tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post3326209571469257675..comments2024-03-18T02:11:40.154-07:00Comments on <b>Smashwords</b>: Exclusive Interview: Norman Savage, author of Junk Sick: Confessions of an Uncontrolled DiabeticDovetail Public Relationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039664167177159146noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-32948075121328735692018-11-24T00:48:55.654-08:002018-11-24T00:48:55.654-08:00I admire people who keep sharing valuable stories ...I admire people who keep sharing valuable stories through great writing. I'm glad to have read this blog. Thanks and hope to read more soon. Check out <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/pressreleases/18/09/g12369788/lawrence-todd-maxwell-has-commercial-real-estate-advice-for-2018" rel="nofollow">Lawrence Todd Maxwell</a>'s to learn more about real estate.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-73385765216730897302017-12-21T03:27:54.047-08:002017-12-21T03:27:54.047-08:00From this interview it is sure that we have been w...From this interview it is sure that we have been working on the exact same thing from a while. It sure seems to be a good experience for us to be sure about such things in a while.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12301259958409062337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-20225266431296027882012-06-12T10:59:36.695-07:002012-06-12T10:59:36.695-07:00Norman Savage is a great writer, and storyteller, ...Norman Savage is a great writer, and storyteller, but his problem is that somewhere along the line he must have pissed off someone that became really "up there" and so that is why he can't publish his book with big time publishers, I feel the economy had nothing to do about it, it was that he was known by someone or a group, and they decided to NOT let him publish, although the writing is fantastic. It's sad, but sometimes we close our own opportunity doors with swearing and swaggering!Scripts_Onlinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01240220183167348351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-9458505802822551392012-06-12T10:54:39.203-07:002012-06-12T10:54:39.203-07:00I knew Norman Savage when I was a kid and he came ...I knew Norman Savage when I was a kid and he came to our apartment at the UN PLAZA in NYC and he read his poetry and my mother was trying to help him and would invite literary folks she knew over to our apartment to hear Norman Savage read poems. One in particular was called "The Nuremberg Egg" He also taught me to play chess and was kind to my two brothers. My sister had a huge crush on him. I will always love Norman Savage, and I wish he'd go to LULU.com and also upload his memoir and I can guarantee they will buy it from there too! Thanks for the peek.Scripts_Onlinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01240220183167348351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-73337596852431719112010-05-22T23:21:01.027-07:002010-05-22T23:21:01.027-07:00Shelley, I don't want to speak for Norman, but...Shelley, I don't want to speak for Norman, but when your 60+ and your health is failing plus your talent has gone unrecognized for so long your perception of value no doubt changes a lot.<br /><br />Plus all art is useless, it has no actual value. Marketeers attempt to create a perceived value, not to service the art world but to make themselves money.<br /><br />Norman's work is great, therefore it has value to me!<br /><br />Plus, this is a market that in a state of flux. 10 years from now people will be comfortable paying 10 bucks for a download (as marketeers will have succesfully changed their perception of value). Today they won't so in the meantime you have to make compromises and any system that can minimize on overheads and production costs and therefore enable an artist to take home a majority cut is great. We will look back on these days with fondness because it allows us to be one step ahead of the industry if only for a few short years.<br /><br />I'm rambling! Go Norman!Simon Alexander Marlowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05330469577779310007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-17510542599095004812009-02-28T08:37:00.000-08:002009-02-28T08:37:00.000-08:00Hello, Mark,I understand the logic, and you're rig...Hello, Mark,<BR/>I understand the logic, and you're right that profit is more important than list price. But, Norman will need to make more than $2.21 per copy precisely because he doesn't have a publisher that is providing an advance or any money toward marketing. And what if he charged $7.99 or $9.99? His work would appear a bit more valuable, he'd make a few dollars more, and the price is still low enough not to discourage a download. <BR/><BR/>Of course, unless you have a runaway bestseller, you are not going to make serious money on book sales alone. Most authors either have a job or they use the book to leverage speaking, consulting, coaching or other income-generating activity related to the book. <BR/><BR/>My issue is with the perceived value. In truth, most writers give away a lot of their time and work to build a platform and a recognized name, so they can charge more for their paid services or get a publisher or high-paying assignments. We write free newsletters and blogs for our readers so we can build an audience, but also to communicate our message. <BR/><BR/>And so it is a balance--a delicate balance. I just didn't want aspiring writers reading the interview to think that self-publishing meant they can't or shouldn't earn a profit. It's not just about doing it yourself, either. Self-published work still needs to meet certain standards of excellence or no one will read it anyway. One thing every writer should do before making a decision about how to publish his or her work is get educated about all the options...and know what questions to ask, such as "How much will it cost me?" and "How much will I earn per book?" <BR/><BR/>Writing is a passion. Publishing is a business. Successful (VIP) authors know the difference.Shelley Lieberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01910399585903473302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-76179700291679467252009-02-28T07:56:00.000-08:002009-02-28T07:56:00.000-08:00Hi Shelly, great comment. I think we all agree au...Hi Shelly, great comment. I think we all agree authors deserve to be well compensated for their hard work. <BR/><BR/>However, the definition of compensation is changing, especially with the advent of self-published ebooks. The debate shouldn't be about list price. Instead, we should focus on proceeds to the author.<BR/><BR/>Norman, selling his book for $2.99 on Smashwords, is making a per copy royalty of $2.21, which is six times higher than the per unit royalty he might earn on a commercially published mass market paperback (assuming $7 retail price, 5% royalty, or $.35) and on par with the 10% royalty he might receive (after the agent's 15% cut) on a $25 hardcover (and yes, if he had a good seller on his hands, he could see that royalty rise a bit).<BR/><BR/>In fairness, a commercially published print author receives some benefits a self-pubbed ebook author won't receive, like an advance, editing, cover design, pre-pub sales and marketing support, and distribution to shelves in thousands of stores (for a short period of time at least), whereas indie authors like Norman are on their own to assume the risks and benefits of being the captain of one's own destiny.Dovetail Public Relationshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05039664167177159146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-18839234689168134452009-02-28T05:47:00.000-08:002009-02-28T05:47:00.000-08:00All this time, energy, pain, love, work and seekin...All this time, energy, pain, love, work and seeking...and the book sells for $2.99??? The interview alone is worth more than that. Writers do a disservice to the craft (and other writers) when they give away their work. <BR/><BR/>Yes, it can be a marketing strategy to use a book or ebook as a promotional tool to lead to a bigger product or service. That does not seem to be the case here. And, please, do not say it's not about the money. Fine, then, keep a journal. But every time a serious work comes out and is given away, it creates an illusion that our work isn't worth anything and the expectation that something can be had for nothing. Self-publishing can be profitable. In fact, it can be more profitable than traditional publishing for the author.<BR/><BR/>Is Norman trying to get enough people to download the ebook so that he can prove to a publisher that he is not an unknown risk? Then that's a marketing strategy, and let's say it is. Many new authors are using that strategy successfully. But beware with that low price. Just because someone was willing to pay $2.99 for quickie look does not mean they will shell out $19.99 for a print edition. And publishers are not ignorant of that fact.<BR/><BR/>Please do not imagine for one instant that it's a good idea to give away your work, unless you have a plan on how to leverage that to your benefit. And if you're not trying to make a living with your writing, be respectful to the rest of us who are and stop giving it away. Free never garners respect for you or your writing, regardless of your ultimate goal for your writing.Shelley Lieberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01910399585903473302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-35985975536477276342009-02-26T13:53:00.000-08:002009-02-26T13:53:00.000-08:00Brilliant insights. Thanks, Norman, for giving me ...Brilliant insights. Thanks, Norman, for giving me the final push I needed to self-publish. I've been moving in that direction for the past few weeks after wasting a year or more in the Pleistocene age that is the traditional publishing world. <BR/><BR/>My book topic is not "safe," nor is it something those in the traditional world can wrap their risk-averse heads around.Pamela T.https://www.blogger.com/profile/11474998003921896431noreply@blogger.com