#indiechat 7/31/12 Autography

srjohannes hey guys - we're talking about digital ebook platforms. @TJ_WATERS has stopped by to tell us a little about @autography #indiechat -9:00 PM Jul 31st, 2012

ali_cross Yo #indiechat peeps! I have 2 drive kid2 to karate but I'm gonna try to join in a few! I didn't forget! -9:00 PM Jul 31st, 2012

srjohannes Maybe @TJ_WATERS can tell us a little about @autography to get us started #indiechat -9:01 PM Jul 31st, 2012

EArroyo5 Hiya #indiechat -9:02 PM Jul 31st, 2012

srjohannes @EArroyo5 hi! :) #indiechat -9:02 PM Jul 31st, 2012

srjohannes @TJ_Waters dont forget to use #indiechat! :) -9:02 PM Jul 31st, 2012

srjohannes RT @TJ_Waters: @srjohannes @autography HI all! Any ebook fans out there? #indiechat -9:02 PM Jul 31st, 2012

srjohannes I think we are all ebook fans :) RT @TJ_Waters: @srjohannes @autography HI all! Any ebook fans out there? #indiechat -9:03 PM Jul 31st, 2012

Battista_j Hi there. #indiechat -9:03 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters #indiechat Has anyone been to an ebook signing event yet? Online or in person? -9:04 PM Jul 31st, 2012

srjohannes For those who dont know @autography is a place where u can sell SIGNED ebooks. @tj_waters on my blog today http://t.co/80AfXX8P #indiechat -9:04 PM Jul 31st, 2012

EArroyo5 @TJ_Waters nope. I haven't #indiechat -9:04 PM Jul 31st, 2012

srjohannes I havent but ja konrath talked about his at RT this year RT @TJ_Waters: #indiechat Has any1 been to ebook signing event yet? -9:05 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters #indiechat We've helped quite a few authors now, probaby around a 100 on the site. Several with quite a few books listed. -9:05 PM Jul 31st, 2012

srjohannes how do you set it up? RT @TJ_Waters: #indiechat Has anyone been to an ebook signing event yet? Online or in person? -9:05 PM Jul 31st, 2012

Stacey_WB @TJ_Waters No. Tell me everything. :) #indiechat -9:05 PM Jul 31st, 2012

srjohannes im on there :) RT @TJ_Waters: #indiechat We've helped a few author probaby around a 100 on the site. Several with quite a few books listed. -9:05 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters #indiechat A couple of folks, Joe Konrath and Blake Crouch come to mind immediately, have over 25 books each with us. -9:05 PM Jul 31st, 2012

LM_Preston Hi! RT @Battista_j: Hi there. #indiechat -9:05 PM Jul 31st, 2012

srjohannes I am just getting used to using it - people love it! so cool @TJ_Waters: #indiechat -9:06 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters #indiechat Basically, you can turn anywhere into an ebook signing event. Starbucks coffee shops are a favorite of mine. -9:06 PM Jul 31st, 2012

LM_Preston I've done one. RT @TJ_Waters: #indiechat Has anyone been to an ebook signing event yet? Online or in person? -9:06 PM Jul 31st, 2012

amanda_fanger RT @GeneLempp: Creativity Under Pressure: How to Write Your Way Through Storms #writing #indiechat http://t.co/WhEoeBx8 via @AugstMcLaughlin -9:06 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters #indiechat Blake Crouch was at Bouchercon last year - he walked around the bar at the Mariottt, autographing 3 chapter samples of his books. -9:07 PM Jul 31st, 2012

srjohannes Can you tell us how @autography is different than kindlegraph ? @TJ_Waters: #indiechat -9:07 PM Jul 31st, 2012

srjohannes how did you do it? RT @LM_Preston: I've done 1 RT @TJ_Waters: #indiechat Has anyone been to an ebook signing event -9:07 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters #indiechat People loved it! Lost of authors do radio events - now you can autograph an ebook for people while you're on air! -9:07 PM Jul 31st, 2012

srjohannes @ali_cross :) #indiechat -9:07 PM Jul 31st, 2012

NotebkBlogairy RT @GeneLempp: Creativity Under Pressure: How to Write Your Way Through Storms #writing #indiechat http://t.co/WhEoeBx8 via @AugstMcLaughlin -9:07 PM Jul 31st, 2012

Froze8 Really wish I was at #indiechat but I have work to do before summer is gone. New job over at @BiblioCrunch great place for all you Indies :) -9:08 PM Jul 31st, 2012

srjohannes im still not sure how to do it when im not in person sending it to their emaill RT @TJ_Waters: #indiechat People loved it! -9:08 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters #indiechat Shelli - great question. We're different from Kindlegraph in the autograph is actually part of the book, not a separate file. -9:08 PM Jul 31st, 2012

srjohannes I agree on everythign said :) RT @Froze8: wish I was at #indiechat but have work. New job at @BiblioCrunch great place for all you Indies :) -9:08 PM Jul 31st, 2012

LM_Preston I used my ipad to sign books through kindlegraph RT @srjohannes: how did you do it?: #indiechat an ebook signing event -9:09 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters #indiechat You can also export the autograph page to Pinterest, Facebook, Myspace, and of course - Twitter! -9:09 PM Jul 31st, 2012

Stacey_WB @TJ_Waters That's so cool! I've tried to sign up...didn't exactly know what to do. #indiechat -9:09 PM Jul 31st, 2012

srjohannes I know I love that they open the book and my sign is on page :) RT @TJ_Waters: #indiechat autograph is part of the book, not separate file. -9:09 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters #indiechat It's easy to sign up. Send a note to info@autography.com and we'll send you a brochure outlining the five things we need. -9:10 PM Jul 31st, 2012

srjohannes @LM_Preston u will like @autography better - it is embedded in book not separate file :) #indiechat -9:10 PM Jul 31st, 2012

Stacey_WB RT great question. Were different from Kindlegraph in the autograph is actually part of the book, not a separate file. #indiechat -9:10 PM Jul 31st, 2012

srjohannes RT @TJ_Waters: #indiechat Basically, you can turn anywhere into an ebook signing event. Starbucks coffee shops are a favorite of mine. -9:10 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters #indiechat Our app is free on the iTunes store, so it's a matter of getting your files loaded on the server and getting you an ID and PW. -9:10 PM Jul 31st, 2012

Addison_Moore @srjohannes @TJ_Waters is it similar to Kindlegraph? #indiechat -9:10 PM Jul 31st, 2012

srjohannes @Addison_Moore signature is embedded in book not separate! and you can personalize it to each person just like a book! #indiechat -9:10 PM Jul 31st, 2012

Stacey_WB @TJ_Waters Got it! #indiechat -9:11 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters #indiechat I would love to take credit for it, but the IT glory goes to my partner in crime Robert Barrett. He designed it all. -9:11 PM Jul 31st, 2012

srjohannes yes - you need ipad! RT @TJ_Waters: #indiechat Our app is free on the iTunes store, -9:11 PM Jul 31st, 2012

Addison_Moore @srjohannes Is it an app? @TJ_Waters #indiechat -9:11 PM Jul 31st, 2012

srjohannes @Addison_Moore yes for ipad #indiechat -9:11 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters #indiechat The whole concept came from a USO tour I was invited to join. My football intel book was popular with troops in teh Middle East. -9:11 PM Jul 31st, 2012

srjohannes @Addison_Moore i use a stylus and sign the ipad when person is there #indiechat -9:11 PM Jul 31st, 2012

Addison_Moore @srjohannes Sounds wonderful! #indiechat -9:11 PM Jul 31st, 2012

LM_Preston Does it cost? RT @srjohannes: u will like @autography better - it is embedded in book not separate file :) #indiechat -9:12 PM Jul 31st, 2012

Stacey_WB RT It's easy to sign up. Send a note to info@autography.com and we'll send you a brochure outlining the five things we need. #indiechat -9:12 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters #indiechat Next thing I know, I'm spending 10 days and 20,000 miles criss crossing the sand and seas. Quite a trip. -9:12 PM Jul 31st, 2012

Addison_Moore @srjohannes I can't wait to look into this! @TJ_Waters #indiechat -9:12 PM Jul 31st, 2012

srjohannes can you tell everyone about cost? RT @TJ_Waters: #indiechat -9:12 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters #indiechat Here's my favorite pic from the trip. Autographing an ebook at 36,000 feet over Iraq. http://t.co/qerdlZSc -9:13 PM Jul 31st, 2012

srjohannes @LM_Preston its same as kindle 70/30 split on royalties. so if i sell thru them and personalize I get same as I would on kindle #indiechat -9:13 PM Jul 31st, 2012

srjohannes awesome RT @TJ_Waters: #indiechat Here's my favorite pic Autographing an ebook at 36,000 feet over Iraq. http://t.co/WwbouJ4f -9:13 PM Jul 31st, 2012

Stacey_WB @TJ_Waters Sounds like it! What an amazing experience. #indiechat -9:13 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters #indiechat The app is free, we sell the ebooks as the retailer following the Agency Model (70/30). Happy to throw out ideas for events. -9:14 PM Jul 31st, 2012

srjohannes @TJ_Waters i definietly need to chat with you about moving to next level :) #indiechat -9:14 PM Jul 31st, 2012

srjohannes Konrath loves it! RT @TJ_Waters: #indiechat The app is free, we sell ebooks as the retailer following the Agency Model (70/30). @jakonrath -9:15 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters #indiechat I like the in person events, but costs and travel time tend to be an issue. Online events can be a blast too. -9:15 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters #indiechat Ustream and Skype offer Facebook plugins. We want to help brand you, teh author, not us (a retailer). -9:16 PM Jul 31st, 2012

LM_Preston Oh that is better RT @srjohannesits same as kindle 70/30 split on royalties. I get same as I would on kindle #indiechat -9:17 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters #indiechat Here's a link to an online FB streaming video event I did: http://t.co/DRRiLEGa -9:17 PM Jul 31st, 2012

Stacey_WB RT @TJ_Waters: #indiechat Ustream and Skype offer Facebook plugins. We want to help brand you, teh author, not us (a retailer). #indiechat -9:18 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters #indiechat Appearing online lets you go more place more efficiently than trying to travel in person. Quite a convenient option at times. -9:18 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters @LM_Preston #indiechat Yes,same split as Amazon. They usually require authors to sell the books cheaper elsewhere, so it works. -9:19 PM Jul 31st, 2012

BiblioCrunch So many twitter app issues today but finally on #indiechat ! What's tonight's topic? -9:19 PM Jul 31st, 2012

srjohannes digital platforms. taking about @autography with tj@waters first then open discussion. @BiblioCrunch #indiechat -9:20 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters #indiechat For anyone who wants an autographed ebook, send me a note at tj@tjwaters.com. A freebie for everyone on IndieChat tonight! -9:21 PM Jul 31st, 2012

Stacey_WB We've all stopped to watch the video! lol #indiechat -9:21 PM Jul 31st, 2012

ali_cross Hi everyone! Hi @TJ_Waters What a cool experience traveling with the USO! #indiechat -9:22 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters @Stacey_WB #indiechat ARGH!! That haircut was SO not working for me back then! -9:22 PM Jul 31st, 2012

Stacey_WB @TJ_Waters Awesome! Thank you. #indiechat -9:22 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters @ali_cross #indiechat It was! We're talking with USO about doing an ebook-only tour with them. Romance, mystery, comic, and scifi writers. -9:23 PM Jul 31st, 2012

Stacey_WB @TJ_Waters Ha ha! #indiechat -9:23 PM Jul 31st, 2012

srjohannes ha! you need a new pic! :) RT @TJ_Waters: @Stacey_WB #indiechat ARGH!! That haircut was SO not working for me back then! -9:23 PM Jul 31st, 2012

ali_cross @TJ_Waters Hey thx for the freebie! I'm gonna take you up on that ;) #indiechat -9:24 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters @srjohannes @Stacey_WB #indiechat You should have seen me back in the day with long hair and a beard. I looked like Charles Manson! -9:24 PM Jul 31st, 2012

srjohannes where do you see @autography going. what about peoiple who dont have ipad. RT @TJ_Waters #indiechat -9:25 PM Jul 31st, 2012

Stacey_WB @TJ_Waters Nice. Well, I used to have a perm if it makes you feel better. ;) #indiechat -9:25 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters @srjohannes @autography #indiechat We're expanding beyond ebooks now. Got some music projects with a couple of artists. -9:26 PM Jul 31st, 2012

ali_cross So is Autography a supplemental retailer, like pubbing with B&N & Amazon at the same time? Or is it an exclusive? #indiechat -9:26 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters @srjohannes @autography #indiechat Luke Bryan, Sara Evans, and Casey James right now. Working with another country quartet this week... -9:27 PM Jul 31st, 2012

srjohannes @ali_cross yes supplemental #indiechat -9:27 PM Jul 31st, 2012

Addison_Moore @Stacey_WB I like the perm admission. @TJ_Waters #indiechat -9:27 PM Jul 31st, 2012

ali_cross My apologies if I miss something or am slow - I'm on 3G with spotty service :P #indiechat -9:27 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters @ali_cross #indiechat We're a supplement. We're not exclusive - happy to work with anyone, any book. -9:28 PM Jul 31st, 2012

ali_cross @TJ_Waters This is so cool & inventive. Kudos! #indiechat -9:29 PM Jul 31st, 2012

Stacey_WB RT @TJ_Waters #indiechat Were a supplement. Were not exclusive - happy to work with anyone, any book. #indiechat -9:29 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters #indiechat The nice thing is we've recently upgraded the system to handle multiple languages and currencies. Expand your author reach! -9:29 PM Jul 31st, 2012

LM_Preston @TJ_Waters @srjohannes @autography Just checked out the website. IMPRESSIVE! #indiechat -9:29 PM Jul 31st, 2012

srjohannes does anyone know of other cool digital platforms 4 ebooks? every1 knows @ apple ibookstore can be loaded directly now - yay! #indiechat -9:30 PM Jul 31st, 2012

Stacey_WB @Addison_Moore You know you had one too. :P #indiechat -9:30 PM Jul 31st, 2012

JessieHarrell up from my unscheduled nap -- sorry I'm late. #indiechat -9:30 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters @ali_cross #indiechat We're familiar with spotty 3G. Robert added features that let the app work offline. Nice upgrade he created! -9:31 PM Jul 31st, 2012

JessieHarrell @TJ_Waters I'm interested in Shelli's question about ppl w/o iPads -- will it work on iPhone soon? #indiechat -9:32 PM Jul 31st, 2012

ali_cross @TJ_Waters No kidding! That's fabulous! #indiechat -9:32 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters #indiechat You can also link your website to us so people can request an autographed book from your site - they're your fans after all! -9:32 PM Jul 31st, 2012

ali_cross @JessieHarrell Ah a nap! Lucky girl! #indiechat -9:32 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters @JessieHarrell #indiechat Great question. The problem is the real estate of the phone - there's not enough room to sign! It's really ugly! -9:33 PM Jul 31st, 2012

EArroyo5 I have to catch up with technology. #indiechat -9:33 PM Jul 31st, 2012

LynneSchmidt @EArroyo5 Same here. I have no ereader, though I do have a kick ass phone #IndieChat -9:34 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters @EArroyo5 #indiechat I'm right there with you. Robert has to dumb the tech down so I can use it! He's (literally) a space program IT guy. -9:34 PM Jul 31st, 2012

ali_cross @TJ_Waters Yes! I do that with @kindlegraph now. Very cool to have another option. #indiechat -9:34 PM Jul 31st, 2012

EArroyo5 @LynneSchmidt I have an ereader and a flip phone. lol #indiechat -9:34 PM Jul 31st, 2012

srjohannes this is what i cant figure out yet :) RT @TJ_Waters: #indiechat You can also link your website. -9:35 PM Jul 31st, 2012

LynneSchmidt @EArroyo5 I have a six year old computer if it makes you feel any better #Lag #IndieChat -9:35 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters #indiechat For in person events you can get a picture of the fan & author for the author to sign. Lot of interest for book festivals, etc. -9:36 PM Jul 31st, 2012

BiblioCrunch Hosting meetup in NYC next week if anyone wants to come! We're going to be using @autographyLLC to sign books for attendees :) #indiechat -9:36 PM Jul 31st, 2012

BiblioCrunch RT @Froze8: Really wish I was at #indiechat but I have work to do before summer is gone. New job over at @BiblioCrunch great place for all you Indies :) -9:36 PM Jul 31st, 2012

BiblioCrunch RT @srjohannes: I agree on everythign said :) RT @Froze8: wish I was at #indiechat but have work. New job at @BiblioCrunch great place for all you Indies :) -9:36 PM Jul 31st, 2012

JessieHarrell @TJ_Waters oh. :( my iPad and I aren't on speaking terms at the moment, but I do so love my iPhone. #indiechat -9:36 PM Jul 31st, 2012

ali_cross @TJ_Waters Did I miss the evolution of how this app/venture came to be? I'd be interested in hearing it ... #indiechat -9:36 PM Jul 31st, 2012

LynneSchmidt This may be a silly question, but what exactly is an indie author, or an indie book? #indiechat -9:36 PM Jul 31st, 2012

BiblioCrunch When I tell people about @autographyLLC they are like 'so what?' #indiechat -9:37 PM Jul 31st, 2012

BiblioCrunch BUT when I actually show them that you can take a pic and sign digital and deliver right then and there they are blown away #indiechat -9:37 PM Jul 31st, 2012

ali_cross Talking with TJ_Waters re @autography a super cool #iPad app that lets authors autograph books :) Come join us! #indiechat -9:38 PM Jul 31st, 2012

JessieHarrell RT @TJ_Waters:For in person events u can get a pic of the fan & author 4 the author 2 sign. Lot of interest for book fests, etc. #indiechat -9:38 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters @BiblioCrunch #indiechat Yeah, we have the problem a lot. They have to see it to 'get it'. But at that point, they seem to really like it! -9:38 PM Jul 31st, 2012

srjohannes jakonrath did this :) he took pic & sent lady in room while he was talking. RT @TJ_Waters: #indiechat 4 in person events u can get pic -9:39 PM Jul 31st, 2012

ali_cross @LynneSchmidt A book published independent of a traditional publishing house :) #indiechat -9:39 PM Jul 31st, 2012

LM_Preston @LynneSchmidt An independent publisher. An Indie author is an author that pubs their work. An Indie pub can pub their wk & others #indiechat -9:39 PM Jul 31st, 2012

BiblioCrunch @TJ_Waters you need to post a picture! :) #indiechat -9:39 PM Jul 31st, 2012

EArroyo5 @TJ_Waters I'm one of those. I can't wrap my brain around it. #indiechat -9:39 PM Jul 31st, 2012

JessieHarrell @LynneSchmidt not silly at all, Lynne. Indie is an author who has not published traditionally. could be small press or self-pub #indiechat -9:39 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters @srjohannes #indiechat He & Blake did a hysterical promo video for us at the romance conf. in Chicago. No beers were hurt making the video. -9:39 PM Jul 31st, 2012

ali_cross @TJ_Waters Makes perfect sense - for many the only draw for paper books is the sentiment. But now they can have it both ways! #indiechat -9:40 PM Jul 31st, 2012

LynneSchmidt @LM_Preston @JessieHarrell Ahhhh, thank you! I've been wondering that forever #IndieChat Kinda just assumed it was super cool people :) -9:41 PM Jul 31st, 2012

srjohannes RT @TJ_Waters: @srjohannes #indiechat He & Blake did a hysterical promo video for us . No beers were hurt making the video. #indiechat -9:41 PM Jul 31st, 2012

JessieHarrell @LynneSchmidt well, yeah, we are cool. we're Indie and proud! #indiechat -9:42 PM Jul 31st, 2012

ali_cross @TJ_Waters Aha! Good old mother of necessity! WTG Robert! #indiechat -9:42 PM Jul 31st, 2012

Stacey_WB RT @ali_cross Makes perfect sense - for many the only draw for paper books is the sentiment. But now they can have it both ways! #indiechat -9:43 PM Jul 31st, 2012

LynneSchmidt RT @JessieHarrell: @LynneSchmidt well, yeah, we are cool. we're Indie and proud! #indiechat -9:43 PM Jul 31st, 2012

kellypolark @ali_cross @autography Love new technology! And signed books. Double awesome. #Indiechat -9:43 PM Jul 31st, 2012

LM_Preston @LynneSchmidt Lol! Truth is author who publishes books = publisher (but saying Independent) means not with the Big 6 publisher #indiechat -9:44 PM Jul 31st, 2012

srjohannes @kellypolark signed ebooks too! #Indiechat -9:44 PM Jul 31st, 2012

ali_cross @LynneSchmidt ROFL! I like your definition best :) #indiechat -9:44 PM Jul 31st, 2012

BiblioCrunch @LynneSchmidt @LM_Preston @JessieHarrell i thought the same! Took me awhile to figure out that #indiechat is #selfpub -9:44 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters @srjohannes #indiechat Big 6 publishers dipping their toes into this. We did author events with S&S and Wiley at Book Expo this year. -9:45 PM Jul 31st, 2012

JessieHarrell @srjohannes I know I'm going to be super-jealous of you and the app in Decatur. #indiechat -9:45 PM Jul 31st, 2012

srjohannes RT @srjohannes: does anyone know of other cool digital platforms 4 ebooks? every1 knows @ apple ibookstore can be loaded directly #indiechat -9:45 PM Jul 31st, 2012

srjohannes @JessieHarrell can you not use it on iphone? #indiechat @tj_waters -9:45 PM Jul 31st, 2012

srjohannes before we end the chat - does anyone have any other questions about digital platforms for ebooks OR for @tj_waters? #indiechat -9:49 PM Jul 31st, 2012

SendaEvenson IN FRENCH : FRANCE 1942. A JEWISH BOY IS HIDING FROM THE NAZIS #press #news #indiechat check the English video http://t.co/iPoBv50k -9:49 PM Jul 31st, 2012

BiblioCrunch @srjohannes @tj_waters Hi TJ, what was the most successful author campaign you've seen with digital signing? #indiechat -9:50 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters @srjohannes #indiechat Happy to answer any questions: tow@autography.com We're here to help you the authors, so let's hear from you! -9:50 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters @BiblioCrunch @srjohannes #indiechat Probably Jonathon King last year at Bouchercon. Lots of smiling, lots of fun! http://t.co/ztpwKGE4 -9:52 PM Jul 31st, 2012

BiblioCrunch RT @TJ_Waters: @BiblioCrunch @srjohannes #indiechat Probably Jonathon King last year at Bouchercon. Lots of smiling, lots of fun! http://t.co/ztpwKGE4 -9:53 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters @srjohannes #indiechat Make that tjw@autography.com. Autocorrect vexes me! (Told you I'm not the techie part of the company!!) -9:53 PM Jul 31st, 2012

ali_cross @TJ_Waters So says the egg. (Twitter noob? We love you anyway!) #indiechat -9:55 PM Jul 31st, 2012

BiblioCrunch Thanks for a great #indiechat everyone! -9:56 PM Jul 31st, 2012

Stacey_WB Thanks for coming to indiechat tonight - I'm excited to get signed up for autography! #indiechat -9:56 PM Jul 31st, 2012

EArroyo5 Awesome chat. Thanks! #indiechat -9:56 PM Jul 31st, 2012

ali_cross Me too! TY @TJ_Waters! RT @Stacey_WB: Thanks for coming to indiechat tonight - I'm excited to get signed up for autography! #indiechat -9:57 PM Jul 31st, 2012

TJ_Waters #indiechat Going to put little people (5 & 7) down for the night! Good night all! Thanks for the invitation tonight Shelli! -9:58 PM Jul 31st, 2012

The Blessing of an Imperfect Life

"Who has never tasted what is bitter does not know what is sweet."

German proverb

Giving our characters emotional weeds brings them to life. 

This summer my daughter has been ill. I can't tell you what's wrong with her, not for privacy reasons but because we don't know. We've spent most of the summer going from doctor to doctor, like bloodhounds sniffing this or that trail of symptoms, hoping this time, this test, will explain her hodgepodge of maladies. 

It's been a stressful summer for us.  Of course, she's missed out on fun with her friends, and spent more time feeling yucky than anyone her age should. She's experienced pain, real pain, maybe for the first time in her young life. For the rest of us, her illness has meant ancillary stress. More to balance, to work around, to take care of. One less person to help with things. One more sleepless night filled with worry. But I have to share with you that I truly believe that the burden of this illness does not come without an equal blessing and, I think, a lesson for writers (and artists) everywhere.

Every once in a while I will get an email from a young reader who says they loved the Soulkeepers but think the bigotry described isn't realistic. It's too raw. Teenagers don't talk like that to each other. I respond by saying that I'm happy and encouraged that they've never experienced anything like what's in the books but I also let them know that every incidence is based on a real life situation. In fact, I get other emails, more frequently, from readers who've had such experiences, readers who are thanking me for spotlighting the reality of prejudice in my fiction.

The truth is, life is difficult.  Everyone, rich or poor, has struggles. And therefore, when we write, if we want to write well, our characters, to be accepted in a personal way by our readers, need to come with baggage. Weaknesses, insecurities, humiliations, and even horrors of the past are brutally important to the action of now. Our characters can only respond to our plots from the perspective of their past. After all, only a small percentage of people grow up unscathed, whether from the circumstances they were born into or the circumstances thrust upon them.

Do your characters have a past before you start writing? Or are they born on page one? I believe, since they come from you, they are born far before ink hits paper. Your characters carry the baggage of your past, and the more you see those scars, those past challenges, as blessings—tools that connect you to your readers in a real, personal way—the more your words will come alive.

I have faith that we will solve the mystery of my daughter's illness and do whatever it takes to heal her. And, someday, I hope she looks back on this summer of needle sticks and plastic vomit bowls with an understanding that it has created in her something unique and purposeful: greater empathy for those with chronic illness, an interest in the medical field, or maybe even, if she goes into the arts, a larger emotional palette. I know that's how it was with my childhood illness, my bullying, and yes, even my heartbreaks. 

And now, one more blessing, the ability to share this with you with hope that you crack the door to that long hidden thing closed up in your brain, and feed it to your characters.

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G.P. Ching is the author of The Soulkeepers Series and a variety of short fiction. She specializes in cross-genre paranormal stories, loves old cemeteries, and enjoys a good ghost tour. She lives in central Illinois with her husband, two children, and one very demanding guinea pig. 

Visit her:

www.gpching.com 

Author Facebook Page

Series Facebook Page

Twitter

IndieView: Hugh Howey on writing eshorts (Bestselling Author of WOOL series)

NOTE: Hugh Howey will be joining us on #indiechat tonight (Tuesday) at 9PM EST to answer more questions about writing eshorts. You can use tweetchat.com and enter in the hashtag #indiechat to follow easily.


Enter for an ecopy of Omnibus below.


For those who haven't heard of Hugh Howey, he is an indie writer who started publishing a couple years ago. His first short story WOOL took off last spring. When readers begged for more, he released several more editions within 6 months and quickly became a household name in the indie world :) He just signed with Kristin Nelson, sold Wool to RH in UK, and sold his film rights to Ridley Scott.


Today, I'm giving away a couple ebooks of his OMNIBUS edition which collects the five WOOL books into a single volume. This is the story of mankind clawing for survival, of mankind on the edge. The world outside has grown unkind, the view of it limited, talk of it forbidden. But there are always those who hope, who dream. These are the dangerous people, the residents who infect others with their optimism. Their punishment is simple. They are given the very thing they profess to want: They are allowed outside.


And BTW, he's like the nicest guy! Now here's Hugh.


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Hi Hugh, thank you so much for stopping by. 

Can you tell us about you and your indie journey to publication?

I've been a voracious reader all my life. I grew up on a farm in North Carolina, the son of a school teacher and a farmer. I tried to write my first novel when I was twelve, and it was just awful. Not that it mattered: I lacked the dedication to finish the work. Over the years, I've probably started a dozen books before losing interest.

It wasn't until I started reviewing books for a popular website that I learned the dedication of writing on a deadline. I also got hooked on the immediate feedback from readers (possibly why I love getting e-mails and reviews so much). While covering book conventions for this website, I heard successful authors repeat a mantra over and over: If you want to write, what's stopping you? Just sit down and write.

This really hit me hard. I had this childhood dream, and it was perfectly attainable. It didn't matter if what I wrote was garbage, what mattered is that I finished a novel just to say that I had. So I sat down with renewed spirit and wrote my first book. To my surprise, it didn't stink as much as I feared it would. It even got picked up by a small publisher, which meant working with a professional editor and not having to pay a dime to print the thing.

After taking this first step, I was hooked. I kept writing, and when the contract came in for the next book, I decided to try publishing on my own. I wanted to be able to get stories out as fast as I could write them and also maintain control over the entire process. 

Things were growing steadily until WOOL came out, and then they went into overdrive. What started as a 60-page novelette turned into a serialized adventure that stormed up the bestseller lists. It's been a wild ride ever since, one I keep expecting to come to a stop, but it still finds some way to press on. Recently, we announced both a movie deal with Ridley Scott and a hardback release from Random House in the UK. All from a short story that I didn't even promote when it came out.

I love seeing indie authors take off and all because of reader's word of mouth! What are the top three things to think about when writing a short story series?

First, plan ahead. Make sure you know where the overall story arc is going so you can foreshadow and plan appropriately. When writing a novel, you don't publish the first chapter until you've already written and revised the final chapter. Writing a series does not usually afford this luxury, and you don't want to make it up as you go like the writers of LOST did. Readers are savvy. They can tell in an instant when a creator doesn't have a handle on their own material.

Secondly, keep up the pace. If you are giving readers less to read, you better dole it out more often. A short story a month or a novella every two months feels about right. You want to keep your material fresh and your name visible.

Finally, listen to your readers. I check out every review and read every e-mail. With a series, you get a rare opportunity that a novel writer misses out on: you get feedback that you can actually use for future "chapters." I've heard from readers that some issues are unclear, or some characters need more attention, and I definitely allow this to guide my writing. It's like having beta readers help you steer your work so that it's as awesome as it can be.

Since you have become so successful, can you share some of the marketing tools or secrets you used to get the word out?

I've tried everything, but nothing works like word of mouth. I Tweet and use Facebook and participate on writing forums. I blog and do interviews, Skype with book clubs and speak to classrooms. But honestly, nothing will drive sales and continue to drive them quite like word of mouth. And how to achieve that is a mystery to me. I think the story has to be not only good and well-told, it has to be interesting, puzzling, engaging. It has to be addicting. And there's no way to really sit down and guarantee you'll achieve that. Even the masters write duds. All of my books aren't jumping off the digital shelves with the same vigor. So maybe this is the answer to marketing yourself: Write a lot and don't write the same thing over and over. Spread yourself across genres. Write works of varying lengths. You never know what's going to take off, so diversify, give yourself a chance, don't buy multiple lottery tickets with the same number and expect your chances to budge an inch. 

Now, I know you just signed with Kristin Nelson at Nelson Agency. I think she is the dream agent of many authors :) How is it to work with an agent after being independent? 

Agents rock if you get the right one. Kristin Nelson has got to be the best agent in the business for authors with self-pubbed success. I don't think there's any doubt. I've heard it from editors at major publishers, from authors, and even from other agents. What Kristin has done for me is allow me to thrive where I'm already having success while branching off in ways I never would have imagined. We've signed over a dozen foreign publication deals in the past few months in addition to that major Hollywood deal with Ridley Scott, Steve Zaillian, and 20th Century Fox. I never would have managed this on my own.

Co-agents are also key. Jenny Meyer, Kassie Evashevski, and Gray Tan have all done amazing things to get WOOL into the right hands. If you self publish and you begin to have some real success, start reaching out to agents who support hybrid authors, those who want to go the traditional route as well as stay indie. It's the best decision you'll ever make as an author.

So what is next for you? Will you stay indie, go traditional or both?

My next work is a horrible little zombie book told from their perspective. I'll be begging people to not read it. Seriously, it's awful. After that, I'll return to the silo with the second of the prequels. Once I wrap up that series, I've got a new one I'm dying to start. There's just so much to write and not enough time! And for the first time in my life, I've got a legion of fans hounding me for more, so it isn't just the pressure I put on myself anymore. Not that I would have it any other way. 

Thanks Hugh.


You can find him online at Facebook, Twitter, and at his web site.

Today Shelli and Hugh are giving away the whole ebook of the WOOL series called Ominibus. You will be able to choose your format.  There are also several ways to get extra entries if you like.


To be enter, go to shelli's blog .

Dance Moves

You know what we don't talk about enough on this blog?

TV.

Since I have my fellow Indelibles to be informational and inspirational, talking about books and writing and publishing, I've taken it upon myself to bring you an advertisement/endorsement of a TV show.

The following is not a review. There was a reason I was a Theatre major instead of an English major, and that reason is critical thinking can suck it.

Bunheads

I'm in love with this show. It's written and produced by Amy Sherman-Palladino - the woman who wrote most of the seasons of the Gilmore Girls. Now, if you haven't watched that series, which ended in 2007, go do that.
I'm serious, go watch the whole thing. Jess, Dean, Logan, Luke, Christopher, these names might mean nothing to you now, but you'll see, I've just suggested a whole new group of fictional boyfriends for you. Not into boys? Lorelai, Rory, Layne, Suki, y'all. Thank me later.

Back to Bunheads - it's about Michelle (played by the awesome Tony award winning actor Sutton Foster) who is a Vegas showgirl that marries an admiring and persistent fan and moves to his home in Paradise, CA. Her husband dies in a car crash by the end of the first episode - I'm not giving anything away here, the show wouldn't work otherwise - and leaves her his house, which he shared with his eccentric ballerina mother (Kelly Bishop!), and a ballet studio that is on the property.

Hilarity ensues.

If you've missed Sherman-Palladino's fast talking ways and her ability to make a show appeal both to adults and teenagers, Bunheads delivers. There are lots of Pop culture references for us old folks and the teens on the show ACTUALLY look and act like teenagers. They're awkward and silly and bitchy and trying to grow up to be good people.

Paradise isn't quite as quirky as Stars Hollow, but it does have a couple funny weirdo standouts. Truly (played by Stacey Oristano - Mindy on Friday Night Lights) is the quintessential woman raised in a small town that's never been anywhere else. She's a 60-year-old trapped in a 35-year-old body. Truly owns the only clothing shop in town and she has the unique ability to "know what everyone needs" except for herself. The banter between Michelle and Truly is delightful.

There's also a local bar owned by a burn-out hippie couple that lends to the California feel of the dialogue. They're the one time things slow down, way down, man.

Bunheads is on Monday nights on ABC Family, which has nearly as good of a track record for cancelling shows I love as FOX, but I'm willing to bet this one stays around for at least another season. (No such luck for The Nine Lives of Chloe King - my fave teen show from last summer!)

Don't worry if you've missed the first five episodes - they do a great "previously on" at the beginning that will get you all caught up.

I hope you all give it a try and if you ever want to talk TV, I'm here for you. I watch all the things.

                                                                                                                                                            

Stacey Wallace Benefiel is the author of the Zellie Wells trilogy, the Day of Sacrifice series, The Toilet Business - a collection of essays, and multiple short stories. She sometimes goes by S.W. Benefiel, but knows she's not foolin' anybody. Stacey lives in an orange house in Beaverton, OR with her poet husband and their two young children.

For more info on Stacey and her books, please visit her website: http://staceywallacebenefiel.com

A Reader Writer or a Writer Reader

What I mean by the title is:

Do you read for enjoyment, the pleasure of reading, of losing yourself in another world, another time?

Or, do you read to become a better writer?

I must admit I do both.

Before I started doing this amazing thing called WRITING, I didn't give the way a sentence was structured a second thought. I read simply to lose myself in a story. After reading the book: "Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write" by Francine Prose, it changed the way I read.

The book gave me a new understanding of the sentence, the beauty of each word, and why sentences can and should be varied. Long. Short. Flowery. Succinct.

Now, admittedly, I'm still growing as a writer, BUT... I've come a long way.

What about you? Why do you read?

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Lips red as rubies, hair dark as night. 

Drink your true love's blood, become the Vampire, Snow White.

Every thousand years the Vampire Queen selects a new body, always the fairest in the land, and this time she's chosen Snow White.

Blood and Snow #1 
Revenant in Training #2 
The Vampire Christopher #3
Blood Soaked Promises #4 - add to your Goodreads - available August 2012.

The BLOOD AND SNOW series is a fractured fairytale with Snow White living in present day Salem, Mass. Her next door neighbors are 7 brothers who've been adopted by an eccentric, older man they call Professor Pops. The series will be told in 12 volumes. I hope you enjoy reading about Snow, the seven brothers, and the gorgeous Hunter, as much as I've enjoyed writing about them. 

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Lover of books, baking, and toffee-making. The author of the amazon bestselling romantic suspense, "Sleeping Roses," "Aligned: An Immortal Essence Short Story," "Exiled," and the Blood and Snow series. Honorary nerd with attitude.

Where are the books for my age group?

When I was in high school there wasn't much for the YA genre. I think the only young adult book in my school library was Sloppy Firsts and that technically wasn't even considered YA. So, I spent most of my young adulthood reading VC Andrews and learning the real meaning of flowers in the attic.

Fast forward to college. I didn't have time to read much more than a college textbook, but my roommate was OBSESSED with the Twilight books. I didn't want to read them. They couldn't be like my favorite Anne Rice novels, could they?

They weren't. BUT there was something about the young adult writing style that drew me to it. I always thought I COULD be a writer, but just figured I could be the next AC360 instead.

Fast forward again and I'm a college graduate, working part-time and studying for some insurance exams. I wanted a story for something in MY age group, the college kids. I thought about my own college experience and wanted to write a book about a girl that fails out of her freshman year of college and is forced to move with her great aunt in the rural south.

I wrote it in a few months, edited, used critique partners, and then I learned about the path to publication. What did people mean when they said there wasn't a genre for this age between young adult books and adult books?

I queried anyway. Some agents wanted it, some didn't. I did end up finding an agent. I thought she was my golden ticket! I even found out a publishing house had branded this genre 'New Adult' and had a special section for these characters in the phase between young adult and adult.

I brought this up to the agent. Her response? "Yeah, that's one publishing house. It doesn't mean that it's going to create a new genre in the book store." So I re-edited it, again, this time to make it more of a women's fiction piece. It didn't work as women's fiction. It didn't work as a story with a sixteen-year-old girl getting it on with her southern boyfriend. It was time to shelf it and time for my agent to shelf me.

I worked on How to Date an Alien and eventually indie published it, but the voice of my New Adult characters still lingered in my head. As I got deeper into the indie world I realized that New Adult and Upper YA was alive and well. There were best sellers like Abbi Glines and Jessica Park who were flying up the charts with their college-aged characters. I knew at that point that my former agent wasn't completely right about New Adult. Sure you can't go into a book store and find it, but if you check the Amazon best seller charts, you will see that New Adult is alive and well.

I hope you all had a chance to join our #indiechat on Twitter the other night and got some awesome information about the New Adult genre. If you didn't, our transcripts are always available!
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There are worse things in life than failing out of college- such as having your parents receive the letter that you’ve been kicked out.
Now to appease her parents self-proclaimed sorority princess Libby Gentry is packing up her Prada bag and heading to work for her great aunt’s antique store in tiny Elsbury, Louisiana. She’s pretty sure she can tackle the swamp and deal with her great aunt and tom boy of a little cousin, but what she doesn’t know is if she can handle the local town playboy, Blaine Crabtree.

As Libby's feelings for Blaine grow, so does her need for acceptance and all of the insecurities she has kept inside are coming out. She may have survived the Louisiana swamp, but she may not survive Blaine's reluctance to say the 'L' word. When Blaine finally commits to the three words Libby’s been waiting for, she only hopes they haven’t come too late.

Available for your Ereader on August 6th, but add it to your GoodReads now!


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Magan Vernon is a self-proclaimed geek-to-glam poster child and the Amazon best-selling author of the My Alien Romance series. The first book, How to Date an Alien is currently FREE for Kindle and Nook and just about anywhere else that sells ebooks.

My Paper Heart is her upcoming New Adult novel that was a labor of love and almost four years in the making.

Starter Covers

Hey there, Elle Strauss here.

You know that term, starter home? It's the cute little house built for two that you buy when you're young, maybe have a child or two and feel totally squished in when you get the family pet? By then a few years have gone by and (supposedly) you have some equity with which you can buy a bigger house? One you can live in for the next many years and raise all your children?

Yeah, it didn't work that way for me either. But, that's a long winded segue into my topic of Starter Covers.

A starter cover is the first cover a book receives before getting a makeover cover.

My book Clockwise had a starter cover.

starter

makeover

Why did I change it? I was concerned about lagging sales and a few people suggested that the first cover looked too middle grade, primarily because it was illustrated. I loved that cover but I agreed that it didn't have the "read me" factor for an YA audience.

Interestingly, Clockwise was chosen for a cover challenge  last week and the voting results surprised me, 12 to 11 for the original!

I still think I did the right thing by changing the look of book one before putting the rest of the series out, but chances are if I'd stuck with the first theme, it would've done as well.

The main point here for me is, as an Indie it was my choice. I wanted to change it and I did. =)

I'm not alone in this starter cover syndrome. Several of my writerly friends have changed their covers recently, some for the same reasons as me and some because they thought it was time to try something new. Traditionally published books get new covers all the time, when the paperback comes out, for instance, or to update a book or series that's been out for more than a year.

Sometimes they update too soon, and make readers angry, but I'll get to that in a minute.

starter cover

 makeover

starter

makeover

starter

makeover

starter

makeover

Megg said: I just wanted to mix it up a bit. The old covers sold well but they've been around awhile.

Stacey said: It didn't stand out as YA. Readers couldn't tell what genre the books were just by looking at them. When they did read the books, I got complaints that the more mature upper YA subject matter didn't jibe with the illustrated covers - which made people think they were MG. Now readers love them and are picking them up because they love the covers. They are recognized as the Zellie brand now and the next trilogy will have similar covers. 

Cheri said:  I'm an indie author, and I love to try new ideas. I had a theory about covers with vivid images on a black background and wanted to test it out. I also knew that in the tiny thumbnail image, the beautiful swirling font of my book title is difficult to read. I wondered if that was a deterrent to potential readers, so I wanted to test that out as well. 

Magan: When I first went through the whole cover design process I was looking for someting in the realm of HP Mallory with the cartooney covers. Both our books are comedic with romance, so I thought a cutesy cover would do the trick. Then the reviews started to come in and I realized alot of people weren't picking up the book because the cartoon cover was giving off a middle grade vibe and that wasn't what I wanted.


Though it's great to change covers, authors have to be careful not to annoy their fans by changing covers they might love, especially mid series. There's some talk on the 'sphere about series books getting a make over midstream. For people who bought the first book, or the first two books in the series, it's annoying when the next book no longer matches. See this post by Narratively Speaking. She's particularily upset by the recent change made to Beth Revis's covers. I for one have Ruby Red sitting on my shelf and have long waited for book two to hit shelves. I'm a little annoyed that the covers have since changed and now my series collection won't match. Plus,the collection loses value when this happens. I'll still buy it though, since I loved book 1.

Megg and Stacey both changed covers for their whole series once the series was out. I, on the other hand made the choice to change the cover theme after the first book was out, believing it would be better in the long run and hoping I wouldn't put off any of my readers who bought the first one. I didn't have a lot of readers yet at that point, and no one has complained so far. (Magan has done the same.)

What do you think about the cover updates? Does it bother you if series covers change before the series is complete?

 

Elle Strauss writes time travel and merfolk chic-lit, light SF and historical YA fiction. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, hanging out with friends and family, and sometimes traveling. To ward off writer's butt she does a bit of hiking, biking and yoga. Elle is married with four children and divides her time between British Columbia, Canada, and Germany. Find out more about her and her books at www.ellestraussbooks.com