I have written posts like this before. When Hollywood did an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story The Curious Case of Benjamin Button I wrote this tirade. Fitzgerald’s quirky yet interesting and imaginative story about a man who ages in reverse captivated me long before Hollywood had their eyes set on it for a movie. Then suddenly, it was a fashionable story to be reading.

Of course, these books that Hollywood adapts will remain great works. The excitement will die down and bookstores will slowly deplete their stock until only a handful of these titles remain. I guess that is the nature of the literary beast.

I don’t want to downplay the idea that at least people are reading these books, even if it is because Hollywood made a movie from them. Anytime you can get the masses to read a classic is always a good thing in my mind – even though it annoys me to no end.

Does this annoy you too? Are you going, or have you already seen, the ‘Alice in Wonderland’ movie? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.

Related posts

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” has always been a great story!
• Mini review: “Still Alice”
• The curious case of last night’s Oscars

I’ve been advocating for this type of bundling for a while now. The obvious advantage is that you can read the print version in the comfort of your own home, and then take the ebook version with you while you’re on the go. This would work especially well with dinosaur-sized books like Stephen King’s Under the Dome (which I’m currently reading as an ebook). If I had bought King’s latest magnum opus as a hardcover, you certainly wouldn’t see me lugging it around so I could read a few pages in the doctor’s office waiting room.

However, there is one caveat to B&N’s plans to bundle print and ebooks together, as the Teleread post explains:

But from the article, it does not sound as if B&N is truly planning what people usually think of as “bundling”—you will have to pay some extra money for the e-book version. Given that the e-book version has no marginal cost to produce, I expect e-book fans will still express disappointment that this offer does not go far enough.

So it’s not a true “bundle” where you get both for one price. However, I think B&N and publishers are taking a step in the right direction. People want choice. They want to read books when they want, where they want and in the format they want. This faux bundling starts to make that possible.

While not the ideal situation, having to pay a reduced price for the ebook version of your newly purchased print edition will not be the end of the world. However, the key word here is “reduced.” If B&N and publishers think consumers will pay much more than $5 for the ebook, then they’re going to have a lot of angry consumers to deal with.

Print-On-Demand at B&N Stores?

Another interesting item brought up in the PW article is that B&N is playing with the idea of maybe bringing POD technology directly to stores (think: Espresso Book Machine):

He said at some point it could be possible to put a pod machine directly into a store, providing the store “was big enough.” He would also not rule out the possibility that B&N could make a “small acquisition” in the technology field if it fit with its digital plans.

Very interesting indeed. I have read a lot about this type of portable POD technology, but would love to see one of these machines in action for myself.

Reading about B&N’s future plans for ebooks got me thinking that they are now taking the lead in innovation. Amazon has been the leader in ebooks for a few years now, but they really haven’t done anything that innovative in a while – other than releasing updated versions of the Kindle every few years or so.

What do you think about B&N’s plans to bundle ebooks and print books? Would you go for it? Or is this just a cheap marketing gimmick to get people to buy their Nook? Leave a comment below and share your answer.

Related posts

• Are ebooks sucking the blood out of print books? Some say yes.
• Barnes & Noble releases free iPhone app (review included)
• Barnes & Noble buys ebook retailer Fictionwise

Reading during those early years must have made a big impression on me, as I can vividly remember a lot of the books I’d read multiple times. By contrast, I remember few, if any, television shows. So I thought it’d be fun to list some of my favorite childhood books here. After all, those books were the foundation for my love of literature today.

Boris and the Monsters by Elaine Macmann Willoughby: I was stunned and saddened to learn that this book is no longer in print. The book chronicles a young child with an intense fear of monsters in the bedroom at night. It isn’t until he gets a little puppy that he’s able to overcome his fears. Although I never feared monsters myself (a nighttime home invasion was my biggest fear), I read this book more than I could remember.

Best Nest by P.D. Eastman: This might have been one of the first books I ever read. While I don’t remember specifics, my parents tell me I wouldn’t put this book down.

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown: Another book I vaguely remember reading, probably one of the first. This book is a classic as I see it prominently displayed in the kid’s section at my local bookstore.

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume: I read this book many times. I was fascinated by Peter’s pet turtle, Dribble and it made me want my own turtle.

Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard Atwater: I think I read this book once, and then in the fifth grade I picked up again because I got a goldfish in school. Somehow getting a goldfish made me want to read about penguins. This was one of those books I was able to read fairly fast and get a good laugh out of it.

There are many more books I read growing up, but the ones listed above are the books I remember most. It’s funny that I read a lot of books over and over again when I was young, but today I read a book once and it stays collects dust on the shelf. I guess back then I was just easier to entertain.

What books do you remember reading from your childhood? Which ones were your favorite? Leave a comment below and share your answers.

Related posts

• What is America’s favorite book?
• NEA: Fiction reading among adults increases!
• ‘Kite Runner’ requested to be removed from schools and libraries

However, being a mega-selling superstar author, James Patterson is someone all struggling novelists should pay attention to and learn a thing or two.

Recently the New York Times wrote a lengthy article about the author called James Patterson Inc.. Instead of rehashing the entire article, I decided to pick out a few important bits that all of us budding writers can learn from.

Be 100% devoted to the publishing process

It doesn’t matter if you are a self-published indie author or have an agent and a contract with a large publishing house – authors cannot afford to take a backseat to the publishing and/or advertising process for their novel. Even James Patterson, who has sold more books than Stephen King, John Grisham and Dan Brown combined, is very involved in the publishing process:

…he handles all of his own advertising and closely monitors just about every other step of the publication process, from the design of his jackets to the timing of his books’ release to their placement in stores.

And this is a guy who has a full-time staff from his publisher assigned only to him. No detail is too small for Patterson. His name alone could sell a lot of books, yet he chooses to oversee the whole process to get the most exposure for each book released.

I’ve heard many writers say that once they land a book contract with a publisher, they will let the publisher worry about the marketing. Big mistake. Every writer, whether new to publishing or a veteran needs to be active in marketing his/her novel. Don’t fall into the trap that you’re just lucky to be published:

“A lot of authors are just grateful to be published,” Holly Parmelee, Patterson’s publicist from 1992 to 2002, told me several weeks earlier. “Not Jim. His attitude was that we were in business together, and he wanted us both to succeed, but it was not going to be fun and games.”

The relationship between publisher and author should be like a partnership because each party needs the other to succeed.

Believe in your own writing

Before the release of “Along Came a Spider”, Patterson wanted his publisher to produce and run a commercial spot to drum up interest in the new book. They refused. I’m guessing it was because the publisher didn’t want to pick up the tab of a costly commercial for a book. What did Patterson do? He put his own money behind his book and took control:

Patterson wrote, produced and paid for a commercial himself. It opened with a spider dropping down the screen and closed with a voice-over: “You can stop waiting for the next ‘Silence of the Lambs.’ ” Once Little, Brown saw the ad, it agreed to share the cost of rolling it out over the course of several weeks in three particularly strong thriller markets — New York, Chicago and Washington.

The article continues:

“Along Came a Spider” made its debut at No. 9 on the New York Times hardcover best-seller list, ensuring it favorable placement near the entrance of bookstores, probably the single biggest driver of book sales.

The initial success of “Along Came a Spider” was possible because Patterson took the initiative and his own money to get a commercial on the air in critical markets. The result of that commercial gave his novel the momentum to become a bestseller, thus getting his novel the best spots in the bookstores. Success breeds success. But first, you have to believe in your own writing.

Start small and build your fan base slowly

Nothing in life comes overnight, and this goes double for success. A lot of writers want their first novel to hit the bestseller list and make it big right out of the gate. While this does happen, it’s very rare. Patterson took a very methodical approach when he was first starting off and concentrated his marketing efforts in cities where he knew his books would sell the best:

Patterson built his fan following methodically. Instead of simply going to the biggest book-buying markets, he focused his early tours and advertising efforts on cities where his books were selling best: like a politician aspiring to higher office, he was shoring up his base.

Knowing who you are writing for is critical, especially in the early days of your writing career. Know your audience! For example, I know most people who read this blog are writers, those interested in ebooks and publishing. I stick with that group. I don’t write posts geared towards sports enthusiasts or fishermen (for example). I might not have the most popular blog out there, but Brad’s Reader has a steady following, and that thrills me!

Persistence pays off

If you’re one of those authors who is constantly rejected by publisher after publisher, don’t despair. Even bestselling author James Patterson had to pay his dues in the slush pile:

More than a dozen publishers rejected Patterson’s manuscript before his agent, whom Patterson found in a newspaper article, finally sold it to Little, Brown for $8,500.

After more than a dozen publishers rejected his manuscript, Patterson only got $8500 when it was finally purchased. While this is a lot for a first time author getting published, it’s probably not enough to quite your day job over. But Patterson persisted by writing more books and kept his head in the game with marketing. Today, he’s a one-man cottage industry.

Embrace your fans, shrug off critics

Not everyone is going to like your writing. It’s a fact of life. Everyone will have different reasons for not liking your writing, but it still can sting. Once your writing is out there and you start getting feedback, you’ll hear the positive and negative. Embrace those who like your writing and use that as momentum to keep going.

“Thousands of people don’t like what I do,” Patterson told me, shrugging off his detractors. “Fortunately, millions do.”

If Patterson let it bother him that “thousands of people” don’t like his books, then he would’ve quite a long time ago. Instead, he pushes on and is thankful for those who do like and appreciate his books.

I guess I’m in the category of the thousands that don’t like Patterson’s novels. It’s nothing personal, they’re just not for me. The NYT article details how Patterson produces his novels. He writes an outline than someone else writes the draft and he revises and edits as he sees fit. I’m actually a little horrified by this kind of stale, assembly-line approach he takes. But who am I to judge?

Patterson doesn’t claim to be a literary great, or even a man of letters. He calls himself an entertainer. If a reader enjoyed reading his novel for the action and adventure, then Patterson is happy.

Whatever you think of James Patterson’s books, you can learn a lot from the man himself. I sure have.

Related posts

• James Frey publishing new novel
• New ebook publishing startup places power in the hands of the author!
• Author sells self-published book one copy at a time

There are a two bits I wanted to share with you regarding my trip, both dealing with ebooks.

First, I noticed on this trip, more than any other, the growing number of people with ebook readers. On one flight, I sat next to a woman reading a Kindle. She told me she loves it and reads more now than before she got the device. I saw a Sony Reader on another flight and a few more people with Kindles in the waiting areas at the different airports I stopped at.

I found it very pleasing to see so many people reading ebooks. Even a year or so ago I never saw anyone with any type of ebook reading device (not counting an iPhone/iPod Touch). Ebooks have come a long way in the last year and I know they will go even further in 2010.

Finally, I did not take my Sony Reader Pocket Edition with me. It’s a long story, but it basically boils down to Sony’s crappy Reader software they force you to download onto your computer. At the last minute, before jumping into the cab to go to the airport, I grabbed a paperback (aff link) from the stack on my bookshelf.

On a side note, I did bring my iPhone which worked great to keep up with email, moderate blog comments, read the news, Twitter, Facebook and so forth. I didn’t read any ebooks, but it was certainly an option. For over two years my iPhone has been a trusty traveling companion. And yes, I still use my first generation iPhone, old school!

Now that I have returned home I will be back to my regular posting schedule. Stay tuned…

Related posts

• Paperless travel
• A few thoughts on my ebook reading experience
• Read ebooks on-the-go!

On a simple level, all of you have seen this before (especially those with young kids). When you buy a kids book, the book has the written story, but it also has illustrations that complement the story and bring it to life in a way not possible with just words. Some childrens books even have accompanying stuffed animals and other toys (sold separately, of course).

Recently, I bought the Grateful Dead Scrapbook: The Long, Strange Trip in Stories, Photos, and Memorabilia (aff link). Yes, I’m a deadhead and not afraid to admit it. The book contained the usual written history of the band. But the real value to a reader like me came with all the extras included.

Along with the text, there are pull-out posters, hand drawn ads for concerts, a thank you letter from Hugh Hefner for the Dead’s appearance on his ‘After Dark’ television show, and a multitude of other memorabilia that really brought the book (and the band) to life.

Poetry and fiction also work well with this idea. Like I mentioned above, I love when novels contain those little extras alongside the text. Of course, I’ve never seen a novel or collection of poems go as far as the Grateful Dead scrapbook, and I think most publishers would balk at the idea (and added expense) of including more than is absolutely necessary.

Self publishing is the perfect avenue for this kind of idea. For example, I’m compiling a chapbook with some poetry and other goodies. It will be handmade and I plan to include a few extras to make it more than just another self published chapbook. If I had any artistic ability you can bet I would also include original artwork in the chapbook as well.

Even ebooks can get in on the action. If you publish your novel as an ebook, why not include extras like all those alternate endings you wrote and threw out, or your original plot outline, character sketches, the list can go on.

The idea of giving your reader more than just a story/poem is to give them a glimpse inside your imagination – a peek into your creative process. This gives the reader a deeper relationship with the writer. They will appreciate your work more and will spend more time with your book, rather than just reading it and then letting it collect dust on a bookshelf.

Related posts

• Texas school suspends teacher over “inappropriate” book
• More reasons why budding writers should be prolific readers
• How giving ebooks away for free increases print book sales

A lot of interest is because Barnes & Noble is the first brick-and-mortar bookstore to offer its own dedicated ebook reader. You can buy the Nook from a B&N store and all your ebooks from the B&N website. Yes, I see Sony Readers displayed at Borders, but they only sell the device. Borders does not sell ebooks and the e-readers are not their own brand. Amazon sells their Kindle and the ebooks to go with the Kindle, but you can only buy it online.

This is important for one reason: Customers will be able to demo the Nook at their local B&N store before deciding to buy. This is a huge advantage over the Kindle. One reason I didn’t buy my Sony Reader Pocket Edition online is because I wanted to test it out for myself and put it through its paces.

I also think the Nook as generated a lot of buzz is because of its sleek design and features you can’t find on other e-readers, like a color display. The ability to share ebooks is a big step up as well (although there is speculation that a lot of publishers will not allow this feature). The Nook will allow you to share ebooks either with other Nooks, cell phones, or a computer.

Another added bonus, but probably not the sole reason why the Nook is captivating readers’ attention is the impressive designs of the covers for the Nook. These covers have been designed by Kate Spade, Jack Spade and Jonathan Adler. This tells me that B&N wants the Nook to not only be practical and easy to use, but also fashionable.

Finally, Barnes & Noble is doing a fairly decent advertising blitz for their new device. Posters and info pamphlets (in the shape of the Nook) are peppered throughout the stores and booksellers wear name lanyards with the Nook clearly being advertised. In other words, you cannot walk into a B&N store without noticing the Nook. Customers who don’t know much about e-readers or ebooks are going to be naturally curious.

I believe all this interest and buzz about the Nook will help it become a big seller when it’s released at the end of this month. As long as the device works as advertised and has no major flaws, we could see the Nook go head-to-head with the Kindle and finally offer some real competition.

Related posts

• Barnes & Noble releases the Nook digital reader
• Barnes & Noble considers bundling print books and ebooks
• Barnes & Noble: Price war between Amazon, Wal-Mart and Target is “overblown”

While there is still 2 months to go in 2009, the editors at Publishers Weekly has already released their Top 10 list. Here are the titles and authors that made the cut:

1. The Age of Wonder by Richard Holmes (Pantheon)

2. Await Your Reply by Dan Chaon (Ballantine)

3. Big Machine by Victor LaValle (Spiegel & Grau)

4. Cheever by Blake Bailey (Knopf)

5. A Fiery Peace in a Cold War by Neil Sheehan (Random)

6. In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin (Norton)

7. Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi by Geoff Dyer (Pantheon)

8. Lost City of Z by David Grann (Doubleday)

9. Shop Class as Soulcraft by Matthew B. Crawford (Penguin Press)

10. Stitches by David Small (Norton)

I don’t think these selections are in any particular order. They aren’t the books I’d choose, but that’s my opinion. I’ll try to put together my own personal Top 10 Books of 2009.

Do you agree with this list? Some? Not at all? Leave a comment below and share your opinion.

Related posts

• National Book Award Finalists Announced
• Get ready for Kindle 2.0 in 2009!
• Happy New Year! Welcome 2009!

I first learned of the letter from an email I received from Publishers Weekly. The PW article says in part:

…the board of directors of the American Booksellers Association requested that the government begin an investigation into what the organization believes is the illegal predatory pricing policies being carried out by Amazon, Wal-Mart and Target in selling 10 hardcover titles for as low as $8.98.

The letter in its entirety can be found at the ABA website. The  ABA makes an interesting and valid argument about what the large retailers are doing:

What’s so troubling in the current situation is that none of the companies involved are engaged primarily in the sale of books. They’re using our most important products — mega bestsellers, which, ironically, are the most expensive books for publishers to bring to market — as a loss leader to attract customers to buy other, more profitable merchandise. The entire book industry is in danger of becoming collateral damage in this war.

The ABA is right. These books they’re selling at rock-bottom prices are loss leaders for these retailers. Amazon, Wal-Mart, and Target will not make any money off these books and will actually lose money. However, the theory is that they’ll use these low book prices to get customers into the store, or Amazon’s website, with the idea that customers will buy more profitable goods along with the new release hardcovers.

This puts all booksellers in a bind, from the independent bookshop to the large chain bookstores like Barnes & Noble. Bookstores only sell books and they can’t depend on customers buying other merchandise that is more profitable. I think this new ‘race to the bottom’ pricing scheme for hardcovers is unsustainable.

The Ebook Angle

The ABA doesn’t stop at the low prices of hardcover books. They also take a jab at ebooks:

It’s also important to note that this episode was precipitated by below-cost pricing of digital editions of new hardcover books by Amazon.com, many of those titles retailing for $9.99, and released simultaneously with the much higher-priced print editions. We believe the loss-leader pricing of digital content also bears scrutiny.

This is where I think the ABA is wrong. Ebooks do not take sales away from hardcovers. First, there are still far more people reading hardcovers than ebooks (although the marketshare for ebooks is growing). Second, ebooks increase an author’s overall book sales because new readers are more likely to take a chance on an author with a cheaper ebook version then the more expensive hardcover.

Furthermore, as I have argued before, ebooks have the advantage of ‘infinite supply.’ Once the cost of producing the final manuscript, editing, formatting, marketing and promotion has been spent on an ebook, then only X number need to be sold to recoup those costs. Every ebook sold after that is profit. With print books, every book sold means printing, binding, shipping and storing – all which eats into the profit margins.

I agree with the ABA’s letter regarding this price war since I think it gives these retailers an unfair advantage. Could there be collusion involved? I doubt it, but given today’s highly corrupt corporate culture, anything is possible. At the very least, it is worth the DOJ taking a look at.

Is the ABA overreacting to these super-low prices? Is this just capitalism at its finest? Or is there something more sinister going on? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts about the race to the bottom.

Related posts

• Race to the bottom – Amazon, Wal-Mart see who can sell the cheapest books
• Why are some publishers raising ebook prices?
• Kindle 2 ships to first customers: Content pricing still too high

For consumers, this is great, especially for the upcoming holiday season right around the corner. Major titles to be released are Stephen King’s Under the Dome; John Grisham’s Ford Country; and James Patterson’s I, Alex Cross – the latest in his ongoing series. For booksellers, publishers and authors though, this is a worrisome trend.

The independent bookstores will probably hurt the most. They have been battered for years now by big book chains like Barnes & Noble and Borders. But with prices as low as $8.99 on these major new titles, the indie stores just can’t compete. I doubt most indie bookshops will even bother stocking these books, as they can’t afford to discount them enough to draw in customers and still make a profit.

However, the one ace-in-the-hole that independent bookstores have is that they usually stock book by indie publishers and obscure authors. I imagine people who shop at these stores are more interested in the obscure than the latest in pop fiction.

Ironically, the move by Wal-Mart and Amazon will also hurt Barnes & Noble and Borders. A store like Wal-Mart can buy large quantities of these titles to negotiate a cheaper price. They can sell the books cheaply on the idea that a customer will go to the store to buy the book and buy other stuff as well, offsetting the cost of the deep discount. The chain bookstores don’t have the vast assortment of products with higher profit margins to support deeply discounted books.

Now it seems, there is a race to the bottom: Who can sell the cheapest books? According to this New York Times article, this is just one more blow to a publishing industry already worried about cheap ebooks:

Wal-Mart’s move, and Amazon’s reaction, signaled a new threshold in price cutting for books and left publishing insiders wondering how low it would go when the beleaguered industry is already worried about the effect of $9.99 e-books and a slowdown in book sales over all.

The other concern is this might get penny-pinching customers use to cheap book prices, even on new titles:

“If readers come to believe that the value of a new book is $10, publishing as we know it is over,” said David Gernert, Mr. Grisham’s literary agent. “If you can buy Stephen King’s new novel or John Grisham’s ‘Ford County’ for $10, why would you buy a brilliant first novel for $25? I think we underestimate the effect to which extremely discounted best sellers take the consumer’s attention away from emerging writers.”

My take is this: It’s simply not sustainable to sell new hardcover books at these ultra-cheap prices. Hardcover books are expensive to print and distribute, so publishers have to recoup their costs somehow so they can stay in business and the authors can get paid.

The ebook effect

I don’t think comparing cheap hardcovers to cheap ebooks makes sense. As a percentage of the publishing industry, ebooks are still a small (but growing) segment. There are still a lot of dedicated die-hard print book fans who hate the idea of ebooks. Also, ebooks have the advantage of ‘infinite supply’.

Once the ebook is actually produced, the more that are sold, the higher the profit margin goes up. Thus, if ebook consumers get used to cheaper prices, that’s okay because of the whole infinite supply idea. The ebook consumer buys more ebooks at the reduced price, the publisher gets a higher profit, everyone wins!

Hardcovers don’t have that luxury. Only a finite supply of hardcovers can be produced and shipped. To make a profit, a lot of hardcovers need to sell. This is one reason why large publishing houses are reluctant to take a chance on a new author.

What do you think of the current book price war between Amazon, Wal-Mart and now Target? Is this a disaster waiting to happen, or a temporary fix to increase sales for the holiday shopping season? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts!

Related posts

• Update: Race to the bottom, the book pricing wars
• Barnes & Noble: Price war between Amazon, Wal-Mart and Target is “overblown”
• Books that sell vs. books with literary merit