Three Tips for Finding the Perfect Publishing Path

Professing to be be self-published now Ms. Lamb sheds more light on the indie scene and the entrepreneurial spirit.

Kristen Lamb's Blog

We writers live in interesting times. The same digital tsunami that toppled Tower Records and collapsed Kodak has now consumed the world of publishing. The world we knew five years ago is gone. Traditional is reinventing, indie publishers are growing and self-publishing now can be a viable part of any author’s long-term career plan. This is one of the main reasons WANA has never taken sides and embraces publishing as a whole.

Granted, some authors may find a singular path that fits all their needs, but a majority of us will mix it up and venture on a hybrid path. Traditional houses are encouraging writers to self-publish prequels, short stories, or even stories involving supporting characters to keep the fan fires burning between books.

Indie houses are helping established authors breathe new life into backlists and new authors get a start under the care of professionals. Self-publishing is a fantastic…

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The Indie Evolution & Gaining Ground

The Bowker Self Publishing Report came out yesterday and I must say the numbers are quite impressive. The report utilizes data from 2012 so just imagine where we will be in another year or two.

Though this is all very good news I feel the need to highlight an important quote from the article.

“The most successful self-publishers don’t view themselves as writers only, but as business owners,” said Beat Barblan, Bowker Director of Identifier Services. “They invest in their businesses, hiring experts to fill skill gaps and that’s building a thriving new service infrastructure in publishing.”

Treating your writing as a business is not a whimsical little notion. It is vital to your success. This point cannot be stressed enough if we are to be taken seriously.

Lastly I will share a friendly reminder from our FYI page:

We understand the financial strain on most indie authors. Spending a sum of hard earned cash on a service and not sure if you’ll sell a single copy. The whole independent route is stressful but we can’t stress enough the value of editing. If you cannot afford to hire help please [please, please] get more eyes and ideas from a trusted source before you hurry to print.

A bad reputation is much harder to recover from than no reputation at all.

Writing isn’t enough. Authors must also master public speaking.

If you are successful there will come a time when you are expected to write out loud. Make sure you are ready.

Live to Write - Write to Live

I know you don’t want to hear it, but it’s true.

It’s no longer enough to be a brilliant writer – to craft characters and worlds, to give ideas foundations and wings. Now, (on top of being her own PR maven and marketing wiz) a writer also has to be a personality – a performer. We need to be not only the brain behind our book, but also the engine behind our sales and promotion.

It’s not an easy task, and for many writers, the toughest part is the public speaking.

There’s good news, though: You can learn to excel at public speaking … and even enjoy it.

Your “voice” is more than your words. 

When we writers talk about “voice,” we are most often referring to the elusive quality – the je ne sais quoi – that defines an author’s writing style. However, most successful writers also develop a…

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On Making Art and Feeling like Shit

The First Year as an Indie (Lessons Learned)

Finding the time to write new content has been a challenge. Until then we will keep sharing and supporting the Independent Evolution.

The Real Janna Hill

Part I

Can you believe I have a solid year behind me in this adventure as an independent author/publisher? My how time flies when you’re having fun.

So what have I learned other than how to type while holding fried chicken in one hand and a biscuit in the other? A lot!

Do I have any advice for beginners? Oh yes indeed I do and my first pearl of wisdom is this: cut the biscuit in half, strip the chicken and make a sandwich. It will be much easier to handle. I would also suggest turning the keyboard over and gently shaking the crumbs loose verses picking between the keys. That tip will save you time and keep your proofreader from returning your manuscript un-proofed with a note that says Get back to me when you’re sober!

I don’t have any real pearls but if you’re interested I’ll be…

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What Is Epic Fantasy? (Guest Blog by Charles Yallowitz

readful things blog

Ionia has asked me to write a guest blog on what Epic Fantasy is since it is thrown around so much.  I use it for my series Legends of Windemere and I will go into that in a little bit.  Much of this will be opinion and you’ll see why.

Epic Fantasy is more commonly known as High Fantasy.  The term is thrown around a lot without a lot of people knowing exactly what it is.  The quintessential Epic Fantasy is Lord of the Rings.  Originally, Epic Fantasy required that the setting by in a world distinct from Earth or have larger than life characters, themes, and plots.  Much of this stemmed from the ‘Good Vs. Evil’ standard that was a cornerstone of Tolkien’s tales.  I know a lot of people call this cliché, but this is how it all started and it’s really just another way of saying…

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Karma for Authors Who Self-Publish

This line caught my attention: “Have you ever (publicly) said anything bad about any other self-published books?” Why? Because I sit on the sidelines and observe too many Indie’s tearing down their colleagues [yes colleagues] in hopes of what? Crawling over them to get to the top? That is not professional. It is not good practice. It is certainly not good karma!

chrismcmullen

In order to be successful, a self-published author must come up with a good book idea, develop a fine story, write well, edit the manuscript, learn how to format both a paperback and an eBook, and become adept at marketing.

That’s a tall order. Why risk all of that hard work with any possible bad karma?

If you don’t believe in karma, then don’t think karma – think branding. The image that you brand as an author can have a significant impact on sales. Don’t risk bad book karma or negative branding – whatever you prefer to call it.

What do you hope for as an author?

• Many sales.
• Frequent reviews.
• Word-of-mouth referrals.
• A nice review average.
• Good and fair comments about your work publicly.
• Necessary criticism privately.

Authors may not all share the exact same wish list, but these items are probably pretty high up on most writers’ lists.

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Adventures In Editing, Part V

An insightful article which ends on an encouraging note especially for any writer who has received a letter of rejection.

You and Me, Dupree

One day, Bantam publisher Irwyn Applebaum summoned me into his office and asked, “How do you respond when I say, ‘Tom Robbins’?” Without even thinking, I said, “one of the great prose stylists of his generation.” He said, “That’s what I thought. I want you to go out to Seattle and meet him. You might become his editor.” (Spoiler Alert: I did, and I did. But I’m getting ahead of myself.)

In past pieces in this series, I’ve tried to give you some idea of what life is really like from the editor’s point of view. I began writing “Adventures In Editing” because I rarely read about that aspect of the publishing business, and the little I did read described only a cookie-cutter, stereotypical, author-v.-editor relationship that tended to come from the author’s side of the negotiating desk: much of it seemed to emanate from Writer’s Digest

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Sparkle and Fade: The lifelong question of the author (Tuesday Two cents)

Iona this is great advice for new authors and a much needed reminder for established writers.

readful things blog

I keep seeing various forms of the same question being asked on blogs, in forums and personally from authors. Please note, that I did not say INDIE author, I simply said author.

CHARLES

I really am picking on you, and all the other authors out there. Mostly you.

So, this question goes a little something like this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I have done everything I can to keep my sales going, but it

seems like they have just fallen off. I have settled into a

pattern of selling very few copies each day. I can’t figure out

where I am going wrong. Has anyone else had this

experience?”

I would like to dissect these statements and eventual question and offer my take on the situation. So here we go.

 

So you published a book right? Yep. Good on you! Hours of slaving away behind a computer…

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Hedge Your Bets

Hedge Your Bets and Buyer Beware

The scamming of writers by shady publishers is a well known practice, too well known by those who have misplaced their confidence in these con artists.  It can never be stressed enough BUYER BEWARE. Allow me to add AUTHOR BE AWARE.

Do your homework and know who you are doing business with.

Do not get anxious. Anxiety leads to irrationality and in turn leads to bad decisions.

You do not have to accept that ‘all or nothing’ deal. The traditional publishers are hedging their bets, make sure you do the same.

This reminder comes on the heels of an article by David Gaughran about the exploitation of authors by brand name publishers. David writes, “The scammy vanity presses are owned by traditional publishers who are marketing them as the “easy” way to self-publish – when it’s nothing more than a horrifically expensive and terribly ineffective way to publish your work, guaranteed to kill your book’s chance of success stone dead, while emptying your bank account in the process.”

Instead of rambling my own sentiments I suggest you check out The Author Exploitation Business. David is a reputable source. I would also encourage you to spend a little time reading through his archives if you haven’t already and please feel free to share any source that has made the Indie world a better place to be.