Brad Grochowski on Authors Bookshop & Joint Ventures

Brad Grochowski is the proprietor of the Authors Bookshop as well as the author of The Secret Weakness of Dragons.   He discusses both AuthorsBookshop.com and creating joint ventures with independent publishers.The first half of the interview appears below. Watch for the second half later in the week.

1. Can you give us a brief description of the Authors Bookshop?

BG: Sure. AuthorsBookshop.com is the Amazon Zapper for independent publishers. It's where independent books and adventuresome readers meet. It's everything I was looking for in an online bookstore, and I built it to share with everyone.

AuthorsBookshop.com is exactly what it says it is - an online bookshop set up to meet the special needs of authors. I wanted to make it easy, friendly and profitable for authors to sell their books online. Prior to AuthorsBookshop.com, the best option was, of course, Amazon. But as big as Amazon is, or perhaps because of how big it is, they just aren't suited to the needs of independently published authors.

So, I set up a service that offers much better terms than Amazon, and really focuses on "You, the Author," so to speak. In addition, I am building tools and features into the site to help authors create a community around their books. The author, as much as the book, is really the focus of the site. You can keep a blog, post links, and display  your bio as well as upcoming book signings and events. There are some great features on the way as well - readers will be able to message the author of a book directly from the site, and authors will be able to recommend other author's books. All things to give readers reasons to explore the site, and to troll around looking at books that they would not have otherwise even known of.

And we are actively marketing the books, too. We are just getting started, but I am already out there - on the web and in the real world - getting the word out about some of the great books already listed in our catalog.

I could go on, of course, but you asked me to be brief. I guess at this point I will just invite your readers to visit the site. That's the best way to get a feel for what it's all about.

2. Why did you set up this site?

BG: That's a great question - and by that I mean, that's a question I love to answer. I had written a little book, The Secret Weakness of Dragons and Other Tales a Fairy Whispered in My Ear, and was working the angles to market it. I knew I wanted it to be available online - but I was really shocked to discover that the only options were Amazon and Barnes & Noble. That's it! Just these Big Corporate Entities. Musicians have had CDBaby.com for years, and filmmakers have atomfilms.com, and probably half a dozen other markets for their work.

But if you had a book, well, you better be prepared to bow to the almighty Amazon and play by their rules! And their rules, believe me, aren't there to benefit Joe Author.

So, I started to list all of the things that I wanted. I imagined a dream site that was set up just for me, and for people like me. Then I built it. You don't have to give up 60% of your cover price anymore, and your book won't sit on a warehouse floor for a month while you wait for it to go online. If you want to change the list price, you can do it - instantly. If you want to update the book's description, or add editorial reviews - instant. And best of all, we won't return your books to you because they haven't sold yet. Once your title is listed, it's listed for life.

Comments

[ellen cherry]

Brad's book is my favorite! I've read it for inspiration. As an indie musician, I love anything with that indie spirit....and I'm glad to see that Brad is at the helm of this--something that will benefit everyone!

[Thomas Nixon]

I agree with so much that he said (and he has more good stuff coming on Thursday!) I think that he will do well with his site. I liked his comparison to cdbaby.com and atomfilms.com. It makes sense.

[sahffi]

I love the website and the indie spirit! Great job, keep it up! And everyone sign up your book! (And Brad is right- my CD is on cdbaby.com!)