Sunday Night Thoughts

[erastes]

It's interesting that numbers 1 to 6 on the Amazon UK best sellers lists are ALL cook books.  *ponders* 

Ooooo!  Pratchett's Making Money is up for pre-order!  *runs off*

Interesting and lively debate on e-publishers on Dear Author after an excellent post about "what to look for in an epublisher"  I have a novella about to go epublisher (hopefully) and I'm understandably nervous about it, so this post was of great interest to me.

Regarding the debate on EPIC in the comments and Brenna Lyons' post regarding what EPIC is NOT -  I have to say that I agree with the questioners. I'm not saying that writers associations aren't a good thing, (hell, I'm attempting to revitalise the Erotic Authors Association, so I'm not one to talk about doing away with them) but are they value for money? EPIC has 663 members, according to its website. That's nearly $20,000 a year in income - what is done with that other than "encouraging people to publish ebooks" and "encouraging people to read ebooks"?  Yes, they attend conventions and hold contests and awards, but so does ERWA and that's free - as is the EAA. As for encouragement, critique, networking, feedback, business advice and all the other things you purportedly get for your $30 a year, you can get them all free elsewhere. So what are the paying associations doing MORE than the free ones? That's what I want to know.

I'm not picking on EPIC here, I'm also wondering about The Authors Guild ($90 a year and I can't see much of what they do either) and other such organisations, there are even more expensive ones over here, such as the Writers Guild but I think you can get contract vetting, and a small pension. The fee is the equivalent of $300 a year though PLUS 1percent of royalties over £15k. So.. steep.

I think I'll stay out here thanks!

Comments

[logophilos.livejournal.com]

I too can't see what more people get from EPIC than they get from EAA or even from something like Uniqueley Pleasurable. I'm deeply distrustful of organisations like RWA or this which are all about author networking - authors are competitors. If an organisation isn't about reaching readers, then socialising with people who are competing with you for contracts seems a bit...pointless, really.

I'm not against their aims, I just don't see any point in paying for it. I can't see what they *do* with all that money either.

[ejab62.livejournal.com]

Cook books that always end up gathering dust.

Anyway, just a mail to say 'TX!' for all your posts about publishing, the do's and don'ts and what-have-you-not.
I always copy/paste them, knowing that someday they will come in handy.

So... TX!