Here is my full interview for my hometown magazine. There's a link at the end to see the article on the site. It did result in a few extra sales.
August 6, 2013
Do you
remember your introduction to e-books? The time when many of us claimed we
would never read a book digitally and mourned the close of Borders?
Doylestown
author Neil Ostroff was one of the disbelievers. He has lived in Doylestown for
20 years and lives and breathes writing. He is the author of nine novels,
mainly thrillers and science fiction. Titles include the imaginative “Silent
Invasion” and the crime novel “Degenerates.”
After
plugging away for four years with a big New York agency, Neil discovered what
he had never seen coming: indie publishing. Also known as self-publishing, the
e-book revolution was completely foreign to him. The agent he signed with in
2006 loved his novels yet critiqued them like any mainstream publisher.
“Every
time [the draft] came back it would be a different thing,” Neil explains. “It
would be… this scene does not appeal to twelve-year-old girls. And it was
either [change it] or take out the scene.”
Neil
learned that all agencies categorize authors into genres and prefer them to
stay there. They are looking for a bestseller that may be from a specific
genre, but which appeals to the masses. Neil also learned that after 18 months
of editing, publishers give books a month or two on the shelves. If it doesn’t
sell, the author is often cut from the agency.
The
turning point for Neil from an agent to indie publishing was a catastrophic
moment in a friend’s life. His friend was told he had pancreatic cancer and two
weeks to live. Neil and his wife made the decision to hospice him.
“It
was an incredibly powerful experience watching as his life slipped away and how
he dealt with it psychologically,” Neil recalls. “When the day finally came
that he passed on, I was there to… pull the sheet over his head. I’ve never
been the same since.”
This
painful experience inspired his novel “Drop Out,” which examines the meaning of
life. Neil’s agent was not happy. “Drop Out” was a change in genre.
Neil
did not hesitate. “I decided I couldn’t just let it sit in a drawer,” he says.
He began to explore indie publishing and tested the waters with his first
e-book, “After.”
He
realized all you need to publish an e-book are an editor and a cover artist.
E-book authors have freedom to be creative and keep most of the royalties. Neil
prices his e-books around $2.99 and keeps 60 cents. In contrast, he would receive
15% royalties through an agent.
Upon
realizing the possibilities of indie publishing, he published his other novels
as e-books and found great success with “Drop Out,” selling thousands of
copies. He uncovered the secret as to why every indie publisher has an equal
chance at success.
“Amazon
is not a bookstore, it’s a search engine,” Neil explains. When an e-book is
first published, it’s put in the top of the Amazon algorithm, meaning it shows
up more prominently in search engines. If the book sells, it remains at the top
of the algorithm. Amazon does not separate indie books from agency books.
Through
indie publishing, Neil mastered self-promotion. He once considered himself an
introvert, saying, “I wrote feverishly for 10 years, like non-stop, you know,
that whole thing in the dark room.” Now, with the Internet, Neil joyfully
replies to readers every day.
He
promotes his books on at least 115 websites and has more than 2,000 followers
on his blog, “Always Writing.”
Neil
shares his insight on the future of e-books, comparing them to CDs in the music
industry. He believes it is only a matter of time until someone cracks e-book
encryptions and free downloads are accessible. He sees a future where authors
publish free e-books and simply sell ad space.
Neil does,
however, still sees a need for big publishers. “You can’t give an e-book as a
gift,” he explains. “An author can’t sign an e-book."
The
modern writer has two paths to choose from, each rewarding in its own way. Neil
will not see his books at the library, but he has absolute control.
Indie
publishing may not be a full-time career, but Neil says that all it might take
is one viral hit. Ironically, he has been approached by agencies since finding
success online. This once nonbeliever, however, is sticking with e-books for
now.
