I don’t know about you, but I’m incredibly excited for the Apple press conference today that will unveil the new Apple tablet, unicorn, iSlate, etc. Whatever it will actually be called, I really want one.

But more than that, I want to hear what Steve Jobs is planning for the publishing industry as a whole. As Apple did with revolutionizing the music industry with the release of iTunes, some are predicting they will do the same for publishing using a variation of the iTunes format for books.

You can read more about the predictions in this Wired article. Plus they have a link to the press conference where you can watch it live at 10 a.m. Pacific time.

This may seem like something only publishing insiders would care about, but every author should be aware of how their content is being published. If this is as exciting as I think it will be, it will dramatically affect how we think of books in the future.

Yes, there will still be physical books. That will never change. But the possibilities for getting your book out before a new and fresh audience are enormous.

I don’t know about you, but I will be waiting in restless anticipation to know what the future holds.

It is vital that authors get to know their characters, especially the main characters. I’ve compiled a list of questions that will help authors create complete personalities and histories for their characters.

These are frequently referred to as character bibles because they will be the go-to resource for information on your character. While it is important to know some of this information for minor characters (especially physical description), their bibles don’t need to be nearly as extensive. Not all points will require answers, but it is still beneficial to consider each of them. It is most helpful when the answers are written down for later reference.

This list is still evolving, so if you have suggestions for more questions to add, please include them in the comments.

Character:

Physical

Physical appearance

Age:

Height:

Weight:

Body type:

Shape of mouth/nose:

Shape of face:

Color/quality of eyes:

Color/texture/length of hair:

Shade/texture of skin:

Birthmarks:

Size/condition of hands:

Manner of dress:

Illness:

Voice and speech

Tone/pitch of voice:

Soft-spoken or loud:

Accent:

Odd rhythms of speech:

Nature of character’s vocabulary:

Grammatical or ungrammatical speech:

Curse words:

Slang:

Multilingual:

Movement and gestures

Hyperactive or slothful:

Awkward or graceful:

Expressive with hands or body:

Poor or good posture:

Ticks:

Agile or not:

Emotional

Personality

Bad:

Good:

Flaws:

Raison d’etre:

Fears:

Pleasures:

Joys:

Ideals:

Regrets:

Defeats:

Triumphs:

General likes/dislikes:

Sense of humor:

Dreams:

Plans for the future:

Attitudes toward children:

Attitudes toward money:

Attitudes toward life:

Grudges:

Revenge:

Personal history

Date of birth:

Place of birth:

Parents rich, poor/middle class:

Parents good, bad/indifferent:

Father’s occupation:

Mother’s occupation:

Ethnic background:

Childhood traumas:

Mental illness:

Brothers/sisters:

Most influential person in character’s childhood and why:

Spiritual

Belief System

Attitude toward sin/evil:

Attitude toward virtue/good:

Attitudes toward death:

Deities:

Atheist/agnostic:

Involvement of deities:

Religion:

How often attend services:

Devoutly or casually faithful:

Attitudes toward liquor/drugs:

Forbidden acts:

Virtues:

Vices:

Sexuality

Marital status:

Sexual preference:

Virgin, well-experienced or promiscuous:

Likes sex or not:

Good or bad lover:

Guilt-ridden or guilt-free:

Attitudes toward opposite sex:

Attitudes toward love:

Intellectual

Education

High school:

College:

Higher degrees:

Course of study:

Completed education:

Success in school:

Reading habits:

Politics:

Literacy:

Vocation

Job history:

Nature of career:

Has character changed career:

Performs job well or not:

Likes the work:

What boss/co-workers think of character:

Skills and talents

Skills

Talents

Hobbies:

Childhood hobbies:

Sports:

Supernatural

Magic

Ability:

Strength:

Weakness:

Physical appearance:

Rules:

Laws:

Consequences:

Societal perception:

Personal perception:

Harm/heal:

Redemption:

Weapons

Trademark weapon:

Special weapon:

Who made them:

Proficiency:

Appearance:

Markings:

Special abilities:

Species

Human/nonhuman:

Intermarry:

How many in world:

Shapeshift:

Procreation:

Death:

Age at death:

Feuds:

Mortal/immortal:

World of Origin

Family:

Society:

Procreation:

Social position:

Dependence:

Social class:

Birth rites:

Death rites:

Resources:

Friends:

Enemies:

With all of the talk of Best Books of the Year, Best Books of the Decade, Best Books of the Century, I thought it would be interesting to reflect on publishing as it was ten years ago. I’ll refrain from analyzing for the moment and instead let you see how much things have changed in a decade and (arguably) a century.

Below are various topics that have had a large impact on publishing over the last decade. Visit the links to see just how much some of these areas have changed since 1999.

Harry Potter

Twilight

Oprah Book Club

e-books

electronic rights/royalties

e-book readers

drm

iPhone

POD

Scribd

Amazon

Google Book Settlement

IndieBound [Number of ABA members: 5,200 (1991) -> 3,300 (1998) -> 1,200 (2009)]

newspaper book sections

Twitter

book trailers

How have changes in the publishing industry affected you and your work?

(I’ll chime in with my thoughts next week.)

Good fiction is, at its heart, about truth. Some may disagree with this statement, but think about it for a moment. The books and characters that resonate with us most deeply as readers and humans speak to us on a level that is hard to describe. They tell us something about ourselves and the world around us.

Some of the things they tell us aren’t nice. They can be unpleasant and downright uncomfortable. But if the writer is being true to the story and characters, she is writing exactly what those characters would do and say.

There’s a saying common among writers: Write what you know. Okay, so if I followed this strictly, I could only write realistic fiction about a 28-year-old single Mormon woman. That would be fine if I were writing a memoir. But I’m not.

The thing about writers—the best ones, the ones who create the most believable worlds, whether realistic or fantasy—is that they imagine. Their minds are filled with what-ifs. They see a situation, hear a story, notice a person, and their mind takes them down a long road of “what if this person … ”

Now these writers, they imagine a lot of things. Some of those things continue the story and keep it moving forward. But sometimes writers must stop and ask themselves deeper questions. If I write this, people may get upset and ban my book. Am I willing to accept that? Should I tone this down and write it so no one would get upset? Would my character really, honestly, truly act this way?

Swinging around to where we started, we have to stick to truth when we write, truth at its most basic. We have to accurately portray the world of these characters and write them honestly.

My biggest frustration with books is when a heroine does something so completely out of character that the entire story feels false. When a story ends in a way that doesn’t feel right. I’m not referring to “right” in the moral sense of the word, but “right” in the sense that the story doesn’t ring true, isn’t true to the people in it. The book could have been absolutely perfect up to that point, but then that moment comes when the writer messes it all up. The character says or does something alien to their nature, so the entire book feels false and unrealistic.

I see this happening when the writer doesn’t really know who her characters are. She hasn’t delved enough into their psyche. But this can also happen with the writer comes to that point in the story—that pivotal moment when one action or word changes everything—and they take the easy way out. They back off, pull back, and make everything better. Or they throw in violence, sex, something so sensational that it’s sure to cause tongues to wag. In either case, they have committed the fatal error of not being true to the characters or the story. They took the easy way out.

Now let me explain what precipitated this entire thought process.

I don’t swear. I don’t drink, do drugs, sleep around. I’m the quintessential “good girl.” I don’t say this to brag in any way, but to explain. I don’t do any of those things, but some of the characters I write do. In the book I’m currently writing, none of the characters would be considered “good” girls.

These girls, well, they swear. I shied away from it for quite a while, tried to phrase things in a way that would tiptoe around it. Then I realized that I wasn’t being true to these girls I’m writing. Their lives are so different from my experience and my life, but when I imagine these girls, I can see and hear and know them. They are in difficult situations and they don’t always keep their language clean. They have made choices and taken actions I would never even consider. But they have.

Some people may well be disappointed in my choice to write about characters in these situations without lambasting them and their actions. I’m neither condoning nor condemning them, but whatever my personal views, I have to be true to these girls or I would be the one lying.

Everything is not clean and easy with this book. I’ve already bawled my eyes out while writing, and I’m only a third of the way into the manuscript. I’ve had to confront some really tough emotions and thoughts because these girls do. I wanted to take the easy way with this story, but the girls wouldn’t let me. I was lying to them and myself. Now that I’ve realized this, I understand these girls so much better. Now I can tell their story honestly and truly.

I’ve determined a schedule for the blog, mostly in an effort to keep myself organized. What follows is the basic schedule, though there may not be five posts in any given week. (Factors like my health, sanity, ability to get guest posts, and absence of announcements may prevent posting every day.)

Monday: writing

Tuesday: giveaways/announcements

Wednesday: publishing

Thursday: guest post

Friday: book review

Saturday and Sunday: if I do post on these days, it’s probably because I feel the need to rant or share something that doesn’t wholly relate to writing or publishing. Feel free to ignore.

In other news, I’m planning to do a giveaway or contest once a month. They’ll be announced on Tuesdays and continue for a week until the next Tuesday. If you have any ideas/suggestions for contests you’d like to see or things you’d like to win, send me an e-mail at michelle.witte@belletrinsic.com.

What is a book worth?

That’s a question often discussed at work when trying to decide how much a reader is willing to pay for a book. Sometimes we go back and forth, thinking and rethinking the perfect pricepoint for a title. Not too much that people won’t be willing to purchase the book, but enough that the publisher and author can get a good return on the product.

More than price, though, is the idea of value. For people to willingly spend their money on an item, it must have value for them, either perceived or real. So what do you value in a book?

I value quality content and writing, especially in fiction. I value quality photography in visual books. I value quality recipes (and an adequate number of them) in cookbooks.

So let’s look at books where (in my opinion) value exceeds price, and on the opposite spectrum, where price exceeds value.

The Notebook Girls by Julia Baskin, Lindsey Newman, Sophie Pollitt-Cohen, and Courtney Toombs. 2006, Warner Books.

I purchased this book tonight, though it had caught my eye before this. The reason for my hesitation in purchasing was the price tag: $22.95 is a bit steep for a paperback young adult book, though it is admittedly hefty at 352 pages. The main reason I broke down and bought the book tonight was content. As the shared journal of four teenage girls, I have yet to find another book (either fiction or, like this one, nonfiction) that has anything close to this content. So, in the end, there was enough value in the book for me to purchase it despite my earlier reluctance to spend that much on a book.

Flight of the Phoenix by R.L. LaFevers. 2009, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

This book attracted my attention immediately. I’ve read and enjoyed other books by this author, and the topic feels fun and interesting. The problem? I cannot bring myself to pay $16 for a 144 page book. The price is increased slightly because it is hardcover. And though there are illustrations, they are black and white, which doesn’t cost nearly as much to produce as if it were color. For me, this book is overpriced, and I will not purchase it. Instead, I will likely request it from my library so I can read it without spending anything.* Then, if I really enjoy the book, I might consider buying it.

My last example is a book at the extreme end of the spectrum. The Wine Opus, scheduled for release in 2010, will sell for $1 million. That’s right. A book is selling for more money than I’ll probably ever see in my life. But—and this is a big but—included with the book’s purchase is a case of wine from each of the 100 vintners listed in the book. As of August, 25 of the 100 books have been preordered. For the buyers of this book, the value meets or exceeds the incredible price tag. So although no one I know would consider such a purchase, there are people who find this worth the cost. (For more details on the book, see this article.)

So what does this mean for publishers, for writers? That is the big debate at the moment. With the price wars the big box retailers are currently fighting, the price of popular new hardcover titles have been reduced to $8.99, which is significantly below the cost of producing the book. The retailers are taking a hit on this one, but who knows how this will affect book pricing in the future. (For a more detailed analysis of the battle, see this article in Time.) That and the increasing prominence of e-books are causing everyone in publishing to evaluate how much a book is worth.

Realistically, writers have no control over the price of their book, but it is important for them to consider the implications of a book priced too high or too low. The bottom line on this affects everyone who will benefit financially from the book’s success.

*Admittedly, Amazon has changed much of the way we think about cost and value with its deep discounting. In the example of Flight of the Phoenix, the book is priced at $10.88. I would willingly pay that much, and a few dollars more, for this book.

With all the recent debate over book covers, it’s important for writers to understand how covers are created.

(See http://justinelarbalestier.com/blog/2009/07/23/aint-that-a-shame/ for more information on one debate on covers.)

Now, each publisher is different, but there are common elements that stay the same. Those common elements include cover image(s), title and subtitle, byline, and font, and cover blurbs. Whether your book is fiction or nonfiction, for children or adults, these elements make up the cover.

Some things publishers also have to consider involve the audience: age, sex, and culture, among other things. The cover should be aesthetically pleasing and attention grabbing while accurately portraying the contents of the book.

Most publishers have an art department or team of designers that they use to create the book cover and interiors. They take each of these elements and incorporate the suggestions of the editor to create several options for the cover.

These options are then reviewed by the editorial team, and revisions are requested. Finally, when all of the elements combine to make a great cover, it goes to sales and marketing for review. They offer suggestions as well, followed by more tweaks, or even a major revision of the cover.

Publishers have come under fire recently for their choice of covers. The thing is, designers, editors, and sales and marketing teams aren’t perfect, but they do have a lot of combined experience. That experience helps them to make educated decisions about what will sell in the market. They may not get it right every time, but their rate of success is much better than if the writers created their own covers. (For example, look at covers that self-published writers create. They generally don’t look nearly as professional as what an established publisher will create.)

Now, let’s dissect several of my favorite covers to see why they work so well.

The Willoughbys

The first time I saw this book in a store, I knew I would buy it. There’s something simple but elegant about the cover. It’s primarily black and white, but a small cutout reveals the red case of the book beneath. The title and illustrations are hand-drawn, giving it a unique look. It is classic and classy at the same time.

The most interesting thing to me is that this is a middle-grade novel, geared toward 8–12 year olds. This is something that might appeal more to an adult’s eye. But since adults are generally the ones who purchase books for children, offering a more sophisticated look appeals.

As for the contents of the book, it is a play on a traditional Mary Poppins–theme, but with spunk. That fits with the style of the cover—traditional with a twist.

The Enchantress of Florence

The most appealing feature of this cover is the textile feel of it. It’s a thicker paper that has a touch similar to wallpaper. It is luxurious, as are the colors and design of the cover. Gold foil rests on top of a beautiful yellow in an intricate scroll design.

If you look closer at the orange background, you’ll see a silhouette of a woman in a seductive position. That is especially telling since the text is sensuous and evocative. Again, color, font, and image combine to make something special.

Stardust

This isn’t the first edition of the book cover, but it is my favorite. There is no image, per se, but more of a design. This cover runs contrary to the others that we’ve discussed—the content is not easily devised from the cover. But still, it works well because it is a beautiful design.

The linear fonts complement the swirling look of the illustration, as do teh colors. It is simple but elegant at the same time. And this is one case where a cover blurb takes up more space than the title or byline, and yet it doesn’t overshadow either.

I could go on about dozens of covers, picking out what I like about covers and why they speak to me. But I’m interested to hear what you have to say about book covers. What appeals to you? Do you buy books because of the cover? I’d love to know which covers have jumped out at you.