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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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Joel Friedlander on
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Terrific stuff, thanks for taking the time to post that Paradise.
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Permalink Reply by albertasequeira on
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Hi Cynthia,
You can always write a fiction based on something that happened to you during your lifetime. What about a close friendship that was lost, family stories, story about the children in the family, go big and try a mystery. There is so much.
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Has anyone ever taken their book and changed it. I was told that you can give your book a new title, ISBN#, book cover and add new content to it make it different along with subtracting other content.
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Permalink Reply by Paradise on
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I have revised my first book three times, "In Search Of Paradise" , but I like to keep the same number. I do add, revise and delete content. However, I have no idea what is proper.
http://www.amazon.com/Search-Paradise-Robert-E-McGinnis/dp/B000MONV...
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It is strongly recommended that you put a new ISBN on each new edition of your book. Changing the cover, adding and deleting content, create a new edition. If you only use the one ISBN your books will be permanently confused in many computerized ordering systems. Also keep in mind that Amazon basically NEVER deletes a listing, even for books that are out of print. How can you drive new buyers to your book if you use the same ISBN? How can Amazon and others catalog your new book if it has the old book's ISBN on it? There is nothing to be gained by "re-using" ISBNs, you will just become a victim of the system and your book's sales will suffer.
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HI Joel,
Thank you for the help!
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Permalink Reply by J. Steve Miller on
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The only down side I know of for assigning a new ISBN is that, if you've got some rave reviews on your Amazon page for the old edition, they don't follow you to the new edition. That was a big problem for me when put out a new edition of one of my books. Not an insurmountable problem, as you can always push for new reviews, or put some of those old reviews in the publisher's section of the new edition, but it should be considered.
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Permalink Reply by Daniel P. McGinley on
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I wanted to change a book once, but since it came out in 1995 from a college press, nobody cares. I went into the closet, found a few copies, and went at it with a pen. It felt so much better. Does that count?
Okay . . . THAT'S off my chest. I guess it all depends on your publisher, but I would always consider your own personal perspective, which changes every time you look at your own writing. Something that seems brilliant can fade quickly over time, as was the case with Dave Barry, once called the "funniest man in the world" by the New York Times.
He had to keep repeating things he had written for a television show, until he hated his own writing.
If someone paid you money to publish your work, it's probably pretty good, so I would concentrate on the next project. If it ain't broke . . .
I would be upset as a reader, if I bought a book only to learn that -- months later -- the author started changing things. It's not like The Grapes of Wrath was originally Sour Grapes.
Sorry. More coffee would be good.
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Thank you. I guess it wins to do a new title, ISBN# and book cover.
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Permalink Reply by Jim O'Donnell on
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Selling my book seems to be a big challenge. I self-published in late January 2009 and have sold just under 300 books. Getting it out and about and reviewed has been tough. I have a 'day job' so I dont have alot of time to keep my book moving.
Another big challenge was that, being self-published I could never afford a professional editor. So there are problems in there that drive me nuts!
Finally....the biggest problem with my second book that I am just getting under way is that I'd like to find some money to support me to write it. Eeeking out 2-3 pages a week in between everything else is tough.
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Jim, enjoyed the excerpt you put up from your book. Great, interesting writing! I just read a stat from one of the large print on demand companies, that only 3.4% of their books sell more than 500 copies total. In light of that, I'd say you've done something right to sell c. 300 copies since January.
I've been recording my adventure with publicity and sales on my blog since the publishing of my print on demand book in March. Since we've both written non-fiction, you might get some ideas. Here's my blog if you're interested: http://freelancewriterblog.blogspot.com .
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Steve, Jim,
The figure I've heard quoted most often is average sales of 150 copies for these kinds of books. Now you have to estimate how many copies were sold to the author, and you can see that virtually none of these books sell.
That may be fine for many authors who were not expecting or even trying to get bookstore sales, etc., but I'm afraid that Jim's decision to publish without an editor will prove problematic. For the clients whose books I work on, I would say they can't afford to publish without editorial. If you read the blogs of people inside the publishing business (and let's face it, that includes booksellers, doesn't it) you will find the number one complaint about self-published books, and the overwhelming aversion to them, is for a lack of editing.
Just something to think about.
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