Online registration starts today. View the conference brochure by visiting the link below.

http://www.willamettewriters.com/pdf/BrochureWebFnl.pdf

Reserve your spot with agents and publishers now!

From the brochure:

August 7 – 9, 2009

Pre-conference Activities 5 – 9 P.M. Thursday, August 6

Sheraton Airport Hotel

Portland, Oregon

“It is never too late to be what you might have been.”

~ George Eliot

Bookstore sales numbers for February from PW. 

www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6651500.html?rssid=192

There’s a lively debate and groups of infuriated authors and consumers over Amazon’s new policy banning “objectionable” material from its best sellers rank/search engine. The new Amazon policy has caused countless books and products (some intended, some not), to fall in sales rank thus sparking the widespread controversy.

Met with as much fury as the sales rank fall of “innocents”, is the new intended policy that will permanently change the ranking system for what Amazon deems “gay and adult themed books”.  

May I say Amazon PR nightmare, train wreck now?

In response to a request for comment, Amazon went on record with the LA Times and explained the disappearing book/sales ranks a “glitch”.

I hope that’s the truth since I have always seen and experienced Amazon as an ally and asset for book sales and author promotion efforts.  

Authors check your accounts immediately to be sure you were not innocently included in the sales rank fall and be advised, Amazon may take a while to address your concerns, if any. In my dealings with Amazon I’ve learned don’t have the staff to field and resolve real time author requests to say nothing of the overload this current public outcry must be creating. It’s best to contact your publisher if you have concerns with your titles, each  has an Amazon account rep. that can deliver more timely responses to your concerns.

Want to see the trend in action at Twitter? #amazonfail: http://tinyurl.com/cmg4vg

Here the LA Times story: http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d8341c630a53ef01156f202135970c

 Keep your finger on the pulse of your books, let’s hope this isn’t a sign of things to come.

UPDATE: 

4/13/2009 The New York Times updates the #Amazonfail story:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/14/technology/internet/14amazon.html?_r=1&ref=business

More link love for authors, new site for book promotion, free at basic level, and the site includes the opportunity to include your book and website links. http://www.filedby.com/

Time management tip: set aside 30 minutes per week to post and update your book and author profiles to the many websites that are springing up all over the internet. Create a one page working document that you can utilize to copy and paste the information.

To your success!

Laura

I just stumbled across a well done book review site and some strong opinions on the state of the publsihing industry. Well worth the read and a join in the conversation.

Turning a Page for the Economy 

” We’re inundated right now with  stories about the death of publishing, the demise of the book, and the woes of the author. Print publishing is suffering, and no amount of DRM (digital-rights management, for the happily uninitiated) can bring us back…’”  

Here’s the full link: http://bethannethebookmaven.typepad.com/stilllifewithbookmaven/2009/02/tk.html

-Laura