The Remains is now a $2.99 Kindle and E-Book!!!

Amazon.com: The Remains eBook: Vincent Zandri: Kindle Store

The Remains is now a $2.99 Kindle and E-Book. We're looking
to break the Top 100 on Amazon and make this brand new thriller a
bestseller.

Captial Underground Radio! The Zandri Interview!

Check out this brand new radio interview and some song from my punk band The Blisterz!!!

Book Piracy and Just Plain Cheap!

"Jesus has returned to earth. But it will cost you five bucks to see Him."
"No thanks, I'm pinching my pennies."



Maybe it doesn't seem logical, but there's a school of thought amongst some authors and publishers that books robbed off the internet, or what's better known as "pirating," doesn't hurt individual book sales one single bit. This seems illogical since those doing the pirating won't have to buy the actual product. It's been the same for the music industry. Pirated music doesn't need to be bought, so the artist suffers. Or does he?

I can't tell you how many people ask me for a "free book" or who tell me that their brother gave them their copy, who got his from a friend, who got theirs from a used bookstore, and when they're done with it, they're going to pass it on to their Aunt Trudy who will hand it over to the Salvation Army bin and then ask for a receipt for her taxes. Cheap ass Aunt Trudy.

My point?

Is this not a form of piracy? Only difference between stealing books or music off the internet and people passing paperback or hardcover books around without having to buy them, is that the latter group commits their crime right out in the open. In fact, nothing irks me more than being approached in a crowded bar and some obnoxious blond will walk up to me and shout "Where's my book?" Like I somehow promised her a freebie. What I always wanna say in response to one of these cheapskates is, "Ok, the novel is 20 bucks. Let's see, you keep the books at a construction company for 15 bucks an hour. How about you do an hour and a quarter's worth of accounting for me and I'll trade you a signed copy of Moonlight Falls for it. Deal?" Inevitably, I'll receive a kind of screwy upturned brow look, that screams, "Well aren't we all high and mighty?" Well, I write for a living, lady!

What will happen the next week? I'll see the same dame in the same bar, and once again she'll scream, "Where's my book?" Only this time, she'll tell me she's started on her own novel about her second marriage to some guy who didn't know he was gay until he got in bed with her. Or maybe he wished himself gay. "You're agent will love it. What's her email address?"

JA Konrath has yet another interesting experiment going in which he is allowing people to pirate his novels. He's going to prove the piracy won't affect sales. I wonder if he ever willingly gives away hard copies to people who refuse to pay for them?

Stay tuned....and anyone interested in pre-ordering The Remains...click Here!

PW and NY Agents Sink to a New Level!

"Excuse me Mr. Konrath, is that a Kindle in your pocket?"


The war in the publishing "revolution" reached new heights today when a scathing article penned by Publishers Weekly essentially accused bestselling author and indy publishing guru, JA Konrath of resorting to "scheme" tactics by signing a new book deal with Amazon-Encore. In a blatant and curious attempt to fully discredit Konrath as a legitimate author, PW sighted falling sales and "a book no one wanted," as the reason behind the new deal with the electronic powerhouse. PW even went so far as to back up their argument by interviewing one New York agent who refused to reveal his or her true identity.

"It's not necessarily clear that big corporate publishing is well structured to help low midlist authors with rapidly reducing print runs in an environment in which overall print sales are falling week by week," expounded Mr. or Ms. Anonymous. "I think what Joe [Konrath] did is valuable in that he saw there was an opportunity to create low-priced content and bypass the system."

Yet one of the agents interviewed, Scott Waxman of the Waxman Agency, must be a visionary who views that same "system" as, well, failing. He fully admitted to even starting his own new publishing venture entirely based upon the new Indy Model. "If you have an author with a platform who can sell books, we're happy selling 5,000 to 10,000 copies," says Waxman about his Diversion Books. "While Diversion isn't paying advances, it's not taking everyone who comes in with a manuscript. This isn't self-publishing...You get real publishing support. I know you don't get that with self-publishing. This lives in between."

Konrath who was quick to respond to this less than kind, blatantly biased, article raises the possibility that PW might owe him an apology. But by the looks of it, PW is simply making a weak play at holding at bay a publishing revolution which is clearly making its presence known in the Big Apple. And like Konrath says, any kind of publicity is good publicity, especially when it's being written by a nose-bitten douchebag.

As a novelist who has published with the biggies and the Indy Presses (no I haven't self-published...yet!), my agent, Janet Benrey (a brave Brit who wishes not to remain anonymous) recently asked me if I would like to make a return to big publishing one day. My response was this: If they want to pay me a major six or seven-figure advance, keep my book in print for seven or more years, offer me 50% on E-Book publication, and 25% minimum on trade paper and/or hardcover, if they want to market the hell out of it, if they can guarantee they won't discontinue the imprint, be taken over in a consolidation, if they promise to abide by the contract and not "cancel" it, and finally, if they'll kiss my perfectly carved Planet Fitness ass, than sure, I'll think about it. Janet's response? Well, she couldn't stop laughing.

Oh, and the link to Konrath's response and the PW Pulitzer Prize Winning article...click here!

Amazon.com: Moonlight Falls (9780981965406): Vincent Zandri: Books

Amazon.com: Moonlight Falls (9780981965406): Vincent Zandri: Books

JA "Jesus H" Konrad's Sermon on the Publishing Mount!

What did the cassette tape say to the eight-track tape?
"We've replaced you, you are obsolete."

What did the CD say to the cassette?
"We've replaced you, you are obsolete."

What did online downloads and yah, pirating, say to the CD?
"We've replaced you, you are obsolete."

What did the E-Book say to the Big New York Print industry?
"We're about to bury you!"

Check out JA "Jesus H" Konrad's newest sermon on the future of publishing hot off the cyber press at the Huffington Post!!!

PS. Yah, I made up the Jesus H thing....

In this Corner, the E-Book; In that Corner, the Hardcopy!

Everyone's a critic....



Is it really really E-Books versus Print? Much like an inevitable global confrontation between good and evil, is the future of publishing really setting the stage for a war of reading mediums? Or can print and E-Books live together in harmony? Check in this Sunday at "CMash Loves to Read" book blog hailing from out of my old stomping ground, Providence, Rhode Island. I'll be ranting and raving about this very topic while you cure your hangovers with coffee, eggs, bacon and home-fries. Hey, the little state likes to do big things. And Providence rocks. And I used to party with Mayor Buddy Cianci back in the 80s!!!