CONSIGNING INDIES TITLES TO BOOKSTORES

There is no code used in alternating the description of a self-published writer as an indie or independent. The moniker is accepted by other professions, such as by musicians, who had a similar problem with their industry and solved it by releasing their works by themselves. They didn't kill the mainstream issued music, but did gain respect and a just return for all those who produce it. The market evaluation is not provided by a bunch of  industry executives, but by the listening public, . This is not yet the case with independent authors.

The industry funnel is much too narrow to accommodate all writers who seek to be published. Therefore, one should not assume that the fact a manuscript wasn't "vetted" by an industry gatekeeper is to be considered inferior by definition. But the ease of self-publishing (in print and digital) enabled by new technologies, does allow books of lesser quality to flood the market along with many perfectly solid works.

To understand better where The indiePENdents. org and I as its founder stand: We are simply proposing  to separate the wheat from the chaff, by peer-reviewing indie titles which were not given access to the traditional publishing channels. To our surprise, we are encountered resistance to the idea from some indie authors; many are simply rugged individuals, but others may be driven by other considerations.

So far, bookstores and libraries have been accepting only books issued and recommended by the industry. Our aim is to certify, through panels of three reviewing peers for each submitted indie title, that the book with our Seal deserves a place on their shelves. 

We don't claim this as a right, but do want to level the playing field, which is not the same as asking for an entitlement. 

The economics we suggest are no less appealing than those bookstores get from the publishers. 

A consignment contract by which the indie author ships a requested number of copies at his/her expense, pays a stocking fee of $40 or so, and is responsible for the return of all copies not sold in six months. In the meantime, the bookstore retains 25% of the selling  price. I don't think "mainstream" is giving a better incentive to bring a book to the judgment of readers. 


Some marketers try to discourage consignement placement, claiming that the bookstore will favor titles from'mainstream' publishers the way supermarkets display their wares. I say that if the bookshop owner gets a comparable percentage of profits, with prices which are comparable, he will not spend time to hide 'self-pubbed' books in favor of  the 'pubbed' ones.

As an example: a writer strapped for money need only $115 to send 20 copies on consignment. He will get his total investment paid back after half of the books are sold.  Each additionsl copy brings him a royalty of about $10. Multiply this by a factor of x if the book takes off. 

If need be, sometime in the future, The indiePENdents.org  may consider finding sponsors for an escrow fund: it would lend authors seed money for the initial investment cost of consigning their books. We can call it  ABSOL ("A Book Send Off Loan") program until a good writer comes up with a better title.

LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD FOR INDIE WRITERS

The idea of peer review, the basis of imdiePENdents.org came to me in one of the LinkedIn discussion among writers about their books. It was also the genesis of The indiePENdents.org which my editor, Julia Petrakis, and I launched December 13, 2011. It is volunteer and free, not open to any commercial interests, and doesn’t sell any services or goods.

Some of the writers in the discussions were seeking an honest criticism of their work by other authors. Some wanted a peer review of a draft they were still not sure about, but most were offers of an exchange of copies for reviews on Amazon.

I mailed printed copies to several people, and electronically to a few others.   I knew I was risking a bad review being posted where my books are sold. So did all the others. 

Their reviews were published on Amazon, ranging from perfunctory to glowing. On a writers’ digital exchange, one said noncommittally ‘Jasha is worth reading.’ But whatever judgment it brought, this novel way to get an evaluation looked to me both valid and valuable, but most important not corrupted by commerce nor nepotism. 

This turned out to be a genuine, professional, thoughtful review and commentary, welcome even when less than favorable. It was completely different from the playful (perhaps incestuous’): “Like my Facebook page, and I will like your Facebook page,” which has been going on for a while on another LinkedIn site.

The peer reviews also seemed more trustworthy than those issued, for a fee, by “professional” review mills. Some authors are induced to buy these, in the hope that -- since they couldn’t get the attention of the overwhelmed mainstream book industry --  this will bring them recognition in the marketplace. 

It is a real question whether a knowledgable reader will give much credence to a hack review. What’s worse, with or without such paid reviews, self-published  books are still refused access by bookshop owners and shunned by librarians because they have not been vetted by gatekeepers set up by ‘legitimate,’ mainstream publishing channels. Up to now, this was for them the only guarantee that a book earned its right to see the light of day. Thus, they haven’t been giving a place on their shelves to ‘unproven’ titles. The indiePENdents.org aims to open these gates to ‘indies,’

The indiePENdents.org seal will give them the assurance they seek.  Our peer review seeks to establish an even playing field and open the market to printed and digital works, wether they are mainstream or independent i.e. self-published titles. 

Last December, the loudest objections to even starting the indiePENdents were in the form of questions like “who are you to judge anyone?’ and  accusations of elitism. Then, the discussion boiled down to the standards themselves. Having now been voted on by the membership, they have become the official basis for our three member panels to start reviewing already published works. They are no different than those used by the best book reviewers.

We now need more members to volunteer as peer evaluators, and others willing to approach their local media, give out information, and spread the word about the work of The indiePENdents. The general reading public, you local bookstores and libraries need to learn about  this new validation tool on which self-published author can star relying right now.

If you are reading this, join The indiePENdents.org. Whether you are an independent author or simply care about the future of literature and the new model of publishing, you will be part of publishing history in the making.

You cam find both Jasha M. Levi and The indiePENdents.org on Facebook and Twitter. We will expand into other social networks when we master using these two. Also, visit the LinkedIn discussion group The indiePENdents.org

A literary Wild West

I posted this on a LinkedIn discussion of writers, agents and publishers. It was in reply to an author who came out against any "filtering" of books, even if only  to mark the praiseworthy: 

I applaud your selection of reviewera: the welders, waitresses, bus drivers and soldiers of the world. You may know who your readers are and they are Everyman/woman. So far so good.

If your only purpose is to reach them, and they can find you in a sea of a virtual debris of words, ill-applied, misspoken and misspelled in sometimes incoherent sentences, you don't need anyone on your individual Island.

But I frankly dislike when my name of independently published author is thrown into a literary Wild West free-for-all. In the movies I grew up on, one could right away tell the white hats from the black hats. Not in the self-publishing wilderness, where every technologically savvy but linguistically challenged school evader can inflict his version of  English on the unsuspecting public.

That is why I am in favor of "putting white hats" on books: telling the public where it can expect the bona fides? And that is what you can find in www.indiePENdents.org. Those who tell it shouldn't or can't be done won't stop us from securing the access of good self-published books into bookstores and libraries.

Be a Grok, too. From your flood-proof ground, join the good guys.

AUTHOR ON AUTHOR REVIEWS AND CRITIQUES

A lively discussion in a writers' group on LinkedIn made me think about the pros and cons of writers reviewing writers.

When I was just a reader, I judged books differently than when I became a writer. I now approach review and criticism with new eyes and new considerations.

Before and after, I am the same person and have the same likes and dislikes, but as a writer myself, I am more aware of the person who wrote the book, and since I don’t see other authors as competitors (some, to my surprise, say they do), I am not sure if my verdicts are not also tinted by our kinship. At the very least, my critique seeks to be gentler, even when the writing isn’t to my liking.

Of course, I still outright reject books I find an affront to literature. This  by no means includes some fractured use of language, which a master scribe is entitled to as much as a painter can play with form and colors once he has proven mastery of his craft. To use another parallel, I will never leave the theater or a movie without seeing the work to the end, no matter how painful staying through may be. 

This is particularly true now, when I have started reviewing books of authors participating with me in various forums on LinkedIn. I know I am adding into the mix an empathy for the process, which the writer, like myself, went through in creating the book. If I stop on the way, I try to see what was he or she trying to convey.

I try to make my subjective judgment as objective as possible, but I wonder: Should we review each other’s work at all now that we have created an almost personal acquaintance (or, in some cases, a certain dislike) for the other author? How can we avoid the influence of this nepotism?

Now I have disturbed the bees and must accept it if I get stung.  

INCREDIBLE CENSORSHIP OF AUTHORS BY AUTHORS

I joined a group calling itself NJ AuthorsNetwork

My first post was the following:

Our books are listed on Amazon and B&N, available on Kindle, Nook and iPad, but we

find it impossible to get a foot of space on the shelves or get a book signing in a

bookstore.

Why? Because we "don't have a publisher."

In order to overcome the barriers which the independent writers now face in the

publishing industry, a group of us has started a free membership group:

www.indiePENdents.org. Our Working Group is now developing ways to take selfpublishing

into the mainstream, and open the door for our works into bookstores and

libraries.

In a separate group discussion on LinkedIn last night, I proposed an interim action: to

set up a table in front of Barnes & Noble store in Princeton where our books will be on

display (and if legal for sale) with posters indicating the absurdity that B&N sells them

on their website but not in the store.

We could distribute leaflets protesting the second-class citizenship assigned to

independent authors by the industry and call ourselves OCCUPY PUBLISHERS,

BOOKSTORES AND LIBRARIES.

We must start somewhere, so exerting pressure on B&N is a good beginning. We must

work on opening the gates to us, and breaking the barriers now standing between

independent authors and the reading public.

Readers today are not given the choice to choose or not our books because they are

kept from their sight. Tomorrow, that will change if we start acting toward that goal.

If you are interested in participating, please email lastexile@yahoo.com. We could then

meet to discuss this action at a Panera of our choice.

An astonishing reply came from John Gibbs, the owner the group

Jasha,

Sorry, but this is not the place to discuss occupying anything. I've deleted your original message from the boards. Please don't post anythimg like that again.

Jon Gibbs
www.acatofninetales.com 

RHe was joined by another imported writer, Paul Barnett:

Just wondering, Jasha, if you're able to give B&N the same discounts they get from traditional publishers?

Paul

www.johngrantpaulbarnett.com

This makes three immigrants, 2:1 for the Brits, which doesn’t make them right. I have had my scraps with their likes in Her Majesty’s Government before (Read; The Last Exile)

To which I replied today: 

Re: For self-published authors: Occupy Publishers, Bookstores, Libraries I protest your censorship. We are an open society and writers of all people should not be the one's who shut other peopleup. Had I named my call OPEN THE DOORS TO INDIES, would it have been censored as well? I used Occupy for its shock effect and I don't care how it is called, but my call is valid and of deepest interest to authors. How come you do allow posts on B&N policy on indies authors bu you not a disciusion on the indies authors policies on B&N . What is this network for if not for the concerns of NJ authors? If you insist on not letting authors speak their mind, shouldn't you change its name? It deceived me.

Appeal to writers in my neighborhood

This is an email call I sent to members of a NJ writers association:

Our books are listed on Amazon and B&N, available on Kindle, Nook and iPad, but we find it impossible to get a foot of space on the shelves or get a book signing in a bookstore. 

Why? Because we "don't have a publisher."

In order  to overcome the barriers which the independent writers now face in the publishing industry, a group of us has started a free membership group: www.indiePENdents.org. Our Working Group is now developing ways to take self-publishing into the mainstream, and open the door for our works into bookstores and libraries.

In a separate group discussion on LinkedIn last night, I proposed an interim action: to set up a table in front of Barnes & Noble store in Princeton where our books will be on display (and if legal for sale) with posters indicating the absurdity that B&N sells them on their website but not in the store.

We could distribute leaflets protesting the second-class citizenship assigned to independent authors by the industry and call ourselves OCCUPY PUBLISHERS, BOOKSTORES AND LIBRARIES.

We must start somewhere, so  exerting pressure on B&N is a good beginning. We must work on opening the gates to us, and breaking the barriers now standing between independent authors and the reading public. 

Readers today are not given the chance to choose or not our books because they are kept from their sight. Tomorrow, that will change if we start acting toward that goal.

If you are interested in participating, please email lastexile@yahoo.com. We could then meet to discuss this action at a Panera of our choice.

A CALL TO SNUBBED AND UNDERVALUED INDEPENDENT WRITERS: "OCCUPY PUBLISHERS, BOOKSTORES AND LIBRARIES"

In one of the LinkedIn writers groups, a question was today raised about the Occupy Writers movement and a suggestion made that their goal is the same as that of self-published authors. I explained that no, these are already famous writers not concerned with the independents' plight. I suggested that what we need is to form an organization of independent self-published authors. I called it Occupy Publishers, Bookstores and Libraries, because this is where currently the barriers are erected against the independent writers. 

One of  our very well liked peers responded with outrage against such an Occupy movement, objecting to the term as signifying lazy people who want to enjoy the fruit of other people labors. I responded saying that, because our society is so polarized, Occupy has become a scarecrow, but it has its roots in the best American tradition of fair play and justice. 

I don't now, I said,  if you are familiar with N+, the literary publication which stepped behind that movement of young people who would like their country to be available to them. N+, to which I subscribed since its beginning several years before Occupy started, is a group of young aspiring writers, searching for their place under the sun and reminding me of the days of my literary youth. They believe theirs is not a political but ethical agenda, 

We should give them a listen, I pleaded, and you will see that demonizing them has no place in reality. Some of these young N+ people have already become best selling authors; all of them are idealists who think they can make a difference and make a positive contribution to their country. Just remember what the Boston tea party was about because new Tea Party came to deny the right of dissent from its views, declaring it un-American.

It is hard in our polarized society not to see any dissent in  a light other than that of an enemy. These children will be American leaders of tomorrow, guarding the rule of law and the freedoms and liberties of Americans.

In a wide sweep of history, they will be eventually considered the new American pioneers and not a rabble of anarchists as they are now painted to be. I think I will be proven right.