For book/ebook authors, publishers, & self-publishers

What's Your Biggest Challenge with Your Book?

I'd be interested to learn what authors/publishers on this network think their biggest challenges are with their book. I wonder if there's any common, pervasive challenge we all face.

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Permalink Reply by Kamelia Sojlevska on February 12, 2011 at 12:26am

My biggest challenge...there are a lot, but most important is that I do not know to find the way to many readers. Publisher is not doing much and on the other side do not inform me every three months as we agree...so I am afraid that financial reports are not hones...That fact is blocking me to sell more....I have nothing form that anyway. The only reports I get after a lot of emails with complaints are from amazon, nothing else. So I am prety stuck and do not know what to do?

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Permalink Reply by Michael D. Waterhouse on February 12, 2011 at 1:35am

You say you are getting comp0laints from Amazon? Please explain,do you mean Amazon is your publisher and you are getting complaints against them from other people?

If Amazon isn't y6our publisher,who is? Are they a POD?

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Permalink Reply by Kamelia Sojlevska on February 12, 2011 at 5:36am

NO, I am getting only selling reports that are coming from Amazon...nothing else. My publisher is not informing me properly and honestly. I have a problem there and not only me but a lot of their writers have the same problem...........

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Permalink Reply by Michael D. Waterhouse on February 12, 2011 at 11:19am

who is your publisher?

I do alot of research on publishers and agents,I have a rating system I use on their authors and how their books are actually selling

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Permalink Reply by J. Steve Miller on February 12, 2011 at 3:06pm

Michael,

I'm sure that many of us here would be interested in your research on publishers. Do you have a website where you publish this, or a book?

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Permalink Reply by Michael D. Waterhouse on February 12, 2011 at 3:37pm

Hi Steve,

I am still compiling the information.In this search I have found something quite remarkable.

I see a fair amount of reports on a particular publisher by another in the negative.They may explain why they are better such as price or responsiveness and may even have many testimonials. When you look up the books those people have written,you find they may rate 2,000,000 on the bestseller ranking.In other words I am trying to build a rating on publishers both e-publishers and print, on actual sales,complaints and price.

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Permalink Reply by Carole Crosby on February 12, 2011 at 9:10pm

I am FASCINATED in what you are doing. Are you compiling info for a new book or will you keep us up-to-date on your blog? How are we going to track all your results ?

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Permalink Reply by Michael D. Waterhouse on February 13, 2011 at 2:37am

I am leery to put into a book because some publishers might not like what I find even if it is true.The easiest way is to ask me about a particular publisher and I have graded it I will tell you what I have found.

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Permalink Reply by Carole Crosby on February 13, 2011 at 3:12am

Are you only doing the traditional publishers or the likes of Outskirts Press as well ? Am interested in them.

Permalink Reply by Michael D. Waterhouse on February 13, 2011 at 9:55am

Carole,Outskirts gets a B+ from BBB and a 75 out of a possible hundred on my scale-(Price)-Reasonable*(Web Page) they set up for you-Well done and easy to use**(Author interaction) is also good**(Book product) is fair to good***(sales)-well thats where it falls off-however to be fair,they take in many books that just won't sell, and the authors are not willing or able to spend time&money in marketing**They offer a decent selections of packages,the Diamond being the best bang for the buck.

Their royalty reporting is fair to good

Hope this was of some use

Permalink Reply by Kamelia Sojlevska on February 13, 2011 at 6:13pm

A-Argus Better Book Publishers LLC

Argus Enterprises International

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Permalink Reply by Michael D. Waterhouse on February 13, 2011 at 6:49pm

I do not rate them well,they get an F from BBB-Poor contract. Not recommended. A small press vanity publisher "accepting submissions from authors in all fields except poetry, science fiction or children''s books." An imprint of Argus Enterprises International, Inc.