Tag: author questions

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Spend the Money?

March 24, 2021-As we begin to wrap up our theme of answering your most asked questions this month, I hope that you’re gaining some insight into the business of writing and what challenges authors face. If you’d like to submit your question, send us an email to pandapublishing8@gmail.com. Here’s what we’re tackling today:

Q: “Lately I’ve been hitting a wall with rejections and I don’t know what the problem is. Should I spend money on writing classes to see if they can help?”

A: I think it’s smart that you’re realizing that there could be an issue with your writing and that’s why you’re getting rejected. It could be a possibility that your writing needs to be improved and I am a huge advocate for continuing education. Yes, if you can afford to, it will be worth spending your money on writing courses. You’ll learn so much from the course material and you can narrow down what you’d like to focus on by choosing the course that suits you best. Writing conferences and workshops have helped improve my own writing dramatically and I’m so fortunate to have traveled around the globe to participate in them. Writing classes can help you with things that you may be overlooking such as industry standards, grammatical/punctuation/sentence structure errors, and can provide new and exciting inspiration!

Check out some of our writing programs here: Transitioning from Writer to Author (An Introductory Course) – Pandamonium Publishing House, Children’s Book Writing Master Class – Pandamonium Publishing House, Best-Seller Bootcamp – Pandamonium Publishing House, Course: Get Your Book Noticed and Increase Your Sales – Pandamonium Publishing House

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Listen to This

March 23, 2021– Happy Tuesday, Friends! Today is supposed to be warm and sunny and I’m so excited to get outside. I hope that you are too. But first, let’s get down to business and answer today’s question from a reader in Florida.

Q: “I’m a new author and someone told me that audiobooks are taking over from print books. Is this true and do you have any information on this?”

A: Thanks for sending in your question; we received it last week and would like to thank Kinga Ulazka McDonald for her research on this topic, for providing the information below, and for interning at our company! Let’s dive in: How many people used audiobooks in 2020? What is the increase or decrease from the year before? Which genres were most listened to? What are the projections of potential listeners in 2021 and beyond?
According to Forbes:
• US publishers reported audiobook: 2018- totaled $940 million
• revenue-has increased 24.5% year to year since 2017
• U.K. – last year, 2020 audio books were up 43%
• 25% increase in the U.S in 2020
• according to Canada Statistics, in 2020 96% of people said they read a print book last year,
61% said they read an ebook, and 49% said they listened to an audiobook.
• “66% of people said they prefer print books, 16% said they prefer ebooks, and 8% said they
prefer audiobooks”- USA
• More than 50% of ebook and audiobook listeners still prefer print
• Ebook readers prefer ebooks and audiobooks over print
• audiobooks are becoming more popular among readers.
• Canadian Leisure & Reading Study 2020: 49% of respondents had listened to at least one
audiobook during 2019.
• 26% of people said they listen to audiobooks at least once a week; crime genre is the most popular
Due to the 2020 pandemic and online streaming services, reading has truly changed:
Apple TV sells audiobooks on their Books service, but during the pandemic, they have done something different. In the past few weeks they are experimenting with something new with spoken-word content. US listeners can stream
13 audiobooks based on books by musicians. They’re part of the main Apple Music service, and thus offered within their subscription system”( Audiobook Trends and Statistics for 2020 ).
• as the pandemic continues into 2021, many people continue working from home, and with nowhere to travel to or in many areas, with “stay at home “orders, thus giving them more time to read, in what ever form that looks like
• Next year’s report, 2022, should be interesting due to the ongoing global pandemic
• publishers release their sales figures, “expect audiobooks to grow by double digits and ebooks, instead of declining” (Audiobook Trends and Statistics for 2020).

From my own personal experience, I use audiobooks a lot. I travel quite frequently and I pop in my AirPods to listen to some great audiobooks while I wait for a flight or fly to a conference. I also listen to audiobooks on the road in my truck since I’m mobile, and of course, while in the tour bus. I think that they’re convenient and they allow me to multitask; I also listen while working out or walking Luna. I typically read at least 60 books a year and 40 of those are audiobooks. Audiobooks are great for people who are always on the go!

At Pandamonium Publishing House, we’re working on turning all of our books into audiobooks! Stay tuned for more details as they become available.  Again, I’d like to thank Kinga Ulazka McDonald for her research and for putting together the stats and figures. LLB

 

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How Much Say Do I Get?

March 18, 2021– I’d like to take a second to wish my nephew, Denver a very Happy 3rd Birthday today! And I’d like to wish my Dad a very Happy Birthday today as well! Hoping that all of your wishes come true for the both of you. X

We’re continuing to answer your questions during the month of March, so if you’d like to send us yours, please email pandapublishing8@gmail.com. Today’s question is:

Q: “I’m struggling to decide whether to traditionally publish my book, or to self-publish. How much say do I get (traditional publishing) on what my book looks like and other elements of style?”

A: Great question. Traditionally publishing your book means that you sell the rights to the publisher for a royalty rate. In terms of getting an artistic say on the look, formatting, or the overall book in general, the short answer is, you don’t get one. The publisher’s job is to ensure that the book is saleable, that it meets the industry standards, and that it looks the way that it should. It can cost upwards of $8,000.00 to publish a book; that’s a huge risk on an unknown author and I don’t say that to be cheeky.  We take the risk so we are in charge of every element. If you’re a control freak, you should certainly look at self-publishing because you’re the person in the driver’s seat from beginning to end. You’re in charge of every element of your book including the look, layout, style, marketing, and everything in between. What you say, goes. You’re the boss. I will offer a word of caution though, do not go the self-publishing route alone. It’s long and difficult without help. I’m not saying it can’t be done, I’m saying that you should hire an expert to assist along the way. It will be more cost effective in the long run and you’ll still be able to keep 100% of your royalty. Best of luck on your publishing journey!

If you have a question that you would like answered, send us an email at pandapublishing8@gmail.com

 

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I’ve Never Done That

March 12, 2021– We’ve got another great question today from a reader in Spain. They sent us an email asking a question that comes up a lot, here it is:

Q: “I’ve heard from a lot of people that you should write what you know. I really want to write a murder mystery set in my home country, but I haven’t any experience in law enforcement and wouldn’t know how to set up the scene. Should I abandon my goal and switch topics?”

A: This is a great question! Also, I would love to visit Spain one day and I hope to do so in the near future:) No, there’s no need to switch genres just because you have no experience with murder (LOL!). Thankfully, most people don’t. But, I commend your dedication to getting it right and your commitment to credibility. As we know, credibility matters not only to your story, but also to your readers. If someone is a detective or in law enforcement and they read your book, they’ll pick up on the inconsistencies and irregularities in your story; chances are that they won’t continue to read on. This goes for all professions by the way. So, if we’ve never processed a crime scene, how are we supposed to write about it? We bring in the experts. When I was writing my thriller Obsessed with Her (available here: Obsessed with Her Novel – Pandamonium Publishing House) I was fortunate enough to have the Head of Toronto Homicide consult me on the entire project. That means he was kind enough to explain how a scene is investigated, the protocol, the terminology, and the fine details so that I could get it right. I urge you to reach out to your local law enforcement or other professionals and tell them that you’re writing a book and that you could use some advice. Want to know something kind of cool and creepy at the the same time? I was advised that my book would be kept on file for reference should anyone commit a crime that was based in my book and that I would potentially be brought in for questioning should the need arise. WOW! Talk about epic and eerie all at once! I know of some authors (who shall not be named) that have had the opportunity to go on a ride along with some police officers in their city. So, you don’t know unless you ask! If your local law enforcement says no, or you don’t feel comfortable asking, you can research whatever you’re looking for in true crime books, true crime documentaries, and by watching police based shows such as Cops etc. Be sure to watch and read TRUE stories as sometimes the wording and processing on television is less than accurate. Best of Luck!