During our conversation, he asked how he should go about branding what he calls “Outbreak 0”. That’s the virus in Lazarus Walks that causes people to turn into zombies. Branding is all about buzz, and buzz is all about name recognition.

Twitter’s a great way to get a conversation going. I set up some literary lists on my account you might want to follow: Writers, SD Writers and Friends, and Writers & Literary People. You will also want to follow hashtags like #AmReading, #AmWriting, #AskEditor, #AskPublisher, #AskAgent, #PubTip, and #WriteChat.

You can find more popular literary hashtags on this blog. And if you’re writing a book about a zombie apocalypse, the most popular zombie related hashtags are #Zombie, #Zombies, #livingdead, #horror, and #undead.

Along with following conversations your audience follows, start a new conversation with hashtags to brand yourself and/or your product. For my friend, since he wants to brand “Outbreak 0,” he might use #Outbreak0. The more you create name recognition, the more you create buzz; and the more you create buzz, the more you brand yourself and/or your product.

Hashtags allow you to join a conversation and eventually start a conversation without interrupting the conversation in progress. Think of hashtags as road markers on the road from buzz to branding.

Stay social, my friends!

Erick

Mr. Collins set the book down, leaned back, stretched his arms out and placed his hands behind his head, so his arms made a wing-like shape, and looked off into the distance. I looked back at the line of hundreds of autograph-seekers and then at the poet.

To Mr. Collins, perhaps thinking of how to answer my question, the crowd had disappeared. “Let it move into the center of your life,” he said. “Don’t expect it to happen overnight. Let it evolve.” His wisdom continued, and I asked him questions. He had stepped out of his role as poet into that of teacher, sage, and perhaps even father.

Yesterday, I came across this blog about the Kindlegraph. It allows readers to request autographs from authors via Docusign. The author of this blog wrote, “there are certain aspects of physical books that ebooks will struggle to replicate.”

Even if during my lifetime, Facebook, Google, or Microsoft introduces a technology that allows authors to beam themselves into bookstores via holographs, so they can use a digital pen to sign ereaders via infrared technology, that will not replace the personal touch of waiting in line for hours only to stand in front of one of your literary heroes for just one moment and engaging.

Stay social, my friends!

Erick

Stay social my friends,

Erick

Almost 40 years ago, Dan Poynter couldn’t find a publisher, so he went straight to the printer and started the trend of self-publishing. Four decades later, self-publishing and the Internet have led to e-publishing. Now, websites like FastPencil, iPadPublishing, and Blurb help people self-publish their books in paper or as e-books.

Over the last decade, because of social networking, it seems agents and publishers have turned their attention more toward finding marketable writers with compelling stories. And it seems the success of writers has been determined more by writers’ writing good content and reaching out to readers.

Now, the advent of e-books and e-publishing will cause a new literary trend. Self-publishing and e-publishing have lowered the publishing bar, and because of that people can’t assume a book is good simply because it has been published. They need to rely on that book’s content. But they won’t know anything about that book’s content unless others who have read that book give them their thoughts.

From my vantage point, I foresee e-publishing causing the roles of the writer, agent, publisher, and even reader to change.  Ever hear that saying, ‘Everyone’s a critic’? The role of the publisher and agent will merge into one marketing entity (publishing consultants). The writer will reach out and listen more to the reader through traditional and social media marketing. And the reader will become like the agent, reading critically, and passing on their opinions to other readers.

All of this means that rather than the writer trying to seek the approval of a few people in the publishing industry, they will have to find an audience and seek the approval of their audience. And as that author’s audience approves more and more or less and less, that author will need listen to their audience (or the lack thereof).  I foresee the writer’s insurmountable publishing mountain will become a daunting literary mine field. Tread carefully, fellow writer.

Whether you’re a writer, agent, publisher, or even a reader, I’d love to hear from you.  How do you think the advent of e-books and e-publishing will change the literary world? Do you think lowering the publishing bar will even the playing field, forcing writers to write more well-written content and compelling stories? Or, do you think a lower publishing standard will simply water down good content, allowing anyone to become an author? I encourage your thoughts.

For more on me and my literary endeavors, follow me on Twitter @ErickWrites, befriend me on Facebook, or just e-mail me and ask.

Erick

Books lose their value due to wear and tear; but it is the e-reader, rather than the e-book, that loses value due to both wear and tear and new technology. Since what causes a physical book to lose value does not cause an e-book to lose value, the issue of e-book piracy is a two part issue. First, it is an issue of what we as readers allow to determine the value of literature. Second, it is the issue of what determines the deterioration of the value of that literature.

If it’s not considered stealing to rummage through a used book store’s free book bin, is there a point that an e-book, perhaps 20 years from now, will also lose value? What will cause it to lose its value? If a I can borrow a physical book from a library, shouldn’t I be allowed to borrow an e-book from a library? If I cannot borrow e-books from libraries, why should I buy an e-reader? For me, convenience is not enough.

Perhaps, with e-books, publishers will come out with a technology that allows friends and libraries to transfer e-books provided they agree that e-book be erased from their computer or e-reader. In the case of author royalties, perhaps authors, publishers, and distributors should raise e-book prices, thus accounting for waste and theft.

I am of the persuasion that literature is created to be shared not hoarded, but never stolen or pirated. How should authors and publishers handle e-book piracy? Should they raise e-book prices to adjust for potential piracy? Should they shy away from selling e-books much like so many would be authors never publish because of fears that someone will steal their ideas? I’d love to hear any thoughts or suggestions.

Again, my question is not about what defines e-book piracy, rather it’s where do the ethical lines of what is e-book piracy begin and end, as well as what determines the value and the deterioration of the value of literature? It’s obviously stealing to walk into a Barnes & Noble, take a book off a book shelf, and walk out of the store without paying for it. It’s not considered stealing to go to a library and borrow a book. If authors have a right to expect readers not to download pirated copies of their books, readers have a right to expect that they can share that author’s information with other readers in an ethical way.

Perhaps, aspiring authors, such as myself, can take a lesson from names like Harriet Beecher Stowe, William Faulkner, and Fyodor Dostoyevsky who determined the value of literature according to strong content that caused people to think and change society rather than fluffy literature that did nothing more than allow people to further delude themselves from the ills of society.

Next week, I’ll explore the issue of e-publishing, so make sure to come back.

Erick