“Moleskine Monday” Contest Results

First of all, thank you to all the authors who donated prizes and put up with my nosy questions.

And a great big thank you to all who entered, whether you answered questions, “liked” my FB page for A NIGHT ON MOON HILL, tweeted, blogged, shared on FB, subscribed to my newsletter, or made comments!!! I was indeed overwhelmed with the response.

Some of you really took this seriously. I think the Queen of entrants had to be Marla Buttars with a whopping 33 entries (yes, it was possible to enter that many times), and even though I used Random.org to draw numbers, it was pretty apparent that those who entered multiple times had a better shot. Still, there were a few winners who entered only once.

So . . . here are the results!

1 Evernote Smart Notebook by Moleskine . . . CHERYL LARSON

1 Sony Digital Photo Frame . . . ANNETTE LYON

1 Moleskine Writing Gift Set . . . CATHY MARSHALL

1 Moleskine Rechargeable USB Book Light . . . MARSHA HANSON

3 Moleskine Passions Book Journals (1 each) . . . LORY HUFFMAN RENDA, MARLA BUTTARS, and JENEPHER ROBERTS

4 Moleskine Classic Ruled Extra-Small Notebooks (1 each) . . . CATHY JEPPSEN, CECILY MARKLAND, EMILY FAWCETT, VALERIE IPSON

1 Paperback of Margaret Turley’s SAVE THE CHILD . . . CATHY JEPPSEN

1 PDF of Tristi Pinkston’s SECRET SISTERS . . . VALERIE IPSON

1 Paperback of Liz Adair’s COLD RIVER . . . PEGGY GOODALE TEW

1 Paperback of Liz Adair’s COUNTING THE COST . . . DANIELLA PARKER

1 Paperback set of Liz Adair’s SPIDER LATHAM mysteries . . . SUSAN DAYLEY

1 Ebook bundle of 7 Romances from Jewel Adams . . . CATIA NUNES

2 Paperbacks of Tanya Parker Mills’s THE RECKONING . . . CECILY MARKLAND, ELIZABETH HALL

3 Ebooks of Tanya Parker Mills’s THE RECKONING . . . JONATHAN NELSON, MARLA BUTTARS, TERRY DEIGHTON

1 Paperback of Julie Coulter Bellon’s ALL FALL DOWN (as soon as it’s out) . . . DANIELLA PARKER

3 Ebooks of Monique Bucheger’s THE SECRET SISTERS CLUB . . . WENDY JONES, TRISTI PINKSTON, VALERIE STEIMLE

3 Paperbacks of Janette Rallison’s MY FAIR GODMOTHER . . . DANIELLA PARKER, WENDY JONES, MARY L. WALLING

3 Paperbacks of Janette Rallison’s MY DOUBLE LIFE . . . MARLA BUTTARS, MARGIE BELDIN, SHELLI PROFFIT HOWELLS

3 Paperbacks of Janette Rallison’s HOW TO TAKE THE EX OUT OF EX-BOYFRIEND . . . CATHERINE FISHBACK, SHANON BROWN, MONIQUE BUCHEGER

1 Paperback of H.B. Moore’s DAUGHTERS OF JARED . . . MARLA BUTTARS

1 Ebook of Joyce DiPastena’s LOYALTY’S WEB . . . TERRY DEIGHTON

1 Ebook of Joyce DiPastena’s ILLUMINATIONS OF THE HEART . . . ANIKA ARRINGTON

1 Ebook of Joyce DiPastena’s DANGEROUS FAVOR . . . SHELLI PROFFIT HOWELLS

1 Paperback of Cindy Hogan’s WATCHED . . . LEE ANDERSON

2 Ebooks of Cindy Hogan’s WATCHED . . . DEBRA ERFERT, MARLA BUTTARS

1 Paperback of Adam Sidwell’s EVERTASTER . . . TERRY DEIGHTON

1 Paperback of Ali Cross’s BECOME . . . LORY HUFFMAN RENDA

3 Ebooks of Ali Cross’s BECOME . . . SHELLI PROFFIT HOWELLS, CHERYL LARSON, MARGIE BELDIN

1 Paperback of Ali Cross’s DESOLATE . . . LAURIE L.C. LEWIS

3 Ebooks of Ali Cross’s DESOLATE . . . REBECCA SHELLEY, VALERIE STEIMLE, ANIKA ARRINGTON

1 copy (Paperback or Ebook) of Danyelle Ferguson’s and Lynn Parson’s (dis)ABILITIES AND THE GOSPEL . . . VALERIE STEIMLE

1 Paperback of Patricia Stevenson’s THE DILAPIDATED MAN . . . LEE ANDERSON

1 Paperback of Patricia Stevenson’s THE JEZEBEL BRIDE . . . SHELLI PROFFIT HOWELLS

1 Paperback of Patricia Stevenson’s THE SHAMROCK CONSPIRACY . . . BECKY HUMMEL

1 Paperback of C. David Belt’s THE UNWILLING . . . DARON FRALEY

1 Ebook of Annette Lyon’s LOST WITHOUT YOU . . . MARLA BUTTARS

and finally…

1 Ebook of Annette Lyon’s AT THE WATER’S EDGE . . . TERRY DEIGHTON

 

Whew! That was a lot of typing. And I’m already exhausted from my successful book launch tonight. (I’ll post about that tomorrow, but here’s a sneak peek at one picture.)

I will get the Moleskine prizes and digital frame sent off to those winners in the next day or two. As for the books (other than my own, which I’ll also send off), I’ll contact the other authors to let them know who won and provide them the winners’ email addresses. (They will then get in touch with you to arrange delivery.)

Thanks again for a wonderful contest. My book, A NIGHT ON MOON HILL, is now up on Amazon as well as the Kindle Store. I hope you’ll give it a look! Thanks for helping me spread the word.

Originally posted 2012-09-26 09:58:41.

Two Great New Prizes for the Contest!

I know, there should have been another author interview posted today, but I promise I’ll make up for it. I have five authors left and seven days to go before the contest closes.

So why not sweeten the prize pile here before the finish?

Seriously, I couldn’t help myself. When I got this email from Evernote about a brand spanking new Moleskine product called the Evernote Smart Notebook by Moleskine, I had to pre-order two of them–one for me . . . and one for one of you lucky contestants.

(Recognize the Evernote Elephant on the cover?)

Here’s a video explaining how this smart notebook (retailing for under $30.00) works:

 

The winner of this item may have to wait a few weeks, but they’re supposed to become available around October 1st.

And while I’m at it, just for fun, I’m adding a 7″ Sony Digital Photo Frame.

  

Now, here’s the catch. To be eligible to win either of these prizes, you have to have signed up for my newsletter on my home page (look for it in the side bar) AND “liked” my new FB page for A NIGHT ON MOON HILL.

For those of you who have already done both of those things, don’t worry…you’re already entered in the drawing for these two items. For the rest of you, now’s your chance!

Originally posted 2012-09-17 17:19:32.

Publishing’s Paradigm Shift – e-Books and e-Readers

Electronic readers, or eReaders, have been around for a while. I remember visiting a good friend six or seven years ago, whose husband was an avid fan. He pulled out two or three different kinds to show me. While I wasn’t that impressed at the time, he wisely predicted the day would soon come that the right platform and right device would eventually come along and tear down the wall that major publishing houses had built around themselves and all their readers.

Enter Amazon (the most popular platform of choice at present) and the Kindle. Soon after the Kindle, we got Barnes & Noble’s Nook, the Sony eReader, and then Apple’s iPad. Here are some statistics I shared at the retreat:

  • There are currently 49 different E-reading devices, including:
  1. –Kindle (Amazon)
  2. –iPad (Apple)
  3. –Nook (Barnes & Noble)
  4. –Kobo (Kobo Books)
  5. –Sony Reader (Sony)
  6. –? (Google)
  • Retailers will sell 6.6 million e-readers this year (3 million iPads have already been sold)
  • By year’s end, 20% of households will have an e-reader.

I put a question mark at #6 above, because a lot of rumors are flying around about Google coming out soon with its own device to hook up with its platform, Google Editions. A recent LA Times article by Carolyn Kellogg played up this point:

“…Google announced it would move forward with its e-bookstore Google Editions, filling it with books whose rights were not under dispute…As if Google Editions weren’t enough, Google has another big question mark looming this season: Will it launch an e-reader? It is well positioned to rival Amazon.com and Apple as a major purveyor of e-books—and if it follows their leads, it will pair content with device and launch its own e-reader. The most recent rumors say that Google will launch a tablet manufactured either by HTC or Motorola, based on either Chrome or Android. Everyone seems to agree that Verizon is the likely wireless partner.” (Carolyn Kellogg, “Fall Preview: Publishing,” LA Times, Sept. 12, 2010)

My friend’s husband was right. Now that we’re coming out with the right platforms and devices, electronic books are here to stay.

At first, regular readers weren’t so sure. The Kindle was priced kind of high when it first came out, but as others joined in the competition, prices began to drop. Here are some more statistics I shared about eReaders:

  • 10 average priced e-books will offset $139 cost of Kindle
  • 12 average priced e-books will offset $149 cost of Nook
  • 39 average priced e-books will offset $499 cost of iPad (which is a good bit more than just an e-reader)
  • $99 can buy you the 5-inch Libre at Borders

Do you have an e-reader? I do, through my iPhone (which has a Kindle app). And we’re not alone. It’s estimated that, by the end of this year, 10.3 million U.S. homes will have an e-reader, according to Forrester Research. Not only that, but book sales are increasing because e-reader owners buy more books. E-reader owners buy an average of 15 e-books per year (and two thirds of e-readers already owned are Kindles). According to a recently released Harris poll, those who have e-Readers do, in fact, read more.

Here’s how it breaks down: Forty percent of Americans read 11+ books a year. Of those, only nineteen percent read 21+ books a year. But among those with e-Readers, 56% read 11-20 books a year with 26% reading over 21 books a year. E-reader users are also more likely to buy books (good news for us authors). And 53% of those with e-Readers say they read more now than they did six months ago. (I know I do.)

So, how are e-books doing over all?

Sales of e-books are up 200% from last year, but still only represent 3-5% of total sales for publishers (I think this statistic has probably changed over the last month). Mike Shatzkin, a publishing consultant, estimates e-books could be 20% to 25% of total unit sales by the end of 2012. Carolyn Reidy, the chief executive of Simon & Schuster, said in an interview that e-books currently made up about 8% of the company’s book revenue. She predicted that it could be as high as 40% within three to five years. Others are predicting it could go even higher–50%–by 2013.

Are e-books a good thing for us, as authors? Definitely. I tend to agree with literary agent Alexandra Machinist:

“At the moment, anything that gets readers to buy more books is a good deal for writers. I’m of the opinion that e-books provide a vast landscape of impulse purchasing and middle-of-the-night, next-in-series buys that don’t exist with traditional paper books.”

Can we make money by making our books available electronically? Definitely, but the amount we make depends on how big our audience, or platform, is.

The late Swedish writer Stieg Larsson was the first writer to sell more than 1 million Kindle books. But his books kind of caught fire and he developed a huge fan base quickly.

Can your e-book outsell your traditionally published book? Yes, given the right buzz.

In its first five days, Laura Lippman’s thriller, “I’d Know You Anywhere,” sold 4,739 e-books and 4,000 physical hardcovers. “This is the first book of ours of any consequence that has sold more e-books than hardcovers in the first week,” said Frank Albanese, a senior vice president at HarperCollins. “What we’re seeing now is that if a book gets a good review, it gets a faster lift on the digital side than it does on the physical side because people who have e-readers can buy and read it immediately.”

Every serious writer today should definitely become familiar with digital publishing. We can’t afford not to.

In my next posting, I’ll be talking about the effects of this shift on Publishers.

Originally posted 2010-10-22 11:36:13.