Navigating the Glut

There's been a lot of lively debate lately on the internet, in blogs, on Twitter, and in SFF Mags about the "glut" of self-published and independently published books available today. Before this sweeping change, the major publishers were the "gatekeepers" to publication. They prevented a lot of "slush" from being published.

The down side? They also refused to publish many good books that were worthy of publication, but which weren't expected to make them a lot of money! Now publication is open to almost anyone. This is probably a good thing, but requires readers to be even more discriminating than they were before.

It is said that many of these first-time authors only had that one book in them and once it's out of their system we should see a slow-down of first-published works. At least that is the current theory making the rounds. I'm not so sure about this.

Going by my own personal experience, when I try a book by an author I've never read before and find it to be seriously lacking, I simply don't attempt to read anything else written by that author. I had such an experience this past year. I bought a book written by an established author---a well-known female writer who shall remain anonymous. Shortly after I began to read, I discovered that her work was, to me, overrated though competent. It wasn't at all to my tastes, which are fairly catholic. I had to stop reading. ( And, boy, was I glad I hadn't paid full price for that book! )

As a result, I certainly wouldn't be tempted any time soon to read another book she'd written. Now I realize that authors don't always strike the right note with every one of their books. Online, you can read a sample of an available book, and if you hate it---well, you realize where I'm going with this. I have heard of a couple readers who actually finished reading a book they absolutely hated, only to throw it across the room when done---or even into the trash can!

Do I want readers tossing either of my published Tartarus books? Heavens, no! I expect readers to be discriminating and intelligent enough to check out Amazon's Look Inside feature or to download a sample onto their Kindle before they buy. ( I've used both these tools and find them invaluable. )

To get people to buy my books, I'm never going to falsely claim that they are "bestsellers" or must-read classics. I prefer to let you judge for yourselves. Trust your own gut-instincts to sort through all the books available out there.

Keep on reading!

MRTighe

A True Surprise!

I had a wonderful surprise yesterday: Fed Ex dropped off a huge box containing my author's copies of True Son of Tartarus---over a week early. Love it when that happens! How many things we wait for actually come early? Of course, I immediately thumbed through one copy, just to make sure everything was there---like a new parent anxiously counting a baby's fingers and toes!

Though I must say that the cover of True Son isn't quite as spectacular as the cover of Judgment, it does match its style, as I requested. And it's a huge step up from the first two cover designs, which I flat-out refused to accept.

The best thing about the publication of True Son is that now two books of the trilogy will be available online. And even those who've never read Judgment on Tartarus can get into True Son, since it's meant to stand alone as well as being part of a trilogy. A select few people who are my truest fans will shortly receive a free copy. The rest of my readers will be delighted to know that the standard cover price is only $16.95, while the Kindle version will be the usual $9.99 ( as soon as it's up and running, hopefully in another week or two. )

Lots of online booksellers will be carrying True Son of Tartarus at various discounts, so checking prices online is always a good idea. Now I'm anxious to find out how readers receive this book---love it, hate it, find it so-so? Fair warning that it is just a bit more adult than Book One was.

Keeping my fingers crossed that True Son is a success,

MRTighe

P. S. I'm now editing Chapter 26 of the final installment of The Tartarus Trilogy: Ransom of Tartarus, which will be published in 2012.

Good and Bad News

The good news is that the Kindle version of Judgment on Tartarus is holding steady at the top 1/2 in sales rankings. The "bad" news is that the paperback version, which admittedly is almost twice the price, fluctuates between about 400,000 to 900,000 in sales rankings. I suppose that's not really surprising, especially given the current economic conditions. I really didn't have much input into pricing, other than refusing to cut corners in order to bring the price down a bit. I haven't checked lately to see if online booksellers other than Amazon have any "bargain prices". I'm sure that's possible.

Besides the obvious economic factors, two other things are probably impacting my sales: 1) Judgment is my first published novel and 2) my name has no "recognition factor" as yet. Whenever someone enjoys a good book, they are obviously inclined to seek out other books by the same author. I know I do. Neither of these limiting factors will be mitigated until True Son of Tartarus is published and becomes available at online booksellers.

But whatever happens with the sale of my books---or lack thereof!---I fully intend to pursue publication of the last installment of the trilogy: Ransom of Tartarus. So take heart! Should you by chance become invested in the continuing story, it will be resolved in Book 3. And because I deliberately wrote each book so that it was capable of standing alone, you can read any one of the trilogy without being left disappointed. ( I could name a book or two of a trilogy that left me quite frustrated, but in deference to those authors, I won't! )

All for now,

MRTighe

Kindle's Okay!

Yesterday I downloaded Judgment on Tartarus on Kindle, just to see what it looked like ( I'm admittedly a very nosy person! ) and so I'd know if I could truthfully recommend it to my readers. I was honestly impressed. Having downloaded only one other novel on my Kindle ( All the Weyrs of Pern by Anne McCaffrey---one of my favorite authors. ) I think my book translated more successfully. Unfortunately, there are lots of odd errors in the McCaffrey Kindle!

In mine, errors were few and far between, thank goodness! And some may have been my own---I really haven't checked yet. Much as I hate to admit it, I do make mistakes, as I'm human ---I think. I still prefer a book I can hold in my hot little hands, but ---I could get used to Kindle for the convenience. Only time will tell. Hopefully, Kindle readers will enjoy my book just as much as those who read the hardcopy.

Love to know your thoughts about Kindle!

MRTighe

To Kindle or Not to Kindle?

After much debate with myself over the wisdom of putting Judgment on Tartarus out on Kindle, I finally decided that it was probably worthwhile. So I reached another milestone by making the deal to have Book One formatted and released on Kindle. I'll let you know when it will be available.

This wasn't an easy decision for me. Though I own a Kindle myself and have read one book on it, I prefer a book you can hold in your hands and turn pages. I like to be able to jump back and forth through a book, to reread, to check out parts I may not have fully paid attention to at first, etc. Also, I like to study book covers, to judge whether or not they truly convey what's inside. It annoys me when a book doesn't deliver on its cover---I feel a bit cheated sometimes. Same goes for backcover "blurbs"! A book has a certain tactile "feel" that I don't get from my Kindle. And maybe worst of all, I can't tell how much of the "book" I've read and how much more there is to go!

Maybe this is just a case of my own personal aversion to new technology, but I'm willing to give Kindle a chance. In any case, I'd like to see more people reading these days. Though I love TV and movies both, I still think you can gain much more by reading a good book. No matter the format, a book can go with you wherever you go and will wait patiently for you to have time for it!

What are your thoughts?

MRTighe