured in The Observer newspaper in the UK today, along with US eBook star Amanda Hocking. It was written by the paper's books editor and it was clear from talking to him that journalists are as confused as everyone else about where the publishing world is going! I suggested that the paper starts to review books that have only been released as eBooks which is something that doesn't happen at the moment. The papers seem to think that a book only exists if it has been published by one of the big firms and really that's no longer the case and there are some great eBooks out there that don't exist as a physical edition!
A very cute photographer spent an hour taking my picture around Dublin but on the online story they used a photograph of a blonde lady holding a Kindle! I'm off to buy the paper to see if they used my picture in it!
CLICK HERE to see the article!
Dear Stephen,
ReplyDeleteFull marks, as you say on your side of the pond. It was difficult not to smile at the gentleman from Atlantic Books remark about authors being unable to bear the stress of becoming "marketers and distribution experts and copywriters as well as writing the actual books".
That would I suppose be more stressful than laboring years on a book to face serial rejection by agents and publishers, clawing one's way onto the mid-list, ceding control of title, cover art and price point for a pittance, all for the pleasure of watching the publisher bungle the marketing. Right.
Keep up the good work. You're an inspiration for those of us still laboring among the Great Unwashed and Unpublished.
Thanks McDermott! Good luck with your writing! I do understand what the publisher said in that the marketing side is hard work and quite stressful but you are right, it's nothing compared with the stress of trying to get a publishing deal!
ReplyDeleteI just bought a copy of The Observer and yes they used a picture and I'm actually quite shocked to see how I've lost my boyish looks. Maybe that's down to the stress of all the marketing I'm doing! :-)
Thanks again for your kind words.
Hi Stephen
ReplyDeleteI'm writing an article for CrimeTime.co.uk about kindle indie publishing, concentrating on crime fiction and thrillers, and wondered if you would be able to give me a few quotes if I send you some questions? I'm going to interview a few lesser-known indie writers too. I want to encourage the Crime Time readers to try some new authors.
Surely the mainstream media will start reviewing ebooks soon, just as the music press suddenly embraced downloads.
Best wishes
Mark
HI Mark =
ReplyDeleteSure, you can email me at stephenleather at yahoo dot com or through my Facebook page :-)
Stephen,
ReplyDeleteHow do you promote your book on the US Amazon site? How do you make American readers aware of your work?
HC Pucket
Lady at the Club