My Reaction to Chuck Wendig’s Recent Blog Posts

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Chuck Wendig, self-published authors, self-publishing

Some of you in the self-publishing or even just the writing world may have heard of novelist Chuck Wendig’s two recent blog posts about self-publishing. They’re being discussed on author blogs, writing forums and social media sites, stirring up emotion for better or worse.

Basically, what Wendig is calling for is that self-published authors need to step it up.

That’s what I got out of his posts, and its been something I’ve been realizing more and more in recent months. Since self-publishing is here to stay, and many are choosing this option, it is best to take it to the next level.

In his first blog post, Self-Publishing is Not the Minor Leagues, Wendig says this:

See, here’s the thing. Though acting as author-publisher is a viable choice, it’s one that retains a stigma — lessened, these days, but still a stigma carried by other writers, by those in publishing, by bloggers, and in some cases by readers. The air, suffused with an eggy stink.

You want to get rid of the stigma once and for all? Clear the room of any bad smell?

Good.

Then it’s time to take a long look at the culture surrounding self-publishing. We’ve moved past the time where we need to champion the cause, okay? We’ve seen enough success in that space and have plenty of positive examples it’s time to stop acting as cheerleaders.

The sad truth about self-published books is that many are not produced well. Many of them are loaded with poor editing, and some even have poor cover designs. Some would say the stories are terrible, but that’s a matter of opinion and a whole different debate.

But yes, many self-published books are released with many typos and grammar issues. It has gotten to the point where many readers are refusing to read self-published books unless word of mouth assures them that a particular book has no editing issues.

Is this something we really want for ourselves? Do we really want that dark cloud hanging over our work like that? I don’t. My book had editing problems when I initially released it. Even though I fortunately got that fixed and re-released my book, the complaints are written in stone on Amazon, Goodreads and book review blogs. So, my book and my reputation as an author is another statistic. I don’t want that for myself in the future, and I don’t want that anymore for my fellow self-published writers.

We no longer have any excuses. There’s just no reason to shrug such flaws like that. We shouldn’t even shrug off lousy book covers or unprofessional behavior. If we want to be taken seriously and respected by writers and readers alike, then we have to take our work and ourselves as writers seriously. A few years ago, writers like ourselves raved that self-publishing was the future of books. We’ve helped revolutionize how books are produced. But with our unprofessional work and behavior, we’ve made ourselves look bad among readers, publishers and traditionally published writers. If we truly believe in what we are doing and creating, then we can’t live in denial about the reputation we have now.

I like it when Wendig says this:

Self-publishing isn’t a lifestyle choice.

It isn’t a hobby.

It’s not a panacea. It’s not pox on your home.

It is neither revolution nor religion.

Yes. It’s a business. Period.

(Oh, and it damn sure isn’t a place to improve your craft. That’s called “writing.” Writing is how you improve your craft — by doing a whole lot of it, by reading, by having your work read by friends and family and by other writers and by editors. Publishing is not where you improve your craft. You don’t learn to pilot an airplane by taking a job with U.S. Airways. A job as an executive chef is not analogous to a cooking class. You wouldn’t expect that of other careers, so why are we okay with it when it comes to author-publishers?)

Yep, once you click on “upload”, you are in real time and not practicing. By then, you are asking for total strangers’ time and money, even if its only a few cents or dollars. They are like any other reader, and having your book not be traditionally published doesn’t mean they will see your work differently. Unless of course, its badly edited like too many are.

I’ve said before and I’ll say again: it’s time to put down the Pom-Poms and time to pick up a magnifying glass — or, for some, a mirror. Don’t celebrate mediocrity. Don’t encourage half-assing this thing for a couple of bucks. This is scrutiny time. This is time to not to say, “Here, you’re doing this wrong,” but “Here, let me help you do this better.” This is time for conversation and constructive critique, not empty applause and pedestal-building.

The culture will need to start asking tougher questions. If we’re going to admit that self-publishing is an equal choice, then it’s time to step up and act like it. It’s time to stop acting like the little brother trailing behind big sister. Time to be practical. And professional.

Since self-publishing my book in September 2012, I’ve changed my whole attitude toward self-publishing, writing and being an author in general. Doing this has made me question why I write in the first place, why I am aiming to publish my work when I write, what it means to be an author, and how I see my audience. I’ve radically changed my attitude since September 2012. I’ve grown so much and learned much more. I have also been honest with myself about why I write at all, and why I want to share my work with total strangers worldwide.

Maybe its because it’s innate, like the “I can’t not write” mindset some writers have is also mine. Or maybe once I start writing scenes, creating characters and worlds, I cannot wait to share them with others. As I write the sequel to The Dark Proposal, I get giddy when I write a good scene or a character shows a deeper side of themselves or a twist comes along. I then get excited by others reading that, and hope they get as excited as I do. It’s give and take when it comes the author and the reader. I offer to share my stories with them, and hopefully they will accept and appreciate that I entertained them or made them think.

Which leads to Chuck Wendig’s second post about self-publishing: Self-Publishing Readers are Not Good Gatekeepers. Here, he discusses the attitude some self-published writers have toward their audiences, and it is not very good. He says:

Because the moment you go somewhere — Amazon, Smashwords, B&N, wherever — and you start charging money, that changes the equation. By a strict reading, that’s no longer Hobbytown, Jake. You’ve entered pro grade territory. You’re asking readers to take a chance on your work for one buck, three bucks, five bucks, etc. You’re not hosting a party. You’re running a lemonade stand.

So stop pissing in the lemonade and asking people to give you cash to drink it.

Once a book is uploaded somewhere, it becomes a product and the buyer is a customer. Would anyone give something mediocre to an interested buyer? And would that person honestly expect them to shrug off any mistakes and ignore unprofessionalism?

If anyone wants to be a respected businessperson and really cares about what they are producing and selling, the answer is no. If they really care about their audience, they also would not see them as guinea pigs or people who exist to boost their egos. It’s all give and take between authors and readers. You want to share your story with someone, that someone wants to be entertained. You give them respect, they give you respect. You give them crap, they throw it right back at you. If you really give them crap, you have a very deep hole to climb out of with not too many willing to help. Wendig says it better:

[I]t’s putting out. It feels exploitative. It feels careless.

And it’s is not an uncommon attitude amongst author-publishers, and what it tells me is, you care about yourself as a writer but not your readers.

He goes on to say this:

Asking readers to be your gatekeepers is putting a lot of responsibility on the people who are paying you. Stop saying you’re going to let the readers figure it out when it comes to sorting through what’s crap and what’s not. You need to figure that out. That’s on you.

Eventually, readers will grow tired of having to be your gatekeepers.

And they’ll ask someone else to do it for them.

Do we as self-published writers really want that? To ruin what we hyped up so much? To ruin our personal hard work and money? I don’t. I realized about a year ago that I did not want to be another statistic, even if I already was. I didn’t want my failures to ruin my goals and dreams, and have me stomp away from the literary world like a little brat. I wanted to learn and improve myself as self-publisher, and take responsibility for everything I worked on.

So, I am ready to move on. I’m ready to get going and be a businesswoman. I have a product here, and I need to represent it well. I have potential readers who may be curious about it, and they deserve respect. I’ve read a lot about the negative attitudes some have toward self-publishing, and I’ve seen many writers make similar mistakes to mine. All have made me rethink my perspective on self-publishing.

I think enough is enough, and we need to move on. We need to improve. We need to prove to the literary world that we truly are a force to be reckoned with, and not a fad. But that will only come if more self-published authors step it up.

Chuck Wendig has rung the alarm, and he says it best here: Writing is a craft, storytelling is an art, publishing is a business.

I’m ready to step it up, and I hope I succeed. I hope many want to do the same.

I’m Excited About Oyster and Scribd

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books, eBooks, indie authors, Indie books, Netflix, Oyster, Oyster.com, Scribd, self-publishers, self-publishing, Smashwords

Some of you may be aware that there’s a Netflix for eBooks in town. Or, on the Internet, actually 🙂

Last fall, Smashwords notified its authors that it was teaming up with Oyster and Scribd as a way to distribute its ebooks to readers. These two websites operate kind of like Netflix. Meaning, a subscriber pays a certain amount each month to have “borrowed” books sent to their eReader. There is also a “recommended for you” part on these sites, which Netflix has too. This will allow word of mouth to come into play for many authors, which is the best way to sell anything for anyone.

And yes, there is a financial pay-off, but that all depends how much of a book a reader actually reads. There is a compensation (not a lot, but its still money) when a book is actually read from cover-to-cover. There are other payments, albeit smaller, when half or two-thirds of the book is read. So all in all, Oyster and Scribd offer indie authors both a chance to find new readers and get some compensation for their investment.

But I have heard about some writers being uneasy with this. Some of them aren’t too optimistic because both Oyster and Scribd are new ventures, and there is a concern that they might fail. Others claimed to have used one of these sites before they teamed up with Smashwords, and they had to go to great lengths to get their royalties. And there are some who say Oyster and Scribd are going to cheapen the book industry because it is so cheap to get books, particularly eBooks.

Regarding the first concern, many business ventures start off slowly before taking off. Look at Twitter. Many laughed at that idea, and now the CEO is laughing his way to the bank. I am optimistic that Oyster and Scribd will succeed, because it was inevitable that an eBook loaning site will start with the advent of eBooks.

Now as for the shady side of those two sites, well, I don’t think Smashwords’ Mark Coker would want to do business with something that will hurt the authors who come to his site. Since authors like me are half the reason why Smashwords is a success (the other half is from the readers who buy their books there), why would he want to anger us? We’re like his bread and butter.

As for cheapening the book business, yes I admit it sounds a bit scary. The publishing industry keeps changing, thanks to the Internet and the ever-evolving digital technology. But the music industry was turned upside down by file sharing and iTunes, and it is still standing. Netflix’s only casualty were video store chains, like Blockbuster. But movies are still being made and still generating money. As technology changes, so must we.

But I don’t think these two sites, or any other route for authors to sell or spread the word about their books, will destroy the book business. Things are little shook up now, but I’m sure everything will work out in the end.

I’m excited for these ventures, and I don’t see why they would fail. Here in the U.S., Netflix and Redbox are a success, so why can’t those two book loaning sites be successful with readers? Plus, the idea of more people coming across my book sounds great to me! And if they only read half of it, well, anything towards what I invested in is fine by me.

By the way, if you are an author on Smashwords, the way to have your books included on Oyster and Scribd is to have them in the premium catalog.

Self-Publishing – You, Yourself and No One Else

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authors, self-published authors, self-publishing, writers

I’ve talked extensively about self-publishing in this blog. Naturally, since I am one myself. But I feel that it is important that I discuss the reality of self-publishing, because I think there is a lot of misinformation out there, plus some authors choose this route not fully aware of what they are getting themselves into. Granted, neither did I when I went into this, so I want to share what I’ve learned in hopes that someone looking to self-publishing would really take in account what it is all about.

Image via Wikimedia Commons

To put it simply: self-publishing is about you, yourself and no one else.

By that I do not mean it is a chance to be a millionaire, an overnight success with tons of fans worshiping you. Self-publishing means you alone are in charge of your enterprise. That means you alone are the author, editor, employer, businessperson, PR and advertising specialist, and most of all, your own cheerleader. Please note that the key word in self-publishing is the word “self”, and not just “publishing”.

Based on my experience, and watching other self-published authors all over the Internet, I say self-publishing is for the strong. Since you alone have to oversee the production of your product, the selling of it and how you handle yourself during these trying times, you have to be strong enough. Authors who use major or small publishing presses have an agent or an editor to turn to sell their book, and to guide them when it comes to PR tactics. They also have an agent or publisher to rely on when it becomes overwhelming to see negative reviews. In other words, they have a team to help them. For self-published authors, the only member of their team is no one but them.

It is an accomplishment when someone produces and sells their product alone successfully. It is fantastic when they successfully handle the trials and tribulations of going solo while being an author. They alone are doing this. Friends and family may be supportive, but if they are not in the book publishing industry themselves, their support is limited, at least to me. They don’t know what it means to write, publish and sell a book, so they can only help so much.

That is why I really believe self-publishers have to be their own cheerleaders. We have to support ourselves through and through, from beginning to end – whatever that end may be. We are the sole proprietors of our business, so we need to be our biggest supporters. No one else can do that for us, and no one has any obligation to support us. Writing and selling books is a business, and that is something we all have to remember each day of our authorships. If we fail to market our books well, its our fault. If we fail to properly handle negative reviews, its our fault. If we fail to grow as an author, its our fault. There is no one to guide a self-published author. Even blog posts like this one isn’t enough to do what only a self-published author must do.

Let’s be our own cheerleaders, fellow and future self-published authors. If this is the route we chose or may choose, we need to go in ready and willing to go it alone. There is no one to guide us, so we must fill that void ourselves.

Hey You! Get Off My Platform!

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authors, book promotion, Facebook, Facebook spam, promotions, self-published, self-published authors, self-publishing, spam, writers

The other day, I noticed an alert on my Facebook author page app, which indicated someone had either liked my page or left a post on my wall. Excited, I checked it out, hoping I had a new fan.

My hopes were dashed when I saw a post that kind of went like this:

“Hi Megan! I’m [so-so]! I’ve just published my book! Here’s the link to it on Amazon, please tell everyone you know about it! Thanks!”

I blinked, took a deep breath and deleted the post from my wall altogether.

I do not know who that person was. I never heard of that author, and that author had never before contacted me. S/he had not liked my Facebook page at all, never followed me on Twitter or Google+, or anything. I had never interacted with that person before, and yet here s/he was crashing on my Facebook page – which is part of my platform used to promote my books.

This wasn’t the first time this happened, and sadly it won’t be. There are some authors out there who simply don’t seem to understand how to properly promote their books. They may have heard social media is the way to spread the word, and that authors are supposed to help other authors. But the way they go about it is kind of rude and unprofessional.

If that person wanted me to help them get exposure, I would have been happy to do so. All they had to do was check out this blog and see that I offer author interviews. If they were polite when they contacted me, and not pushy and arrogant like a few have, I would have gladly featured them on my site. Crashing in on my Facebook page as they did was not appropriate. In fact, it was more like spam than promotion.

The same has happened here on this website. I’ve gotten comments left by authors responding to one of my posts. Only they are not really commenting on my posts. They’re leaving comments like this: “Buy my book! Here’s my Twitter handle! Like me on Facebook!” Again, authors resorting to spam promotion. Even worse, they are spamming on another author’s space.

Some self-published authors seem to really misunderstand how to promote their work. It could be ignorance or desperation. But either way, I can’t fathom why anyone would think hijacking another person’s platform is a good way to increase book sales.  It doesn’t at all, and they only make themselves look bad.  All they have to do is ask to do a guest blog post, offer their book for a review, and all the other networking strategies. Basically, asking for permission works, not stealing!

Learning to promote your book is simple. There are many websites and blogs that give great suggestions. Even I’ve given tips. If you’re going to self-publish your book, educate yourself. Don’t make a fool out of yourself or become disrespectful. Self-publishing isn’t easy and they are many who fail terribly because they made poor decisions. Don’t make yourself a statistic.

Budgeting Tips for Self-Publishers

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budgeting, budgets, self-published, self-publishing

Self-publishing is when an author produces, refines and promotes their book all on their own, without a publisher of any kind doing the work. That means we pay for the aforementioned right out of our own bank accounts.

With that in mind, it is wise to include self-publishing to our budget and project a savings goals if we decide self-publishing is the best way for us to release our book(s).

I’m almost obsessed with budgeting and have been for many years. I monitor ever dollar I make or spend, which I think is a good thing because it helps me to be fiscally responsible and not run into financial problems too often. So when it comes to saving up for releasing my next book, I am as mindful of my self-publishing column in my budget spreadsheet as all the other columns.

Click here for original image on Flickr

So, I am here to give you my advice on how to set and achieve the financial goals needed for your book. Some of this may seem obvious to some, but I figured it would be good to share with those who are exploring this kind of option.

Like all budgets, make a list of what you need in order to get what you want. Self-publishing your book makes you an entrepreneur. You alone are responsible to sell your book. So what do you need?

1) First and foremost, an editor: No matter how good or polished you think your book is, it still needs an editor. Find one that has a good reputation and won’t take your money and do lousy job. You would also have to find someone who charges what you are willing to spend. If you are willing to spend $1000, go for it. If your limit is $500, go for that. There are editors who are charging reasonable rates, so no need to go bankrupt.

2) A graphic designer: Unless you are really talented in making cover designs, do not do this yourself. Readers know a lousy cover job and since your cover is your biggest marketing tactic, do not fail here. Again, find a designer whose rates are good enough for you. You might even find one who charges $100. Just do your research and make sure that person does a good job and your money would be well spent.

3) Copyrighting: Make sure you get your work copyrighted. It cost me $135 and its worth it. You wouldn’t want anyone stealing your work. If by chance you find your book somewhere with someone else’s name on it and they’re making money off your product, with a copyright, you will more easily get to sue them like mad.

4) Promotions: Now this is where the money part gets more open. The question here is what are you willing to do to spread the word about your book, and are you willing to pay anything? I made the mistake of paying others to help promote my book  and learned it may not help much. So do your research. You would probably need to pay for a blog tour, and that would depend on who you use and how many days you want. You may want to hire someone to make a book trailer. You may want to use an ad somewhere. Think about how you want to reach your target audience and then decide if you want to spend the money doing it.

Now here’s another question that is on your mind: how do you get the money to pay for all this? If you’ve self-published before, you can gear your royalties toward the next book. You can set aside a few bucks per paycheck. Or you find other ways, such as side writing jobs, tutoring jobs or even selling your old stuff on eBay. If you are committed to self-publishing your work, you will be committed to financing it.

 

Lessons One Year Later: Was It All Worth It?

Part three on my look back at the one year since I published my first book. I meant to discuss one issue here and then have a fourth and final post next time, but I’d figured since I will only repeat myself in that one, I’ll mesh them together in this post.

Basically, was all my hard work writing my book, getting it ready, marketing it and dealing with the realities of being an author – a self-published one at that – worth it?

Two words: hell yes.

I got to fulfill my dream and I learned plenty along the way.

It wasn’t always easy. I wished my book had sold more copies. I wished I had done better with the marketing. There were times where I wondered if it was unwise to write a story with dark themes and no real hero while more happier books are doing so well. There were even times where I doubted my abilities as a writer and whether I really had storytelling skills at all.

In the end, I had to toughen up, learn from my mistakes and be honest about the decisions I made. I wanted to self-published because I was intrigued by the adventure and wanted control over my product. I thought I had a good idea on promoting it, thanks to my research, but I learned what really worked as I went along. And I learned that my being an author is not my one source of identity.

That last part was probably the toughest I learned this past year. For years, I felt that writing was the one thing I was good at. I had received so much praise for my writing since I was young that I came to rely on my abilities as a source of self-worth. That’s not very good if you’re going to release something to the world that not everyone is going to like and some will have strong negative reactions to it.

It was tough for me to read the negative reviews of “The Dark Proposal”. I thought I would be strong and sensible enough to deal with them, but since I tied my identity to my work, I proved myself wrong. It took a while for me to realize that there is so much more to me besides my writing. Being a writer is only one part of me, not a whole part.

And that is what I want to tell aspiring authors: there’s more to you besides your writing. Some already know that, and kudos to them. But there are some who don’t get that, and I’ve met some myself. Writing a book does not determine your self-worth. You are more than a storyteller. You are someone’s child. You may be someone’s sibling. You’re a friend. You’re a co-worker. You may be someone’s spouse and/or parent. You’re a member of society. These are the identities that matter most in life. Sure, your work can be a close second, but I cannot emphasize how much your work cannot be the main source of your identity. It is not permanently stable and you may be a success one day, but forgotten the next. There will always be someone better than you, and let’s not forget: writing is subjective. So what is amazing to someone is a piece of crap to the next person.

Remember the meme I posted earlier this year? That is so true. Just concentrate on doing your best each time you write a book. Someone will like it. Many will read it and not all will love it.

But so what? They read your work.

They. Read. Your. Work.

Think about it! Someone bought or downloaded your hard work and took the time to absorb every word and page, breathing in the life of your characters, and riding the story’s plot. Someone read your book.

And when you really think about it, that’s awesome beyond belief.

So not all of them liked it. Maybe you could’ve done better in some parts. Maybe the book just wasn’t for them. Take note on what you can improve on and carry on. Oh, and don’t make a habit on reading reviews. Every now and then is fine. Otherwise, you’ll go insane. I went down that road, and it was not pleasant!

Just remember, your books are not you, and you are not your books.

So that was my biggest lesson as an author. My first lesson was that of a self-published author. The second was as a business person, because writing is a business no matter what path you choose. But simply as an author, I learned there is more to me than the stories I create. And its given me some great peace of mind.

And I hope it does for you, too 🙂

Lessons One Year Later: Being Ready

Tags

how to write, life is a journey, self-published authors, the writing process, writing

Here is part two on my look back on what I’ve learned since self-publishing my book one year ago this. The first installment can be found here.

Even though I am proud and happy that I wrote, completed and self-published a book, I tend to wish I had done things a bit differently. No, I have no regrets self-publishing because it was something I wanted to try. I also have no regrets about the story that I wrote because it was something I felt was worth telling.

But I really wonder if I didn’t approach everything correctly. When I began working on “The Dark Proposal”, a temp job had ended and I was one of the millions who was unemployed. It’s devastating to be in that position, because it is as if your life is at a total stand still and the future is unknown. You may a get a job tomorrow, you may get one in one year. The uncertainty can weigh heavily on a lot of people.

At this time, I decided to be serious about writing and publishing a book. I had dreamed of doing so since I was a young kid, but I put it off to concentrate on school and my first real world job. Now my life was in limbo, and I wanted something to happen in my life. The uncertainty of my future was terrible. Besides, I had the time and energy to devote myself to this project, so why not?

It took me about six months to write “The Dark Proposal”. I began during NaNoWriMo in November 2011, dabbled in it during December, but really got into the story by mid-January. I was done by mid-April. It was exciting to write a novel for real. Before I used to write stories for fun. I would say those writings would become actual books, but this time, I truly committed to completing and publishing a book.

I was delighted with what I created, and I still am. However, there are times when I look over my work, and say to myself, “Hmm, maybe I could’ve written this differently”. I mean, I probably should’ve thought through a few scenes and a few characters better. But since I am working on the sequel to “The Dark Proposal”, I should be able to fix what I can and explain things better.

I think the questions on my mind for my anniversary is that, did I allow my need to be productive in my life prevent me from doing a better job? Was I really ready to write a book? Was my book really ready to be released to the world? I am a perfectionist to the point of insanity, so maybe I am looking from the wrong angle.

Hey, granted, I did had a good journey. I did learn a lot about writing as I wrote my first book. Some I wished I had learned sooner, but others I am glad I took note of. It was an experience that I’m glad I went through and it made me a better writer, which I hope I can show in future works. Fortunately, I will know then that it is better to slow down and not be so worried on an uncertain future, and then you can produce better work.

But please take it from me: have no regrets about your learning process. It’s worth it 🙂

Lessons One Year Later: Marketing & Promotions

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authors, books, eBooks, marketing, New Adult, novels, paranormal, promotions, self-published authors, self-published books, self-publishing, urban fantasy, vampires

As summer came to a close earlier this week and the first fall chills came over the area where I live, I realized something: this month will be one year since I self-published my first book.

Wow! A whole year has gone by since I officially became an author! It was my life-long dream to publish a book and I finally did it last year. I was thrilled and excited when I got the email on the morning of September 14th from Amazon Kindle, telling me “The Dark Proposal” was live. A new era in my life had begun.

But I had much to learn about being an author, publishing books and getting the attention of readers worldwide. And I think I still do. Although I researched like crazy on how to promote my book, I was not sure if I was doing it right. There seemed to be a million different ways to do promotions and marketing, and some I wasn’t so sure would work but tried anyway.

Here’s what I’ve learned about marketing and promotions, one year later:

Blurbs are so important: Duh, right? Blurbs give readers a summary of what the book is about, while using the correct words to lure the readers into at least reading the preview. I thought I had a good idea on what was a good blurb, but boy was I wrong! I actually rewrote my blurb a few times after my book’s release once I realized that a few words made “The Dark Proposal” sound like a paranormal romance, something is definitely is not (one reader has called it the “anti-Twilight’). I was embarrassed that I probably misled my audience and I totally regret not having my blurb checked with my editor. Lesson learned, painfully learned.

Choose the right sample to display: When I did my blog tour upon my book’s release, I chose the first chapter to be used as a sample. I wanted to show potential readers what kind of person Claire was, what motivated her to first speak to Daniel, and what kind of person he was when he first appears. I figured this way people would have a good understanding on what was going on, and understand Claire before all hell broke loose, plus not give away any spoilers. But I think I should’ve gone with a different scene then. I realize now that any sample I use needs to give the reader a good idea of what the whole book entails, not a more innocent time. The sample I use now is enough to show who Claire is, as well as what goes on in the story.

Social media is not the only way to promote: So many self-published authors say promoting your book on social media is the best way to spread the word about it. That maybe true for some, but I didn’t sell numerous copies on Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads. I got some buzz on my blog tour, which was only for five days. But nothing stellar happened. So when some author swears social media is the best way to sell books, be skeptical. Especially when they say to flood Twitter with the same tweets every 15 minutes saying “buy my book! buy my book!” I never did that, thankfully, because I saw a few authors do that before I released my book and saw how tasteless it was. Oh yeah, no DMs on Twitter when you get new followers.

Be careful who you ask to help promote your book: Because I so dearly wanted word to spread about my book, I searched for various avenues to do that. I found some indie book promo company – if that’s the right word – that promised to tweet indie books for a whole month and feature it on its website for a fair price of $20. So I signed up and paid, but nothing came of it. Even worse, the tweets they did were embarrassing. The tweets included the line, “not your grandmother’s vampire story!” Oh boy. I asked for them to change it, since after all I was paying them. They were a little reluctant but they finally did. So that was $20 wasted. Learn from me: research like crazy to make sure anyone who can help promote your book will actually do a good job and be worth every penny.

Be flexible when it comes to giveaways and free days: Even though I signed up for the Amazon KDP Select, which allows five free days, I was reluctant to give my book away for free. I had worked hard on it and I wanted some compensation for all the money I spent editing, getting a book cover, copyrighting, etc. But when I read about how free days and giveaways can help spread the word about your book, I gave in. For the sake of Halloween, I made “The Dark Proposal” free on Amazon on October 30th and 31st. Whoa, did I get a response! This is when I got the vast majority of my downloads. I was amazed and excited to see my book do so well. I saw a boost in sales this past June when I re-released “The Dark Proposal” – sans typos – and had it on sale for 99 cents. These days my book is back at $2.99 on both Amazon and Smashwords, and I’ll put it on sale again soon. Hey, this is the sacrifice self-published authors have to make. We all want to see our work and investments pay off, but that’s a tough road. You have to gain an audience, and sometimes in order to do that, you need to be flexible on how readers can get your book. If selling it for 99 cents or for free does the trick, then so be it. If all goes well, you wouldn’t need to do that for long.

So that is what I’ve learned from marketing and promoting “The Dark Proposal” one year later. I had read a lot of author blogs on how to do this, mainly from author Catherine Ryan Howard on her superb blog, Catherine Caffeinated (please check it out, she’s great!). But a lot of it I had to learn on my own. Granted, I’m the type of person who dives into a new task without reading the directions properly, which is a bit of a personal flaw of mine. But I’ve learned a lot. Some of the things I did right I’ll apply again the next time. As for the others, hell no!

Self-Publishing May Be Like The California Gold Rush

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authors, book industry, book publishing, books, California Gold Rush, eBooks, Kindle, self publishing, self-published authors, self-published books, Smashwords

Ever since I self-published my book back in September, I’ve had people ask me about both my experience and my take on self-publishing. Many are fascinated, while some are skeptical. I get the occasional few that look down at me, but so what? 🙂

Image via Wikimedia Commons

I know many writers out there wonder if self-publishing is here to stay or will it hit a wall like many trends do. Most point out that self-publishing is not as easy as it may sound. It is true that publishing your book(s) on your own is a huge gamble, especially in the financial sense. You are putting your own money toward something that you may not profit from. It may take a few years, and a few books, to make a name for yourself and see your hard work pay off. Basically, self-publishing is like any other business venture. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

What comes to my mind about the future of self-publishing, and book publishing altogether, is the California Gold Rush. When gold was discovered near San Francisco in 1848, tens of thousands from all over the world flooded the Golden State in hopes of becoming filthy rich from gold. These people were known as the 49ers, and I would say many self-published authors could be called the same. After all, we are part of a huge rush during a major turning point in publishing history.

I’m sure there self-published authors who felt that they would strike it rich based on the success stories of Amanda Hocking and John Locke. Others, like me, were intrigued by the idea of being in control of their product. When gold was found in California, a whole new world opened up. California developed a reputation as the place where dreams can come true – and not just from gold. Even today, California is the place to go for dreams to become reality, particularly among dot-com entrepreneurs.

But the reason why I compare self-publishing to the California Gold Rush is because while so many followed their dreams of success, few have actually gotten rich. I’ve heard of authors who struggle to sell even 100 copies of their books. Their investments do not pay off and they probably regret their decision to release their work on their own (NOTE: I can’t say this is definite for all, but I’m sure somewhere out there, there is an author kicking his or herself for not doing well with self-publishing). Writers like Amanda Hocking and John Locke are rare, just like those who actually found gold in California. Many naysayers of this form of book publishing may smirk over the disillusioned writers who dared to risk it all.

But what could happen, much like the results of the California Gold Rush, is that the book industry can change into something far different than what was expected. As a result of the gold rush, California became a state in 1850 and it’s population boomed. San Francisco went from a tiny town to a bustling city, and several spots in the state saw similar changes, albeit smaller. New technologies came about to transport gold seekers across the U.S. and around the globe. The rush made America seem much larger and everything became possible.

I can’t say what exactly will be left behind once the self-publishing craze quiets down. It won’t go away altogether, that’s certain, but I do think self-publishing will lead to something else for authors who want to share their works with the world. I highly doubt things will go back to the way they were – just like the U.S. did not go back to life before the gold rush.

Image via Wikimedia Commons

Self-publishing has brought income for graphic designers creating book covers, editors fixing up manuscripts, tech-savvy book lovers to start blog tours and other promotional methods, and even video editors have found work to make book trailers. These are all freelance workers, and they may be tied with the increasing number of freelancers due to the struggling job market. But would these people be seeing extra money if self-publishing didn’t become a popular choice for many authors?

Heck, one good outcome from self-publishing is the increasing popularity of the New Adult genre. Originally begun by St. Martin’s Press a few years ago, self-published books have truly brought this genre to the masses. While some are skeptical of New Adult (NA) too, it is gaining in popularity thanks to self-publishing. One more point for this venture!

But it is still early to say what will be the final result of self-publishing. Many are still interested in this route, and that is good if they have reasonable priorities and goals. As long as writers are aware of the risks of self-publishing – especially financially – I say they should give it a shot. It’s cool to be part of something historic!

As for me, I would say I have done well. I am not a huge success, and if I ever get there, I’m a long way off. My first and only book has either sold or been downloaded for free over 700 times. During a free day on Halloween over on Amazon, it was in the Top 50 for free books in paranormal books. That’s pretty awesome and yes, I am proud of that. But I am not hugely famous and my book is not selling like hotcakes nine months after its release. Granted, I need to get it’s sequel out to keep the momentum going, but working full time does not making novel writing easy.

Will I keep self-publishing all of my future books? I cannot say. In my wildest dreams, I will be successful enough to do so. But that is not very realistic. My plan is to publish my vampire trilogy on my own, and then have my next books published by a small publishing house. That works for me. Self-publishing is hard work and it is such a gamble. I don’t regret doing any of it at all, and I’m glad I can tell my grandchildren what I took part in during an historic time in literature and technology. I just wish it was a lot more easier for many reasons.

In Defense of Self-Published Authors

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authors, books, self-published authors, self-published books, self-publishing, writers

I have stated previously that I see nothing wrong with some writers choosing not to self-publish. I am not someone who tells others what to do nor do am I one of those self-published authors who think this route is the one true route for all writers. I believe people should do what is best for them.

However, I am someone who doesn’t like it when self-published authors are looked down upon by other authors. I have seen rude and condescending remarks geared to such writers on blogs, forums and other places on the Internet, and they left me very annoyed. Usually I roll my eyes and leave it at that, but sometimes I read comments that I can’t wrap my mind around.

Self-Published Authors are Deluded:
According to some, anyone who self-publishes has dollar signs in their eyes and truly believes they are going to hit it big like Amanda Hocking. They fail to realize how difficult self-publishing is, and are in for a rude awakening. While that may be true for some authors, most I know who took charge of their product weren’t convinced they would have best selling books that would make them millionaires. I believe many, myself included, knew the risks but did thorough research on how to promote their books, which led to descent sales. If by chance someone thought they would see more money than they expected, they choked it up to experience. They didn’t throw in the towel and stamp off like bratty children. They kept moving and improving, writing more books and building their fan base, which led to more sales – and more satisfaction for taking the self-publishing route. As for those who did throw in the towel, well, I don’t know what to say to them except disappointments are part of life.

Self-Published Authors’ Books are Only Read by Other Self-Published Authors: Oh jeez, really? While many self-pubbed writers are supportive of each other and may read each others’ work as part of that support, I highly doubt we are the only ones buying each other’s books. While I know some who read my book were fellow or aspiring writers, there were plenty who were everyday readers who don’t mind self-pubbed work. While I’ll never know the exact demographic, I can safely say that that comment is false – and so can many other writers like me.

Self-Published Authors’ Books are Poorly Edited: Uhm. Heh heh. OK, there may be some truth to that. I know my book didn’t work out the way I wanted it in regards to the editing. But I’ll be re-issuing The Dark Proposal within the coming week after a good friend re-edited my book out of his own kindness. I was embarrassed to learn that my book was one of many self-published ones loaded with typos and grammatical errors, but I desperately didn’t want to be another statistic. But sadly that didn’t happen, but I am fixing it that now.

Self-Published Authors Aren’t Really Authors; Traditionally Published Ones Are: Wow. Just wow. Seriously? Someone who spent days, weeks, months or even years writing a novel isn’t on the same level as someone with an agent and a contract with the Big 6 or even small publishers? Someone with an active imagination, a love of words, and story telling cannot equate themselves with those with their books at brick-and-mortar stores? Yikes, that just sound so harsh and mean, and condescending. It’s like saying we’re lazy and poor writers only because we took our product into our hands, and didn’t fight hard for a publisher to agree to sell our book. Yes, some self-published authors write not-so-good books, but is it fair to lump us altogether because those rotten apples? We fight hard to create our characters and their conflicts, and we care about how readers perceive our work. We are no different from someone with an agent and a contract. Snobbery just ain’t cool.

So, there you go. I agree there are some self-published authors who give us all a bad name, and some may sneer at us because we don’t have the stamp of approval from the Big 6 (or is it 5 or 4 now?). But many of us know what we were getting ourselves into, and we don’t regret our choice to be in charge of our product. There is no need to look down at us. Besides, by the way things are going with the book industry, us self-published authors aren’t going to fade away tomorrow 😉