What To Do With My Out of Print Book?

So. . .the Chicago Cubs won the World Series! Some of you may remember I wrote a young adult book where the main character is Caught Between Two Curses, and one of those curses is the one that WAS on the Chicago Cubs--the Curse of the Billy Goat. Before this exciting World Series finale, my book was out of print, and I retained the rights. I've been wondering what to do with it. Should I self-publish or should I hang it up?

Fortunately, my book was well-received by the few people who bought it. It got great reviews. Unfortunately, it turns out not that many young adult females want to read a book that was marketed as a contemporary young adult novel about the Cubs.

My publisher and I thought it was a great idea, but it just didn't catch on. If I self-publish, I plan to play down the Cubs part because really, it's not too much about the baseball team--it's more about the curse. My main character, Julie, doesn't even like baseball.

I've also decided I'm going to add some additional material, so that maybe some people who loved the first book will buy the 2nd edition. I plan to add a book club discussion, history of curses, an alternate ending, and a brand new short story. As a matter of fact, I plan on publishing the short story only in the book. It will be available no other place.

I will also hire a graphic designer and editor because that's important--I want this to work out. I feel like I have an inside scoop on what didn't work, so hopefully, with a little thought and more marketing, it will be as successful as its reviews say it should be.

So currently, to make myself do this, I am having a contest on my blog for the short story subject. (Check it out here.) I had three different ideas for this short story, and so I am asking for poeple's opinions. Anyone who gives their opinion is entered to win a $10 Amazon gift card. I am trying to generate interest in the book again and hope that people feel invested in my project. Plus, if I tell a bunch of people that I'm going to write this short story, help me; it will make me more accountable.

Have you ever received the rights back to a book? What did you do? What would you do? I would love to hear your ideas.

Margo L. Dill is a children's author, published writer, writing coach, editor, and blogger, who lives in St. Louis, MO. You can find out more at http://www.margoldill.com .

Read More »

7 comments copyrights, Margo L. Dill, self-published, The Chicago Cubs Curse of the Billy Goat

Agents and Self-Publishing

Since I’ve been noodling over the possibility of doing some self-publishing, I’ve also been asking the question, “Can a self-published writer still use an agent?” Based on what I’ve been reading, the answer is yes and here is why.

Publishing is a legally complex business. An agent is there to enforce your rights, whether they are haggling with a publisher over a contract or dealing with someone else, such as a website, who has infringed on those rights. You want someone on your side when the time comes to deal with legal mumbo jumbo.

Agents are often essential for selling those “extra rights.” You may be perfectly capable of selling your e-book or self-published print book to a wide variety of readers, but what if an English language publisher outside of North America was to approach you? Or a film company? An agent is ready to negotiate these contracts.

Agents know what is selling and who wants what. Agents deal with a wide variety of publishers. They keep up to date on industry news. Because of this, they often know what publishers are seeking because bookstores are asking for it. You want someone who can tell you that your idea for X will be an easier book to place in the hands of readers than your idea for Y.

Editorial agents can help you bring your work into peak form. Many agents describe themselves as editorial agents. These are agents who will have something to say about your plot, characters and more and how to bring your book to the next level. Self-published authors can benefit from this service before taking their work to print.

Agents can sell self-published books to traditional publishers. If you’ve had success as a self-published author, an agent can help you broaden your sales by taking your work to a traditional publisher. More and more, traditional publishers are accepting books that have found first found success in the world of self-published literature.

Can a self-published author benefit from an agent? It depends. If you cater to a small, well-defined market, you may already be reaching everyone there is to reach. If you plan to only self-publish, they may not be interested in taking you on because they need to make a living representing you. They’re going to want to take you where the money is. That’s means that if you’d like to see your work find a broader audience and take your career in new directions, an agent is something even a self-published author might consider.

--SueBE

Sue Bradford Edwards is the instructor for our course, Writing Nonfiction for Children and Young Adults. The next section of this class begins on October 3rd.

Read More »

1 comment Agents, contracts, copyrights, needing an agent, self publishing

Climbing Over The Bars: Can Free-License Free Your Project?

Let’s play a word-association game. I say “Creative Commons” or “Free License” and your first thought is...

Was it copyright-free photographs for your blog or royalty-free images for your book trailer? If so, you are not alone. We have become accustomed to searching for license-free artwork, but when was the last time you searched the public domain for quotes, song lyrics, or other tidbits for your work in progress? More appropriately, when was the last time you offered your own writing free to the public to copy or use?

Did I hear someone in the audience just gasp?
Audacious...
Unheard-of...

Okay, then when was the last time you ran a search on your own name to find the other websites your writing is posted. Come-on, you know you do this... Is it just so you can rant about copyright infringement or do you, perhaps secretly, want to see if anyone out there enjoys your work enough to mention it again? Ah!

We know that copying is a form of flattery, yet most of us bar ourselves from this form of flattery by hiding behind our copyrights. After all, we need to protect ourselves—protect our revenue. But is there a point where this protective fortress can actually hinder the expansion of our readership or pocketbook?

I came across the above cartoon the other day strictly by accident. I wasn’t feeling well and just wanted to “veg” in front of a movie for a few minutes. I was on YouTube checking out the free movies and ran across one that I enjoyed so much I began looking up how to get a copy of the movie or soundtrack. The movie was available for free download. That got my attention--who does that?

This unscheduled chase spurred me to read up on free license. Did you know there are several forms of free-license you can add on top of your copyright? I’ve paraphrased them below.

CC-BY-SA: Others may share or adapt the original work with attribution and under a similar license.

CC-BY: Others may share or adapt the original work with attribution, but don’t imply that the original creator endorses your new version.

CC-0: Public Domain. This work is set free to become whatever others will make with it.

In what instances would a writer attach a free license? I can think of a few:

--The writer is just starting out in an area and wants to gather a following.

--The writer feels that her message may help others and her main goal is to get the information out to them.

--The writer has books to sell and is using the free information to drive the sales.

Whether or not this model works to the writer’s best interest is fodder for a long debate, but while you are forming your opinion take into consideration the evidence just placed before you.

I tripped over public domain information.
I enjoyed the material enough to follow up on the artist.
I supported that artist by purchasing a CD.
I am sharing information I learned with you, in my altered context.
And I am linking specific portions of this new altered material back to the original, not because I have to, but because I want to.

By Robyn Chausse
with a nod to Nina Paley and Question Copyright .Org

Do you use free-license material? Would you or Do you offer your own work under free-license? Why or Why Not? In what ways do copyright laws protect us? Share your thoughts here...

Read More »

4 comments advice for writers, book promotion tips, copyrights, creative commons, free license, Robyn Chausse