E-authors face a lot of competition. Even though they have a pricing advantage over traditional publishing companies, there are already  many inexpensive and free e-books available. This means that low prices are not enough. E-authors have to find additional ways for readers to notice their books and become interested in reading them. E-authors create a positive first impression when they have book covers that look professional and excellent book descriptions.

The cover is usually the first impression of an e-book that readers have when they are surfing online. On most websites, a cover image is small but can also be viewed at a larger size. A quality design will look sharp in both sizes instead of blurry. The title should also be readable in both sizes. Some e-authors create their own covers with a specialized program or a graphic design program. If they do not have the time, skills, or desire to do it themselves, then they hire an individual or company to help. The cover is important because it shows the book’s “personality,” giving potential readers a glimpse of what to expect.

Another way e-authors can create a good impression is by having well-written book descriptions. When online shoppers click on a book, the description is usually the first text that they see on the page. It is positioned far above the reviews, so if shoppers do not like the description, they will probably not read the reviews. The description tells what the book is about and attempts to create interest in the reader. It also helps shoppers determine what the genre of the book is and what makes the book different from others in that genre. Some books do not have a description at all, which makes it difficult for shoppers to tell what the book is about, especially if the book does not have any reviews either. Shoppers are less likely to buy a book if the only information they have to go on is the cover.

Since the description is usually the first thing that shoppers will read, proofreading carefully is important. Errors in a small block of text could give the impression that the book also will have a lot of errors. Ultimately the quality of the book’s contents matters the most, but a favorable first impression is a crucial aspect of being a successful e-author.

Allison Scott is an editing intern with the Consortium. She’s also an English/Writing major at Oklahoma Christian University and a member of Sigma Tau Delta.

Today many authors, sometimes called e-authors, are self-publishing e-books instead of signing contracts with large publishing companies. Some established authors have switched to self-publishing because they want more decision-making power and better royalties. Other authors, after establishing themselves through self-publishing, have signed book deals so they can have more time to write instead of having to do everything themselves. A lot of overlap exists between the two methods of publishing, particularly among best-selling authors. This is important to keep in mind when discussing the success of the e-author.

The majority of e-author best-sellers cost under $3. Having lower overhead costs gives these authors a pricing advantage over publishing companies. Inexpensive entertainment catches attention, especially in a struggling economy. Both high-volume readers and occasional readers appreciate bargains. A low price attracts impulse buyers who ordinarily wouldn’t buy a book by an unknown author.

Some e-authors have concerns about low prices. First, potential readers may associate a low price with low quality. Then they won’t buy the book, or they won’t end up reading it since they didn’t invest much in it. However, e-authors have challenged this negative association by attractively presenting and marketing their work.

Another common concern e-authors have is that they would have to sell large quantities to make an excellent profit. The definition of an excellent profit varies by the individual. Part of the definition is based on whether an e-author is writing books for a living or simply for extra income. Earning a lot of money from writing is challenging for most authors whether they self-publish or not.

E-authors set their prices low for various reasons.
Some have been able to make excellent profits from selling large quantities of inexpensive books, especially if they have many titles available. With Amazon, e-authors earn a 35% royalty from a .99 cent book sale and a 70% royalty from a $2.99 sale. Even though the prices are low, the royalties are a higher percentage than the typical ones offered by publishing companies.

Other e-authors use the low-pricing strategy primarily to build up their audience. They plan to make most of their profits by selling more expensive books, or other products and services.

Ultimately, self-publishing benefits both authors and readers. E-authors have the freedom to decide what price works best for them, and readers have a large selection of inexpensive, unique books to choose from.

Amy Ellingson is an editing intern with the Consortium. She’s also an English/Writing major at Oklahoma Christian University, a member of Sigma Tau Delta, the National English Honors Society, and an editor for Soundings, the literary journal of Oklahoma Christian.

Literary trends come, and they go, but there is one genre of literature that has crazy staying power: romance novels.

When first researching the top trends in current literature, it broke my heart to see that romance novels are at the top of the sales. Romance Writers of America cited that romances brought in a whopping $1.358 billion in the United States in 2010, leaving religious and inspirational books ($759 million), mysteries ($682 million), science fiction and fantasy novels ($559 million), and classic fiction ($455) far, far behind, as far as profits go.

These numbers beg the question: how do romances keep up such high revenues? Why is this particular genre so popular? The answers flood back.

One response rests in America’s declining economy. While the economy continues to plummet and stress and depression levels rise, readers want a quick read with a happy ending. While other genres are suffering under the weight of the economy, romance novels show that they have the ability to soften the blow of low bank accounts as they give their readers happy endings in difficult times. Motoko Rich, writer for The New York Times, notes that romance novels are inexpensive and therefore, the buyer feels little guilt when indulging in this guilty pleasure: “So many of the books are sold in the mass-market format, smaller paperbacks often found on racks at the grocery store or in airport bookshops. These books sell for $7.99 or less.” Not only do these books uplift the sad soul, they are also inexpensive and, therefore, are financially easy book to buy.

Another big contribution to the romance novel industry is the popularity of eBooks and small publishing houses. One major reason romance novels are tied to eBooks is because of the discreetness of reading a romance novel without the cover shouting to everyone walking by, “I’m reading a dirty book!” With the use of Nooks, Kindles, and the like, readers can enjoy their books in peace without fear of a fellow commuter or coworker “casting a judgmental glance.”

Along these lines, eBook and smaller publishers accept a wider variety of fiction and topics that include more taboo subjects, which are often more difficult to find within a larger publication because of their restrictions. These books put out by smaller publishing companies are also sold for a cheaper price because the publishers do not have to pay a warehousing fee. Because of this, these novels are sold at discount stores such as Wal-mart and are commonly selected impulse buys that readers purchase as they wait in the checkout line.

The pain I feel knowing that romances are the most commonly purchased and read books subsides when I understand the reasons for their high sales. People in our current economy need quick, upbeat reads that sell for cheaper prices and are easily accessible, all of which a good romance can supply.

Joshua Unruh is a writer with the Consortium. He’s also a fan of comics, graphic novels, and tabletop games, and he’s offered to share that experience with our readers in a regular column.

You can read more of Joshua’s work at his site, JoshuaUnruh.com.

When a fresh-faced guy in a Chevy offered him a lift, Parker told him to “Go to hell.”

That’s how the novel version of The Hunter starts and it was retained for the graphic novel adaptation. I considered it a good omen. And I was right.

The Hunter was originally a novel by Donald Westlake operating under the nom de plume of Richard Stark. It has been adapted into graphic novel form and illustrated by Darwyn Cooke. These two guys have an amazing pedigree separately. Together? Well, Westlake is a grandmaster and Cooke is a natural to adapt Westlake’s work as Stark.

Westlake has written over a hundred novels and non-fiction books. He’s won the Edgar Award three times and is one of two authors to win it in three different categories. The Mystery Writers of America named him a Grandmaster in 1993 which is the highest honor they can bestow. He specializes in crime fiction including capers and has branched into sci fi and other genres as well. So the guy is damned talented and if it’s a story where bad people do bad things to other bad people, he seems to get even more talented when he calls himself Richard Stark.

Cooke is an Eisner winning writer, illustrator, cartoonist, and animator. His best known works, before he started adapting the Parker novels by Westlake, were all for DC comics. He did a turn on Catwoman that included a caper story called Selina’s Big Score. He oversaw DC’s reimagining and relaunch of The Spirit. And, most impressive, Cooke did a  studied look at the time that bridged the Golden and Silver Age of comics by way of a well-written and beautifully drawn story called DC: The New Frontier. So the man knows what he’s doing on capers, crime books, and books set in the 60s. That pretty much covers several of the Parker novels and certainly describes The Hunter.

The Hunter was first published in 1962. It introduced us to a man named Parker, a professional robber. Professional robber means smart, ruthless, tough, and willing to do what the job required although Parker has no particular love or squeamishness for killing. The jobs were always heists, bank jobs, or payroll hits. The Hunter finds Parker freshly returning from a double cross that nearly killed him and did wind him up in jail for a while. He was double-crossed by a partner and his wife. Now he’s back and wants revenge. Revenge and his $45,000 dollars. He’s willing to do whatever he has to do to whomever he has to do it in order to get both.

If that sounds familiar as a plot hook then it’s probably because the book has been adapted into film at least nine time. Nine times! Including my first brush with it, Payback starring Mel Gibson. (Which had a Director’s Cut released as well, so it might be ten times if you count them as two different movies – hint: you should.) As far as I know, though, this is the first time that it has ever been adapted into graphic novel form. And, like I said, there’s nobody more perfect for the job than Darwyn Cooke.

I’ve already made it clear, I hope, that I enjoy Westlake’s work, even more when he’s working as Stark. But Cooke has done some of the most enjoyable caper comics I’ve ever read. What’s more, Cooke is in self-avowed love with the 60s and  even wrote a love  letter to the period through New Frontier. Cooke has a style that is perfect for the period with a cartoony style that can do pin-up style ladies…

…just as well as suit and tie wearing hard guys.

If there’s one complaint I have, it’s the way the tonally perfect shadowy art combines with the monochromatic art to sometimes make it hard to tell what’s going on with the action. Everybody is wearing a suit, a lot of times the “camera” is pulled far back from the action, and sometimes it results in not being entirely sure who is doing what to whom. It happens enough for me to comment on it, but it’s really pretty rare. It just sticks out because most of the time, Cooke nails the action just like this:

But like I said, for the most part the art is tonally perfect and executed beautifully. I’ll use the opening twenty pages as an example. It introduces us to Parker at a distance and walks with him as he stalks across the George Washington Bridge. He visibly frightens a woman as he goes past, has a wordless interaction with a waitress, jumps a subway turnstile, hits the DMV, and makes a fake driver’s license.

All of this is done in silence except for the initial “Go to hell.” But we still learn a lot about Parker. He’s angry, he’s focused, and he doesn’t give a damn what anybody thinks of him. He’s also a criminal and a smart one. But because each shot is either framed at a distance or as a point-of-view shot from Parker, we have yet to be properly introduced to him. This goes on for twenty pages until, finally, we’re introduced to the man whose grisly, dangerous business we’ll be following for the rest of the book. And he looks angry. No, in fact, he looks downright pissed. He looks like this:

Hell. Yes.

The physical book is as beautiful a package as the art that graces the cover and every page within. It’s a hardcover and the pages are a thick, sturdy stock with a great texture that begs to be read and reread. Just turning the pages is an enjoyable experience that is reminiscent  of yesteryear when books were built to last. The endpaper has a geometric style very much of the 60s so that you’re being told something about the story even before you get to the first page.

Richard Stark’s Parker – The Hunter is pretty much the perfect little volume to introduce you to both Westlake and Cooke’s work. And it’s a rewarding experience as both a story and a physical object. I recommend it highly to fans of crime stories, thrillers, or those who just want to take a walk on the wrong side of the tracks with a bad man indulging in a little hard revenge. And the best news is that Westlake wrote many, many more Parker novels. And IDW Publishing plans on putting most, if not all, of them out as fast as Cooke can adapt them.

Hell. Yes.