The Furious Spinner

A few of you have asked how to get my books and/or which way of purchasing my books is the best for me. I appreciate the questions. I've probably talked about some of this before, so I apologize if I'm repeating myself. And if this doesn't matter to you, just skip it.

You can go to my website and click on any of the book covers and that will take you to a site where you can get that particular title online. (Same with the book covers on this site.) You can also ask your local bookstore to get the books. All of them are still available new. If you buy a used copy of a book, the author doesn't get anything; if you buy a remaindered copy, the author doesn't get anything (or sometimes a penny or two). I encourage people who can't afford to buy books to ask their local library to get the books they want. Librarians make some of their buying decisions based on what their patrons ask for. Librarians buy only new books, so authors get full royalties, and library sales build readership. (I'm not telling you not to buy used books; that's up to you. I buy used books when I can't afford new or when I'm fairly certain the author doesn't need my six to twelve percent of the cover price.)

Right now Counting on Wildflowers is my "current" book. This chapbook of essays and a bit of poetry and fiction is put out by Aqueduct Press, a small feminist press. Supporting them is a good thing, I believe; they're wonderful people doing good work. If you don't like buying online, you can do mail order with them.

Coyote Cowgirl is still in print and available as a trade paperback. The Gaia Websters and The Jigsaw Woman went out of print from ROC, but I got the rights back and they're now available thanks to the Authors Guild BackInPrint program through IUniverse. (I get the most moula if you purchase these through IUniverse, but it's easier for you if you want to get all of my novels to just go to my page at Barnes & Noble.) This is for U.S. and Canadian readers; I'm not sure how you get Americano books overseas.

As far as my new books coming out next year, it's really important that they sell as soon as they're published. With adult paperbacks, they have about three months of shelf life if they're not selling, sometimes less. I'm not sure about YA books yet. I do know word of mouth is absolutely crucial for books like mine—especially with teenagers. Advertising doesn't do it. Word of mouth and media exposure are what gets books bought. Since my work probably won't get a lot of media exposure, word of mouth is essential. So I have to cross my fingers that people buy the book at first, like it, and then spread the word.

How and what do writers get paid? Well, first we get an advance against royalties. Royalties vary somewhat but it's between 6% and 12% of the cover price of the book. A writer only gets more money if she earns out her royalties. So let's say Wendy Writer sells her novel Way Wonderful. She gets a $10,000 advance and will get 10% royalties from the cover price which will be $10.00. (We'll just make it easy.) How many copies of Way Wonderful will Wendy Writer have to sell before she makes any more money? That's right: 10,000 copies of Way Wonderful will have to sell before she makes any more moula.

Let's say that Andy Author has sold his YA book, Andy Jr. He gets an advance of $12,000, plus 6.5% of the cover after he's earned his royalties. The book will sell for $7.00. How many copies of his YA book does he need to sell before he gets more money? Andy will have to sell over 26,000 books to earn out his royalties—and to get another book contract. If the publisher doesn't make money, they aren't going to buy the writer's next book. Just the way of the world.

More than you wanted to know, eh? Isn't it poetic?

OK. Back to the couch and my non-existent bon bons. Mario says I'm like the guy who retires and keeps going to work. And I said I never retired. I just went on a break. 3 comments

3 Comments:

Thank you Kim. I will put this information to good use!

By  Steve R, at 10:44 PM  

seems like there ought to be a better way. I always thought the game of getting published was rigged against the authors. especially the beginners. I haven't been able to afford the price of entry into the game--postage, manuscript copies, mailers etc. and the rules against multiple submissions while the editors can take months to reply--that never seemed fair to me

sorry didn't mean to whine.

the point i came here to make is that the web can be a powerful word of mouth machine--reciprocal links, web rings, returning readers who tell a friend who then tells a friend...

i just spent the last 11 days researching promotional tools online. webrings are one of the most powerful. you have several themes in FS so you should join several with relate themes. also, i found out by accident when i left the comment in your 'goodbye' post, that leaving comments in other bloggers posts generates visits to your own blog. i was genuinely surprised by that. spamming bloggers comments is bad form tho. so you have to have something worth saying that relates!

one of the resources that has generated the most visitors with a high ratio of returnees. is Blue Oregon Blog Wire. They pick up your post every time you publish and link to it. They are a new site for Progressive Oregonians. So you might have to see if Washington has a similar site. or if since you live right on the gorge and spend so much time tooling about inside Oregon and reference the landmarks and landscape etc, they might take you on. couldn't hurt to ask.

there is also the Progressive NW Portal and Progressive Women Blog Ring. And there is a plethora of poet and writer's rings

anyway. think about it.

glad you didn't stay away. but isn't it nice to have a place to vent or share when you encounter some angrifying news item or some bump in your personal road? I found it helpful even when i knew i had zero readers. it is addictive too!

love joy peace

p.s. sorry about the mess here. i usually clean up after i blast away at the keyboard. fatigue in my hands makes hitting the shift key hard. but fatigue in my eyes is making editing hard too. i am letting it go this time as i have much to do in the ninety minutes or so i have left on the computer this a.m. can't get back on until 10pm. Then am leaving Saturday noonish for Bend, OR for a family thing and won't be back until Monday night. am going to hate been away from the computer and the web that long!!! so few understand why. but i think you would. :)

By  Joy Renee, at 4:35 AM  

Wow, Joy Renee. Thanks for the info! I'll check it out.

By  Kim, at 11:33 PM  

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