While we're waiting for Kim Smith to make her appearance today, I'll share something just posted to one of my author's loops. First, though I wonder if readers realize how much effort is put into writing a book? The creation is the easiest part. Then comes editing, querying, waiting, nail biting, suffering rejections, and then praising God when someone says, "send me the entire manuscript." Once the book is published, then comes the real work... promotion and marketing.
I cannot count the hours I spend on loops, posting excerpts, inviting people to my blog, let alone blogging, chatting, emailing, planning contests, joining in other people's contests, giving away free books and prizes, spending money for bookmarks, postcards, keychains, pens, anything to help promote me and my work and keep it in the limelight. My family bugs me about "wasting my time." Unlike mainstream published authors who have help getting their names and titles out there, e-published authors bear the brunt of the labor. You hope to earn enough money to cover the hours you spend, heal the stress you suffer, and make being an author worthwhile, but in the end, by the time the editors, cover artists, outsourced sites like All Romance Ebooks, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc., get their cut, we make pennies on the dollar.
Why do I write...because I love it. For me it was never about the money, although it would be nice to earn enough to pay for the items I purchase. I would so like to go to another RT conference, but the first one cost me almost $3000 and I can't afford it. So I have to network in the cheapest ways I can find. I envy those who can go to these conventions, conferences and meetups. All my friends are "virtual." But their still the best and I care for each and every one of them...actually feel a kinship with some.
So, it upsets me when I read things like this post. Everyone I know is depressed over failing sales, looking for reasons, evaluating what they are doing wrong or have missed doing, and then a study reveals that of 913 books followed, 3 million illegal downloads were detected. Read the entire article: http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6714772.html?nid=2286&rid=#CustomerId&source=link
Each time someone takes advantage of a free download on these pirating sites, you're stealing money from the people who worked hard to make the book a reality. Think how you might feel!
*My thanks to dbtechno.com for letting me blogjack their pirate.
Ginger,
ReplyDeleteTY so much for this blog and the link. These days, E-books cost very little for a reader to purchase. There's no excuse good enough to steal from anyone. Piracy is piracy, whether it's a ship off the African coast or a book online. Sad to know there are so many thieves in this world. As you say, unless you're an author, one has no clue as to just how much work and expense goes into getting a book to market and promotion and the E-published author makes pennies on the dollar, they make nothing if their book is stolen. All authors give tons of their work away, but that is their choice and no one has the right to steal what they've spent hours and hours creating. Shame on anyone who does this...hopefully, soon there will be stiffer penalities and laws for this illegal activity. You can bet if it was the movie or record industry losing this money, there'd be hell to pay....Tabs
Hi Ginger,
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything that you wrote. Sadly, it is all true.
I was beginning to get a little depressed when I reminded myself that this time last year, I was submitting and wishing and hoping to get published! When I think of all of the writers who submit and submit only to get rejection after rejection...well...I'm just going to celebrate today and worry about my finances on another day!
Ginger,
ReplyDeleteYou are so right. Excellent Blog. I think sometimes people think that if you're published that you live some glamorous lifestyle and have it so easy.
I'm honored and definitely Lucky to be published, but there is no glamour to the hours I spend doing promotion and marketing at my own expense.
Like you, I write because I love it, and it's my hope people realize that we put our hearts into our work.
Great post, Ginger. Sad but true. Everyone's hurting these days, but it's no reason to hurt another by stealing their hard work.
ReplyDeleteMy first book in the ShadowsForge series was being pirated. I was able to contact the thief who was marketing it from the Phillipines. He said he had the right to do it because I was a rich American and I wouldn't miss the money he was making. The best I could do was work with some others and close down his PayPal account and his multiple sites. But pirates are like cockroaches. You get rid of on nest and they crop up elsewhere especially when they are based in a foreign country.
ReplyDelete