Watching Amazon

I'm hearing rumors.
Some folks are finding Amazon.com is listing their print on demand titles as "out of stock." I did a run down of Scribbulations titles and haven't seen any problems. That's as yet. Keep an eye on your book and how it is listed.

Here are the facts:
Print on Demand means when Amazon get an order, they send the order to the printers who then print and ship the book.  There is no such thing as "out of stock."
Amazon also uses the ordinary sales technique of creating an illusion of scarcity by saying "Only 4 left in stock, order soon!" This of course is also bogus, but we don't mind if nudges people to buy the book now.

If however, a customer sees "out of stock" it may put them off all together.
That's why you need to be watching Amazon and jump if a potential customer says they are having difficulties finding your book.
Let me know if you see anything odd.

Count Down to Launch

    Ed correctly identified my mood last week. It was a melt down. There were five hours sitting with editor, Grace, followed by a total read through of my memoir looking for anything we might have missed, followed by another reading once Ed had formatted the book- all within four days. Yes, I was quite stressed.

   Then there was the other stress of finding the perfect cover - one that conveyed the content of the book while honoring the photographer. I had played with various incarnations of two totally different approaches. In the end, Ed found an exciting font that he placed on the original photograph, as well as the design of the back cover.

Now I can relax - sort of (of course I have to notify everyone of the launch )- and wait for launch day, October 9th.
                    Nancy Taiani

Write Group FFA 9/22/2001

I hope everyone noticed the subject of the FFA on this date.
 Sounds like it will be a useful session.

Choosing the perfect book jacket

          I thought writing and editing my memoir, Healing Father John, was hard enough work and quite an emotional rollercoaster. I handed it over to Scribulations thinking my worries were over. And indeed, I know the book is in good hands. But now the book jacket is aggravating me. I want it to convey the right mix of faith and seriousness, but also of fun for this story of friendship with a priest who always thought and acted outside the box. Designing a cover shouldn’t be so difficult for me; I am a painter. But as I play with different shades of photos and experiment with too many font types—let alone font colors—I’m once again under emotional strain.  Perhaps this is a good thing. It keeps me from dwelling on what’s really scary—the book launch – and then people’s reaction to the material!  We say in the Montclair Write Group, “Someone will like your book.” I’ve always been the type who worries about the someone who won’t.

            Ed’s advised me to step back from the cover for a few days. Good advice, though I had already been doing some of that. Two days on—working in PhotoShop—two days of not looking at it at all. Time spent concentrating on other projects and on my blog, Notingnature.blogspot.com. 

Another member of the Write Group advised me to try making all the elements of the cover in Origami. I’ve actually found Origami instructions on folding a church and even pancakes! Add an Origami crane rosary and I might have the perfect mix for a book jacket—or not. At least it will keep my eyes out of PhotoShop and my hand off the mouse for a bit. What a relief!

Nancy T.

Invitations Out!

Okay, there are invitations out to a host of authors. I'll repeat my hopes from the original email:

What's it for? To help you.
It's for those who don't already have a blog--a chance to play in a friendly sandpit.
It's to share with those who know how you feel and who have been through the publishing experience too.
It's for those who want to collaborate in marketing, and events.
It will also be useful for floating ideas - asking "did anyone try XYZ. Did it work?"

How does it work?
I will send you an invitation from Blogger.com to become an author on the blog.
Accept the invitation and follow the instructions you get from Blogger.
Then you can write new entries and comment on existing ones.
You can choose how to get notified of other people's contributions.
You can then link to new entries on the blog through Facebook, tell people about it, or just keep it between ourselves. It's up to you.

Do I have to?
No, but I hope you will. It's a resource to help you. Writing might have been a lonely pursuit, but selling your books doesn't have to be.


Ed.

Here it is!

THE place for news about Scribbulations authors.