EREC: erotic romance
Monday, October 06, 2008
Bulletin: Cacoethes
This cannot by any means be considered hard information, but the latter part of the Cacoethes thread at Absolute Write suggests that there are some concerns about how much longer this press will be with us.
¶ posted at 3:17 PM by Emily Veinglory 0 Comments
RIP The Kidnapped Works Bill--veinglory
If you have not been following the passage of the orphaned works bill I would suggest looking it over. This bill would have effected not just works created in the US, but any and all works illegally used within the US. It is opposed by a roll call of creative groups and association and celebrated only by Software and Information Industry Association, Register of Copyrights, College Art Association and Public Knowledge. The following is written from my amateur perspective re: the US legal system, please let me know if I have misinterpreted what is going on.
Essentially at this point any person using a creative work must be able to show either that they created it, or that the right to use it has been given to them by way of signed (or electronically signed) agreement (e.g. a contract). Under this proposed bill the user need only show that they made a "reasonably diligent" effort to discover the original creator--and if the creator contacts them and they withdraw the work they are immune from paying damages (currently they could be liable for damages of up to $150,000). It takes very little imagination to see this as being useful to pirates who could make even more extensive use of their policy of 'it is easier to ask for forgiveness than to gain permission'. In fact, under this bill it would be a lot easier.
As it happens I am very sympathetic to museums and archives needing to assert some kind of ownership over their archived material, but I think a bill tailored to that specific purpose would be far more appropriate than declaring open season on all creative works that stray into the US or onto the internet somehow. It has been my reading of the bill that although most of the discussion has centred on visual arts, written works are equally affected.
I am weak in understanding the bill passing process in the US, but the proposed act seems to have passed the senate and been passed to the House Judiciary Committee. However it is stalled from passing into law as it will not make it through this year's congress . However I rather assume it will reappear before Congress at some later point. Should that occur I hope to see writers adding their collective voices to the opposition, potentially including EPIC and other associations formally joining the anti-bill efforts. Currently the only writers group officially opposing the bill is the National Writers Union--which I feel is something of an embarrassing situation.
See:
The Bill ¶ posted at 2:17 PM by Emily Veinglory 0 Comments
Essentially at this point any person using a creative work must be able to show either that they created it, or that the right to use it has been given to them by way of signed (or electronically signed) agreement (e.g. a contract). Under this proposed bill the user need only show that they made a "reasonably diligent" effort to discover the original creator--and if the creator contacts them and they withdraw the work they are immune from paying damages (currently they could be liable for damages of up to $150,000). It takes very little imagination to see this as being useful to pirates who could make even more extensive use of their policy of 'it is easier to ask for forgiveness than to gain permission'. In fact, under this bill it would be a lot easier.
As it happens I am very sympathetic to museums and archives needing to assert some kind of ownership over their archived material, but I think a bill tailored to that specific purpose would be far more appropriate than declaring open season on all creative works that stray into the US or onto the internet somehow. It has been my reading of the bill that although most of the discussion has centred on visual arts, written works are equally affected.
I am weak in understanding the bill passing process in the US, but the proposed act seems to have passed the senate and been passed to the House Judiciary Committee. However it is stalled from passing into law as it will not make it through this year's congress . However I rather assume it will reappear before Congress at some later point. Should that occur I hope to see writers adding their collective voices to the opposition, potentially including EPIC and other associations formally joining the anti-bill efforts. Currently the only writers group officially opposing the bill is the National Writers Union--which I feel is something of an embarrassing situation.
See:
The Bill ¶ posted at 2:17 PM by Emily Veinglory 0 Comments
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Publisher Google rank
Epublishers make use of print and of online distributors. But almost all of them also depend heavily on their own website as a source of sales and so they need an effective and popular website. As Google Rank is determined by in-coming links it is possible to get a high rank by being popular with customers who link and recommend, by behaving badly enough to be widely discussed, or by attracting pretty much any kind of attention that causes people to link to the site. So the meaning of a high Google rank needs further interpretation.
Google ranks range from 0 to ten. Ellora's Cave leads the field with a healthy page rank of 5. It seems pretty typical for a publisher to have a rank of 4 (e.g. Allure, Amber Quill, Aspen Mountain, Loose Id, Liquid Silver etc) Some are starting to look a more mediocre at 3 (Asylett, Black Velvet Seductions, Cacoethes, Carnal Desires, Changeling, Cobblestone, Crescent Moon, Dark Castle Lords, Dark Roast Press, Diabolic, Excessia, L&L Dreamspell and many others)
However lower ranks are not good news no matter how you look at it. The best it might mean is that the press is very new, or has recently changed their url. Some presses on the PLIST don't seem to be doing so well in this area such as Alinar, Romance Divine, Tantalising Tales, Wicked Women of Color which have a rank of 2. Some others also at 2 might do better when they have been open longer (e.g. Shadowfire)
The upshot for authors is that you can show support for your publisher by including them in your blog roll, signature line and other linking opportunities. Also when researching a new press you should probably check their google rank (e.g. by using a tool like PR checker) as part of your research into their overall viability as an outlet for your work. If you want to link to a publisher without helping raise their PR you can use a no follow link. ¶ posted at 3:22 PM by Emily Veinglory 4 Comments
Epublishers make use of print and of online distributors. But almost all of them also depend heavily on their own website as a source of sales and so they need an effective and popular website. As Google Rank is determined by in-coming links it is possible to get a high rank by being popular with customers who link and recommend, by behaving badly enough to be widely discussed, or by attracting pretty much any kind of attention that causes people to link to the site. So the meaning of a high Google rank needs further interpretation. Google ranks range from 0 to ten. Ellora's Cave leads the field with a healthy page rank of 5. It seems pretty typical for a publisher to have a rank of 4 (e.g. Allure, Amber Quill, Aspen Mountain, Loose Id, Liquid Silver etc) Some are starting to look a more mediocre at 3 (Asylett, Black Velvet Seductions, Cacoethes, Carnal Desires, Changeling, Cobblestone, Crescent Moon, Dark Castle Lords, Dark Roast Press, Diabolic, Excessia, L&L Dreamspell and many others)
However lower ranks are not good news no matter how you look at it. The best it might mean is that the press is very new, or has recently changed their url. Some presses on the PLIST don't seem to be doing so well in this area such as Alinar, Romance Divine, Tantalising Tales, Wicked Women of Color which have a rank of 2. Some others also at 2 might do better when they have been open longer (e.g. Shadowfire)
The upshot for authors is that you can show support for your publisher by including them in your blog roll, signature line and other linking opportunities. Also when researching a new press you should probably check their google rank (e.g. by using a tool like PR checker) as part of your research into their overall viability as an outlet for your work. If you want to link to a publisher without helping raise their PR you can use a no follow link. ¶ posted at 3:22 PM by Emily Veinglory 4 Comments
Saturday, October 04, 2008
New Press or Imprint?
Announcement quoted in full:
ANNOUNCEMENT!
Sunflower Publications is now accepting short stories no less than 5,000 words and up to 8,000 words. These stories will NOT have ISBN numbers because of their length. These will go on sale with a price ranging between $1.49 - $1.99.
We are looking for wickedly wild characters, and plots need to be hot enough to singe. If you can offer the aforementioned, we at Sunflower Publications want to see what you've got.
Submissions Address: sunflower.submissions at yahoo.com
We are looking to publish: BDSM, Fantasy, Fetish Love Stories, Horror, Humor, Interracial/Multicultural, Gay-Male/Male stories, Paranormal, and Suspense.
While the stories we are looking for are to be highly erotic, we require romantic elements to the book, relationships and endings should always feature a happily ever after, at least for the ending of the story.
Submission package: We want to see your submissions via e-mail ONLY, your manuscript is to be attached as an rtf file, also enclose a short cover letter including a paragraph about yourself and tell us your publishing history. We will also look for a short "blurb," synopsis of no more than 300 words. Tell us which genre you're
targeting this book for and if it's a single title or a series.
Because we are an email only publisher we will also make royalty payments via an internet source, i.e., Paypal. Authors please forward your Paypal information.
Unpublished authors please query finished manuscripts between 5 and 8K (actual word count) only.
Formatting: Book Antiqua 12 point, 1 inch margins, double spaced.
Royalties: 50% of gross paid monthly (minus Paypal fee) – you will receive your first payment within 30 days of publication. Expect to hear back from us about your submission within 60 days.
Please note: WE DO NOT ACCEPT THE FOLLOWING: Child pornography, necrophilia, bestiality, scat, or snuff.
We publish Novellas only, ranging from 5,000 to 8,000 words total length -- NO colossal sagas, please! (Series and Serials welcome) We do accept sweet Contemporary Romances, but we would like to see sensual romances.
Because we are an "E-Publisher" does not mean "No Editing". Please give us your best or nothing at all.
ANNOUNCEMENT!
Sunflower Publications is now accepting short stories no less than 5,000 words and up to 8,000 words. These stories will NOT have ISBN numbers because of their length. These will go on sale with a price ranging between $1.49 - $1.99.
We are looking for wickedly wild characters, and plots need to be hot enough to singe. If you can offer the aforementioned, we at Sunflower Publications want to see what you've got.
Submissions Address: sunflower.submissions at yahoo.com
We are looking to publish: BDSM, Fantasy, Fetish Love Stories, Horror, Humor, Interracial/Multicultural, Gay-Male/Male stories, Paranormal, and Suspense.
While the stories we are looking for are to be highly erotic, we require romantic elements to the book, relationships and endings should always feature a happily ever after, at least for the ending of the story.
Submission package: We want to see your submissions via e-mail ONLY, your manuscript is to be attached as an rtf file, also enclose a short cover letter including a paragraph about yourself and tell us your publishing history. We will also look for a short "blurb," synopsis of no more than 300 words. Tell us which genre you're
targeting this book for and if it's a single title or a series.
Because we are an email only publisher we will also make royalty payments via an internet source, i.e., Paypal. Authors please forward your Paypal information.
Unpublished authors please query finished manuscripts between 5 and 8K (actual word count) only.
Formatting: Book Antiqua 12 point, 1 inch margins, double spaced.
Royalties: 50% of gross paid monthly (minus Paypal fee) – you will receive your first payment within 30 days of publication. Expect to hear back from us about your submission within 60 days.
Please note: WE DO NOT ACCEPT THE FOLLOWING: Child pornography, necrophilia, bestiality, scat, or snuff.
We publish Novellas only, ranging from 5,000 to 8,000 words total length -- NO colossal sagas, please! (Series and Serials welcome) We do accept sweet Contemporary Romances, but we would like to see sensual romances.
Because we are an "E-Publisher" does not mean "No Editing". Please give us your best or nothing at all.
Labels: SUNFLOWER
¶ posted at 8:40 PM by Emily Veinglory 5 Comments
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Grading Your Promo Items with the Three A’s--Mary Caelsto
Before I purchase a promo item for myself, I like to grade it. Just like in school, you want your promo items to get straight A’s, and there are three criteria by which I grade promo items.
Affordability. Appeal. Attraction.
Basically, these three things break down into their respective questions. Can I afford it? Does it catch a reader’s eye? Will it attract them to my sites and books?
There aren’t quick and easy answers to these questions, and in fact, these questions actually produce more questions. But that’s okay. The more questions you ask about your promotional items BEFORE you buy them, mean less missed opportunity and wasted money. So let’s start there, with the bottom line.
Asking yourself if you can afford a promotional item is only half of the equation. Sure, we all have a budget and we have to stick to it. But something can be cheap, and still not “affordable” in the sense that it isn’t giving you the most bang for your buck. For example, you can print off strips of paper with your name and url on them and wrap them around a bag of mini chocolate bars. I bet the investment for something like that would be under $10, so it’s definitely affordable. But, readers are going to rip off that strip of paper, eat the candy, and throw the wrapper—and your name and website address—away. I bet ten minutes later if you asked who had provided the candy, very few would be able to answer. So while such a promotional effort may be inexpensive and affordable to the author, in the end, it may have been a waste of time and money because it didn’t generate any website visits or sales.
The good news is that affordability goes hand in hand with the other A’s. So if you find something within your budget that meets your other criteria, then there’s a good chance it’s a winner.
Appeal simply means if someone sees your item, will she, or he, pick it up and look at it. In the example above, candy has good appeal. I mean, who doesn’t want free chocolate? The appeal level of homemade bookmarks, for example, versus professionally designed and printed ones is significantly less. So is the cost.
A good way to determine appeal would be to make a list of the things you pick up for promotion. Add to the list the things that you would like to receive. Then, you can start researching costs. If you have an item from an author and you like it, ask the author where she, or he, purchased the item. If you belong to a romance or marketing group, ask the members what kinds of promotional items make the biggest hit.
And no matter what promotional item you want it to attract visitors to your site and buyers to your book. This is where the chocolate bar example fails. One use, a moment’s pleasure, and it is gone. Anything that lasts beyond one use, whether it’s a bookmark, business card, pen, or lip balm, is going to give you more chances to attract that reader then something that is a throw-away item. Sure, having your name imprinted on condom wrappers might be fun for an erotic romance author, but in the heat of the moment, the wrapper is going to be torn and discarded. There’s a good chance your name won’t be seen at all.
However attraction can be a double-edged sword. A stuffed animal can be adorable and entice people to pick it up, but if it just sits on a shelf, it may not be the best promo item to choose. A candy dish filled with candy can receive a high grade on the attraction scale. But, if the reader can take your label off of it and use it without your information, then it’s just another candy bar in disguise.
Finding the right balance between affordability, attraction, and appeal doesn’t have to be difficult. Sure, it may take some thought and planning. In the end, you’ll have something that you can use effectively to promote your name and hopefully win some sales.
About the Author
Mary started Jupiter Gardens Promotions, a division of Jupiter Gardens, LLC because she wanted promotional items without paying a high price. When she discovered her hidden talents for making bath and body products, she decided to share them with others. After all, bath and body products receive three A’s. They’re affordable. They appeal to consumers. And, the more times someone uses the item, the more times he, or she, will see your name. If the consumer can attach your name (in their mind) with a lovely scent and product, all the better! Visit the JG Promotions store at jupitergardens.com or visit the JG Promotions website using the address above to see all the product offerings from Jupiter Gardens Promotions…nurturing your inner worlds by taking the worry out of promotional items. ¶ posted at 9:00 AM by Emily Veinglory 2 Comments
Before I purchase a promo item for myself, I like to grade it. Just like in school, you want your promo items to get straight A’s, and there are three criteria by which I grade promo items.
Affordability. Appeal. Attraction.
Basically, these three things break down into their respective questions. Can I afford it? Does it catch a reader’s eye? Will it attract them to my sites and books?
There aren’t quick and easy answers to these questions, and in fact, these questions actually produce more questions. But that’s okay. The more questions you ask about your promotional items BEFORE you buy them, mean less missed opportunity and wasted money. So let’s start there, with the bottom line.
Asking yourself if you can afford a promotional item is only half of the equation. Sure, we all have a budget and we have to stick to it. But something can be cheap, and still not “affordable” in the sense that it isn’t giving you the most bang for your buck. For example, you can print off strips of paper with your name and url on them and wrap them around a bag of mini chocolate bars. I bet the investment for something like that would be under $10, so it’s definitely affordable. But, readers are going to rip off that strip of paper, eat the candy, and throw the wrapper—and your name and website address—away. I bet ten minutes later if you asked who had provided the candy, very few would be able to answer. So while such a promotional effort may be inexpensive and affordable to the author, in the end, it may have been a waste of time and money because it didn’t generate any website visits or sales.
The good news is that affordability goes hand in hand with the other A’s. So if you find something within your budget that meets your other criteria, then there’s a good chance it’s a winner.
Appeal simply means if someone sees your item, will she, or he, pick it up and look at it. In the example above, candy has good appeal. I mean, who doesn’t want free chocolate? The appeal level of homemade bookmarks, for example, versus professionally designed and printed ones is significantly less. So is the cost.
A good way to determine appeal would be to make a list of the things you pick up for promotion. Add to the list the things that you would like to receive. Then, you can start researching costs. If you have an item from an author and you like it, ask the author where she, or he, purchased the item. If you belong to a romance or marketing group, ask the members what kinds of promotional items make the biggest hit.
And no matter what promotional item you want it to attract visitors to your site and buyers to your book. This is where the chocolate bar example fails. One use, a moment’s pleasure, and it is gone. Anything that lasts beyond one use, whether it’s a bookmark, business card, pen, or lip balm, is going to give you more chances to attract that reader then something that is a throw-away item. Sure, having your name imprinted on condom wrappers might be fun for an erotic romance author, but in the heat of the moment, the wrapper is going to be torn and discarded. There’s a good chance your name won’t be seen at all.
However attraction can be a double-edged sword. A stuffed animal can be adorable and entice people to pick it up, but if it just sits on a shelf, it may not be the best promo item to choose. A candy dish filled with candy can receive a high grade on the attraction scale. But, if the reader can take your label off of it and use it without your information, then it’s just another candy bar in disguise.
Finding the right balance between affordability, attraction, and appeal doesn’t have to be difficult. Sure, it may take some thought and planning. In the end, you’ll have something that you can use effectively to promote your name and hopefully win some sales.
About the Author
Mary started Jupiter Gardens Promotions, a division of Jupiter Gardens, LLC because she wanted promotional items without paying a high price. When she discovered her hidden talents for making bath and body products, she decided to share them with others. After all, bath and body products receive three A’s. They’re affordable. They appeal to consumers. And, the more times someone uses the item, the more times he, or she, will see your name. If the consumer can attach your name (in their mind) with a lovely scent and product, all the better! Visit the JG Promotions store at jupitergardens.com or visit the JG Promotions website using the address above to see all the product offerings from Jupiter Gardens Promotions…nurturing your inner worlds by taking the worry out of promotional items. ¶ posted at 9:00 AM by Emily Veinglory 2 Comments
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Happenings--veinglory
Plastic Logic's ebook prototype seems more like an e-magazine than an ebook. It is very thin, but large and with a touch screen. I won't be getting excited until they have a production model price under $100.
Resplendence Publishing is offering 15% off their books throughout October if you use the correct code for the day. And Fictionwise is having a 25% off sale on a range of indy publishers' multi-format books.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has a good plain language article covering the main implication of copyright of material on a blog, including creative commons licenses, fair use and what to include in a take-down notice.
The Romance Erotica Connection awards are open for nominations throughout October.
Steven Harper Piziks makes some good points about epublishing being still a rather underwhelming phenomenon outside of erotic romance. However I cannot agree with the idea that the problem is solved by e-readers (I and many others actually have ereaders and still prefer computer reading, I think e-ink sucks) or that the answer is to give e-readers away free (although it certainly works for Apple who price iPods with no profit margin).
p.s. if you have a happening to announce please email me with the subject line 'happenings' and include all pertinent details, a link and the approximate date you would like a notice posted. Notices will be posted if relevant as time and space permits. You may also let me know about new releases so long as it is one month in advance including only the title, author and a link to the exact publisher page for that book (e.g. Tell me about November releases between now and October 25th). But note that I may not post about all new releases and I may well make comments about blurbs, price, cover art and how your mother dresses you.
¶ posted at 12:56 PM by Emily Veinglory 0 Comments
Plastic Logic's ebook prototype seems more like an e-magazine than an ebook. It is very thin, but large and with a touch screen. I won't be getting excited until they have a production model price under $100.Resplendence Publishing is offering 15% off their books throughout October if you use the correct code for the day. And Fictionwise is having a 25% off sale on a range of indy publishers' multi-format books.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has a good plain language article covering the main implication of copyright of material on a blog, including creative commons licenses, fair use and what to include in a take-down notice.
The Romance Erotica Connection awards are open for nominations throughout October.
Steven Harper Piziks makes some good points about epublishing being still a rather underwhelming phenomenon outside of erotic romance. However I cannot agree with the idea that the problem is solved by e-readers (I and many others actually have ereaders and still prefer computer reading, I think e-ink sucks) or that the answer is to give e-readers away free (although it certainly works for Apple who price iPods with no profit margin).
p.s. if you have a happening to announce please email me with the subject line 'happenings' and include all pertinent details, a link and the approximate date you would like a notice posted. Notices will be posted if relevant as time and space permits. You may also let me know about new releases so long as it is one month in advance including only the title, author and a link to the exact publisher page for that book (e.g. Tell me about November releases between now and October 25th). But note that I may not post about all new releases and I may well make comments about blurbs, price, cover art and how your mother dresses you.
¶ posted at 12:56 PM by Emily Veinglory 0 Comments
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Bulletin: Moonlit Romance reported to be closing
The word is that epublisher Moonlit Romance (sweet to sensual categories) will be closing, along with the associated press 'By Grace'---both are imprints of Unique Enterprises.
Labels: BY GRACE, MOONLIT ROMANCE
¶ posted at 8:31 AM by Emily Veinglory 0 Comments
Monday, September 29, 2008
Things that make you go: hmmm.--veinglory
It is sometimes hard to know how long an ebook is before you buy it. Some publishers offer word counts, some categories with word count ranges, some just undefined categories. So when working out how much book I am going to get for my buck I often have a look over at Fictionwise where word counts are provided.
But when you look at word counts sometimes it doesn't help the cover price make sense. For example if you look at some of the Dark Castle Lord releases from 2007, arranged by book length, you get a distinct lack of pattern. So be aware, a higher price will not always be a larger book. It pays to check.
Enchanted Castle by Kate Hofman, 67849 words, $4.50
The Saxon Bride by C.H. Admirand, 64701 words, $6.50
A Scot's Honor by C.H. Admirand, 50332 words, $4.50
Castle in Spain by Kate Hofman, 49378 words, $6.50
Naked Visions S B D by Veronica Towers, 47948 words, $6.50
Only in Her Dreams by Veronica Towers, 46522 words, $6.50
Lord Draco: T W K by Raquel Taylor, 37894 words, $2.50
Bedeviling Dulcie by S.J. Ronayne, 30436 words, $6.50
My Love, Forever by Kate Hofman, 65761 words, $4.50 ¶ posted at 9:00 AM by Emily Veinglory 2 Comments
But when you look at word counts sometimes it doesn't help the cover price make sense. For example if you look at some of the Dark Castle Lord releases from 2007, arranged by book length, you get a distinct lack of pattern. So be aware, a higher price will not always be a larger book. It pays to check.
Enchanted Castle by Kate Hofman, 67849 words, $4.50
The Saxon Bride by C.H. Admirand, 64701 words, $6.50
A Scot's Honor by C.H. Admirand, 50332 words, $4.50
Castle in Spain by Kate Hofman, 49378 words, $6.50
Naked Visions S B D by Veronica Towers, 47948 words, $6.50
Only in Her Dreams by Veronica Towers, 46522 words, $6.50
Lord Draco: T W K by Raquel Taylor, 37894 words, $2.50
Bedeviling Dulcie by S.J. Ronayne, 30436 words, $6.50
My Love, Forever by Kate Hofman, 65761 words, $4.50 ¶ posted at 9:00 AM by Emily Veinglory 2 Comments
Cacoethes fees?
There is a report at Absolute Write that Cacoethes Publishing charges fees, specifically: "Be careful of the NET sales. I got hit with paypal fees, set up fees and marketing fees." Can anyone confirm (by email or PM at the forum where my username is 'veinglory'.)
Labels: Cacoethes
¶ posted at 8:18 AM by Emily Veinglory 0 Comments