Hey! Here I am again, Lou Sylvre. This is my first post on Love Bytes for 2017, and I’m grateful to be starting another year here. My thanks to Dani and the Love Bytes crowd, and all of you readers.
I was hoping to have some good book news to post, but alas, things are moving slowly. Other than Sunset at Pencarrow, the New Zealand story I wrote with Kiwi author Anne Barwell, other new book news is still waiting.
I’ve been thinking about future things, as one does early in the year. With the upheavals in the e-publishing business over the last couple of years, it dawns on me that putting all my eggs in one basket may not be the best idea—although admittedly Dreamspinner is a pretty sturdy basket. I’m thinking once again about self-publishing, or perhaps submitting some stories to other publishers, so I thought I’d take an informal survey. And if you answer three (or more) of my questions in comments on this post, I’ll put your name in the hat for a $10 Amazon Gift Certificate. If I get more than 10 responses, I’ll award two gift certificates. Fair enough? I’ll leave it open for comments until next month’s post, on March 7th.
Here are the questions:
If you know the author and have enjoyed their work, are you just as likely to buy a self-published book as one that comes through a publisher?
Self-publishing might mean I can set lower prices. How important is price when you’re buying a book?
Recently, the industry has seen the blossoming of many sites designed to help authors find readers and readers find books. Of course Goodreads is sort of like that, and it’s been around a good long while, but there’s also Bookbub, Booklikes, eReader Café, Booktastic, Books Butterfly, and the list goes on? Do you use any such sites to find books in the MM genre? In any genre? If so, which are your favorites?
Among publishers of LGBTQ books, which do you buy books from the most? (Please name up to three.) Why do you choose them?
What are your favorite current trends in novels? For instance, do you really like reading 1st person present tense narratives (like “I’m outside the store, waiting for my brother to come out with the beer when I see this guy, or maybe he’s a vision). Or maybe you really, really like small animal or rodent shifters, or hockey stories, or ghosts that can materialize, or steam-punkish half mechanical boyfriends. I know I sound like I’m being silly, but I’m not making fun of any of these things. I really want to know what’s on your “hot things to read” list, if anything.
This question is important. I don’t want to step on anyone’s privacy toes, but if you’re willing to share… Do you buy through Kindle Unlimited?
Please, please, please take a minute to help me out by sharing your thoughts on these questions. You’ll have not only a chance to win, but my heartfelt gratitude.</strong.
That’s all I’ve got today except a little excerpt from the not yet published sequel to A Shot of J&B, entitled Chasing Perfect. Here it is:
Brian closed the connection on his call with Jackie and sat back in his office chair. Which caused him to immediately tumble backward. His head hit the thinly carpeted floor, leaving him slightly dazed but otherwise all right, other than being glad no one else was in the office—the employees were due in for the first time since his arrival, and it would have been an embarrassing way to start his tenure. Once he managed to get up and set the damned chair to rights, he started a memo for Livvy, subject line, Things We Need for the Office. Item one: chair.
He knew it was just as well that the close encounter with injury distracted him. If it hadn’t, he would have spent too much time contemplating Jackie—pining for him, deciding how he felt about Jackie having such a great time without him, pondering the idea that Jackie’s embracing the pain during session might constitute a sign of commitment. Dared he hope?
Because recently he’d begun to think Jackie wasn’t as invested in them as a couple as he was. A first in Brian’s life, for sure. Aside from the first time he “went steady” back in high school, he’d never been invested in any relationship more involved than a session, maybe two, maybe a date and a night together, regardless of how pleasant he found a particular man’s company.
He couldn’t deny he’d hit a new level of enmeshment with Jackie.
When he was out shopping the other day, he’d been unable to keep himself from not just window-shopping, but going inside the jewelry store to look at engagement and wedding rings. Scared himself pretty bad. Ultimately, he walked out with a ring and didn’t let himself think about what he might do with it.
To set things back on a more judicious path, when he was at the sex shop he bought a new collar for Jackie too. Unless Jackie made it clear he wanted to wear it all the time, he’d keep in the playroom. It had some interesting attachment possibilities for ropework.
Thanks for reading!
Hi Lou, here’s my take on a couple of your questions.
If I know and like author’s books, it’s likely that I’ll buy their book self-published or otherwise. While price is an important factor in buying books, as long as it’s not too steep, I’d still buy if I really want to read the book I want.
As for sites for finding MM books other than Goodreads, I also follow authors on SMs and blogs to get updates of new books; I honestly don’t visit my BookLikes page for a while and basically only using Bookbub to catch on book deals.
Thanks for the post, Lou. Hopefully this helps you…
1. Yes, if I know and like the author it doesn’t matter to me who published the book.
2. Price is important…there is a range that I think is fair for an ebook (depends on the length, too). Although some authors I just buy anything they write. Fortunately, so far my auto-buy authors also have reasonable prices. And some higher-priced books I have been able to borrow from the online public library.
3. I don’t use any sites right now other than goodreads and Amazon to find books. Although, I do read a lot of reviews from book blogs.
4. DSP (and their other imprints DSPP & HIP), Riptide, self-pubbed books. The 2 publishers because I trust in the quality and they have the titles that appeal to me. Self-pub because several of my fav authors mostly self-pub.
5. I like genre mash-ups. I think that is a trend…(e.g. historical/paranormal/mystery)
6. I just tried a month free of KU. And while I liked it, I have so many books that I own and need to read that I decide to see if they do a sale during Prime week like they did last year. I might buy a subscription then.
i Would buy an author’s book if they self pubbed or otherwise. I do so now. Price can be a factor but usually they are not too much. I am not a member of KU because then I would feel like I had to get those books. I like to make my own choices and I like to buy from other than Amazon. I feel Amazon is getting too big. I find books aminly through the blogs I follow.
I would buy a self-published book by an author I’ve read from before, especially if it’s an author I really really like. A few established authors are already going that route. As for price I’ve set a limit range I won’t cross. A lot of the time I wait for the books to go on sale and there are times (more frequent than I’ll like to admit) that I’ll just outright buy the book because I’ve read the blurb and have become obsessed. But usually i factor in the length of the book to price. I don’t use any sites to browse for books really. I do use goodreads, amazon, B&N and kobo but rarely ever add books to my wishlist through them. I follow a number of review blogs, author blogs and publisher sites and that’s usually how I expose myself to different books. DSP and it’s sister sites, Riptide Publishing, Storm Moon Press, LT3 and selfpubbed authors. DSP is pretty well known and I’ve been reading their published stuff for years, Riptide has also made themselves well known with all the blog tours and their list of authors. Storm Moon Press does more darker m/m fiction stories and also focus on sci-fi/fantasy stories and it’s quite unique. LT3 has lighter stories too and their list of authors don’t usually branch out beyond the small publishing house. Self-pubbed because some of the authors I like to read who use to be published with well known publishing houses (i.e. Silver Publishing, Torquere Press, Siren Bookstrand, etc) have chosen pursue this route. I’ll literally read anything so I don’t think I’ll be much help with the trends portion of your survey. I’ve trialed KU and I’m not sure I like it. I really like to own my books because I do go back to read them over and over again even though I don’t have the time and with KU I think you’re limited to borrowing 10 books at a time. Also authors can decide to opt out of the program after a time.
Thanks for the post…
if I like the author it really doesn’t matter who publishes the book as long as I can read it.
Price is important to me as my budget is limited for books, but I will on occasion spend a little more for a book I really want to read.
I use Goodreads, Bookbub, Amazon and several different blogs to find books and find out about authors.
i read many different genres of books. I have no one type that I like most, but do tend to read paranormal shifter quite often. It just depends on the mood and the blurb at the time I am looking. As far as first person etc. it depends on the author. I do prefer first person but have read many authors that can do great things with the way that they write.
I do not use Kindle Unlimited as my finances don’t allow it, but I would if I could.
Not sure how far down the commenters I am but here goes.
(how many have told you that you used hear instead of here in your opening para!)
Q1 – yes
Q2 – under US$10, but rather not pay more that US$1 if under 100p.
Q3 – I use LibraryThing, it makes me feel warm being a qualified geek/librarian
Q4 – With the demise of ARe which was my retailer of choice I now have moved to direct from publishers where I can, although Payhip looks good if the authors are getting paid appropriately.
so Q4 is Dreamspinner, Pride, JMS & Carina.
Q5 – Those that know me know I Judge a Book by its Gay Cover (but with a bias for new authors & the odd fave.)
Q6 – I want to own my books so KU is not an option, although amazon is often the only retail source.
Phew!
Good luck with your “research”. My real question is about where do authors maximize their return on sales?
You were one of only two who caught the “hear/here” error. I did fix it! Thank you. Very good question about maximizing return. I don’t know the answer (and would love to as well) but I do think if self-pubs sell well, and authors can get all the necessary services to turn out a good product at a reasonable price, that might be the best return, simply because no “middleman” needs a cut. Those are big “ifs,” though, right?
1. Yes, I would definitely buy self-published.
2. Price is pretty important. I certainly don’t think I speak for everyone, but it seems that few people have an unlimited book budget.
3. I really only pretty much use Goodreads at the moment. Social media is always pretty good, as well.
4. DSP & LT3. Good sales and I like supporting the authors.
5. I think that there are more authors willing to go “outside the box” in terms of unusual countries, interracial relationships and unexpected changes to tropes.
6. I’ve never used KU.
1. Yes I buy based on author not publisher.
2. Very important I don’t have a huge book budget.
6. Never used KU my ereader is a kobo
1. Yes, if I know the author and like them I will buy their self-published books as well as those through a publisher.
2. Price is somewhat inportant, but only because my book budget is very limited at the moment. If there is a book I really want, I will buy it. However, I do sometines need to wait to buy new books or until there’s a sale.
3. I rarely find new books through Goodreads. Bookbub is only one of the ones you listed that I know. I find most through blog sites.
4. Dreamspinner Press and Riptide. I know the quality of the books are good there and they have a lot of the authors I like to read.
5. Not sure if I have anything to add here.
6. No. I don’t do Kindle Unlimited.
Hi, Lou. Here are some answers for you:
If I like an author I buy his/her books, no matter if self-published or not. Price is important because there is a limit to what I’m willing to pay for an ebook (I tend to see them differently from print books… There is no limit there).
I use sites and blogs to find new M/M writers I may be interested in, the one I use most frequently is Bookbub. Dreamspinner, Amazon, Riptide, NineStarPress, are the publishers I use more frequently.
As for what I like reading, almost anything. My favourite trope is enemies to lovers, and my fav genres are paranormal, historical and fantasy
I don’t use Kindle Unlimited
I hope my answers are useful for you
1. I don’t mind self-published books, as long as I am aware the author published something new. For example, I enjoyed the “Spy vs. Spook” books by Tinnean and when the self-published sequel came out, I bought it.
2. The price of a book is not always important for me. Of course I don’t say no, if a book is cheaper or free, but if the blurb catches my attention or it is a book in a series or I like the author, I don’t mind higher prices. Only if I don’t know the author at all I tend to be careful, because I spend a lot of money on books already and I don’t have that much money that I can waste it.
3. I only frequent goodreads and sites like lovebytereviews. I know that fansites don’t and can’t cover the whole spectrum, but with different reviewers I usually find enough books to choose from.
4. Dreamspinnerpress, Riptide Publishing, NineStar Press. If I pay for something I expect a certain quality. And usually books from those companies provide me with what I am looking for. I also like buying from the publisher directly to keep the chain of distribution short and these sites are easy to navigate.
5. Cannot really say, it depends on the writing style, the story setting and my mood. While I prefer third person/past, I don’t mind first person/past or even first person/present, if it is well executed. Story-wise I am rather open-minded, as long as it isn’t horror or about religion belief. I guess, my taste tends towards action, mystery and suspense. I’m also really happy to find a piece with a new concept (at least for me). Always love to be surprised.
A book that surprised me is “Thorn and Fangs” by Gillian St. Kevern. The way it turned out wasn’t what I was expecting from reading the blurb.
A series that was the sh*t was “Wake up Married” by Leta Blake and Alice Griffiths. I had so much fun reading it. Have to admit that I wouldn’t have bought it from seeing the cover alone, but I read a review and I had to try it. It helped that the first book was free at that time.
I also really love to find a deeper meaning that speaks to me in a book. Brandon Witt usually pulls that off perfectly.
In general I might be a bit superficial, when I am new to an author. I see the cover, I decide to read the blurb and maybe a few reviews and then I need to decide, if I want to give it a try.
6. Since I read a lot I thought about giving KU a try. But I really like to have my own book. Even if it is only an e-book. So, no. I don’t use such services.
After reading a few of the other comments, I’d like to add something to point 2.
Yes, I check out the length of a book in comparison to the price. Let’s say an e-book is less than 100 pages and costs around 4€ then I will probably not buy it (exceptions are possible). It’s a bit different with physical copies, but even there I make distinctions. For non-fiction books, e.g. language-related books, I am willing to spend much more money than on a novel. A novel shouldn’t be more than 15€, I’d prefer it to be less than 10€. So yeah, resonable is the keyword.
Q1: Yes I would buy self-published. There are many good authors who self-publish their books.
Q2: Price under $ 8.00. I compare price with amount of pages. E.g. Books that cost $3.50 for 50 pages I don’t buy.
Q3: Amazon, Goodreads, bookblogs and social media.
Q4: Amazon, DreamSpinners Press, Riptide, Pride. Dependable publishers and quality books.
Q5: I am eclectic in my reading choices: contemporary, sports, paranormal (shifters, werewolves, no Mpreg, vampires depending on the author).
First or third person is all depending on the writing style.
Q6: No KU. I like to own my books. Furthermore I don’t have access to KU where I live.
Good luck with your research.
Hi Lou, I’m sure someone else has noticed the typo in the opening sentence, but just in case… you used hear instead of here…sorry for nitpicking.
On to the questions,
1. I buy books because of the author or the content of the book not the publisher so I happily buy from the source I hope is going to make the author most money.
2. I wont buy any book over £5.50, but I also wont pay more than £2.50 for a short under 75 pages, I wait for a sale 😉
3. I read reviews on amazon, lovebytes, mmbookreviews, open Skye book reviews. I only leave them on amazon and Goodreads mostly.
4.Amazon, Extasy, Dreamspinner, payhip,smashwords(occasionally) Loose I’d, Changelingpress.
5. I am totally eclectic in my reading including mpreg. The only stipulation I have is HEA or HFN. I’m not too fond of historical though. I read both first and third person.
6. No KU I like to know I can go back and re read possibly years later.
Good luck Corollating this lot. I hope you get the information you need.
Nope, nobody else told me! The “hear” is now “here,” and I thank you very much for speaking up. 🙂 Thanks for answering the questions too.
<3 Lou
1. If I like an author I’ll buy their books if self-pubbed or through a publisher.
2. Price is somewhat important because the lower the price, the more books I can buy. I read a lot so I’m more likely to buy when prices are lower.
3. Yes, I use all different kinds of resources to find books: Goodreads, Bookbub, blogs, etc.
4. I mostly buy from Dreamspinners & Riptide because they generally have the authors I like and run a lot of good sales.
5. I don’t really have a reading trend. I generally pick my books by reading challenges.
6. I do not use Kindle Unlimited for several reasons: I have over 2000 books in my TBR that I’ve already purchased as well as hundreds on my wishlist that I haven’t, I also think that KU’s method of paying authors is unfair, & I cannot really afford a subscription service at this time. If I’m going to borrow a book to read it will be from my library. I do need to read books that I’ve already purchased & if I wait long enough there’s usually a good deal on books that I have on my wishlist or they’ll be available to borrow from the library or from another Kindle user.
1) If I know the author’s work, it doesn’t matter to me if it’s self-published or not.
2) I do think about price, more as an acceptable range or length-to-price ratio.
3) I tend to learn about new authors through reader and author blogs, and then check Amazon or Goodreads to decide among that author’s books.
4) I tend to go with the Dreamspinner and Riptide imprints most, since I’ve had the best track record with their books.
5) I do like hockey stories, being a hockey fanatic! I also like friends-to-lovers, or unresolved sexual tension between roommates, bandmates, or teammates.
6) I’m leery of Amazon’s monopolistic actions a lot of the time, and the whole KU royalties-per-page-read system seems strange and shystery to me. Plus, I have a big TBR list already, and the added pressure of getting my money’s worth every month would turn reading into a chore.
1) I don’t care how a book is published, I don’t usually even notice.
2) Price is very important. I’m sitting waiting for a book from my favourite author to drop in price because I think £8.99 is too much for an eBook. On the other hand, I’ll buy a 99p book on a whim. I do have mental length/cost ranges so I usually
3) I use Bookbub, but I mostly get recs from review blogs
4) Dreamspinner is top, by far, followed by Riptide, Less Than Three. I choose the because they have the books I’m interested in.
5) I’m not driven by anything unusual. Though if something different or interesting piques my interest, I’ll give it a try.
6) I just resubscribed to KU after a year break. I’m reading mostly books I don’t want to keep, but I occasionally find a treasure and I’ll buy a copy. It’s a great way to try a load of authors.
Oops, hit submit in the middle of 2) it should say that I have mental length cost limits so I usually won’t pay more than 1.99 for anything under 25k words
I loved ‘A Shot of J & B’ and I’m happy to hear from you! I’ll happily complete a series of questions for you.
1. Definitely! A well edited book is really important to me since I feel the author has taken the time to write not only a compelling story but also one that is quality. So I don’t care how it is published. I know Lynn Kelling has had difficulty getting some of her books published so I’ll buy them from anyone willing to sell them.
2. Very important. I’m very careful to purchase books who’s price seems to correspond to it’s length.
3. Goodreads of course. Love Bytes. Amazon. Individual author websites, blogs and newsletters (especially when they reference authors they enjoy). Riptide Publishing. LGBT Romance Deals. Prism Book Alliance. instaFreebie. GA Newsletter. Lambda Literary Review. Now I’m going to have to look into the other sites listed by previous responders.
4. Riptide. Dreamspinner. Kensington. I like to read many of the authors they represent.
5. I like alternating narratives and 1st person narratives. HEA’s. Romance. Friends or enemies to lovers. BDSM is my least favorite genre.
6. Yes! Quite often I’ll read a book and I’ll purchase it if it is emotionally satisfying. It doesn’t have to have a 5 star rating but usually it will. This often leads to me reading an entire series or all of the books by an author and purchasing several. Since I usually read on my Kindle and always leave review (on Amazon and Goodreads) I hope the author gets the royalty, and attention, they’re due.
1) If I know an author yes I am more likely to buy there self-published book.
2) Price does depend on the amount of words/pages but if it’s a auto-buy author I’d probably still buy it whatever the cost.
3) I’ve only used Bookbub I do rely on Blog Sites “Love Bytes” “The Novel Approach” etc also Facebook and author newsletters to find out what books are coming out. There is a couple of new LGBT new letters that have just started coming out they are good too.
4) I mainly buy LGBTQ books from Dreamspinner, Evernight Publishing, Extasy Books, JMS Books and Riptide. Mainly because my favourite authors have books on these sites and the pricing and quality of work is very good.
5) I’m not into trends I just like most genres in M/M books from Contemporary to Paranormal and Sci fi.
6) No I don’t use Kindle Unlimited and I’d rather buy from publishers than from Amazon but I do you Kobo from time to time.
If I already enjoy an author, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy a self-published book. Obviously the quality of that would determine if I bought another of theirs outside a traditional publisher. As for price, I mean, if it’s someone I already trust, I have no problem paying usual prices, but honestly, I find it difficult to try out an unknown author without some type of price incentive. I like using Bookbub, and I signed up for another one recently but I’m not liking it that much. As for publishers, I definitely buy from Less Than Three Press (I like their offerings and they have preorder discounts as well as reward points for each purchase through their site), Dreamspinner (I haven’t been finding as much from them lately, but I’ve probably bought the most from them over the years, and I appreciate the sales they have through their sites), and Riptide (I have many favorite authors publishing through them, and I really enjoy the discounts they offer on their site) the most. On the question of KU, I don’t, but I also don’t buy ebooks through Amazon. I prefer kobo or B&N if I’m not buying direct from the publisher.
I’m looking forward to your next book, Lou. You’re an author whose new releases I always preorder/buy. So, happy writing (I say, selfishly)! 😉
1) Yes, if it’s self-pub or not it doesn’t change the fact that I like the author.
2) In general it’s very important, I don’t have a big budget and take advantage of discounts. I also compare prices with the story wordcount.
3) Mostly Amazon and Goodreads, I believe they are quite complete compare to the rest. And in non-mm genres, I use a couple of reliable sites that list all the new releases (from contemporary to historical).
4) Mainly Amazon, next Dreamspinner, follow by Riptide.
5) I always have trouble with 1st person present tense until I get use it I prefer third person novels.
6) No, KU is not available in my country.
Thanks for the post, I hope this helps you. 🙂
Hi there – here are my thoughts on a few of your questions
If I like an author I buy their books wherever I can get them. I would definitely buy their self published works
Price is important and I usually procrastinate getting books that are $6.99 and up on Amazon ($3.99 and less I don’t have to think about as much) – on publishing sites I usually wait for sales and incentive a lot of the time but not always – depends on the author
I used to buy a lot of books from allromance but since they’ve closed I’ve reverted back to Amazon mostly – but I buy directly from dreamspinner, riptide and carina press whenever that’s an option.
Most books that aren’t by authors I auto buy I hear of almost exclusively from LoveBytes and Prism Book Alliance reviews I get emailed to me I only use goodreads at this point for series’s order
And I don’t use kindle unlimited because I like to just buy the books I like as they become available and have them in my library forever 🙂
Hope that helps a bit!
I love Lou Silvre’s books. Publisher is not relevant; however, I do read paper only, even if I have to print it out myself. I do appreciate a well made book, so maybe publisher is relevant?
If I like it author I would look for their name not who they published by.
Price really isn’t a determining factor for me. If I don’t think that the book is worth the price I’ll wait for it to go on sale. But for the most part I don’t think book prices are bad. There are a few exceptions
I buy from publishers as much as I can. The ones I use the most our Dreamspinner, eXtasy, MLR, Riptide, and Siren. use the stated publishers because they seem to treat their authors well and I understand that the authors get better royalties if you buy from the publishers.
Yes I use Kindle Unlimited. Found a few new authors to me.
Shifters and Mpreg are a guilty pleasure. But if a blurb interest me I’ll pick up the book and read it so I guess I’m open to new things
Thanks for the post
Hi Lou
my answers are as follows
Yes i will buy a self pubbed book from an author I know
Yes price is important…I read several books a day
My first choice is Dreamspinner Press
Queeromance Ink is my new go to search site, as it directs me to authors choice of purchase site….more money for authors.
I use amazon.ca for purchase but hate KU. I did try it but believe the bias distorts a true reflection of quality.
As for genre I love it all if its well written
Q1: Self-pub or otherwise, it doesn’t matter if I love the author.
Q2: Of course the price is important…more considering short stories – honestly, sometimes, especially publishers (not self-pub), charge just too much for those, and short stories are my favorite books length-wise, ’cause, usually, I don’t have time for novels.
Q3: I use GR, don’t know about any other.
Q4: DSP – diversity of the stories, Evernight Pub – lots of short stories to choose from (refer to Q2), Totally Bound (Pride Pub) – some great authors there.
Q5: I LOVE 1st person present tense narratives, but many authors, unfortunately prefer 3rd person POV. Current trend – crime stories…
Q5: I don’t buy on Amazon…anything. I really, really don’t like them (understatement really). I buy on Kobo. And yeah, it’s getting hard for me to hold on the that principle lately, since all authors are joining KU.
[…] anything else, Thank you! Commenters were very generous, taking time to answer my questions from last month’s post and providing me with a hefty amount of useful information. A special thanks to the two who kindly […]