Tag Archives: reading

Who Wants to Sell Books?

Posted on December 17, 2010 | 2 comments

Today’s topic was a very tough choice for me. I had to decide if I wanted to jump on the Amazon incest wagon, or if I wanted to discuss something that really mattered. I chose the latter. Let me begin by stating my usual disclaimer when talking about independent bookstores. I love them independently. I do not love them all, nor do I respect them all.

I would like to congratulate Centuries & Sleuths in Forest Park, IL and Once Upon a Crime in Minneapolis, MN for their outstanding achievements and recognition by Mystery Writers of America with their Raven Award. These stores are by far exceptional and are the examples that all bookstores should aspire to emulate. Kudos!

However, not all do. It was brought to my attention by one of my authors this week that they are unable to work with one (or more) of their local independent bookstores because…wait for it…they are associated with Amazon.com! My blood boils just to think about it.

I have looked at every avenue I could, and even had two bookstores go into their systems to check and the only connection we can find is that we sell the book at Amazon.com. Really? A bookstore won’t sell a book that is being sold by Amazon.com? Is this good business?

Little do they know that this particular author is one of our best-selling authors. The author sells 30-40 copies at most events and actually promotes the book, sending people to the stores that do stock it. These other stores don’t seem to be threatened by Amazon.com. Nor do they use Amazon.com as a weak crutch for not dealing with independently published authors.

Click Cover to Buy Now!

Okay, I have to ask this. Do these small books stores who are NOT carrying our books really think that we are going to stop doing business with Amazon.com on the off chance that one of them MIGHT decide to carry ONE of our books? How can they possibly think this makes sense?

How can they possibly justify whining that Amazon.com is STEALING their business when they REFUSE to carry books that actually sell? Amzon.com is NOT stealing their business, those bookstores are simply not practicing good business. When you have a demand and someone is willing to supply you products to meet those demands, if you say no you have no one to blame except yourself for the loss of sales. Amazon.com is offering a service that those stores are NOT. So stop whining because you can’t pay your bills.

And what about their readers? Don’t they owe it to their readers to keep them FULLY abreast of what is avaialble on the market? Readers deserve to see what’s new and glorious in the book world and some of the brightest stars shine from independent publishers.

I would like to thank a few of the stores who do work with us and who enjoy the benefits of selling our books.

The Mystery Bookstore: Los Angeles, CA (featuring LINCOLN’S HAND by Joel Fox at #9 on their 2010 Best Seller list.)

Once Upon a Crime: Minneapolis, MN (recipient of the MWA Raven Award 2010)

Centuries and Sleuths: Forest Park, IL (recipient of MWA Raven Award 2010, featuring THREE STRIKES YOU’RE DEAD by Robert Goldsborough on their 2010 3rd Quarter Best Seller list, THE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER by Luisa Buehler and A PRESIDENT IN PERIL by Robert Goldsborough on their 2009 Best Seller list, and THREE STRIKES YOU’RE DEAD by Robert Goldsborough and CASH & CARRY by Tim Broderick)

The Mysterious Galaxy: San Diego, CA (featuring MADNESS AND MURDER by Jenny Hilborne on their Best Seller list)

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Posted in Blatherings, Business, Just for Fun

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Torn from Normal: My Review

Posted on December 11, 2010 | 2 comments

I am sure that if you know who I am, you probably know who Martin Bartloff is. Martin and I have a history where his book is concerned. But during the month of November, while we werre both participating in NaNoWriMo, he had some doubts as to whether he could finish his. So I made a deal with him, if he made his 50,000 words, I would read his book by 12/16/2010. You can see by the date of this post, that I have days to spare.

Now, don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t that I didn’t want to read his book because I didn’t think it would be good, I had explained to Martin several times, that it just wasn’t my type of book. I had chosen not to read it for very personal reasons. Martin now knows those reasons, but it seemed very important to him that I read this book, so I did.

I finished it today. It was exactly as I expected it to be. I had some issues, but all techinical. Below you will find my very honest review of Martin Bartloff’s TORN FROM NORMAL. Would I recommend this book? you ask. Absolutely. It is a wonderful book, just be prepared. LOVE STORY ain’t got nothin’ on TORN FROM NORMAL when it comes to emotion.

“Martin Bartloff has taken a horribly complex topic and developed a beautiful story from it. TORN FROM NORMAL is by far one of the most emotional books I’ve ever read. Bartloff uses his warm voice/style to tell readers a stirring and evocative tale of teen angst. Broaching the most difficult of topics, from adoption, grief, and teen suicide, Bartloff takes readers into the very hearts and souls of his characters as they deal with each of these things. Martin Bartloff has the spirit of a remarkable storyteller and should be applauded for his deft handling of such darkness.”

On a different note, if you read my Blog on any kind of regular basis you know that one of our Echelon authors is going through a horrible time right now. We are all saying lots of prayers for Dave Anderson (author of KILLER COWS), but Martin took things a step farther. Martin has committed to donate all his profits from his Kindle sales through Christmas to Dave and his family. You can check out the info on Dave’s condition by visiting his page on The Caring Bridge. But you can also help Dave and his family by purchasing your copy of TORN FROM NORMAL by Martin for Kindle.

Torn from Normal:

Torn from his normal life by a double tragedy, Andy Riley finds himself living on the beach with street kids. When a robbery goes wrong, the kids attack him. A blue Porsche races to the rescue—driven by the man his friends tried to rob.

Danny has had many foster brothers over the years and knows his father won’t leave a kid bleeding in an alley all alone. They bring Andy home and discover a boy in the depths of despair. Danny welcomes Andy as a new brother, eager to soothe his own loneliness and offer his help and friendship.

An abusive aunt, eager for the government check to support her nephew, demands custody of Andy. The loss of his new family is more than he can bear. When he disappears, Danny and Marvin hurry to find him, before it’s too late.

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Posted in Blatherings, Book Reviews, My Reviews

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Authors Held at Gunpoint

Posted on December 4, 2010 | 6 comments

I received a note from a friend recently that asked me a very disturbing question. She wanted to know if I would offer my opinion on whether or not I thought she should pay to have her books reviewed.

It seems there is an independent bookstore that requires “certain” authors to have their books reviewed by this specific service in order to be carried in their store. They have been carrying the author’s books, but now have decided that they will remove the books unless the author meets this new requirement. Furthermore, the author must PAY to have those reviews done.

Once the reviews have been done, the store will then take the books into the store on consignment only. It would seem that the store also receives a fee for the books reviewed.

Now, I fully understand that some stores (mostly chain stores) charge for shelf placement, but even under those circumstances it is prime shelf space, not the difference between in the store or not.

Is it just me or have the chances for an author actually selling books become as dangerous as driving through gang territory? There seems to be a constant barrage of bullets flying from all directions determined to take out the authors that some booksellers deem unworthy.

What of the readers? Don’t they deserve to choose the books they want and not have to settle just for what booksellers tell them the should read?

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Posted in Blatherings, Business, Marketing, Writing

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