The Greatest Thing Since Unsliced Bread

I heard about this from someone who heard about it on, I think, The Today Show, and yep, it is exactly what it sounds like: Candwich. I don't know about anyone else, but I think this is pretty rad. I mean, it takes a genius to look at an every day staple and think, What if we put that in a can?

Eight eligible entries so far in the latest mini giveaway contest. Only need two more and I'll randomly select a winner. So have a great weekend, and here, learn more about the wonderful world of Candwiches.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iim5uBa-REc

Spamming Of The Day

So I get an e-mail this morning that goes something like this:

Hi, I'm Jeff. I noticed that you're on the Kindle boards too. Just thought I'd reach out to you. I'm buying my Kindle this week (Hope it works all the way down here in Costa Rica). So, you like it better than Nook, or Sony eReader or iPad or anything else?

Below it was Jeff's picture, and the title of his novel and publisher and the price on Kindle.

Obviously I should have just deleted the e-mail, but I couldn't help myself. Here's my reply:

Hello, Jeff. I'm somewhat on the Kindle boards. In fact, I can't even remember the last time I was active on them. But thank you for your e-mail. It means a lot to know that you care ... except, you know, you didn't really address me personally. Actually, if one were to really consider it, it might appear that you went through a bunch of profiles and spammed as many people as you could, trying to make it seem like a friendly e-mail when all you are really doing is trolling for sales on your Kindle release (evidenced by the footer that contains your picture and the title of your book, plus price). Which is understandable, as self-promotion can be hard, but trust me, there are much better ways to promote yourself. Ways that -- oh, I don't know -- make you come off as less desperate.

Best luck with everything, and please take my e-mail address off your spam list.

R

I don't really expect a reply from my new buddy Jeff, but if I receive one, you bet I'll keep you updated. Have a great weekend.

We Will Not Go Quietly Into The Night

Good morning. In less than an hour, aircraft from here will join others from around the world. And you will be launching the largest aerial battle in the history of mankind. "Mankind." That word should have new meaning for all of us today. We can't be consumed by our petty differences anymore. We will be united in our common interests. Perhaps it's fate that today is the Fourth of July, and you will once again be fighting for our freedom ... Not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution ... but from annihilation. We are fighting for our right to live. To exist. And should we win the day, the Fourth of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day the world declared in one voice: "We will not go quietly into the night!" We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive! Today we celebrate our Independence Day!

Someday I wish to hear a real President give such a passionate and rousing speech. Until then, we'll always have Bill Pullman.

Judging A Book By Its Cover

Albums are sold across the world inside a universal sleeve, blockbuster films branded in a singular style. But novels, by a convention that nobody in the publishing industry seems fully able to explain, must be re-jacketed from territory to territory. It inspires all kinds of illustrative madness, and makes browsing foreign bookshelves a fascinating -- often bewildering -- experience.

I'm always fascinated by the major differences for the cover art of novels published in the US and UK. Oftentimes they're very different, and oftentimes the UK version is the better one ... though sometimes a US cover does a really good job kicking the UK cover's ass, so maybe it evens out. Why? While the hyperlinked article attempts to answer the question, we're left with the simple truth: nobody really knows.

How To Become A Bestseller

Well each list reports differently. For example the New York Times uses reporting bookstores, meaning certain stores (around 30) spread throughout the country. These stores report into the Times with their most successful titles for that week. USA Today is based on sales as is the Wall Street Journal. While no one knows the secret to hitting a list, there's a metric involved in this process. The metric is this: books are sold into stores by publishers early on, months in advance. The publisher starts building interest for this title via its sales team and also something called the announced first print (which is often higher than the actual print run). Publishing is about perception, so the first piece of this is the perceived momentum that a publisher is putting behind a title which will encourage bookstores to order it. The second piece to this is having enough copies on hand to surge the list. How many copies? The average changes because the amount of books published but historically it's been around 30,000. Then comes the magic word: availability. Sometimes self-published or small press authors will associate an Amazon listing with availability. Amazon is neither an indication of availability or distribution. Yes, you should have a book listing on all the online store sites but a listing and distribution are two very different things. So advanced sales, print run, and distribution all factor heavily into a book surging a list. There are, however, always exceptions to this rule. If a book surges suddenly and in a short period of time it can hit a list. Last year I was having lunch with a publisher who said a book they were working on hit the top 10 of the New York Times with little marketing and only a 4,000 print run. How did this happen? The author had done some of their own online marketing and the viral factor kicked in, sending people into bookstores, and it surged up the list.

--- Penny Sansevireri of Author Marketing Experts