Hi! Lou Sylvre here, back on Love Bytes, after missing a month solely because, somehow, I (1) forgot, (2) didn’t see it on my calendar, (3) really have no legitimate excuse. I apologize, to Love Bytes, to the winner of my last contest (read on for info), and to any reader who might look forward to my posts.
I’ve already dropped a line to the winner from my last contest—congratulations dtorini! And thank you all for your comments. They were fun reading through, and I’ve added some books to my tbr list as a result.
I have a little update about Lou Hoffmann. You may remember she is my doppelgänger, writing in the YA fantasy genre. You may also recall that I was wrong (totally my mistake) once before about the forecast date for the publication of the second book in her Sun Child Chronicles series. But I’m right this time! No precise release date yet, but Wraith Queen’s Veil is on track for release by Harmony Ink this coming fall. I’m doing a special giveaway—not really a contest—for anyone that hasn’t read the first in the series but would like to. It’s a rafflecopter with two ways to enter. Two lucky readers will each receive an eBook copy of Key of Behliseth.
To find the entry form, click on the words in red, here:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Getting down to my real blog for Love Bytes this month, and the contest:
I’ve been thinking about publishers—specifically, about publisher “going under.” I don’t have a lot to say on the subject; as a writer with a busy enough time just putting stories into pixels, I have little inside information on the publishing industry. I’m hoping instead that you might share your thoughts with me. As incentive, I’ll offer a prize: a gift certificate from Dreamspinner, AR-e, Samhain, or Amber Quill—provided those last two are available. $10 worth, in any event. Are you up for it? If so…
For this month’s contest, in comments, answer one or more of these questions: (Explain your answers as much or as little as you wish.)
- As a reader, how loyal are you to a certain publisher? (Not required to name the company, but you can if you like.)
- With publishers like Amber Quill and Samhain failing, do you think your choices for quality books in your favorite genre(s) will be more limited?
- Are you more or less likely to buy self-published books, or does it not matter?
- If you read self-published books, did you discover your favorite SP authors through a publisher first?
That’s it for now. Thank you, Love Bytes for being forgiving and allowing me once again to commandeer blog space. Thank you readers for… well, reading!
See my answers to each question in order below. Thanks for the post and both contests!
1. I am not particularly loyal to any one publisher but I do have a few whose books I tend to like more (unfortunately Samhain is one of them).
2. I hope not, but I am worried.
3. It doesn’t matter to me. I care more about reviews, if I have liked the author’s work before etc. My most favorite author always self publishes.
4. Some, but also discover them through Goodreads, Amazon or book blogs.
1. I’m not lyal to a particular publisher, but I am loyal to authors and will buy them from multiple publishers.
2. I suppose it’s possible but I’m hoping that it doens’t discourage authors from writing.
3. It doesn’t matter. I don’t typically look to see who published a book unless it sounds familiar and I need to chek if I bought it already through the publisher or a retailer.
4. I tend to find new books by either buying from authors I already know and love, recommendations from authors and friends, or review sites.
1. I have not loyalty to a specific publisher only to authors.
2. I really do not think so.
3. I have bought self-published both first time and established.
4. I just found a new author who is self pubbed and I am loving the book.
– I’m not loyal to a publisher. I follow authors I know and like…if they publish in multiple places or self-publish, it doesn’t matter.
– I’m a little worried about losing authors that I wanted to try or like because of the closures more than anything. I really don’t want to see authors quitting because of things like this. It’s possible quality will drop in some cases, we’ll have to wait and see.
– I buy if it’s self-published or not; it doesn’t matter to me. There are several authors who have gotten very good at self-publishing. I’m more interested in the story and who wrote it (if I know of them).
– There’s been a few authors that self-publish that I found through publishers, others I found while they were self-publishing. I find books and authors through reviews from bloggers/reviewers I trust and book tours.
1) I am not exactly loyal to certain publishers although some publishers names associate with quality for me. I tend to be loyal to authors, so I can buy their works from multiple publishers; heck including if they are going self-published
2) Not really. Like I said, I tend to be loyal to authors. Besides some self-published books offer AWESOME quality as well.
3) It doesn’t matter. I’ve bought new-to-me self-published authors before or known authors going self-pub. I support authors ^^
4) Depends; sometimes I know them from certain publisher before they are going self-pub, sometimes from reviews from other friends (for new-to-me authors).
1) I am not exactly loyal to certain publishers although some publishers names associate with quality for me. I tend to be loyal to authors, so I can buy their works from multiple publishers; heck including if they are going self-published
2) Not really. Like I said, I tend to be loyal to authors. Besides some self-published books offer AWESOME quality as well.
3) It doesn’t matter. I’ve bought new-to-me self-published authors before or known authors going self-pub. I support authors ^^
4) Depends; sometimes I know them from certain publisher before they are going self-pub, sometimes from reviews from other friends (for new-to-me authors).
1) I don’t like to think myself loyal to a particular publisher. I’m more likely to use a particular publisher to gauge whether or not the material may suit my tastes. Established pseudonym’s go a long way too.
2) Not at all. Not to be crass but new publishers pop up (out with the old, in with the new…yadda yadda), there are still other already existing established publisher that are still in business. Also there are beta readers for authors who wish to go the self-publishing route.
3) I’m really flexible on this one. I’ve purchased self-published books before. Some were great, some not so great.
4) Yes and no. Some authors didn’t start off publishing with a publisher. Some started with a publisher and decided to so the self-publishing route.
As a reader, how loyal are you to a certain publisher? Not very actually….I just buy books I like wherever is most convenient
1) It’s not exactly that I’m loyal per se, but if I’ve had good experiences with a publisher’s books (and know they’re ethical toward their writers), I’ll tend to look to them first. I also tend to associate different publishers with different aspects of the genre; for instance, Riptide titles tend to skew darker (though I know that’s not always the case these days) or more BDSM-heavy to me.
2) I do worry a little bit, because indie authors don’t have much budget for promotion, and it’s really hard to distinguish everybody these days. I also worry about the lack of competition leading to worse contracts for writers and higher prices for readers…
3) I’ve read some really great self-pub books, and some bad ones. Of course, sometimes I’m surprised when books from a publishing house have bad editing!
4) I did discover Keira Andrews and Eden Winters through publishers before they self-pubbed, so yes.