Need Help!!!!!!!!!!!

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Drue "Dee" Miller on June 23, 2011 at 10:57pm

I want to thank you Garry a nd Cynthia for your replies to my "Help" problem.  You two have been extremely helpful and, I know, that this is the way that I am going to go to get out from under PA's contract, etc. 

The other question that I need answered, if you don't mind,  how do I get my books on the SHELVES of the top selling bookstores (B&N, Books a Million? etc.  Do I have to go through a publisher or can I do this on my own as well?  I finished my 4th book but do not know what to do with it.  Am I being too pushy by asking you what I need to do with it?  I would really like your help on this.

Theophenie does beautiful covers.  She has done all of  my except for the first one (Nightmares Come From Dreams).  PA did that one and they, actually, change the title of the book.  The orginial book was named "Dreams Are Made of Nightmares".  I did not asked them to do this ... they just did it on their own and would not let me do anything about it.

Can I sell my books on a website of my own or do I have to stay with PA on these?  Theophenie and I are talking about doing a website of our own to sell my books on line.  Is this possible?

Thank you again for your prompt reply.

Dee Miler

 

 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Cynthia Townley on June 24, 2011 at 1:49am

Hi Dee,

I am not at all familiar with PA, or their contractual requirements.  Perhaps Garry can help with questions concerning them.  You may want to find out (if you don't pay the $99 to get your book released), is there anything in your contract that states you cannot sell your books yourself?

 

The answer to your other question about getting your books on the SHELVES, I am of the opinion that you would need to go through the traditional channels - through an agent/editor/publishing house.  My area of concentration is self-published ebooks.  I can tell you that of the self-publishing companies I interviewed for my research on my "How To" book, all the print options were for "Print On Demand", so I am not aware of any self-publishing companies that would create "stock" for your books and then ship them to retail stores. 

 

Please understand I am not against traditional book publishing methods - accept to say they move too slow, in my opinion, and I am not trying to discourage your from going that route, but the largest book seller in the world is Amazon.com - an "online" retailer.  There is no shelf life for your book at online retailers.  Once you have an ebook online, it is out there forever and available for sale around the world...and not just a few stores.   Amazon's ebooks out-sell their print books, as more people are buying the electronic versions.  You could have your 4th book online and for sale within 2-3 days, and your other books as well, as long as there is no contractual requirements with PA that would prevent you from doing this.  Stay with me here.  By converting your manuscript and book cover into formats acceptable for uploading, which you can do this yourself for free, or hire someone to do it for you for you for a small fee, you could have your ebooks available at the major online retailers, such as  Amazon, B&N, Borders, etc. and your book is downloadable to just about every electronic ereading device known to man...including a computer.  Having said that, I don't know that Books-A-Million has the ability to self-upload ebooks.  I am not familiar with that store.  My thought is your books could be earning you money while you persue the agent/editor/publisher route.  Do you already have a literary agent?   I'm sorry for rambling, just trying to offer a solution. 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Cynthia Townley on June 24, 2011 at 2:01am

Sorry, I had a distraction.  If you have your own website you can certainly sell your book there (again, unless something in your contractual agreement with this PA would stop you.)  Just create a PayPal account, if you don't already have one, and make your books available on your website. 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Theophenie Miller on June 24, 2011 at 2:09am

 

Good evening, Cynthia:

 

I have to run to the grocery real quick, but I have your email open, and I will be sending you an email very shortly:)  And will answer your message alot more in detail along with it:)

 

Thank you so much for your interest!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Drue "Dee" Miller on August 9, 2011 at 10:25pm

Thank you for answering my problem.  I just got out of the hospital ... that is why I have not been on the computer for a couple of weeks.

Who do any of you suggest to do my books through ebooks?  I have never done this before and PA wants me to pay an arm-and-a-leg to do it.  I need some answers on this.  I also need to know a website company that I can use who will do a website for me so I can sell my books on line myself.  I can sell my books anyway that I want.  I have already checked with PA and have been told that I can do it.  So, I need some help if any of you know where I can go.  I've never done anything like this before and my daughter Theophenie and I are going into this together.  I'm "computer dumb" so I rely on her to do stuff like this for me.

I have been approached by a man named Phil Farmer who is with marketecuture.com.  Has anyone heard of them?  He can do a website for me but wants $500.00 down and $19.95 a month.  Anyone got any ideas about these people?  I need to know where to go.  The easiest thing that I have done is write the books!!!!!!  Getting them sold ... out there for people to buy them ... is the hardest thing that I have done!!!! 

I just can't seem to be able to make the right decesions about them.  Everyone who has ever read them say that they are really good.  I only hope these people aren't lying to me to make me feel good.  I don't know these people so I must be doing something right?!?!?!

So, this is the quandry that I am in.  I need help and all of you are so good at giving me the right help.

I didn't mean to write a book here.  I just need some help.

By the way, the email address I am writing you from (jenibreedman@aol.com) is the email address that I have set up so that my readers (anyone out there???????) can contact me to ask me questions ... or get "in contact" with the characters in my books. (Jeni Breedman is the heroine in the "Dream Series" that I write.  The gothic/romance/horror that I write the sequels from.)  So, if anyone wants to email me, please do it to this email address from now on.

Thanks "guys".

Dee Miller 

jenibreedman@aol.com

Rege Schilken said:

Beware of Publish America. Beware!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

rege schilken

Drue "Dee" Miller said:

Ashlee: I have self-published w/PublishAmerica.  Big mistake.  They have done nothing but cost me money.  I have decided to sell my books on a website w/my daughter. (Her cover art as my "photo" on this website is from my 2nd novel.  I just don't know what to charge for the soft cover books. Size:240 pg. gothis romance ... it's sequel ...479 pgs.. 202 mystery/suspense. Got any ideas?  I have a 4th ready to be published Help with prices would be helpful.  You have joined the best author/reader forum I have ever seen.

• ▶ Reply

▶ Reply to Discussion

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• Next ›
• Page