Jared Sandman

Part I (Professional)

Important as it is that your final product is professional, it’s equally vital to make certain your work is also affordable.  I’ve touched on this topic before, the fact I believe an e-book should be priced no higher than five dollars.  Unless it’s heavy with graphics — comics or textbooks, for instance — there’s no reason to charge as much as a mass-market paperback.  The average novel should be from three to five bucks (which, not coincidentally, is what I sell mine for).

Neither should writers sell themselves short, by giving away their book for free or nearly so.  This strategy makes sense in some rare cases, I understand.  If you’re selling a series of connected novels, it’s smart to price the first book more cheaply to hook readers.  I can even see putting one of your novels on sale (or free) if you have a healthy backlist.  Too many new writers give away their one and only book, expecting readers to check back months from now when their next one goes on sale.  Sorry, that ain’t gonna happen.  However, if you have several other titles available now, readers are more inclined to make that additional purchase. 

Never gouge the consumer, but also make sure you don’t undervalue your hard work.  You spent months of time and effort to write a book, so you owe it to yourself to see a return on investment.  The only way to justify writing is to make money at it, and that’s impossible when you don’t charge a living wage.

Ads will subsidize digital prices in the future.  It’s inevitable.  At the moment neither Amazon nor Barnes & Noble allows e-books to include advertisements.  At some point that will probably change, and that doesn’t bother me so long as the ads are tasteful and non-obtrusive.  WOWIO is a perfect example.  By allowing sponsorship ads at the beginning and end of an e-book, readers are able to download some titles for free.  The publisher makes money; the reader pays nothing:  everybody wins.  Small-press outfits like Apex and ChiZine have already joined, and I expect more to follow suit in the near future.

Personally, I’m not tied to a specific price range so much as the notion that an e-book should be more affordable than print, ideally half the price of its next cheapest version.  Currently that role is filled by mass-market paperbacks, which go for about eight dollars.  As MMPBs are phased out in favor of trade paperbacks, I see e-book prices rising to match that void.  When the TPB sells for fourteen to sixteen dollars, I don’t see why the e-book couldn’t be sold for seven or eight.

As long as MMPBs are still on sale, the fairest price is three to five dollars for both reader and writer.  In part three I’ll discuss the final component that’s key to succeed in the new publishing model.

There was some discussion a few weeks back after Brian Keene released a list of his top twenty-five authors.  It got me thinking about who’d be on my list, so I went hunting through my bookshelves and came up with a couple dozen favorites.  Some are represented because of their novels (N), while others I prefer their short stories (SS).  In no particular order:

1.  Robert Bloch (SS)

2.  Richard Matheson (SS)

3.  Ray Bradbury (SS)

4.  Charles Beaumont (SS)

5.  Harlan Ellison (SS)

6.  Roald Dahl (SS)

7.  Shirley Jackson (SS)

8.  Algernon Blackwood (SS)

9.  Gary Braunbeck (N)

10.  Simon Clark (N)

11.  Joe Lansdale (SS)

12.  Joss Whedon (Scripts)

13.  Rod Serling (Scripts)

14.  Robert McCammon (N)

15.  Stephen King (N)

16.  Jack Ketchum (N)

17.  Tim Lebbon (N)

18.  M.R. James (SS)

19.  Graham Masterton (N)

20.  Charles L. Grant (N)

21.  Dan Simmons (N)

22.  Neil Gaiman (N)

23.  Ambrose Bierce (SS)

24.  Norman Partridge (SS)

25.  Jack Cady (SS)

Now there are a few pecularities that jumped out at me when I tallied this list.  The first is that only one woman is on it, and no ethnic or racial minorities.  I like plenty of female and minority writers — Owl Goingback, Elizabeth Massie and Douglas Clegg jump to mind — but apparently not enough to crack the top twenty-five.  If the list were extended to my top fifty, it would be far less homogenous. 

Half of the list is primarily comprised of short story writers, because the short form is the backbone of the horror genre.  There’s also a distinct split between “classical” and pulp writers versus more modern authors (from 1970-today).  Sixty percent of the writers are still alive, and one-fourth are British writers.  Even two screenwriters made the cut.  And the vast majority would be considered “quiet” horror writers, rather than overtly gory ones.

So who would make your list?

WELCOME TO BLACKSTONE

 Designed by a madman, built with inmate labor and home to the nation’s worst criminals, Blackstone Penitentiary was considered the Alcatraz of the Midwest.  But across a one-hundred-year history it amassed a far more odious distinction:  the most haunted location in America.

PAROLE WILL BE GRANTED

No longer in operation and left abandoned, it awaits renovation for inclusion to the National Register of Historic Places.  Spearheading the ambitious restoration project is Anthony Creighton, a caretaker seeking to unlock the reformatory’s long-buried secrets.  He enlists four strangers to help in that mission, individuals who possess extraordinary psychic abilities.  Along with a skeptical scientist, the group embarks on the first full-scale paranormal investigation of the notorious prison.  Their goal, to confirm the existence of life after death.

TO ANYONE WHO SURVIVES THE NIGHT

Six guests.  Ten thousand ghosts.  And all of them fighting to escape.

Last night the Bram Stoker Awards were handed out for outstanding achievement in several writing categories.  The winners are below.  Congrats to them, as well as the nominees.  In addition to Joe R. Lansdale and Rick Hautala being honored with the lifetime achievement award, Richard Matheson’s classic novel I Am Legend rightfully won as Best Vampire Novel of the Century.

Superior Achievement in a Novel
Flesh Eaters by Joe McKinney

Superior Achievement in a First Novel
Isis Unbound by Allyson Bird

Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel (TIE)
The Screaming Season by Nancy Holder

Dust and Decay by Jonathan Maberry

Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel
Neonomicon by Alan Moore

Superior Achievement in Long Fiction
The Ballad of Ballard and Sandrine by Peter Straub

Superior Achievement in Short Fiction
“Herman Wouk Is Still Alive” by Stephen King

Superior Achievement in a Screenplay
“American Horror Story” — 01×12:  “Afterbirth” by Jessica Sharzer

Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection
The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares by Joyce Carol Oates

Superior Achievement in an Anthology
Demons, edited by John Skipp

Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction
Stephen King: A Literary Companion by Rocky Wood

Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection
How to Recognize a Demon Has Become Your Friend by Linda Addison

The most important publishing guideline is to put out a professional product.  That entails several factors, starting with the book itself.  This should go without saying, but I’ll mention it anyway:  the writing must be solid.  The story has to be engaging, the characters believable.  I highly caution against publishing one’s first novel.  Write it, set it aside and move onto the next.  This point should be a separate post, so I’ll leave it at that for now.

Another part of having a good book is making sure your manuscript has been proofed.  Inexpensive proofreaders have sprung up in the last year or so, a new cottage industry aimed at helping writers.  I’ve used two proofers in the past, Diana Cox at Novel Proofreading and Neal Hock at Hock’s Editing Services.  Both are affordable, a pleasure to work with and each has a sharp eye toward detail.

It’s also essential to have interior formatting that’s pleasing to the eye.  Too many publishers, especially in the small press — I’m looking at you, Deadite — cut costs by slashing page counts.  Because of this, each page has too many lines and font that’s so small it’s headache inducing.  Aesthetics are key, whether in print or the digital realm.  Formatting an e-book is vastly different than page layout for a print book.  Download the free Smashwords Style Guide to get an idea of the unique pitfalls associated with e-books.  Don’t be intimidated; it’s easier than it sounds.

The third main component of putting out a professional product is fantastic cover art.  You need an eye-catching cover because readers will judge your book by it.  Ornate, detailed covers are great when you’re holding a physical copy in your hands, but simplicity is better otherwise.  Most people will first see your book cover as a thumbnail.  At that size, complexity in cover art is not an asset.  It’s best to have a single striking image that entices readers to click on your link, plus standard information like title and author name.

The cover doesn’t necessarily need to transmit the exact details of the plot so long as it conveys the overall feel of the novel.  The Shadow Wolves is a prime example.  The book takes place in the Sonoran Desert, yet the cover shows a line of pine trees in the background.  The minor details don’t matter as much as the snarling, bloodthirsty werewolf in the foreground, which does accurately express what’s in the story.  It’s easier to find a perfect match if you commission a piece of artwork for the cover, just keep in mind that will cost more.  I’m happy with all my covers, and readers often remark that my books look like they belong together.  That’s very purposeful on my end, part of the Jared Sandman “brand” I want them to share.  Ruth Taylor drew the cover for Leviathan, Noah Bradley illustrated The Wild Hunt and Paul Mudie did The Shadow Wolves.  Consummate artists, all.

To summarize, your final product should be a well-written novel, thoroughly edited, with a dazzling cover and aesthetic interior design.  If you follow these guidelines, you’ll have a professional book with which you’re proud to be associated.  Tune in next week for Part II.

This weekend the World Horror Convention is in Salt Lake City.  I couldn’t make it this year, though here’s what I had to say about last year’s in Austin.  The Bram Stoker Awards are being held in tandem, including special festivities celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Horror Writers Association.  You can peruse the shortlist of nominees here.  Tomorrow night the award ceremony will be livestreamed.  Tune in at 9PM MST to watch.

Two lifetime achievement awards will be bestowed on Rick Hautala and Joe R. Lansdale, both of whom are fantastic picks.  Sometimes the selection of the lifetime recipient leaves me scratching my head.  (Christopher Lee?  Really?  For horror writing?)  Both Joe and Rick, however, are well deserving of the accolade.  Congrats to the two of them, as well as all the nominees.  I’ll post the winners after they’re announced.

The annual conference of the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts is going on right now in Orlando.  Alas, I couldn’t make it this year.  Looking over the program and panelists, I see a lot of names and faces I recognize.  My favorite topic pun:  “Machen a Mess:  Deliquescent Monsters in Fiction by Stephen King, Arthur Machen and Peter Straub.”

* * * * *

There’s a lot of discussion these days about e-book prices.  Writers worry about digital piracy and ever-cheaper e-books glutting the market.  The piracy issue is of less concern to me because authors cannot control it.  The best way (likely the only way) to combat piracy is to set reasonable prices people are willing to pay.  While piracy is out of our hands, how much we sell our work for is not.  You can put your book on sale for $.99, $9.99, $99.99 or any price in between.

To decide which price is best, you must consider the value of your work.  Books give readers the best bang for their buck, the most entertainment for the least amount of financial investment.

Let’s say you have eight dollars in disposable income.  You could choose to see a two-hour movie, which means your hourly entertainment cost is four bucks.

You could also opt to spend that same amount on dinner (no doubt a form of entertainment for some).  Get a Triple Bacon Bypass Burger with fries and a Coke then scarf it down in fifteen minutes.  Hourly entertainment cost?  Closer to thirty-two dollars.

Now, for example, I decide to purchase the latest paperback from my favorite writer.  At an average length of 300 pages, it’ll take me about five hours to read the whole book.  I might read the entire novel cover to cover during a rainy afternoon, or I could read an hour before bed throughout the course of a workweek.  That means the hourly value placed on it is about $1.60.  Even a $15 trade paperback has a value of three dollars per hour of enjoyment, still less than that movie.

My novels, priced between $2.99 and $3.99, provide a value of $.80 per hour.  That’s a steal of a deal compared to other forms of entertainment.  (I’ll later address authors who devalue their work by selling it too cheaply or simply give it away for free.)

See, books are already affordable, overpriced hardcovers notwithstanding.  Consumers recognize if a publisher’s selling a mass market paperback for eight bucks, the e-book should be less than that.  They know there’s no good reason for Stephen King’s new e-book to be priced at $14.99.  Do you know how much it costs Amazon or B&N to download that story onto your e-reader?  Realistically, a nickel.  King’s books tend to be hernia-inducing doorstops, so maybe a dime for his.

There’s no excuse why an e-book should cost more than five dollars.  Exceptions include those that are graphics heavy:  color textbooks or comics, for instance. 

I believe the MMPB will go away in the future.  I think hardcovers too will be abandoned — living on in specialty and secondhand markets — for all but the top bestsellers.  Most novels will transition to a trade paperback format, dependent on whether e-book sales warrant such a print release.

During the next couple of weeks I’ll go over the three tenets of 21^st century publishing.  If writers follow just three guiding principles, they will be able to compete with the largest media conglomerates in the world.

So what are they?  Tune in next week to find out.

I’m halfway through the second round of proofs for Blackstone, which I should finish up this weekend.  In the meantime here’s a couple writing tidbits from the past week, one from Ray Garton and the other from Mike Oliveri.

Read what Ray has to say about paying authors what they’re worth.  Then make sure to tell your friends about your favorite writers.

Ray’s post reminded me a lot of what Harlan Ellison said in his documentary Dreams with Sharp Teeth, which is also available on Netflix.  Track down a copy; it’s worth your time.

One month ago I placed a hit counter at the bottom of this page.  I’ve been blogging on and off for the better part of two years, and during that time I never knew how many people (if any) were dropping by my cyber sandbox.  At times it’s felt like I’m howling in a void.  Is anyone even listening?

Turns out, yes, you are — and there are more of you than I expected.

In this blog I talk about whatever strikes my fancy, and I try to bring you interesting odds and ends that I come across online.  What do you want to hear about?  Are you a horror fan?  A writer?  A publishing insider?  One of my readers?  Do you want to see more posts about literature in general, or my books in particular?  Did you link over from Twitter or some other website, stumble upon this blog by accident or read about it in one my novels?

Feel free to introduce yourself.  Don’t be shy.  I’m curious who’s reading this blog and what you get out of it. 

You’ve spent the last two years listening to me; now I want to hear from you.

I’ve never done a book trailer before.  Until a couple of days ago, I didn’t know my laptop had a film editing program installed on it.  I whipped this together as a lark, just to see how it worked.  I’m looking for feedback, so feel free to comment.  Does this make you more or less inclined to learn about Leviathan, let alone purchase the novel?