Writers Matrix

For the past 21 years, I have struggled to get my novels traditionally pub-lished. Although I have come close on numerous occasions, I've yet to see any of my work produced by a royalty paying publisher. I've submitted hundreds and hundreds of queries, both paper and electronic, and several dozen manuscripts. Month after month, I've waited anxiously for their replies, and had my hopes dashed far too many times with the receipt of a rejection letter.

I've had contracts fall through, verbal agreements dropped, and I even turned down a publishing contract because I thought I could find something better.

I've had the big, "million-dollar" agents. I've made dozens of contacts with the NYC movers and shakers, am friends with editors, agents, and NY Times Bestselling authors. I've even had a senior editor at a major publishing house query me! It's been a fun, yet mostly unfulfilling quest.

So, why am I doing this?

I want to sell my books:

There's power in numbers--the more members we have, the more exposure all of our work will have from blogs, social and professional networking sites and even emails and newsletters.

These websites expose more writers to my writing services, seminars and books, and I enjoy helping writers, as I've been doing now for nearly twenty years.

I've charted a new course for my own writing career, and I ain't looking back. This ship's pulling up anchor soon, and will be sailing fast. Care to come aboard? I guarantee a fun ride!

Gordon2

Gordon A Kessler

Why Be an Independent Writer and Sell Your Work in eBook and POD Formats?

Incredible things are happening. Actually, much of it started years back, but only a few visionaries saw the full potential of what was taking place. It started with "eBooks". They have literally revolutionized the book publishing and selling industry.

The facts, as I see them, are listed below.

The nearly unbelievable success stories:

Not long ago at a writers conference, I heard a simple little lady around 70 years old speak about her experience with her newly epublished cozy mystery. She looked and spoke no more special than you or I. However, she had recently become a successful writer after publishing one eBook for Kindle on Amazon. She had blogged quite a bit to get the word out. She told about making only a few sales the first month, but sales increased dramatically as months passed. Now, Sales for the fifth month were nearly 1300 books, and in the first six days of the seventh month, she had sold 400.

This wasn't the only story at the conference: another lady did the same thing, with similar results; averaging 55 eBook sales per day.

Then there’s the story of 26-year-old indie novelist Amanda Hocking who sold 169,000 eBooks in her eighth month of epublishing, making her total at that point more than 500,000. In the first year, her eBook sales have reached over 1,000,000!

Brian S. Pratt went from poverty level in 2009. With eBook sales, he's on tract to earn over $200,000 in 2011.

Lindsay Buroker has made $724 in royalties for just her third month of selling her two eBooks.

Award-winning mystery/ suspense author L J Sellers went independent, even though she was a successful, traditionally published writer.

Best-selling thriller author Barry Eisler turned down a $500,000 advance in favor of epublishing as an indie! Why? His NYC publisher would only pay him 15%!

The stories go on and on.

The secret seems to be persistence which makes monthly books sales grow EXPONENTIALLY!

Happy!

Traditional Publishing:

1. Fewer people are read-ing. Printing prices are sky-rocketing.

2. It takes around 18 months (or longer) for books published tradi-tionally to arrive on the bookstore shelves.

3. It can take years to find a literary agent, then more years for an agent to sell a manuscript.

4. Traditional publishers spend very little if anything to market their midlist authors' books.

5. Bookstores are closing shop because eBook and Internet (esp. Amazon) paper book sales.

6. Traditional publishers have more competition due to POD and eBooks.

7. Traditional publishers are pricing their eBooks at $8.00 to $12.00 and up.

8. EBooks are taking a larger slice of the pie, so traditional publishers are printing fewer books, and stores are ordering fewer.

9. Traditional publishers are delaying eBook version debuts until after printed versions have been out, to sell more of the paper.

10. Traditional publishers pay 10 royalties on print, 25% on eBooks, tops.

11. Bestselling authors' books are now selling better as eBooks (NYT BS Steve Berry anticipates his book sales will be 60-70% eBooks this year).

12. Although most books are sold by author name recognition and return fans; the cover, book jacket synopsis, first pages and PRICE sell nearly as many.

Indie ePublishing:

15. Indie authors' eBooks are being published for Kindle and listed on Amazon at no cost to the author (along with other eBook sites in formats for other eBook readers).

16. They receive the same attention as traditionally published eBooks do (the same basic listing).

17. Indie authors receive 70% royalties for eBooks priced at $2.99 and over (35% for under $2.99).

18. An eBook can be published and made available within 48 hours.

19. An author does not need an agent (or an editor) to publish an eBook—this can be a bad thing, too, if you know what I mean.

20. Indie authors can reach thousands of readers all over the country and world with just a little blogging.

21. Indie authors can price their eBooks much lower than eBooks distributed by traditional houses.

22. There are incredible marketing tools available to everyone with the Internet, including blogs, websites, social network-ing sites like Facebook, and even book trailers made for YouTube and eBook websites.

23. Book trailers can be acquired for as low as $40 or even be author-produced for very little.

24. Even short stories can be produced for Kindle and sold on Amazon!

And here’s a really telling fact: this past December, only six of the top 26 indie authors with eBooks on Kindle were already established writers.

You've landed on the entrance page for the Indie Writer Alliance. It's a sort of co-op, based from a special member page one click away on this Writers Matrix website.

From the IWA member page, we'll plot our course and work together getting our work epublished in as many places as possible. And we'll promote our work both individually and as a team, finding the best blogs and Internet sites to promote, market and sell our books. Our new website, www.ReadersMatrix.com, will showcase our work with book cover thumbnails as well as individual author pages. Sounds fun, doesn't it?

Why join Indie Writers Alliance?

As an IWA member, you'll have easy access to dozens of critical links and other resources pertinent to eBook and POD publishing, as well as a member only blog conducted by like-minded indie writers.

Through strength in numbers, your exposure to readers will increase exponentially with dozens of members blogging, social networking and otherwise connecting with readers.

Alliance members will feel compelled to purchase and provide positive reviews for other members' work in the spirit of reciprocation. After all, that's what "the Alliance" is all about--writers helping other writers become successful!

You'll find a step by step strategic, book-marketing plan, following in the footsteps of experienced indie writers in order to promote, market and sell your books and help make you a successful author.

Your work (both "self-published" as well as any traditionally published work you wish) will be showcased on the Readers Matrix website, where readers will be able to read reviews, watch trailers and link to purchase and download your work from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other online eBook stores as well as purchase paper copies, should you choose.

What's it take to be an Indie Writers Alliance member? Ambition, a dream, a love for writing and only $10 (a year)!

For the $10 annual maintenance fee, you'll have full access to the IWA member page. You'll also be able to list and showcase (with thumbnail image, book trailer, reviews, etc. if you have them) any and all of your books (pending Readers Matrix approval—see below*) and short stories on the Readers Matrix website home page free of charge (each work listed at no charge must be currently sold on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or any other Internet eBook store with an affiliate program).

If your work isn't currently listed on an affiliate friendly Internet bookseller, you can still showcase it on Readers Matrix for a $1.00 per month per book. A full author's Web page is available for another $1 (author photo, book thumbnail and printed copy must be furnished by author and will be formatted according to Readers Matrix's author's page template).

For even greater exposure, your book can be displayed on the "Featured Books" Amazon carousel at the top center of the Readers Matrix home page for a small additional fee.

*For your book or short story to be granted Readers Matrix approval and be showcased on the Reader Matrix website, it must be original and the author must be sole owner or have approval from the rights owner of the work to be listed by Readers Matrix. Also, for reader quality assurance purposes, a documented response in the form of one of the following three must be presented:

1. Quality checked for grammar and punctuation by a professional editor (this includes both Publishing House and Independent Editors).

2. Two Independent Reviewers' positive responses (this can be from two IWA members who themselves have approved work on the site, or from a known book critic/reviewer).

3. Readers Matrix positive review, with any expense incurred for such service to be the sole responsibility of the owner of the work.

A few concerns to consider before you epublish:

1. What are the traditional publishers going to do—do you think these behemoths will take it lying down? What can they do?

2. Will all these indie eBooks overload the system?

3. Will indie epublishing make it too easy for anyone, even kids and idiots, to publish poor quality work and trash?

4. Will new restrictions be made on indie authors' work to help ensure quality?

5. Just what will the market look like in six months, a year, two years?

JOIN NOW!

If you are not directed to a Web page containing your new membership code please email:

See you soon on

READERS MATRIX!

There are expenses:

That's why I must subsidize the costs with affiliate links and minimal membership dues.

iWa

WORKING TOGETHER FOR INDEPENDENT SUCCESS!

Where Readers Go to Get the Best Quality Fiction and Nonfiction from Writers Who Dare to be Independent!

MAKE YOUR NOVEL AVAILABLE AS AN eBOOK ON AMAZON TODAY!