Thoughtful Thursday - NaNoWriMo and Scrivener

Considering this is my first NaNoWriMo, don't you think I should have stuck to my "tried and true" methods and left new software tryouts for after November?  Um, yes.  Did I do that?  Um, no.  And why not?  Because ….  Because….  Because I fell beneath Scrivener's temptation spell and had to try it out.  Was that a good or bad?  Potentially, very bad, but as of yesterday (2 week point) I clocked in at 40,700 words, which is the 81% mark for a 50K novel.  Not bad.  I expect this novel to come in at a little over 75K, so my web sites are all reporting me at 54%, and I still have 2 weeks left.

Has Scrivener helped me?  In some ways, yes.  Definitely.  However, because of the learning curve, I have to do a lot more "playing" with the Word file I compile everyday as a back-up than I'd probably have to do if I'd been using the software for a while.  Yes, I did take the tutorial first, which I recommend to anyone who is thinking of using the program.  However, like most authors, I have a few personal quirks that the tutorial didn't cover.  Not the program's fault by any means, but it still requires me to do some jerry-rigging until I can get the manuscript over into Word looking the way I want.

So, what did I find I could do in Scrivener that I couldn't do in Word?  Lots.  Its basic structure is set up to make a writer's job easier.  I normally work on a scene-by-scene basis, dividing the work into chapters as I go along, or later in the process, and Scrivener is set up to work that way.  In addition, it provides me with an easy way to group my scenes and import any research I'd like to access quickly for reference.

For example, as I'm writing, I can determine if a scene is going to need a lot more work before I can even consider it a "first draft."  Once I determine that, I simply mark its status as "To Do."  Then I can search for all the scenes that have a "To Do" status and save my search as a collection.  That means as I continue to give that status to more scenes, my collection grows automatically.  Then, I can go through my collection of "To Do" scenes and work on them at my leisure without ever moving them from their original place in my binder, or manuscript.  Once I change the scene's status from "To Do" to "First Draft" the link to the scene is instantly removed from my collection of "To Do" scenes needing more work.  Nifty, huh?

In the synopsis, or notecard, that comes with each scene, I begin by stating which is my POV character for the scene.  Then I created a search for each POV character and saved the search as a collection so I can see at a glance if one character is getting more scenes than the other is.  At this moment, my heroine is getting the lion's share of scenes.  I may want to change that later, but for the time being, I'm okay with that.

In any case, I'm pleased I had an opportunity to try out the software, and NaNoWriMo definitely gives it a rigorous tryout.  I don't recommend anyone wait as long to do what I did, but I do recommend the software.  That said, I now return you to your regularly scheduled blog hopping while I go back to Nanoing.

P.S. Scrivener has a special NaNoWriMo offer if you're feeling adventurous...

http://www.literatureandlatte.com/nanowrimo.php

Thoughtful Thursday - Is Big Brother Really Watching?

I read an article in the Wall Street Journal entitled "Your eBook is Reading You."  Okay, that seems ominous.  My Kindle has been getting a lot of use lately, and if anyone is tracking my reading habits, I'm afraid they're going to think I'm a psychopathic eroticist.  Books on poison, murder, police procedures and some less than family-friendly fiction top the list.

According to the article, "In the past, publishers and authors had no way of knowing what happens when a reader sits down with a book. Does the reader quit after three pages, or finish it in a single sitting? Do most readers skip over the introduction, or read it closely, underlining passages and scrawling notes in the margins? Now, e-books are providing a glimpse into the story behind the sales figures, revealing not only how many people buy particular books, but how intensely they read them."

Now, as an author, this information would be very helpful and interesting.  As a reader, not so much.  I'm not a paranoid person, but the notion that someone knows not only what I'm reading, but how intensely or quickly I'm reading the books I purchase, gives me goose bumps.  The article goes on to say, "The major new players in e-book publishing—Amazon, Apple and Google—can easily track how far readers are getting in books, how long they spend reading them and which search terms they use to find books."

Photo credit – William Duke

http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/WK-BC359_COVER__DV_20120628153540.jpg

Usually, I search for books by title on Amazon.  Occasionally, I'll use Google to find a book I want.  I'm fully aware that Amazon keeps track of my digital purchases.  They have to, so I can download a book again if I've removed it from my device.  They also keep track of any paperbacks or hardbacks I purchase in my order history.  But do they have to "watch" me read?  I mean, I don't like someone reading over my shoulder, so why are they peeking into my Kindle?

Don't get me wrong.  I love eBooks.  I'd better love them, because I write them, too.  So, I have no intention of changing my reading habits, but that doesn't mean I'm totally comfortable with an unknown entity taking note of how many times I open my Kindle and how long I spend reading from it.  However, I did feel a little less paranoid when I read this, "But the data—which focuses on groups of readers, not individuals—has already yielded some useful insights into how people read particular genres. Some of the findings confirm what retailers already know by glancing at the best-seller lists. For example, Nook users who buy the first book in a popular series like "Fifty Shades of Grey" or "Divergent," a young-adult series by Veronica Roth, tend to tear through all the books in the series, almost as if they were reading a single novel."

They got me there.  Since I was one of those million or more readers who purchased all three Fifty Shades of Grey books at the same time, I'm in those statistics somewhere.  Another thing I found of interest was, "Science-fiction, romance and crime-fiction fans often read more books more quickly than readers of literary fiction do, and finish most of the books they start. Readers of literary fiction quit books more often and tend skip around between books."

I'm not a speed-reader by any means, but when I'm on a reading kick, it's not unusual for me to read one or two books a day.

EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation), a non-profit group that advocates for consumer rights and privacy, is pressing for legislation that will limit how a retailer can use the information they gather.  They also want a way for readers to "opt out" of having their reading habits tracked.

What worries me most, no doubt worries other authors as well.  "… that readers may steer clear of digital books on sensitive subjects such as health, sexuality and security—out of fear that their reading is being tracked. "There are a gazillion things that we read that we want to read in private," Mr. Bruce Schneier, a cyber-security expert and author, says."  And even though I don't intend to change how I purchase or read, others may be more sensitive about having their habits tracked than I am.

So, why am I posting this information on my blog?  I find technology fascinating, and I know we're barely scratching the surface of what we'll be able to do in the future.  I don't want anyone to stop purchasing books out of fear, but I felt the topic was worth sharing, so I decided to take the risk.

To read the WSJ article in full, please click the URL below. 

http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052702304870304577490950051438304-lMyQjAxMTAyMDIwOTEyNDkyWj.html

Thoughtful Thursday - Procrastination "A Time Killer"

I recently read an article by Maria Mallory about the top six ways a writer procrastinates.  Guess what?  All of them involve social media, which means by writing this article I am procrastinating.  I'd like to say I'm surprised, but I'm not.  The six she listed are:

Twitter

Facebook

Blogging

Triberr

KDP/Pub It

Writer Forums

 Now a few of those are writer related only, but Twitter and Facebook along with Google+ chew up and swallow the time of everyone who chooses to play in their sandbox.  Time that some of us should be spending doing other things. 

Okay, as a writer, I'm guilty of all those listed above except Kindle Direct Publishing and Pub It, since I haven't yet ventured into self-publishing.  Although I do have a NovelRank account to track my Amazon sales.  However, I can't say I spend too much time ogling my sales numbers since they aren't very stellar at the moment, and I don't like getting depressed.

A great procrastination tool, which the author failed to mention, is Pinterest.  Also not specifically writer related.  I've visited and poked around, but managed not to fall prey to its enticements, yet.

E-mail is another evil, time-sucking vampire.  I spend way too many hours playing in my e-mail box, though I will admit most of what I'm reading are postings from the writer forums and Yahoo groups I've joined.  So, for my major time wasting activities, I'm an avid Triberr user, which counts as Twitter in my book, even if I am not directly viewing the tweets I've received.  Facebook, which I try to limit my postings to once a week.  Google+, which I should check once a week, but haven't so much as peeked in for a few months, and my two blogs where I currently do only 4 blog posts a week between them.  Even so, I don't spend as much time writing as I should.  So, now what?

 A week later, Mallory wrote another blog article on the six ways to combat procrastination.  What she lists is very good advice, except I know I won't follow it.  All the same, I'll share the list with you.

Disconnect your router - I'm not the only one using the Internet in our house, so that's not possible for me.

Turn off the phones - not a major time waster for me, so little point in doing something I'm simply going to have to undo a few hours afterwards.

Limit your music to non-intrusive instrumentals when you're writing - already do that, so it's not going to change anything for me.

Skip the household chores - What? I'm supposed to do housework? Who knew?

Enlist a writing buddy and/or timer - Just discovered "Write or Die," but haven't employed it yet, so that's still in the realm of possibilities for me.

Search out items that will inspire you to write - I tend to do this in my spare time, since I can get story ideas from the strangest places, like those little teasers you see on AOL's home page.

Most of these recommendations can be applied to anything you want to accomplish, not just writing.  Painting, needlework, even reading, if that's one of your goals.  So, although this article is directed toward writers, if you have a hobby or avocation that you just aren't getting to because of time wasters absorbing all your attention, maybe these suggestions from Maria Mallory will work for you, too.

It's a thought.

http://abcsoferotica.wordpress.com/2012/06/04/top-six-ways-to-procrastinate-as-a-writer/

http://abcsoferotica.wordpress.com/2012/06/11/top-six-ways-to-combat-writing-procrastination/

Thoughtful Thursday - No Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2012

I never considered my writing eligible for a Pulitzer Prize, and, as an erotic genre writer, I'm pretty sure it's not.  What I find interesting, however, is that the Pulitzer committee decided none of the three novel finalists was eligible this year, either.

So, what makes a novel Pulitzer eligible?  According the Pulitzer site, the qualifications are: "For distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life."  So, the author needs to be American, preferably writing about American life, in a work that a committee would consider "distinguished fiction."  I have a feeling the last point is the stickler.  What exactly makes a piece of fiction "distinguished?"

If we look at some past winners, we can get an idea of the sort of fiction the Pulitzer committee considers up to their standard of excellence.

1921: The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

1925: So Big by Edna Ferber

1932: The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

1937: Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

1940: The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

1953: The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

1961: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

1980: The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer

1983: The Color Purple by Alice Walker

1988: Beloved by Toni Morrison

1992: A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley

2011: A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

An impressive list to be sure, though I primarily picked the ones that were familiar to me.  The years in which fiction entered and nominated as finalists did not garner a Pulitzer are: 1917, 1920, 1941, 1946, 1954, 1957, 1964, 1971, 1974, 1977 and 2012.  So, not giving out a Pulitzer isn't something new or shocking, I guess.  Still, every year since 1977 the committee awarded a prize, which made me wonder why this year was an exception.  Below is the list of the 2012 finalists, with a brief description of each story, posted at the Pulitzer site.

Pulitzer Award

 Finalists

Nominated as finalists in this category were:

"Train Dreams," by Denis Johnson (Farrar, Straus and Giroux), a novella about a day laborer in the old American West, bearing witness to terrors and glories with compassionate, heartbreaking calm.

 "Swamplandia!" by Karen Russell (Alfred A. Knopf), an adventure tale about an eccentric family adrift in its failing alligator-wrestling theme park, told by a 13-year-old heroine wise beyond her years.

"The Pale King," by the late David Foster Wallace (Little, Brown and Company), a posthumously completed novel, animated by grand ambition that explores boredom and bureaucracy in the American workplace.

I can't say I've read any of the books, so I'm no judge of their quality, but perhaps they just weren't interesting enough.  A day laborer in the American West, a failing alligator-wrestling theme park and boredom and bureaucracy in the workplace may not be exciting enough when compared against the list of winners I selected.  Only the members of the committee know for sure, and they won't say.  Whatever the reason, I'm a little sad that none of the fiction entered was deemed worthy of a prize this year.  Perhaps next year…

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/18/opinion/and-the-winner-of-the-pulitzer-isnt.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/17/business/media/2012-pulitzer-prize-winners-announced.html?_r=2&hp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulitzer_Prize_for_Fiction

Thoughtful Thursday - What should authors do, write quickly, or write well?

Is that the question?  I recently read a blog article where the author indicated that writing one book a year wasn't sufficient to meet reader demand.  While I agree with the sentiment, I also don't think readers enjoy "cookie-cutter" romances or "by-the-book" thrillers.  With the number of free books being offered on Amazon for the Kindle, I know I won't run out of reading material for a long, long time.  In addition, I am purchasing books whenever my wallet will allow.  So, I'm not sure killing myself, as an author, will make my readers any happier.  I currently have three works in progress (WIPs).  Four, if my sequel to Mortal Illusions actually remains two separate books as it is now.  I wanted to get four or five books out by the end of the year, with one out in March.  Well, that didn't happen.  Still hasn't.  So, where did the time go?

Unfortunately, both my sequel to Mortal Illusions and my follow-up book to Arrested by Love required more revisions than I anticipated, so they are both still in the editing process right now.  I'm not happy about it, but I'd rather they be good than just published.  The past few weeks, I've been getting ready for a conference I'm attending the first weekend of June, so my writing time is suffering.  And, as a result, my blogging has suffered as well.  Sigh.

As for reading, I limit my reading time to just before bedtime (around 1 or 2 AM).  If I'm still wired after reading for an hour or so, I will listen to one of my books on tape (I subscribe to Audible).  That usually takes me to 3, sometimes 4 in the morning.  During the day, when I'm not "creating" swag, I try to spend my time writing or editing my current WIP.

Example of a Book Thong

I also want to stay on top of my e-mail and writing lists, learn new things, and communicate with other readers and writers.  So, given there are only so many hours in the day, and I do not function well without sleep, I'm trying to decide where my time is best spent.  I'm not sure all the time I'm spending creating "book thongs" for the conference is what I should be doing, but it meets a creative need, and I like giving away new "toys" to my readers.  So, I'll continue with my current plan.  As for my two blogs, well I'll need to beg your indulgence for a little while longer.

I will get back on schedule, but probably not until mid-June.  Until then, I'll try to post if I come across anything I feel I should share, however, I would be interested in your opinions regarding the number of books a year you think an author should publish.  One, two, four?  Inquiring minds want to know.

NY Times Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/13/business/in-e-reader-age-of-writers-cramp-a-book-a-year-is-slacking.html?_r=3&pagewanted=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20120513

Thoughtful Thursday - Things to be Grateful for

Tuesday, our next-door neighbor's house caught on fire.  Thankfully, no one was hurt.  The mom was home babysitting her young niece when everyone in the neighborhood heard what sounded like a gunshot.  She thought someone was shooting at her dog, a sweet-tempered black lab.  They weren't.  Instead, something either just outside their garage or inside it had caught fire and next thing that went was their gas line.  This caused an explosion that rattled homes much further down the block as well as those nearby.  I ran out at that point and my neighbor was yelling her house was on fire and that she'd called 9-1-1.  She'd gotten her niece and her Pekingese out, but her lab was hiding in their back yard somewhere, so I helped her call for and get Daisy out.  Daisy is now staying next door with us.  We have a large fenced-in yard, but no doghouse since all of our pets were inside animals.

My neighbors are still not allowed in their house or their yard.  They have no clothes other than the ones on their backs, but their insurance company has already reached out to help them.  I spent most of yesterday comforting their dog who didn't understand why people were tromping through her yard, spraying water, ripping down walls and breaking windows.  The smoke was black and noxious and the firefighters had great trouble putting out the fire that continued to smolder under the roof.  My neighbor had called within seconds of hearing the first gunshot-popping sound, and the fire department is right around the corner from our street.  Even so, over two thirds of their home was gone before the firefighters were able to start getting the fire out.

Our street was totally blocked by emergency trucks and the news crews were out in force trying to get the story.  Sure enough, it was in the paper on Wednesday and on all the major local television stations Tuesday night.  Though the family kept saying they were fortunate no one was hurt, which they were, watching everything they owned go up in billowing, black smoke was still very difficult for them.  It could have been much, much worse but right now, they are living with their oldest daughter and trying to make sure their teenage son has everything he needs.

Most of the damage is in the back of the house, which isn't visible in the above photograph.  When I can, I'll take a picture from our yard and post it here at well.  I am grateful I was home at the time and able to help as well as offer moral support.  They came over and visited Wednesday, since they hadn't been able to see the back of their house and our yard offers an excellent view of the damage.  Most of the fire was located in the garage, the dad's office and the kitchen, but all of their windows had to be shattered and the ceilings pulled down before the fire was finally extinguished.  The end of their house farthest from ours is gutted.  You can see through what used to be the south wall of their home to the trees on the other side.

The things they had that weren't directly lost in the fire have most certainly been ruined by smoke and water, but they still don't know the full extent of the damage.  Even so, they have a supportive church group, wonderful daughters and neighbors who want to help, so they have much to be grateful for, as do we.

Thoughtful Thursday - Nelson–a baby Kea Parrot rejected by his parents

Baby parrots are not cute.  They are born naked (without feathers), blind and helpless.  They require the care of their parents to survive.  So, why would an adult Kea parrot reject its chick?  Research has suggested that one of the reasons that birds reject their babies is that they are somehow deformed or defected, and probably wouldn't be able to survive by themselves.

Baby Cockatiels

Nelson

I'm not sure if the specialists at the Bergzoo in Halle Germany who are taking care of Nelson, the only chick to hatch and survive from a clutch of three eggs, know why his mother rejected him.  The theory is that he is too ugly.  I will admit that Nelson could probably take first prize in the ugliest bird contest, but I haven't seen pictures of any other baby Kea parrots that look any better.  In fact, he looks pretty much the way a baby Kea parrot should.  So, why did he get the cold wing?

Nelson being weighed

According to: http://www.keaconservation.co.nz/keaendangeredspecies.html . For an endangered species, Kea are highly adaptive and are considered by scientists to be one of the most intelligent bird species in the world.  They are e also the only alpine parrot species and now number an estimated 1000-5000 individuals in the wild. Numbers of Kea were substantially reduced with the introduction of a bounty, which resulted in over 150,000 birds being culled as late as the 1970’s (Temple, 1978).

Momma Kea feeding a fledgling

Kea are highly gregarious, forming large social flocks in the wild with non-linear hierarchies. Once adult kea reach breeding age around 3-4 years of age they tend to leave the main flock and pair up for breeding and raising of chicks. Progeny have an extended juvenile period and are dependent on their parents for up to 6 months.

The Kea nests in burrows or crevices among the roots of trees, and are known for their intelligence and curiosity, both vital to their survival in a harsh mountain environment. Kea can solve logical puzzles, such as pushing and pulling things in a certain order to get to food, and will work together to achieve a certain objective.

I'm ready for my close-up now, Mr. DeMille

This intelligence and curiosity has created difficulties with humans resulting in severe persecution of the species over the last 150 yrs.  Now uncommon, the Kea was once killed for bounty due to concerns by the sheep farming community that it attacked livestock, especially sheep.  It received full protection only in 1986.

For more information on what researchers have found out about kea, visit the University of Vienna's  Kea Lab at http://cogbio.univie.ac.at/labs/kea-lab/

Nelson ready for dinner

As for Nelson, he is being cared for round the clock by zoo staff, and despite his baby looks, he does have something to look forward too. Kea parrots grow up to have olive-green feathers with a beautiful orange flash under their wings. And Nelson is a smart little bird, so be careful what you say about him now because he just may remember and come back in full bloom to show you how wrong you were.

Interested in learning more about Nelson or the Kea?  Check out any of the following links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kea

http://animaltracks.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/18/11267613-baby-parrot-rejected-by-mom-called-ugliest-bird-in-the-world

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/is-baby-nelson-the-ugliest-bird-in-the-world-7654635.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2130993/Meet-Nelson-baby-parrot-ugliest-bird-world.html

http://www.pawnation.com/2012/04/18/baby-parrot-rejected-by-parents-for-being-ugly/#page=1

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/is-baby-nelson-the-ugliest-bird-in-the-world-7654635.html?action=gallery&ino=1

Thoughtful Thursday - EBook Prices, Will They Change?

Nathan Bransford, author of the Jacob Wonderbar series, wrote an interesting article on his blog back in 2011 regarding why some eBook prices are higher than their hardback cover cousins.  Turns out the fluctuations have to do with pricing models (Wholesale vs. Agency).  I had no idea as to the cause, I just knew that some eBooks appeared terribly over-priced, so I didn't purchase them.

Originally, (Once Upon a Time), there was only one model, the Wholesale model.  For both hardbacks and eBooks sold under the wholesale model, the retailer set the price (which meant Amazon and B&N could have sold the same eBook for different prices) and the publisher would have received 50% of the Hardcover price, regardless of the retailer's selling price.  Say a book sold in hardcover for $24.99.  Publisher was paid 50% ($12.50) for any hardback or eBook sold by the retailer.  The retailer then got to set their own selling price, which could be more or less than $12.50 they paid for the book.

 So, back in the good ole days, Amazon set an eBook price ceiling of $9.99 for its customers.  That meant for any hardcover costing more than $20.00, Amazon took a loss in the sale of their eBook for the Kindle, but the customer got a great deal and the publisher's payment remained the same.

As you probably already know, Amazon sold many, many eBooks that way.  Consumers were happy, but publishers weren't, since consumers were flocking to buy all their eBooks from Amazon.  Then Apple's iPad came on the market, and everything changed.  Why?  Because Steve Jobs came up with a brand new pricing model—the Agency Model.  Under the agency model, the publisher sets the price for the eBook, not the retailer.  In return, the retailer receives 30% of the publisher's eBook selling price, but they have to sell the eBook at the publisher's listed price--no discounts.

One publisher alone couldn't force Amazon to follow this new model, so all the large, NY publishers agreed to follow Steve Jobs' new Agency model, leaving Amazon to either join in, or not sell any eBook published by a major New York publisher.  Since refusing to play would mean consumers would have to go elsewhere to purchase their eBooks, Amazon reluctantly fell in line with the other retailers.

Below Nathan provides an example of the two models laid out in what he calls "napkin math."  I love it.

Napkin math for a $24.99 hardcover/$14.99 eBook.  The e-book would have sold for $9.99 at Amazon in the old days (under the wholesale model), but under the new agency model the publisher wants to charge $14.99 (with no discounts allowed):

Wholesale model e-book: (retailer sets price - no longer available)
Amazon paid publisher: $12.50 (publisher got roughly 50% of $24.99 hardcover RRP from retailer)

Amazon customer paid: $9.99
Amazon loses: - $2.50 (paid publisher $12.50 for an eBook they sold for $9.99)

Agency model e-book: (Steve Job's brainchild put in place when Apple introduced the iPad)

This is where the publisher sets the price for the eBook, irrespective of its hardcover price and no discounts allowed.*

Customer pays: $14.99

E-Bookseller pays publisher: $10.49 (70% of $14.99)
E-bookseller (including Amazon) keeps: $4.50 (30% of $14.99)

In order to have more control over pricing and allow more e-booksellers to compete with Amazon, publishers were willing to take less money for eBook sales. ($12.50 under wholesale, $10.49 under agency)

*Steve Jobs reportedly said to the publishers, "the customer pays a little more, but that's what you want anyway."

Publishing executives were desperate to get Amazon to raise its $9.99 price point for eBooks, and with the release of the iPad they were able to achieve their goal.

 So now, hardcover books sell under the Wholesale model, and eBooks sell under the Agency model.  And the reason eBooks can be more expensive than the hardcover on Amazon is because Amazon is treating the hardcover as a loss leader (meaning they lose money on the sale of the hardcover book, but potentially keep their customers happy even though they can no longer discount the eBook).

 Below is the example Nathan gave for:

THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET'S NEST:

Publisher's selling price:

E-Book: $11.99

Hardcover: $27.95

Amazon's selling price:
E-book: $11.99
Hardcover: $11.89

Breakdown between publisher and Amazon:

E-book sells for: $11.99 (price set by publisher)
Publisher receives: $8.39 (70% of e-book price from retailer)
Amazon receives: $3.60 (30% of e-book price from sale to customer)

Hardcover sells for: $11.89
Publisher receives: $13.98 (50% of $27.95 list price)
Amazon receives: - $2.09 (customer price minus $13.98 paid to publisher—a loss)

Since retailers can still set their own prices for hardbacks, the publisher has no control over what Amazon charges their customers.  As it is, publishers make more money on the hardcover sale.  By setting the list price for the hardcover at $27.95, and the e-book at $11.99, they don't have much incentive to discount the e-book any further than it already is.

Interesting, right?

Well now, boys and girls, the US Government has gotten involved and they are suing Apple and the publishers, who haven't already settled, for "raising eBook prices via the agency model."

"The government alleges Apple and the publishers of having a conspiracy (collusion) to raise the price of electronic books that cost the consumer over $100 million over the past two years by adding $2 to $5.00 to the price of each eBook."

Wow.  So, what does this mean for the consumer (us)?  15 (possibly 16) states have filed a separate complaint with the publishers, and of those states Connecticut and Texas reached agreements with Hachette and Harper Collins to provide $52 million to consumers in restitution.  According to Pete Yost in the Associated Press, "this dollar amount was set using a formula based on the number of states and the number of eBooks sold in each state, so other states may sign into the agreement.  The federal government has reached an agreement with three of the publishers (Hachette, HarperCollins and Simon & Shuster), but will proceed with its lawsuit in federal court against Apple, Holtzbrinck Publishers (doing business as Macmillan) and The Penguin Publishing Co. Ltd. (doing business as Penguin Group)"

 Macmillian's Chief Executive Officer, John Sargent, said in a letter to authors, illustrators and agents that the company has not settled because it is "hard to settle a lawsuit when you know you have done no wrong.  Macmillan did not act illegally, Macmillian did not collude."

According to the Wall Street Journal, "Despite settling, HarperCollins and Hachette both denied violating antitrust laws and defended the agency model. HarperCollins said it made a "business decision" to avoid a legal battle. Simon & Schuster confirmed settling but declined to comment."

Since this potentially affects millions of readers' purses, it should be an interesting case to follow.  Not sure if the case will affect authors, illustrators or their agents, but I don't believe it will.

Below are additional links regarding the situation, including Nathan Bransford's original article posted back in March of 2011.

http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2011/03/why-some-e-books-cost-more-than.html

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304444604577337573054615152.html

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-04-11/apple-publishers-sued-over-e-book-pricing

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/11/apple-hachette-antitrust-lawsuit_n_1417470.html

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ELECTRONIC_BOOKS_ANTITRUST_LAWSUIT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-04-11-10-39-35
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/12/business/media/amazon-to-cut-e-book-prices-shaking-rivals.html?_r=1&ref=media
http://pandodaily.com/2012/04/12/doj-gives-amazon-the-ok-to-kill-publishers-with-hammers-or-so-youd-think/

Thoughtful Thursday - How to Work Writing into your Daily Life

I love to troll (the Internet, not the streets), and I really like sharing the things I find when I troll.  This week I came across an article by Women on Writing entitled "A Writer's Fitness Plan."  Now, I hate exercise, so I looked at this article with narrowed eyes and a great deal of suspicion.  But to my delight, I discovered that it wasn't about exercising, it was about fitting writing time into your already busy schedule.

Now that's something I can sink my teeth into (okay, maybe I'm a bit hungry, too.)  You can read the article yourself by clicking the link above, or you can read my executive summary below.  Actually, you can do both or neither, if you want, but I'm assuming since you got this far that you find this topic of interest as well.  Silly me.

Women on Writing maintain that it all begins with you, the writer.

1. Call yourself a writer.  You can mention your day job, if you like, but make sure when people ask you what you do that you mention you're a writer.  The questions that always follow like, "What have you written?" or "Are you published?" are another topic entirely.

2. Find time to write.  Write for just fifteen minutes a day when you can grab some alone time.  Set up a timer and an alarm, if that helps, but give yourself the full fifteen minutes.  If you have difficulty with this, try either early in the morning, when no one else is up, or late at night, after everyone goes to bed.

3. Write regularly to build up that writing muscle.  Turn your writing into a habit.  You may find you're just getting started when your fifteen minutes are up (yay!), so consider reevaluating your schedule by giving yourself more time.

4. Find a Support Group.  Find another writer who will help hold you accountable when you reach a plateau or become discouraged.  Writer's write, and they won't accept the same excuses your husband or kids will.  They expect, and demand, results (cue the cat-o-nine-tails).

5. Think Small.  When life intervenes (as it usually does) take time to reevaluate your goals.  It's okay to scale back on a temporary basis, but don't stop writing entirely.  Sketch ideas or snatches of dialogue in your fifteen minutes and don't beat yourself up if you're unable to meet the goals you set that week due to unforeseen circumstances or major events.  Reevaluate.

6. Lastly, take time to reward yourself.  Whether it's a specific word count goal or getting your submissions out...if you get it done, give yourself a treat.  You've earned it.