As mainstream use of the Internet took hold, authors of online articles, most notably bloggers, rose to prominence. The content they created was dynamically alive, networked and communal. To capitalize on the popularity of blogs, spammers began building artificial blog sites, using web scraping software that could seize and scramble content from existing sites, resulting in a page of unreadable content that did nothing but fill the text portion of a template and present their wares to the unsuspecting Googler. This grabbing of web content was legal because it didn’t repeat the original text. It only garbled it. No serious harm done, just a minor nuisance.

No one confuses web content that’s aggregated on a single site in order to elucidate the news  (as The Huffington Post does) or written content that’s reorganized for the reader’s convenience (as in Dave Sifry’s custom travel books) with plagiarized content. The first two provide a service; the latter offends literary decency. And no one’s confused about what constitutes spam — or are we?

Recently a new brand of content appropriation arose. This new critter straddles the line between spam and web plagiarism. In his highly regarded Smashwords blog, Mark Coker exposes Private Label Article services for what they are: spammers. Their latest ploy is to steer authors into the dangerous waters of near-plagiarism by offering them the chance to create “ebooks” out of cut-and-pasted existing web content. At best, this kind of piracy produces terrible ebooks which are no more than spam sandwiches. At worst, it’s all-out online plagiarism — except that it’s legal.

As copyright law’s evolution continues to lag behind the ways and means of digital content creation, we in the publishing industry have our work cut out for us as we scramble to stay abreast of all the game-changing that’s going on. In this fertile field of flux (sorry, alliteration-haters) we’re also well-advised to keep an eye out for those who turn their creative talents to devising new and stealthier forms of spam that invade our mindspace and degrade or pirate existing works.

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Ceci Miller is an author, book editor, and owner of CeciBooks editorial and book publishing consultancy for authors and indie publishers. Ceci’s book credits are numerous. Ceci Miller is also co-publisher of BooktiMookti Press, home of the Runt Farm series for ages 6-10, by Amanda Lorenzo.

But the most interesting (and neglected) part of the ebook and e-reading discussion has to do with the fortitude of character it takes to read online. If I’m reading a book with paper pages, then I have to physically part with it in order to do something else. If I change my train of thought, I’ll at the very least glance wistfully out the window, taking my attention away from the page. But onscreen reading, cyber-reading, or reading a “vook” means I’m wired in (hemmed in?) on all sides by other content providers vying for my attention. Do I have the strength not to be distracted by their “related” subject matter: their suggestions for my futher edification on the subject I’m reading about, or their wares designed to give me “more like this”?

In a culture that prides itself on efficiency, reading ebooks, and reading on the Internet in general, presents us with a paradox. We may become like kids in a candy store, jumping here and there in reaction to various promised delights. Or we may become more focused, priding ourselves on our ability to remain on course through a sea of offerings and ideas.

When my son was 4, we had a close consultation outside Toys R Us. It was his first visit to the behemoth. “We are here for one toy, Matthew, remember?” I said. “When you go inside, you’re going to see more toys in one place than you’ve ever seen before. They will be up high, in the middle, and down on the floor. Everywhere you look there will be toys. But you have to stay focused — we’re on a mission for one toy, and one toy only. You have to be like a ninja, totally one-pointed on your goal.” He nodded solemnly.

Of course, once we were inside, he lost his bearings immediately. TOYS!!! He darted this way and that, and for a few minutes I just watched. Then I got down right next to him and said, “They’re distracting us from our mission! Do you remember what we came in here to do?” He grinned, and we were back on track. 

It takes discipline to read ebooks and keep your efficiency intact. It takes focus and a clear head that reminds you when you’ve veered off-course. In our culture, efficiency is far less prized than excess. Ebooks and Internet reading can make us smarter, or they can make fools of us. It’s our choice!

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Ceci Miller is an author, book editor, and owner of CeciBooks editorial and book publishing consultancy for authors and indie publishers. Ceci’s book credits are numerous. Ceci Miller is also co-publisher of BooktiMookti Press, home of the Runt Farm series for ages 6-10, by Amanda Lorenzo.

Successful independent publishers, however, didn’t put self-published books on the map merely by making sales. They did it by out-classing the major houses. Great self-publishing beats the major publishers at their own game.

I just love it when our indie-published books sit on the shelves at Bones and Narble making all the other paper sandwiches look, well . . .  stale.
But how to bestow upon one’s book that elusive professionalism, along with a whiff of wonderment?

My favorite section of the rather long “How Self-publishing Works” article – publishing a book is a big subject! — occurs in the section called “Beginning the Book”:

“You don’t have a publisher to worry about, so you can really write however you want to. For many self-publishers, this doesn’t work very well — it’s too unstructured, and they get lost without somebody to bounce ideas off of. One solution is to hire a freelance developmental editor. A developmental editor serves the same basic function as the editor you would work with at a publishing house — you can show them drafts and outlines, and they can make edits to improve the book. The difference of course is that what you say is the last word, rather than the other way around. Ideally, the main thing they bring is expertise in book publishing — a developmental editor should be somebody who knows how to build a good book.”

Quite so. Without a developmental editor helping to shape the book you’re writing, the likelihood of creating content that’s not only timely and interesting, but also marketable, is extremely slim. Why? Because you’ve never written a book before! It’s not a personal failing to need editorial guidance. It’s a professional necessity.

It’s true, you could write your book alone, showing it only to loving friends now and then, hoping against hope that you’re writing clearly and well . . . on a timely subject . . . to an audience who will listen.

Or you could hugely better your odds by working with an expert book editor who can help you shape your writing  into a coherent manuscript. Unlike your friends, your editor will not lie to you. Unless, of course, your editor was your friend first, in which case you need a different editor.

I’ve spent untold hours explaining to self-publishing authors the difference between Getting It Done and Writing It Well (creating a good book that will ultimately sell). I have a passion for evoking the best message an author has to give – the offering they were born to make – and assisting that message into a form that will successfully reach an audience, touch and inspire them, and improve their lives.

Our mission at CeciBooks Editorial and Publishing Consultation is simple. First, we support only better-world books. Second, we do everything we can to ensure that the books we support can succeed in the marketplace. I love seeing kindhearted authors and their uplifting books doing well. That’s why I made available some of my best tips on book writing, book publishing, and book marketing – stuff it would normally take several consultations to learn one-on-one.

Ceci Miller is an author, book editor, and owner of CeciBooks editorial and book publishing consultancy for authors and indie publishers. See recent and popular books.

Like most book editors I know, I relish seeing worthy manuscripts published, and am equally thrilled to see them succeed in the marketplace. I have authored and co-authored a number of published books, and have been observing this industry from within since the early 80s. Sadly, I’ve learned that the present distributor/bookstore returns-producing model makes both outcomes (a well-edited book with an up-to-date design, as well as a return on investment) unlikely.

Not only is the system unfavorable to many published authors, and ruthless to writers who continue submitting their manuscripts in vain, it is inefficient in the extreme (even aside from the environmental cost of shuttling tons of unsold books — paper products — back and forth between warehouses).

Some years ago, chagrined at this state of affairs and determined to see deserving work connected with equally deserving audiences, I founded a small editorial and publishing consultancy. I wanted to champion excellent work by authors whose manuscripts had been rejected by the major houses. In time I realized that a great number of good manuscripts were languishing because their authors had given up on the majors, but were loathe to wear the name “self-publisher.”

For the most part, I agree with the indie publisher who suggested avoiding the POD middlemen (lulu.com, iUniverse, et al) and starting your own publishing business using the direct POD companies — (LightningSource, et al) – with one important caveat:

No matter the business model, an author, indie publisher, or POD company does no favor by publishing work that lacks editorial development (and good design). At its best, the industry produces well-considered, good-looking books that move minds and hearts. Such books deserve a long shelf life.

My working commitment is to support the creation of such books. I do it as a consultant, for good books whose authors’ primary goal is to uplift and inspire. CeciBooks.com provides authors with collaborative editorial development, publishing guidance, and a marketing strategy based on what makes sense for their individual project. A number of our clients (indie publishers who produced their books with our close guidance) have received prizes and media attention; some have been acquired by major publishers.

Our consultancy has grown, not because there are so many bad manuscripts that writers insist on seeing in print, but because many worthy manuscripts have long been ignored by the majors in favor of the quick celebrity blockbuster. We’ve also grown because we treat our author-clients with respect. Imagine.

The middleman POD companies that prey on the hopes of desperate authors continue to preserve the bad name under which self-publishing, aka the “vanity press option,” has suffered for so long. When clients ask me to help them “self-publish” their books, I recommend, as another commenter did, that they consider themselves indie publishers. If POD makes sense for their title, we connect them with a POD company that does the printing itself — not a middleman organization. The one case in which we edited a client’s book that had already been signed to an online POD outfit, was frustrating in the extreme for my client. Her book, once in their hands, met with a succession of errors that resulted in seriously delaying its publication date.

There will always be a demand for good books. But however a great book is physically produced, by offset printing, digital printing, or POD — independently or with a major house — its excellence is likely due in large part to the guidance of an experienced book editor. Not a copyeditor, but someone who helped to develop the book as it was evolving from an idea to a coherent chunk of chapters. That person was a developmental editor with experience in the book business.

My heart sinks when an author requests an assessment from CeciBooks on a basically well-written manuscript – one that could have been effective if developed by a professional editor — presented (insult to injury) in a poorly executed package. No wonder the book’s not doing well! Conversely, it’s a great joy to connect with an author who is just starting to outline a nonfiction book with a better-world focus, a book with the potential to educate and inspire. We work with such authors as editors did in the old days, giving our time, personal attention, and direction to their project, and sharing insider information to give the book every possible chance of success.

Authors deserve better treatment, and readers deserve better books. When done well, indie publishing answers the needs of both. POD can be a useful tool for first time authors, but most newcomers to publishing will need professional editorial help in order to develop a publishable, viable book and bring it to market. Direct POD companies, not middlemen, can be helpful in printing and distributing the product once the crucial steps of editing and creating a good marketing plan are in place.

If this makes good sense to you, give us a shout. We’d like to help you.

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Ceci Miller is an author, book editor, and owner of CeciBooks editorial and book publishing consultancy for authors and indie publishers. See books here.

Does Your Book Have ZING?
What does it take — really — to make your paper sandwich deliciously original? How, you muse, can I infuse ZING into every layer of my written creation? (Because it don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that . . . ) First, love what you’re saying. Second, honor the people who said it before you did. Then offer your readers a message they haven’t seen before (or at least one they haven’t seen recently).

Yes We Love It, but No, It’s Not New!
Every book is not Homer’s Odyssey. And we’re grateful, given our shrinking free time. But however humble the work, every author must acknowledge sources that nudged forth her own genius. Writing about bagels? Remember to mention the authors of those time-tested classics that influenced and preceded your offering, such as Bagels of the Cretaceous and The Bittersweet Bagel Diaries. The wise ones tell me, however, that it’s all a matter of proportion. Feel utterly free to omit crediting helpful but modest and less well-known pamphlets (Test Your Child’s Bagel Readiness Quotient) unless of course, you quote it in full in your own diminutive booklet.

All (yes, I said “all”) authors have in some way enlarged my wealth of knowledge; however, listing each deserving one can quickly make one’s bibliography as thick as a deep-dish lasagna. And honor is our subject here, not weight. Somewhere among your textual musings there should be evidence that you, as author, are aware that others have trod certain segments of this path before you. Your mention may be a still, small voice at the end of your Introduction, or a hyperbolic passage acknowledging your debt to the author of Boiled, Baked, and Bedazzled: A Bagel Compendium. But whether it’s a teeny, tiny tenderness or a big bang, thanking our predecessors and literary influences keeps us humble — or at the very least reminds us that we are not alone.

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Ceci Miller is an author, book editor, and owner of CeciBooks editorial and book publishing consultancy for authors and indie publishers. See books here.

5 Fantastic Benefits of Self-Publishing

This series (this blog, in fact) was written out of a sense of duty and actual love for first time authors, according to many years of experience as a writer, book editor, and publisher. I’m a bit crusty but quite well-meaning, and I want to save you time and tears. So here I go again . . .

5. Power of Belief.
(A moment here: If you haven’t read the previous 4 Benefits, I urge you to Turn Back Now and do so. Because by itself this one will be inspiring, though not as information-packed as you might wish. Or so I imagine.)

The power of belief in our words is what makes promises good and turns dreams into reality. Authors who self-publish (I prefer the less connotatively fraught term “independently publish”) hold a deep and abiding belief that others will benefit from reading what they have to say. It’s an unshakable conviction, and it keeps them up far into the wee hours. Such authors often tell me, “I had to write this book. I have to get it out there!” This kind of deep belief can be ego-driven, yes, but much more often — at least with the authors I’ve been privileged to work with — it is the selfless power that drives all true service and (gasp!) makes the world a place where all beings can grow old happily. Authors with such a strong sense of purpose know they can make their books succeed. They don’t want to wait around for a publishing house to “accept” their work. Aware that time is precious, such authors create their own publishing opportunities. They get behind their own message and they push. They launch a marketing campaign fueled with belief in the creative power of intention. And then . . . Woohoo! look at ‘em go!

A good book editor knows the best way to make your book a real live success is to help you craft a clear and meaningful message both of you will be proud of for years to come. Creating uplifting books is a passion. Make it yours and — whether you land a publishing contract or go it alone — your book will be a vote of confidence in humanity.

Stay tuned for more publishing nuggets!
Next up: Does Your Book Have ZING? Love & Homage in AuthorLand
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Ceci Miller is an author, book editor, and owner of CeciBooks editorial and book publishing consultancy for authors and indie publishers. See books here.

5 Fantastic Benefits of Self-Publishing

written out of a sense of duty to first time authors, according to many years of experience as a writer, book editor, and publisher. I’m a bit crusty but quite well-meaning, and I want to save you time and tears.

So here I go again . . .

Benefit #4. Independence.
Self-published authors (I prefer “independent publishers”) are usually people with confidence in their message. Most of the authors I’ve worked with have already developed a following by giving talks and seminars in the places where they live and where they’ve been giving programs for years. Experts know when they have a powerful personal message—they don’t need a publisher’s approval to pump themselves up. Such an author, already a seasoned professional, turns to independent publishing because it’s good to be in the driver’s seat of one’s book project. These authors don’t like the odds that a big corporation will (a) “get” them and their message and (b) treat their work with the respect it so richly deserves. For such authors it’s a short walk to independent publishing. They willingly and enthusiastically mount up, take the reins, and ride like all getout to ensure that their book gets buzz well beyond the bookstore. They’re not afraid of the voices of the night intoning “can’t” and “never”. These authors, whom I’ve watched with pride and fascination for over 20 years, give it all they’ve got — first in the writing, then by working carefully with a professional editor and book packager to get it right, and then by diving headlong into work of cultivating a large and eager audience. 

No kidding. It happens more often than you think. And I’ll bet you think just about every day.

Bottom line, dear author: No one cares more about your book than you do. If it all sounds just too overwhelming for words, then don’t delay: get someone on your side who’ll help you and your book get the attention it deserves. A good editorial and publishing consultant knows how to (a) make your book irresistible and (b) market your work effectively and efficiently to your target audience.

Stay tuned. Next blog I’ll tell you all about Fantastic Benefit #5.
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Ceci Miller is an author, book editor, and owner of CeciBooks editorial and book publishing consultancy for authors and indie publishers. See books here.

5 Fantastic Benefits of Self-Publishing:
Benefit #3 (No Waiting. No Rejection.)

Howdy there! For those of you just tuning in, this is the action-packed third installment of the illustrious blog series entitled

5 Fantastic Benefits of Self-Publishing

written out of a sense of duty and actual love for first time authors, according to many years of experience as a writer, book editor, and publisher. I’m a bit crusty but quite well-meaning, and I want to save you time and tears. So here I go again…

Benefit #3. No Waiting, No Rejection.

For those of you just tuning in, this is the second installment of this illustrious blog series entitled

5 Fantastic Benefits of Self-Publishing

written out of a sense of duty and actual love for first time authors, according to many years of experience as a writer, book editor, and publisher. I’m a bit crusty but quite well-meaning, and I want to save you time and tears. So here I go again…

Benefit #2: Money.
Why does it make good business sense to self-publish? Well, to begin with, consider this: a contract with the book publisher doesn’t give you an ironclad guarantee that your book will ever end up on the shelves. If you’re a new author, your publisher will allocate zero marketing dollars to promote your book. It’s sink or swim! If your book does sell well, it will be due, without a doubt, to your own hard work and ingenuity—and your reward will be a tiny fraction of the book’s total profits. Self-publishing (actually, I prefer the term “independent publishing” to escape negative connotations) can involve a bit more risk, but it also means that the extensive marketing footwork you do will go to producing income for the person who most deserves it. After all, you’re the one doing all the work to ignite word-of-mouth about your book. Not only that, you wrote it! Don’t you deserve to reap 100% of the profit? Maybe I’m old-fashioned. . .

But seriously, it makes sense, doesn’t it? One of the greatest perks I experience collaborating with authors is seeing our independently published books consistently create more reader excitement and interest than their traditionally published counterparts. Not that I’m competitive or anything. Competition is for wimps.

Stay tuned. Next blog I’ll be spilling the beans about
Fantastic Benefit #3, and boy, is it a doozy.

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Ceci Miller is an author, book editor, and owner of CeciBooks editorial and book publishing consultancy for authors and indie publishers. See books here.

Why do I point them toward independent publishing? Because spending their precious time convincing a publisher of your book’s worth is often time they don’t have to waste. In this fast-paced world in which the first book out of the gate with a fresh idea wins the bestseller readership, taking 2-3 years to bring out your book could mean its hoped-for position in the market is snapped up before it ever hits the shelves. So I encourage authors with great book ideas to take a serious look at self-publishing. Because I know that, if they’re thoroughly invested in what they have to say, and if they’re determined to create buzz around their book and their message, those authors are perfectly situated to discover . . . 

5 Fantastic Benefits of Self-publishing
 

Benefit #1: Control.

When you enter into a contract with a major publishing house, you’re signing an exclusive agreement that prevents your having input into most of the important decisions that will affect your book’s perception by the public, and its sales. You’ll have very little say about the look and feel of your book cover, the endorsements that appear on the back of your book, or the wording of your press release, for example. And since all of the above elements are critical to giving your book its best chance for bestseller status, such loss of control can pose significant problems. “But don’t publishers know better than I what to do to sell a book?” you may ask. Not necessarily. Authors usually know more about their book’s subject—and hence, about their target audience (market)—than anyone else. Hey, they wrote the book!

More food for thought about signing with a major publishing house: If for some reason your book doesn’t sell quickly and the publisher lets it go out of print, there’s often a “waiting period” before the author is allowed to self-publish the book to get it back on the shelves. In the meantime, the reading public sees that your book is “out of print” and a great deal of word-of-mouth damage is done. Self-publishing means that you are at the helm of your book project. Of course, it also means that the responsibility for its success rests in your hands. But when you believe in your message and know that you’re going to do everything in your power to get that message out to your target audience, isn’t it a good feeling to know that you’re the one driving its success in the marketplace?

I suggest a balance of control and delegation. The right publishing ally can coach you through the process of writing and editing your book, and will also advise you to design and market your message in a way that gets optimum results. Your publishing ally may be a book editor, a publishing consultant, a published author, or all three. If she’s worth her salt, though, she’ll know what it will take to get your book published, and she’ll know how to help you make it happen. Reputable help can be found in Literary Market Place (online or in your local library). LMP is the publishing industry’s by-nomination-only directories––here you’ll find book editors and publishing consultants with a proven track record. 

 (Stay tuned . . . Next time I’ll tell you all about Benefit #2. And just to make sure you don’t miss anything important, subscribe to my RSS feed)

Ceci Miller is an author, book editor, and owner of CeciBooks editorial and book publishing consultancy for authors and indie publishers. See books here.