In the light of recent news about e-books on amazon can anyone tell me why Waterstones is complicit in the disappearance of the printed book? While Amazon report that sales of ebooks (excluding free downloads) now outstrip combined sales of paperbacks and hardbacks 114 to 100, Waterstones have introduced a counterproductive events policy.
Nothing is ever achieved by being defeatist. Trends are not inevitable.
With passion, hard work, and some common sense, the printed book can survive alongside its electronic partner - yes, partner, not competitor. Why not, when ebooks are attracting more people to read?
Waterstones have a responsibility to readers and authors who want to see them come out fighting in defense of physical books. There is no one else who can do this on a significant scale (with no disrespect intended to the fantastic dedicated smaller chains and independent bookshops).
Read about "Waterstones Faulty Logic" on Book2Book (booktrade.info site)
http://www.booktrade.info/index.php/showarticle/42274/nl
I make little personal gain from sales of my printed books. Two of my titles are on offer on amazon kindle, one on the Summer Kindle Reading Marathon. Most sales of my books are already online.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Death-Geraldine-Steel-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0071CQV8U/pocketessentials
But I would hate to see printed books disappear. If you agree, please join in the debate. Visit your local bookshop to discuss what is happening. Post online, join in debates taking place on my blog and others, on my facebook page, and twitter.
Don't wake up one morning and express surprise that Waterstones have gone.
Think about Ottakars, Dillons, and others, recently taken over by Waterstones. Then think about Borders, more recently morphed into stores like Primark. Then think.
Posted by Leigh Russell
Showing posts with label Waterstones. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Waterstones. Show all posts
Monday, 6 August 2012
Saturday, 26 June 2010
This Weekend
ROAD CLOSED reviewed in The Times
"well-written, soundly plotted, psychologically acute"
Marcel Berlins
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/arts/books/fiction/article2572500.ece
CUT SHORT No. 1
ROAD CLOSED No. 2
Bestseller Chart at Waterstones in Harrow
Not a bad weekend...
Leigh Russell
"well-written, soundly plotted, psychologically acute"
Marcel Berlins
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/arts/books/fiction/article2572500.ece
CUT SHORT No. 1
ROAD CLOSED No. 2
Bestseller Chart at Waterstones in Harrow
Not a bad weekend...Leigh Russell
Sunday, 13 June 2010
What Makes a Book Popular?
I've been posting a lot about my recent activities. Life has been hectic with visits to stimulating writers groups and a host of searching interview questions both online and on various radio stations. I still have quite a few events to blog about. I haven't told you how much I enjoyed talking to Thames Valley Writers, or how I felt being interviewed live on Radio 91.8 FM (another live radio interview coming up next Saturday), or being approached by Woman and Home Magazine (where we talked about blogging!), or spending time signing airside at Heathrow Terminal 5 (where I saw ROAD CLOSED displayed at No. 7 on the WH Smith's Travel Bestseller Charts), hearing that my books are displayed at No. 4 and No. 6 on the Bestseller Chart at Waterstones in Bedford, or the thrill of receiving an email from award winning author Sam Millar who's just read ROAD CLOSED "and really loved it" (Sam won the prestigious Aisling Award for Art and Culture, the Martin Healy Short Story Award, the Brian Moore Award for Short Stories and the Cork Literary Review Writer’s Competition. His best-selling memoir, ON THE BRINKS, has recently been acquired by Warner Brothers... and that's just a taster)
But I thought it was time to return to some serious discussion about writing. Even I can see that there's only so much personal news I can blog about without becoming... how shall I put this?... repetitive... (OK, boring...)
One of the questions I was recently asked (Hayes FM) was:
"CUT SHORT launched in the summer and sold so fast your publisher had to reprint after two months. What elements in the book do you think made it so popular?"
That's a tricky one. What is it that makes some books grab our attention while others leave us unengaged?
For those of you who missed the radio broadcast my answer at the time went something like this.
"My books are plot driven so readers read on to find out what happens. But it is character that interests me. People fascinate me. Perhaps the popularity of my books is due to a combination of exciting plots and convincing characters." I went on to say that of course many authors achieve that, so I can't account for my success with CUT SHORT reprinted 3 times in its first year and ROAD CLOSED already off the starting posts, with its first few reviews pretty positive. So far a Top 50 Reviewer on amazon has said: "The characters are believable and I really like Geraldine... I also liked the way everything dovetailed together so that while you're reading you get those light bulb moments when a piece of the jigsaw slots into place..." Another reviewer says "tense and gripping... with an exhilarating climax that you don’t see coming until it is too late... Geraldine is a gifted, strong and likeable character." Sam Millar wrote of ROAD CLOSED that it is "a gripping, fast-paced read, pulling you in from the very first tense page and keeping you captivated right to the end with its refreshingly compelling and original narrative...Geraldine Steel is a complex and highly driven character, with multifaceted feelings of contradiction and nuance." Jeffery Deaver also mentioned plot and character, now I come to think of it, when he described CUT SHORT as "a seamless blending of psychological sophistication and gritty police procedure. And you're just plain going to love DI Geraldine Steel." In fact most of my reviewers cover both plot and character, so perhaps it is a combination of strong plot and convincing characters that is winning fans for my Geraldine Steel series.
What elements in any book do you think make it popular? It's an important question for an author - but is it an impossible one to answer?
But I thought it was time to return to some serious discussion about writing. Even I can see that there's only so much personal news I can blog about without becoming... how shall I put this?... repetitive... (OK, boring...)
One of the questions I was recently asked (Hayes FM) was:
"CUT SHORT launched in the summer and sold so fast your publisher had to reprint after two months. What elements in the book do you think made it so popular?"
That's a tricky one. What is it that makes some books grab our attention while others leave us unengaged?
For those of you who missed the radio broadcast my answer at the time went something like this.
"My books are plot driven so readers read on to find out what happens. But it is character that interests me. People fascinate me. Perhaps the popularity of my books is due to a combination of exciting plots and convincing characters." I went on to say that of course many authors achieve that, so I can't account for my success with CUT SHORT reprinted 3 times in its first year and ROAD CLOSED already off the starting posts, with its first few reviews pretty positive. So far a Top 50 Reviewer on amazon has said: "The characters are believable and I really like Geraldine... I also liked the way everything dovetailed together so that while you're reading you get those light bulb moments when a piece of the jigsaw slots into place..." Another reviewer says "tense and gripping... with an exhilarating climax that you don’t see coming until it is too late... Geraldine is a gifted, strong and likeable character." Sam Millar wrote of ROAD CLOSED that it is "a gripping, fast-paced read, pulling you in from the very first tense page and keeping you captivated right to the end with its refreshingly compelling and original narrative...Geraldine Steel is a complex and highly driven character, with multifaceted feelings of contradiction and nuance." Jeffery Deaver also mentioned plot and character, now I come to think of it, when he described CUT SHORT as "a seamless blending of psychological sophistication and gritty police procedure. And you're just plain going to love DI Geraldine Steel." In fact most of my reviewers cover both plot and character, so perhaps it is a combination of strong plot and convincing characters that is winning fans for my Geraldine Steel series.
What elements in any book do you think make it popular? It's an important question for an author - but is it an impossible one to answer?
Sunday, 4 April 2010
Leigh Russell's Visit to Kent
I had an email from JEFFERY DEAVER who "loved" CUT SHORT!
He was even kind enough to send a quote:
"Cut Short is a stylish, top-of-the-line crime tale, a seamless blending of psychological sophistication and gritty police procedure. And you're just plain going to love DI Geraldine Steel. - JEFFERY DEAVER"
This is BBC Radio Kent where I chatted to Pat Marsh and Linsey on the Saturday Breakfast Show. Their enthusiasm was infectious! You can see how much wider awake I look after meeting them. You can hear my live interview on 1.16.35 - 1.22.22 http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0072y6s/Pat_Marsh_Saturday_03_04_2010/
/
A big THANK YOU to all the readers in Tunbridge Wells who stopped for a chat. It was lovely to meet you, especially those of you who bought CUT SHORT! Look out for ROAD CLOSED, published in June. I've just seen the final proofs, ready in time for the London Book Fair.
Finally - before you go, watch the tear on the book cover below!
He was even kind enough to send a quote:
"Cut Short is a stylish, top-of-the-line crime tale, a seamless blending of psychological sophistication and gritty police procedure. And you're just plain going to love DI Geraldine Steel. - JEFFERY DEAVER"
This is BBC Radio Kent where I chatted to Pat Marsh and Linsey on the Saturday Breakfast Show. Their enthusiasm was infectious! You can see how much wider awake I look after meeting them. You can hear my live interview on 1.16.35 - 1.22.22 http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0072y6s/Pat_Marsh_Saturday_03_04_2010/
/
I really enjoyed meeting Pat and Linsey. After the interview, I went round the corner and found Waterstones in Tunbridge Wells where I was due to sign CUT SHORT. It sold out by 3 o'clock, so I had time to buy another pair of purple shoes before I left...
Finally - before you go, watch the tear on the book cover below!
Wednesday, 7 October 2009
The Hub
It’s happened. After weeks hearing whispers of concern, muttered gripes and grumbles from all sorts of quarters, it’s finally happened to me . . . I’ve fallen foul of . . . (cue spooky sound effects, dim the lights) . . . The Hub.
I’m passionate about authors supporting bookshops. I’ve blogged elsewhere about this, on the Bookseller blog and on my own blog
http://www.leighrussell.blogspot.com
I’ve signed at 24 bookshops since Cut Short launched three months ago without any problem. On each occasion my book sold out and I was invited to return. I have a further dozen signings booked between now and Christmas, with several more bookshops lined up for after Christmas.
What could possibly go wrong with my bookshop events?
This coming Saturday would have been no exception. I’d arranged to sign at a busy branch of Waterstones. The Events Manager couldn’t have been more helpful. As usual, I was happy to put in the hours. The bookshop was ready. I was ready. Everything seemed fine - until I received an email from the bookshop to say they were unable to obtain the stock in time and had to cancel. The distributor could deliver the books immediately, but the store isn’t allowed to accept a delivery without permission from . . . The Hub. The Waterstones Hub.
In the good old days there wouldn't have been a problem. (What am I talking about? I’ve been a published author for three months – what good old days?). Books were delivered by the distributor whenever they were needed. There was never a problem. The distributor distributed books. That’s their job. They do it very well. What could be simpler?
Seems it was too simple and successful a system to survive.
So now Waterstones own Hub is stopping Waterstones stores from selling books.
I’m known for being outspoken but this is so weird I don’t know how to react.
Something this bizarre needs the pen of George Orwell . . . hang on, he wrote fiction. . .
Leigh Russell, author of CUT SHORT
(available on amazon and perhaps in good bookshops)
I’m passionate about authors supporting bookshops. I’ve blogged elsewhere about this, on the Bookseller blog and on my own blog
http://www.leighrussell.blogspot.com
I’ve signed at 24 bookshops since Cut Short launched three months ago without any problem. On each occasion my book sold out and I was invited to return. I have a further dozen signings booked between now and Christmas, with several more bookshops lined up for after Christmas.
What could possibly go wrong with my bookshop events?
This coming Saturday would have been no exception. I’d arranged to sign at a busy branch of Waterstones. The Events Manager couldn’t have been more helpful. As usual, I was happy to put in the hours. The bookshop was ready. I was ready. Everything seemed fine - until I received an email from the bookshop to say they were unable to obtain the stock in time and had to cancel. The distributor could deliver the books immediately, but the store isn’t allowed to accept a delivery without permission from . . . The Hub. The Waterstones Hub.
In the good old days there wouldn't have been a problem. (What am I talking about? I’ve been a published author for three months – what good old days?). Books were delivered by the distributor whenever they were needed. There was never a problem. The distributor distributed books. That’s their job. They do it very well. What could be simpler?
Seems it was too simple and successful a system to survive.
So now Waterstones own Hub is stopping Waterstones stores from selling books.
I’m known for being outspoken but this is so weird I don’t know how to react.
Something this bizarre needs the pen of George Orwell . . . hang on, he wrote fiction. . .
Leigh Russell, author of CUT SHORT
(available on amazon and perhaps in good bookshops)
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