Backlist Ebooks--A source for inexpensive author-published out of print books!

[Patricia Ryan]

Originally Posted by SensualPoet

Now here's my tip, wearing my MR hat: please figure out a way to encourage all your members to have their books properly formatted and proof-read before re-releasing as ebooks on Amazon, Smashwords or elsewhere. Is there to be a shared Reprint Imprint?

Thanks for the tip. No, there's no shared reprint imprint. We're all releasing our backlist ebooks as individuals, using different processes. But there is a listserve for authors who are doing this (authors self-publishing their backlist can message me for info), and we exchange information which I'm hoping will be helpful in terms of preventing formatting errors and the like.

Pat
Backlist Ebooks

[Patricia Ryan]

Originally Posted by starrigger

This male author just sent an email.

Sounds like a great idea, Patricia! (Actually, I kind of hate Facebook, too--but I use it out of necessity. And this sounds like a good use.)

I just replied to your email, Jeff. Welcome! That will make three male authors and counting. I'm also happy to have another SF author on board.

Pat
Backlist Ebooks

[Cyclops]

I'm on Facebook, and I Liked!

[Patricia Ryan]

Originally Posted by Cyclops

I'm on Facebook, and I Liked!

Yay! Thanks!

BTW, I've been discussing interim website options with my fellow Backlist Maven, and we may be able to cobble something together fairly soon--nothing fancy, but those of you who are allergic to Facebook will have a place to browse our wares until the fancy-shmancy website is unveiled.

We aim to please!

Pat

[Doranna Durgin]

Originally Posted by Patricia Ryan

Yay! Thanks!

BTW, I've been discussing interim website options with my fellow Backlist Maven, and we may be able to cobble something together fairly soon--nothing fancy, but those of you who are allergic to Facebook will have a place to browse our wares until the fancy-shmancy website is unveiled.

We aim to please!

Pat

Hello!

Signing in as one of the Backlist Ebook mavens (still trying to decide if it's a good thing to be a maven), mainly to say "thank you!" for the comments and suggestions regarding the web site.

Pat has the wedding thing (!) and I have a month full of agility competitions (er, it's a doggy thing), but we're both looking forward to getting a simple non-FaceBook site up once we s/u/r/v/i/v/e/ enjoy those things. Not a blog, because the logistics of interim author wrangling are untenable, but a place with all the info we can provide.

We really do want to make this resource as usable as possible, as quickly as possible. 8)

Thanks!
--Doranna

[starrigger]

Originally Posted by Doranna Durgin

Hello!

Signing in as one of the Backlist Ebook mavens (still trying to decide if it's a good thing to be a maven), mainly to say "thank you!" for the comments and suggestions regarding the web site.

Pat has the wedding thing (!) and I have a month full of agility competitions (er, it's a doggy thing), but we're both looking forward to getting a simple non-FaceBook site up once we s/u/r/v/i/v/e/ enjoy those things. Not a blog, because the logistics of interim author wrangling are untenable, but a place with all the info we can provide.

We really do want to make this resource as usable as possible, as quickly as possible. 8)

Thanks!
--Doranna

Hi Doranna -- Welcome to Mobileread! I think you'll find this a friendly and helpful community. I've learned a lot here.

Re getting your page onto a "website," it's a good idea, but I wouldn't stress too much. After all, your Facebook page is a web page. Even though I'm not a FB fan myself, it serves the purpose as the group grows. And the world is filled with people who are FB fans.

[Doranna Durgin]

Originally Posted by starrigger

Hi Doranna -- Welcome to Mobileread! I think you'll find this a friendly and helpful community. I've learned a lot here.

I certainly hope to. I would *really* like to have a reading device soon, but must make decisions about which...

[FizzyWater]

Welcome to MobileRead, Doranna. Your name is very familiar to me, but I'm afraid it's a Fictionwise-makes-me-sad story...I bought one of your ebooks right at the end of March and have never been able to download it because of the Agency 5 embargo!

I keep checking back every once in awhile...someday I'll be able to read it!

[Doranna Durgin]

Originally Posted by FizzyWater

Welcome to MobileRead, Doranna. Your name is very familiar to me, but I'm afraid it's a Fictionwise-makes-me-sad story...I bought one of your ebooks right at the end of March and have never been able to download it because of the Agency 5 embargo!

I keep checking back every once in awhile...someday I'll be able to read it!

Gah! That's awful! I mean, I'm all excited that you bought it, but I had no idea that had happened to anyone. (Author = last to know.) Which book was it? *baffle*

[ficbot]

Doranna, unfortunately this sort of thing has happened to a lot of people. I am afraid it is a but of an uphill battle for readers sometimes This is why imho it is totally the right thing you guys are doing in taking control of your backlist books and putting out the ebooks yourselves, so that you can treat the readers fairly. Bear in mind that a lot of us here are the diehards so we may not represent the average person on the street, but by fair the dominant mood seems to be that people are quite happy to pay a fair price for DRM-free titles from authors who treat us right

Fwiw the last two times I wrote to an author about such an issue, one was to a big-name author and I got no reply and the other was to Joe Haldeman and his wife personally emailed me a copy of the book off her own hard drive

[Doranna Durgin]

Originally Posted by ficbot

Doranna, unfortunately this sort of thing has happened to a lot of people.

....

Fwiw the last two times I wrote to an author about such an issue, one was to a big-name author and I got no reply and the other was to Joe Haldeman and his wife personally emailed me a copy of the book off her own hard drive

GAH!!!

Re authors...sometimes we don't have the book put together in a sendable format, which is why I wanted to know which title it was--because I definitely want to send a copy of this one if I have it in a single decent piece. (Depends on the age of the title, since I haven't pulled all the older ones together yet.)

But yeah...the Haldemans are, from everything I've heard, like that. 8)

--Doranna

[ficbot]

Doranna, this is the beauty of the internet revolution People like authors can actually communicate directly with their fans, to everyone's benefit. The customer feels like they can be looked after and have a good experience, and the author can know first-hand what people want. It may not be as nice when you get a bad review and hear it directly from the customer But it can be great for business because if there is something people want to see and you can provide it for them (even if it is only an answer to a question) then you can get their business, now and in the future. And if they tell you there is a demand for something (see: the Peter S. Beagle thread) then you can go ahead with a project, sure that it will find an audience.

I saw this in the early days of the exercise video community. The bad news was, if you screwed up, there was only one message board where all the fans hung out, and everyone would know. But the good news was...there was one board where everybody hung out, and if you did something good, everyone would know I remember how floored I was the first time I posted there about a video I was using and had the instructor herself reply to me with some valuable tips and a suggested rotation. It blew my mind a little that I was out there using this person's video and they personally knew this and were cheering me on. I was not a hypothetical customer out there somewhere in the world, I was a real person she had spoken with directly, and she cared about my progress and wanted to help me enjoy it. I thought then (and still think) that this is one of the coolest things about the internet.

[Doranna Durgin]

Originally Posted by ficbot

Doranna, this is the beauty of the internet revolution People like authors can actually communicate directly with their fans, to everyone's benefit. ...

Oh, I've been on the Internets for years...have had a newsgroup at SFF since '96. It's just a matter of finding fun new places! 8) And I agree, the direct communication is so important. In this case, we're finally in a position to be making our own choices about certain details. Niiiice.

[Mare of Earth]

*really really tries to restrain fangirl squee at favorite author showing up on favorite book site*

.....
...............
...!
*fails*

Welcome to MobileRead, Doranna Durgin!

[Doranna Durgin]

Originally Posted by Mare of Earth

*really really tries to restrain fangirl squee at favorite author showing up on favorite book site*

.....
...............
...!
*fails*

Welcome to MobileRead, Doranna Durgin!

*faint of happiness*

Wow!

Thank you for that moment!

--Doranna