A Familiar Fate available on the iBookstore

It's sort of a mystery of how long it takes to get from Lulu to online e-stores, but A Familiar Fate finally showed up on iTunes (the iBookstore) today. It's only $4.99 for the eBook, versus $15 for the print-on-demand physical edition available over at Lulu (and eventually Amazon, B&N, and local stores).

Lulu claims the book is available on the Nook (the Barnes & Noble eBook platform), but it hasn't shown up yet when searching that site.

Next up, an eBook at the Kindle Store and then physical editions for purchase at the major online retailers.

As always, spreading the word is appreciated!

eBooks capture about 11% of book buying dollars

The folks over at Bowker, perhaps best known as the provider of ISBN numbers (if you don't want to go through a publisher or other third party), and those at Publishers Weekly have just released their study on the US book market. You can read the press release here.

Called the 2013 U.S. Book Consumer Demographics and Buying Behaviors Annual Review, the $800 report discusses the evolution of the US market. High-level findings include:

• eBooks capture 11% of total book spending, but more in certain categories, such as mystery/detective, romance, and science fiction
• Women have increased their lead in book buying (up to 58%)
• Online retailers (think Amazon) get 44% of the dollars spent on books
• Print-on-demand and Reprint business captures the largest share of new ISBN numbers

Only 9000+ to go

Book promotion, like anything, can be bought. Gaining a spot on The New York Times (NYT) Best Seller's list is the ultimate--easy for some, such as James Patterson (and his multitude of co-authors), and harder for others (like me).

While about a non-fiction title, a Forbes article from February talked about how one author bought his way onto a best seller list. In this case, it was property of The Wall Street Journal, but the point was made: money can gain access, even where systems are designed to catch cheaters.

So, to get on the NYT list, the article says that sales of roughly 9,000 copies in a week are needed. Quite a hill to climb, but it's great to have goals. Any support you can provide is appreciated. Meanwhile, it's time to generate some awareness.

Stephen King: All in the writing family

The New York Times had an interesting article on Stephen King's family of writers -- Dad, mom, two of three children, and a daughter-in-law. One son, Joe (Hill), concealed his identity for eight years from even his agent as he struggled to write his first successful novel. Tabby, Stephen's wife, is working on her ninth book.

A Familiar Fate (physical book) available on Lulu

So, if you or your friends need a great book, you can order a copy of A Familiar Fate over at Lulu. Once I clear a couple of publishing process hurdles, the book will be available on Amazon, at the Barnes & Noble website, and at other retail stores. It will also be something an independent book seller can order.

Sorry about the relatively high price of $15. It's a good read, so I think it's worth it, but the high cost reflects the price of printing on demand for an order of one.

Anyway, head on over to Lulu, let your friends know, and spread the word! Thanks for all your support.

Lulu distribution choices

When you self-publish for the first time (and perhaps each time, given the time in between), it's easy to make mistakes not matter how many FAQs, support sites, and forum posts you read. Case in point: with Lulu, if you want globalREACH distribution--that is, to allow your local bookstore to order your book (from Ingram)--you have to decide that when you create your project. Ooops.

Apparently, it's not too hard to get another ISBN and create a revised project (book) with the right distribution plan. For many, the free plan may suffice, after all, it still gets your book on Amazon. However, for those of with bigger dreams or aspirations (or delusions), the $75 for the plan make sense.