3 ms·

Yep I hear you :) I am working to add Topics which I am calling Shelves toward July/August to expand the experience and get closer to what I hope to achieve.

by bwb 6y ago

Yep I hear you :) I am working to add Topics which I am calling Shelves toward July/August to expand the experience and get closer to what I hope to achieve. Here is a really rough preview of part of that: https://forauthors.shepherd.com/shelf-pages https://forauthors.shepherd.com/shelf-pages Please keep in mind that is a very early mockup and I am currently redoing it heavily. But the idea is to recommend books one by one to start, as well as better ways to view them (ignore the bottom of the mockup as that is all being redone). The back of the book jacket costs about $1,000 to $2,000 a month to license, so I can't do that yet. But down the road I might look at that. For now people can click through to the store to see that too.

ilaksh 6y ago
$1k-2k per month for the back cover of a single book makes me think that the publishing industry should be explosively disrupted. Not sure how exactly, but that is ridiculous. Here is an idea: a movement towards exclusively epub with open source DRM and cryptocurrency. And local physical stores can just start printing jackets.
- bwb 6y ago
  Well that includes all the books metadata like cover image, author etc, but ya I agree :). I think part of the problem is that fee to Ingram is for flat files or their API, and you are basically paying them to centralize what they collect from authors.
  - throwawayffffas 6y ago
    I am not a lawyer, but there is no way that using all these things to sell a book is not fair use.
    - hampelm 6y ago
      Possibly, but someone still needs to do the work of the aggregation and QC.
GordonS 6y ago
> The back of the book jacket costs about $1,000 to $2,000 a month to license, so I can't do that yet. Wow, what?! If true, that is absolute madness... I mean, it's basically advertising material - as an author, why on earth wouldn't I want it to be as available as possible? Plus, surely online book shops are not selling $2,000+ of each single book before they break even?
- waihtis 6y ago
  This reeks of some ripoff publishing scheme authors are tricked into by publishers (where they essentially lose control if their own product.) Walled gardens are the main scenario where you’ll see absolutely mental cost schemes like these.
- bwb 6y ago
  $1k to $2k a month for api / flat files with most book data :). It is available to use on the site, but not in a programmatic way.
  - GordonS 6y ago
    Haha, that makes much more sense, it seemd read your original comment too literally :D
SamBam 6y ago
Wait, does the text of the blurb cost $1000-2000/mo? If so, does GoodReads pay that? Because they have the back blurb of every book, don't they? If it's the specific image of the back of the book, I don't actually see that being make-or-break for anyone. You can put the blurb that's styled vaguely like the back of a book if it makes people read it more.

by bwb 6y ago

ilaksh 6y ago

$1k-2k per month for the back cover of a single book makes me think that the publishing industry should be explosively disrupted. Not sure how exactly, but that is ridiculous. Here is an idea: a movement towards exclusively epub with open source DRM and cryptocurrency. And local physical stores can just start printing jackets.

bwb 6y ago
Well that includes all the books metadata like cover image, author etc, but ya I agree :). I think part of the problem is that fee to Ingram is for flat files or their API, and you are basically paying them to centralize what they collect from authors.
- throwawayffffas 6y ago
  I am not a lawyer, but there is no way that using all these things to sell a book is not fair use.
  - hampelm 6y ago
    Possibly, but someone still needs to do the work of the aggregation and QC.

GordonS 6y ago

> The back of the book jacket costs about $1,000 to $2,000 a month to license, so I can't do that yet. Wow, what?! If true, that is absolute madness... I mean, it's basically advertising material - as an author, why on earth wouldn't I want it to be as available as possible? Plus, surely online book shops are not selling $2,000+ of each single book before they break even?

waihtis 6y ago
This reeks of some ripoff publishing scheme authors are tricked into by publishers (where they essentially lose control if their own product.) Walled gardens are the main scenario where you’ll see absolutely mental cost schemes like these.
bwb 6y ago
$1k to $2k a month for api / flat files with most book data :). It is available to use on the site, but not in a programmatic way.
- GordonS 6y ago
  Haha, that makes much more sense, it seemd read your original comment too literally :D

SamBam 6y ago

Wait, does the text of the blurb cost $1000-2000/mo? If so, does GoodReads pay that? Because they have the back blurb of every book, don't they? If it's the specific image of the back of the book, I don't actually see that being make-or-break for anyone. You can put the blurb that's styled vaguely like the back of a book if it makes people read it more.