Tuesdays with Story

Albert Camus:
“The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself.”

Tuesdays With Story Writers Mail, May 6, 2010
by Carol Shay Hornung

Note from the Editor: Hi gang. I’m jumping in to do the newsletter in May . . . Please send anything you might think would be useful. I’m aiming to have it out every Thursday, so with luck, here goes . . .

Tuesday Night at the Bookstore
Notes from Amber, 1st and 3rd

We are seven. Let’s see…yes, we have a male presence – Clayton! Now, we are eight. Woot, one more guy, Greg and finally John! And one newbie, Gwendolyn.

Pat is our facilitator for tonight!

Millie – Kim liked Zak in his hunky coat. Pat wondered if Erin’s parents would be amazed at how pretty she is or more about how grown up she looks. Millie gives us some background. Cathy was looking for more information on the debate at the end of the chapter. Clayton found lots of opportunities for detailing the relationship between Erin and her parents. Greg thought it flowed well but was looking for more drama. Nicole thought she could expand on conversations after consumption of the pot brownies.

Cathy – Millie thinks the analogies were great. Greg wants to know about beer, but doesn’t think there should be an overload of beer. John thinks we’re looking for a good story, not how to make beer. Clayton thinks some knowledge of beer should go toward solving the murder. Clayton thinks there’s opportunity for disagreement. Pat likes the characters and their dimensionality. Pat invents a new word – klugy, the opposite of elegant. John also liked the characterization of Nine. Greg thought it flowed well.

Amber – No notes. Too busy listening to great comments.

Kim – No, Leviathan, is not a giant sea monster, but it will come out later that he has some dragon blood in him. Kim gives us a quick background. Jen had a problem with the runes. They’re another language, but he can’t read them. Pat thought James is a young adult, so she doesn’t think he’ll make detailed notes on girl’s robes. John wants some standoffishness between two strong characters. Kim promises a good argument coming up between them. A discussion of conflict ensues. There have to be reasons and it has to go somewhere, otherwise it’s too much.

Who’s Up Next
May 11th (2nd and 4th)
Jack Frieburger, Path To Bray’s Head
Terry Hoffman, scene 3 from The Journal
Carol Hornung, scene from Asperger Sunset

May 18th (1st and 3rd)
Kim Simmons (chapters 20-21, James Hyde)
Nicole Rosario (chapter)
Alicia Connolly-Lohr (chapter 40, epilogue, and preface, Lawyer Lincoln)
Jen Wilcher (chapter 3, Memories Awakened)
John Schneller (synopsis)
Judith – radio play (rollover from last time)

June 1st (1st and 3rd)
Amber – chapter
Greg Spry (novella/part 1, Goodbye, Mars)
Clayton – chapter (rollover from May)
Kim Simmons (chapters 22-23, James Hyde)
Jerry Peterson (chapter 10, For Want of a Hand)

Susan Gloss reports from the Writer’s Institute
I attended the Writers’ Institute at the University of Wisconsin on April 23 and 24, and I would like to report back to TWS members about my experience. Overall, I found it to be a great conference and would recommend it to any serious writers out there. Most of the lectures and workshops I chose to attend were focused on agents and publishing, since I am currently in the process of sending out queries for my novel, EXcelente, which is a work of commercial women’s fiction.

There were also many workshops on the craft of writing, and I attended a few of those as well. One of the most helpful ones was Janet Burroway’s workshop on point of view. She focused a lot on the fact that, at the beginning of a book, the point of view you establish is like a “contract with the reader.” If you break that contract by stepping into the thoughts and feelings of a character outside your point of view, it is a very jarring experience for the reader.

Another thing I took away from the conference was that today’s writers must be very proactive about marketing themselves and their work. Gone are the days when writers could sit in solitude, write a masterpiece, and then wait for the publisher to promote it and sell copies. Most publishers will not sink much money into marketing the work of new authors, so it is important to know your audience and figure out ways to reach those people, whether through social media, blogging, appearances (on your own dime) at local events, etc.

On that note, I recently started a blog, so come check me out at http://www.susangloss.com/blog and leave a comment or two if you are so inclined.

On the Cutting Edge (thanks to Alicia Connolly-Lohr, via Eweek)
11 Reasons Why Google Has Already Won the Ebook Market

News Analysis: Google hasn’t even officially entered the ebook market yet, but the writing is already on the wall. The search giant is making all the right moves that will help it dominate the ebook space. We take a look at how it has been able to accomplish so much in so little time.

The ebook market is becoming an increasingly crowded space. At first, Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble were vying for customer dollars. But after Apple broke into the market with its iBooks service for the iPad, all that changed.

Now, publishers are able to send their books to be sold on several different electronic platforms and (hopefully) turn a profit in a space they originally feared. But there is another competitor making its way to the market—Google. Although the company doesn’t plan to release its service until the summer, already Apple, Amazon.com and the others are looking over their shoulders wondering what the search giant has planned.

They should. Google has a tendency to enter markets, find the right place to promote a service and win out. If it doesn’t win out, it typically performs well enough to succeed. That’s precisely why its ebook move is so compelling. As much as Amazon.com and Apple would like to say that they own the space, it’s very much up for grabs.

So far, the mainstream public hasn’t moved to it in droves, still opting for hardcovers over electronic versions of a book. But as people become more aware of ebooks, they will be looking for the best solution out there. Right now, that might be Amazon.com’s Kindle or Apple’s iPad. In a few months, it could be Google’s service, Google Editions.

Simply put, Google is well on its way to winning the ebook market. Here’s why:

1. The mainstream trusts Google

The biggest challenge for any company in the ebook market right now is trying to get mainstream consumers to buy titles. That might not be as difficult as it was before the Kindle was released, but it’s still tough. Google has the ability to draw the mainstream in a way that the rest of the competition in the space simply doesn’t. Apple is convincing mainstream consumers to look at tablets. However, it’s debatable whether iBooks will really turn out to be the killer app so many say it is. Google is trusted by the mainstream and its success to this point reflects that.

2. Ubiquity is everything

Amazon.com’s decision to offer the Kindle ebook store to iPhone and iPad users was a smart one. But it didn’t go far enough. Google plans to make Editions available in as many places as possible. Users will be able to buy ebooks online from a slew of retailers, including independent book stores. Google also hopes to make Editions available to mobile-device users accessing books from their browsers. Google has realized that the more places it can make books available, the more likely it is that users will buy them. It doesn’t need to have one place that’s bigger than Apple’s store or Amazon.com’s store. It just needs to have several places that combine to beat those stores.

3. It’s not relying on a device

A major roadblock for most of Google’s competitors in the ebook market is that they primarily rely on their own mobile devices to sell books. Currently, the Kindle is the go-to place for Amazon.com’s books. Barnes & Noble’s content is accessed mostly from its Nook e-reader. Apple’s iBooks application is available to iPad customers. Google is different. The company isn’t relying on a single e-reader to generate the bulk of its revenue. It realizes that relying so heavily on a single device will hold it back. And it plans to offer its books on as many products as possible. That’s a smart move.

4. The publishers are warming to Google

Google has had some trouble in the past with book publishers that were concerned about its decision to put the full text of books online. But now that they realize the profit potential of ebooks, publishers are starting to warm to the search giant. For now, the company hasn’t announced any partnerships with publishers, so it’s tough to say exactly how many books will be available on its service. But given the success of the Kindle and iBooks, it wouldn’t surprise me to see every major publisher and several smaller ones inking deals with Google. For them, it’s just sound business.

5. Retailers and publishers are getting the bulk of the profit
The main reason why I’m so optimistic about Google’s chances of attracting publishers has everything to do with its profit-sharing plan. Google intends to share the majority of its profit with partners to help it roll out its service in as many places as possible. It’s another smart move. Although publishers are making strong profits on their deals with Apple and Amazon.com, they’ll naturally migrate to the ebook platform that will deliver the best return. If Google Editions is as successful as many believe it will be and continues to share the bulk of its revenue with publishers and retailers, it could put its competitors in a dangerous position.

6. The iPad isn’t dominant

Let’s not forget that although the iPad delivers a fine reading experience, it’s not the dominant player in the ebook market. For now, the ebook space is a niche that few in the mainstream have fully embraced. Over the next few years, that will likely change as more people find value in reading ebooks. But until that happens, the market is up for grabs. And Google couldn’t be happier about it. When Apple controls a market, few companies have been able to even come close to matching it. In a few years’ time, without Google’s intervention, Apple would have likely dominated ebooks. But Google is getting in at the right time with the right service, which should only help its chances of taking on Apple.

7. The Kindle isn’t dominant

The Kindle is undoubtedly the most successful e-reader right now. A slew of ebooks are available that users can download quickly for the device. All in all, it’s a great product. But it’s not completely dominating the ebook market, either. As much as Amazon.com wants everyone to believe that it has the right strategy to take on any competitors, the Kindle is slipping as the iPad continues its strong sales. Once Google gets into the market, it may only be a matter of time before Amazon.com has to drastically change its strategy just to stay relevant.

8. Google’s other services will help

Part of Google’s ebook strategy is to make its books available to users on the Web. That’s an important distinction. Google has done a brilliant job through the years of using its other Web services to drum up support for its new offerings. Who would have thought that Google Docs would have been such a success, given Microsoft Office’s dominance? What about Gmail? Google knows how to attract customers to its new services. Google Editions will be no different.

9. It will be coming to other platforms

Google isn’t dumb. It realizes that for most users, having a handy e-reader, like the iPad or the Kindle, is the ideal way to read ebooks. Realizing that, the company plans to bring its library of titles to multiple devices to give users the option of buying a book from Google, rather than, say, Apple. That could be the company’s Trojan horse entry into the ebook market. Google has a way of delivering solid, usable software that appeals to users. Plus, if it decides to set its own prices, it can deliver content at a more affordable rate than the competition. If any company can afford to undercut competitor pricing, it’s Google.

10. Google has strong business sense

Google’s understanding of student needs is unparalleled. Take, for example, its decision to make digital editions of major universities’ entire libraries of books available online. That functionality will almost surely make its way to Editions. When it does, college students from around the globe will be able to access any title in a major university’s library to help them with their research, rather than walk over to their own college’s facilities. Try to find that coming from any of Google’s competition. With the right strategy, Editions could be the college student’s favorite companion.

11. Google has strong business sense

Google understands what it takes to be a success. It evaluates markets, determines what’s missing and sets out to slowly, but surely, do what it must to dominate. The company’s decision to offer Editions didn’t simply come out of Apple’s iPad success; it was born years ago when the company started scanning works for its Google Books service. Google knows what needs to be done in the ebook market to be successful and it’s setting out to do that.

Watch out, Amazon.com.

Newsletter duty roster:
June – Jen
July – Greg
August – Clayton
We will need someone in September – let me know if you’d like to volunteer!

Fifth Tuesday
Fifth Tuesday is set for Tuesday, June 29th, hosted by the 2nd and 4th at Terry Hoffman’s place. Directions and the writing challenge to follow.

The Last Word
Here’s a short piece from Wordsmith Anu Garg:

If verbs ever needed a spokesperson, they’d find the perfect candidate in the naturalist and author Terry Tempest Williams, who once said:

“This is my living faith, an active faith, a faith of verbs: to question, explore, experiment, experience, walk, run, dance, play, eat, love, learn, dare, taste, touch, smell, listen, argue, speak, write, read, draw, provoke, emote, scream, sin, repent, cry, kneel, pray, bow, rise, stand, look, laugh, cajole, create, confront, confound, walk back, walk forward, circle, hide, and seek. To seek: to embrace the questions, be wary of answers.”

Until next week . . . keep writing!