December Greetings to our Authors and Friends,
This month marks a significant change for our newsletter, in terms of both distribution and audience. In preparation for additional services for our authors and to establish an archive of our newsletters, we have moved to Substack, a superior publishing platform that offers a clean interface, strong design tools, and the ability to build a subscriber base. As part of our long standing commitment to transparency, we have also decided to open the newsletter up to the general public, starting with those who have shown an interest in WHP.
If we find the platform useful, we also intend to assist our authors in establishing a presence here. Think of Substack as a safer place to build your brand. Since there is NO advertising and thus no algorithmic manipulation of what is shown to you, there is no tendency to amplify extreme points of view or display clickbait. I’ve found my Facebook feed in particular to be filling up more and more with sponsored posts, some of them good, but many irritating or inapplicable to my interests. Let me know if you are interested or have other ideas. As we delve into Substack, we will share our findings with you.
For Our Authors:
Royalties
We will be sending out royalty payments for the 4th Quarter of 2020 on 5 January 2021. Those of you who have provided us with ACH payment details will have it deposited on 6 January. If you have not, then the payment should arrive by the end of that week.
Monthly Report
Recent enhancements to the monthly sales report include the breakout of all tax and shipping cost information for web and in person book orders. As always, if you wish an up-to-date copy of the report outside the monthly cycle, please contact me at dave@warner.house and I will be happy to provide one to you.
Recent Marketing Efforts by WHP
We continue to concentrate on Facebook marketing and are preparing to conduct the “B” portion of A/B post testing for several books in early January. The “A” portion netted a few sales through our website and a greater reach across Facebook. In addition to boosted Facebook posts, we have been interacting with similar FB groups, and doing the same on Twitter.
Prayer Requests
Please let us know if you have any prayer requests as we head into a new year.
For Our Authors and Friends:
Charles H. Spurgeon
I have been a fan of C.H. Spurgeon for over two decades. If you have enjoyed his sermons, there is a group of like-minded folks on Twitter that will be reading through his sermons, one a day, starting January 1st 2021. The group can be found at @ReadingSpurgeon. For those of us with less time, they will be highlighting a weekly reading as well. It will take almost 10 years to read all of Spurgeon’s sermons! For more information about Spurgeon, including a repository of all his works, visit https://www.spurgeon.org/.
AudibleGate
The controversy around Audible’s questionable accounting and legal practices continues. Author Susan May (founder of the FB group Fair Deal for Rights Holders & Narrators) has received enormous support from the Alliance of Independent Authors and the fight is continuing. Crucial to a resolution that includes a “Fair Deal” is the revision of Audible’s accounting practices.
Disney Denial
Another recent example of unfair practices towards authors has surfaced. Disney has flatly denied payment of royalties to authors penning movie novelizations. One of those authors, Alan Dean Foster (who resides in Prescott), is facing tremendous medical issues, along with his wife. The Science Fiction Writers of America have gotten involved. More information is located here.
Logos Bible Software
Since December 2007, I have been enjoying the use of Logos Bible software for my Bible studies, research, and devotionals. Recently I found that there is a free version of the software: Logos Basic. I’m extending an offer of assistance to any WHP author if they wish to install and use this software.
Thank you for reading thus far and for placing your trust and interest in our enterprise. We look forward to a challenging, exciting year!
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