A New Approach (Updated 11/13/11)

I EFFECTIVELY REWROTE THE NOVEL AS I RECORDED THE AUDIO VERSION. I THEN UNPOSTED THE OLD KINDLE VERSION AND POSTED THE NEW IMPROVED VERSION TO AMAZON.

It took me a couple of days but I converted my book to ebook format, devised a virtual dust jacket and I now have my first ever, Kindle-ready ebook.
Lots of glitches of course. Copyright being one of them. But that had a happy ending. The virtual dust jacket took longer than expected. I used to be good at computer graphics but I have not done it in a while and my skills were rusty. Also, using Open Office is slightly different than Word or Publisher or Quark. Similar, but different.
No more queries to editors or agents or publishers. I did not go the ebook route before because I thought the e-reader just would not catch on. I was delightfully wrong. Ebook here I come!

Wish me well.

The New Strategy

A couple of articles in "Forbes" got me to think (and that is a dangerous thing.)

Here is one:
Associated Press
Self-published author John Locke sells 1M e-books
Associated Press, 06.20.11, 02:40 PM EDT

NEW YORK -- A self-published author has joined James Patterson, Stieg Larsson and others as a million seller on the Kindle.

Amazon.com ( AMZN - news - people ) announced Monday that thriller writer John Locke, whose books are released through the online retailer's Kindle Direct Publishing, has sold just over 1 million e-books, many of them priced at 99 cents. His novels include "Vegas Moon," "Wish List" and "A Girl Like You." His latest work is an advice book he was well qualified to write: "How I Sold 1 Million eBooks in 5 Months."

The article contunues below.

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/06/20/technology-us-books-self-published-sensation_8525447.html

There was another article about Amanda Hocking which, darnit, I cannot find right now.

Anyway, the upshot is this. As I said before, it is easier for me to write a four hundred page novel than a one page query letter. And I am now as distrustful of literary agents as I am of publishers. Publishers are still ruder than agents as a general rule, although there are plenty of agents who will give them a run for their money.

So anyway, I plan to go ebook/audio book route. This is a public service to help all of those poor literary agents who complain and complain and complain that they are inundated with queries and manuscripts. I hope to do my part to lighten their load. I hope other writers do too.

I was not aware that there was such a large market for ebook fiction. I don't own a Kindle or Nook and I am not part of that scene. Now I am investigating ebook options.

As mentioned in a previous post, I have a background in voice. I am comfortable narrating my own work. There are not that many ebooks on Youtube and I might get in on the ground floor. I might put the entire novel on Youtube and send a link to where the ebook can be purchased. Some of the details still have to be worked out.

But as for now, I am leaving the agents in peace. I hope they all have a relaxing Summer. And Fall. And Winter.

Happy queries.