booksbylyncote.com

Last week I uploaded my La Belle Christiane text file and cover file to CreateSpace. CreateSpace is the POD, Print on Demand arm of Amazon.com. If you don’t know about this new type of publishing, you might find it interesting, especially since it makes it possible for authors like me to self-publish books which might not appeal to a mass market publisher. Here goes!

This is a photo of a modern printing press like the ones used to print newspapers and books, etc. Notice the size. It’s big and takes up a lot of floor space. In the past type (as in letters made of iron or steel), was set manually. That changed in the digital age but the fact that using one of the BIG printers means that to be cost effective, a publisher had to print at least 5000 copies and usually much more.

Did you know that in the mid-1990’s someone invented machines that could print and bind books all in one (including cover)?  Here is one of those machines:

Do you see how much smaller this machine is? With POD, one only prints books as they are needed as in as they are requested by a buyer. A few years ago in England they distributed these machines into independent bookstores and people could request any book and it was printed for them right there and then. Amazing.

POD has other business benefits besides lower costs (for small runs):

• Large inventories of a book or print material do not need to be kept in stock, reducing storage, handling costs, and inventory accounting costs
• There is little or no waste from unsold products.

So this is how I am able to make it possible to get La Belle Christiane into print without selling it to a major publisher–as my other books have been. I’m told it takes about six weeks from the time my book is approved by CreateSpace for it to be available to order here or at Amazon.com. So what do you think about that? That means in October! Had you ever heard about POD, Print on Demand publishing before?–Lyn

Readers and authors have a unique relationship. You can’t have one without the other. In the digital world, readers and authors create their own neighborhoods. I have created one here on this blog where women tell and read stories of strong women.

A few weeks ago, I posted a blog, titled: “I Need a Little Help from Christiane’s Friends” If you didn’t read it, here is the link.  In it, I asked if anyone had ever purchased a book online or had ever posted a review online or were a part of Facebook, etc. Five readers responded and offered to promote La Belle Christiane online.

In the new digital world, readers depend not so much on reviews in big magazines and newspapers like Publishers Weekly or the NYT. Readers now depend on other readers to recommend books to them.

If you’ve never written a review, you should consider doing so. If you’ve loved a book, you should help others find it. Thousands of books get published every year and then tries to find its audience. An author can spend years researching and writing and revising a book. What if it’s a gem but very few readers find it in the “forest” of books? What a waste.

If you wish to support my books or those of another author, you should take the plunge and write a review. But you say–I don’t know how.

Reviews are easy. You don’t have to follow any guidelines. There are a few things to keep track of:

1-No SPOILERS. A spoiler in a review gives away plot surprises. Speaking from experience, I use a lot of effort to craft plots that surprise my readers. Please don’t SPOIL the story for other readers by giving away the surprises in your review!

2-Mention a little about the time and place and the type of story so people can know it interests them.

3-Then give a brief comment. Examples: “I loved this heroine.”  “I always enjoy this suthor’s books.” “I couldn’t put it down.”

To post a review on Amazon, etc., look for a notation about write a review on the page of the book you want to write about.

That’s all there is to it!

I will be letting you all know when La Belle Christiane becomes available online. If you’ve enjoyed reading her story here, please write a review and then let me know so I can thank you. Soon I’m also going to ask for quotes to put in the front of the book, another way to help a book you love.

So would you like to join my five volunteers and write a review or promote LBC online? I hope you will and that you will do it for other authors too. After all, I/We can only write so many books. And readers read faster than any writer can write!–Lyn
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