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Learning new things for a changing age

We all know the publishing business is changing -- just as it has changed in the past and will change in the future.  When paperbacks hit the stands, people cried out in horror at the loss of the elite right to own books -- because books were hardbound and expensive.  Writing books for the plebs -- how awful!

And, of course, we are going through the same thing with the Internet Age of Publishing.  People still turn up their noses at ebooks, as though stories somehow change from the computer to paper.  I do have a preference for printed books, just like many people, but I have never judged any story by anything other than the writing -- and yes, that includes self-published books.  The problems I have with self-published work fall into a couple different categories:

1.        Too many people who go this route have no clue what they are doing and don't even understand that their books will not be in stores and that they will have to sell each book themselves.  (Sometimes the posts at NaNo are just painful to read.)   Added to this is the problem that too many have not learned  to write well before they throw themselves into the publishing world, which only diminishes the chances of either selling their current work or drawing readers back for later publications.

Remember, when you self-publish there is no one between you and any really stupid mistakes you make in your book.  You can't count on any spellchecker or grammar checker to do all the work -- they are only programs in a computer, and they will fail you at the worst time.  If you get someone else to read the story first, make certain that person has more of a clue than you do.  Getting the best friend who hasn't spelled an entire sentence right -- let alone written a full, real sentence -- in any email is not the person you want. 

Cultivate the friendship of people who write well, as long as they aren't snobs about it.  If they aren't willing to help, or if they lecture rather than help, find someone else.  This is where writing communities can be a real help.  You can peruse the sites without even posting anything, and quite often you will still learn a thing or two.  And if you have a question, the people are there specifically to help.

2.       The other problem revolves around those who really have worked hard and written excellent work, but are afraid to approach traditional publishers for fear they will be rejected.  They won't be rejected, but the story might.  This is something that is a normal part of the publishing world and nothing extraordinary, though it can be annoying --  but for fear of it happening, they will give up any dreams they've had of seeing their books on the shelves of stores by their other favorite authors, and of sharing those works with the widest possible audience.

I have spent ten years at Forward Motion helping people to reach a goal of being traditionally published.  Some people make it and some do not, but Forward Motion will always focus on helping to reach that goal.  That was why Holly Lisle created the site, and it is something she and I both share as a vision for Forward Motion.

But neither of us is stupid, and we both know there are other opportunities out there, if you want to take the chance and if you know what you are doing.  There are more than a few people at FM who self-publish, and who have learned a few things at the site that have helped them write the best that they can which should be the most important part of any writer's life, no matter where he or she goes with the work later.  However, FM has a specific purpose, and it will continue to maintain that focus.

And that brings us, finally, to Lulu.com.

A few years ago, my husband published a book through Lulu for a very specific audience.  The workmanship was wonderful.  I was very impressed.  Since then, I know of some of the small press publishers who have started ordering print runs though Lulu.com.  Some order on a book-by-book case, and some take advantage of the bulk rates and order quite a few copies at once.  I have rarely heard any complaints from anyone about Lulu's quality.

And the best part of all, of course, is that they are not a vanity press.  In a vanity press, you have to pay the publisher to produce the work.  Lulu takes their cut straight out of the sale of each book.  You set the price of the work above what they get per book.  The amount probably looks high at first glance, but it is a reasonable amount for the work that is put into producing each book -- and it is the best way to get your product out there in the market without any cost to you, unless you take one of their distribution plans.

I have books at Lulu.com through a couple different publishers.  I will have more soon, it appears.  Right now I'm trying to learn their cover art strictures so that I can turn in the proper material for a couple different publishers.  I am starting to think that the wrap-around cover is going to be way too much trouble.

Looking at the site, I see that they are doing picture books now.  I'm really tempted to do something with some of my animal photography, just for fun. 

I am really fascinated by how Lulu works.  I have always tried new things, and Lulu looks as though there could be some fun aspects to it, especially in the reprint and art areas.

Of course, I need the time to do that kind of stuff.  Right now I still have several more contracted books to get finished, although one more is in the very last nit-picking phase that I go through before I send something off.

But it's always fun to learn something new, to try new things and to look at possibilities in the changes the world has brought us -- at least if you do so with an open mind and clue about what you're doing and why.