Andrea Pearson's Blog, page 13
August 27, 2012
Character Interview: Matt Clark!!
I had a reader request I do character interviews. No offense to others out there, but to me, most character interviews are silly and boring. I realized I needed to take my interviews from a different angle. So.... without further ado, I give you:
The Fat Lady Interviewing Matt Clark!
Before you get upset with me for her name, remember from The Key of Kilenya that she insists on being called the Fat Lady. Don't ask me why, ask her. :-) You might get the chance in some upcoming interview! For now, enjoy the following scene as the Fat Lady interviews Matt Clark. :-)
The Fat Lady walked onto the make-shift stage, cheap wood flooring sagging under her massive, well over five-hundred-pound frame. She paused and stared at the furnishings, and a blush spread across her cheeks. With a growl, she turned and looked at someone beyond the camera's view. “I can't hold an interview here. This,” she motioned to the pink and very florally couch and armchair, “is disgusting! It's horrendous! My cabin back home would be better.”“Sorry,” a woman from off stage said. “It's the best we could do with such short notice. Besides, you said you didn't have enough time clean up your place.”“Hrmph.” The Fat Lady sat on the chair, adjusting her position several times. Her eyes continuously drifted to the clock on the wall. “All right, Andrea, where is he?”“Almost here—he just texted.” Andrea, author of the Kilenya series, drifted in front of the camera for a moment, holding a cell phone. She held the phone out to the Fat Lady. “Want to see the text?”“Text? What are you talking about?”A door slammed somewhere, Andrea backed out of view, and Matt strode onto the stage, hand extended to the Fat Lady. “Sorry I'm late! And I just can't believe you're the lucky one to hold the interviews. So much fun!”“Yeah, yeah. Sit.” The Fat Lady picked up a piece of paper from the coffee table and looked it over. “Who the heck cares about this sort of stuff?”“Um . . . Fat Lady?” Andrea asked. “Would you please come here for a moment? The cameras are already rolling, and we don't have time for this.” The large, over six-foot-tall woman thumped off stage. Whispered voices drifted through the room, while Matt obviously pretended not to notice. He examined his nails, played air guitar, then leaned back, arms behind his head. Finally, the Fat Lady returned with a fake smile plastered on her face.She grabbed the paper, reading it over again. “Such great questions.” She leaned forward. “Matt. Tell your fans a little about yourself.”Matt's face lit up. “I'd love to!” He turned and looked directly into the camera. “My name is Matthew Clark. I'm Jacob's older brother.” He paused. “And no, I'm not magical like he is—wish I were. But I'm better than him at basketball.” He snickered, then shot a glance at the Fat Lady. “Don't tell him I said that.”The Fat Lady rolled her eyes. “Oh, I won't.” She looked down and started reading the next question. “How did—”“Oh! And I'm also captain of the football team at my high school, Mountain Crest, and I like singing and playing the guitar.”“Yes, yes, I'm sure the viewers wouldn't be able to live without knowing all this about you.”“Gotta keep the ladies happy.”The Fat Lady raised her eyebrow. “Speaking of 'the ladies . . .' How did you and your girlfriend, Samara, meet?”Matt practically bounced to the edge of his seat. “Sammy! Oh, she's the coolest, best, most awesome girl I've ever dated.”“I'm sure. Answer the question.”“Okay, so it all started when I was dating her freaking hot older sister, Molly—”The Fat Lady blinked. “Um . . . You do know that Sammy is going to watch this, right? Kid, calling her sister 'hot' is completely and totally stupid. No girl wants to hear that from her boyfriend! Unless you're trying to get out of the relationship?”The blood rushed from Matt's face and he turned to the camera again. “Sammy. You're hot too. You know you're the only girl for me. Listen, we're always going to be together, and Molly never crosses my mind. Except that one time, but you were totally with me, and it wasn't my fault!” He looked at the Fat Lady, desperation on his face. “Can we please just erase all of this and start with the question again?”“No, of course not.”He turned to the woman off stage. “Please, Andrea? Pretty, pretty please?”“Sorry, no. It's too expensive. One take is all you get.”“Well, Sammy knows I love her.” Matt cleared his throat, loosening his collar, and looked at the Fat Lady. “Any more questions?”“Yeah, but they're dumb. And I'm bored.” The Fat Lady jumped from her seat, grabbed Matt's hand, yanked him up and pumped his arm a few times. “Thanks for doing the interview. Get back to school.”Matt nodded and dashed off the stage.
The Fat Lady Interviewing Matt Clark!
Before you get upset with me for her name, remember from The Key of Kilenya that she insists on being called the Fat Lady. Don't ask me why, ask her. :-) You might get the chance in some upcoming interview! For now, enjoy the following scene as the Fat Lady interviews Matt Clark. :-)
The Fat Lady walked onto the make-shift stage, cheap wood flooring sagging under her massive, well over five-hundred-pound frame. She paused and stared at the furnishings, and a blush spread across her cheeks. With a growl, she turned and looked at someone beyond the camera's view. “I can't hold an interview here. This,” she motioned to the pink and very florally couch and armchair, “is disgusting! It's horrendous! My cabin back home would be better.”“Sorry,” a woman from off stage said. “It's the best we could do with such short notice. Besides, you said you didn't have enough time clean up your place.”“Hrmph.” The Fat Lady sat on the chair, adjusting her position several times. Her eyes continuously drifted to the clock on the wall. “All right, Andrea, where is he?”“Almost here—he just texted.” Andrea, author of the Kilenya series, drifted in front of the camera for a moment, holding a cell phone. She held the phone out to the Fat Lady. “Want to see the text?”“Text? What are you talking about?”A door slammed somewhere, Andrea backed out of view, and Matt strode onto the stage, hand extended to the Fat Lady. “Sorry I'm late! And I just can't believe you're the lucky one to hold the interviews. So much fun!”“Yeah, yeah. Sit.” The Fat Lady picked up a piece of paper from the coffee table and looked it over. “Who the heck cares about this sort of stuff?”“Um . . . Fat Lady?” Andrea asked. “Would you please come here for a moment? The cameras are already rolling, and we don't have time for this.” The large, over six-foot-tall woman thumped off stage. Whispered voices drifted through the room, while Matt obviously pretended not to notice. He examined his nails, played air guitar, then leaned back, arms behind his head. Finally, the Fat Lady returned with a fake smile plastered on her face.She grabbed the paper, reading it over again. “Such great questions.” She leaned forward. “Matt. Tell your fans a little about yourself.”Matt's face lit up. “I'd love to!” He turned and looked directly into the camera. “My name is Matthew Clark. I'm Jacob's older brother.” He paused. “And no, I'm not magical like he is—wish I were. But I'm better than him at basketball.” He snickered, then shot a glance at the Fat Lady. “Don't tell him I said that.”The Fat Lady rolled her eyes. “Oh, I won't.” She looked down and started reading the next question. “How did—”“Oh! And I'm also captain of the football team at my high school, Mountain Crest, and I like singing and playing the guitar.”“Yes, yes, I'm sure the viewers wouldn't be able to live without knowing all this about you.”“Gotta keep the ladies happy.”The Fat Lady raised her eyebrow. “Speaking of 'the ladies . . .' How did you and your girlfriend, Samara, meet?”Matt practically bounced to the edge of his seat. “Sammy! Oh, she's the coolest, best, most awesome girl I've ever dated.”“I'm sure. Answer the question.”“Okay, so it all started when I was dating her freaking hot older sister, Molly—”The Fat Lady blinked. “Um . . . You do know that Sammy is going to watch this, right? Kid, calling her sister 'hot' is completely and totally stupid. No girl wants to hear that from her boyfriend! Unless you're trying to get out of the relationship?”The blood rushed from Matt's face and he turned to the camera again. “Sammy. You're hot too. You know you're the only girl for me. Listen, we're always going to be together, and Molly never crosses my mind. Except that one time, but you were totally with me, and it wasn't my fault!” He looked at the Fat Lady, desperation on his face. “Can we please just erase all of this and start with the question again?”“No, of course not.”He turned to the woman off stage. “Please, Andrea? Pretty, pretty please?”“Sorry, no. It's too expensive. One take is all you get.”“Well, Sammy knows I love her.” Matt cleared his throat, loosening his collar, and looked at the Fat Lady. “Any more questions?”“Yeah, but they're dumb. And I'm bored.” The Fat Lady jumped from her seat, grabbed Matt's hand, yanked him up and pumped his arm a few times. “Thanks for doing the interview. Get back to school.”Matt nodded and dashed off the stage.
August 14, 2012
My Awesome, Exciting, Freakin' Cool Experience at LDSBA!!
So, I put up a teaser on Facebook, saying I had a great announcement to make. I shouldn't have done so that early - waiting until yesterday or even this morning would've been better. :-) But that would've been so painful!
The gist of the news is this: I'll be signing in Costco! Starting next month, I'll be in the Lehi, Murray, Sandy, and West Valley stores. I'm sooo excited!
This is a huge opportunity for me as an independent author! There's more to the story, and if you're interested in reading one of those uplifting, right time/right places/right person type things, read on!
Last week, my editor and friend, Tristi Pinkston, took me to the LDS Booksellers Association convention (LDSBA). It's a closed convention where a bunch of people set up booths and show the things they produce while "buyers" walk around, deciding what they want to sell in their stores. Stores such as Deseret Book, Seagull Book and Tape, independent stores, etc. Authors go to sign books and meet people who would potentially carry their books at their locations.
At the start of the convention, Tristi asked me if it would be okay for her to tell people about my books. I said yes, of course. :-) Right then, one of her friends, a Deseret Book representative, walked by. Tristi grabbed her, spoke with her briefly, and the lady referred us to another woman. We'll call her Jamie. When I told Jamie I'd had several Deseret Book managers approach me, telling me they'd had many customers request my books, Jamie said that Deseret Book actually distributes for independent authors, and that they'd be very interested in representing me.
She asked me to send her my information, along with all three available books in my series, and let her know how my sales have gone, etc. She would get back to me in a couple of weeks. I was soooo excited! Being distributed by Deseret Book would be so cool!
But that's not the end of the story. :-) Deseret Book only distributes to their stores. And Tristi, who follows the Spirit, had a feeling to introduce me to another woman. We'll call her Savannah. Savannah was there as a food rep of some sort. She and I instantly hit it off--she's energetic, fun, and knowledgeable. When Savannah found out that Deseret Book wanted to be my distributor, she said, "No. We'll represent you." Tristi, in all her sneakiness, hadn't told me that Savannah also works for one of the largest distributors in Utah, and has for many years. When Savannah wants a book, the company takes it.
And after hearing how successful my eBooks have been, and the fact that Deseret Book wants to represent me, Savannah decided she wants my books. :-)
She spent a few hours telling me why I should choose Brigham Distributing over Deseret Book. After I got over my shock and excitement, I realized it was a no-brainer. I talked to my hubby and we both felt good about. :-)
Brigham Distributing gets books not only into Deseret Book, but also all Barnes and Nobles, Costco, independent bookstores, etc.
The excellent thing about all of this: I still own my rights. They only take 25% of my royalties, where an actual publisher would own the rights to my books AND take around 90% of my royalties. As an independent author, this puts me in a very, very good position! My books go everywhere an author who has a publisher goes, and I can do whatever I need to do with my books, along with keeping a very large part of the royalties. So exciting!
While I was talking to Savannah, two well-known authors walked by. Savannah stopped them and had them tell me how they started. They both said she was the one who got them on their current paths. She turned to me and said, "I didn't pay them to say that." It cracked me up!
I still can't believe how things fell into place!
A year ago, an author friend (Jenni James) told me to contact the owner of Brigham Distributing and ask them to distribute for me. I did so, but was rejected a couple of months later, which didn't surprise me - I imagine they probably reject a lot of authors who submit. However, I felt very, very strongly that I would end up being distributed by them, so I didn't do what some authors would be tempted to do: write/call them back and beg - telling them how successful my books had been, etc. And the night before the convention, I had a feeling to ask my husband how he would feel if a distributing option came up while I was there. He said, "That would be good, but don't go to them in a position of weakness. Don't beg. They should be wanting you just as badly as you want them." That might sound a bit pig headed, but I agreed - they'd already rejected my books. No sense in begging!
And with how everything fell into place, it was amazing. :-) Savannah took me to meet the owner. He remembered my books, remembered why they were rejected (the young adult fantasy market was saturated), and said, "If Savannah wants your books, I want your books." Yay!
Tristi is a very inspired person. She knew I had to be at the convention, so arranged it. She knew who to talk to, in what order, and what to say.
Anyway. What this means for my hubby and me is this: Savannah is putting me in Costco next month. I'll be signing just the first book in my series at the Lehi, Sandy, Murray, and West Valley stores during the month of September. Since I don't have a publisher, I'll have to foot the printing bill for 300 books. That ends up being a nice chunk of money! Savannah is absolutely positive I'll do well, and that my books will be popular. In October, depending on how September goes, they want me to sign at all eight Costcos in Utah (not including the one in St George), with all three books in my series, and with a print run of 3,000 books. Wow!
I'm going to be very busy! But I've got a couple of independent author friends who also work with Brigham, and they've promised to help me quickly learn the ropes.
Anyway. I still can't believe how quickly everything fell into place and how good it all feels! The Lord is really watching over us. It's pretty neat. :-)
Wish me luck with this new endeavor!
Andrea
The gist of the news is this: I'll be signing in Costco! Starting next month, I'll be in the Lehi, Murray, Sandy, and West Valley stores. I'm sooo excited!
This is a huge opportunity for me as an independent author! There's more to the story, and if you're interested in reading one of those uplifting, right time/right places/right person type things, read on!
Last week, my editor and friend, Tristi Pinkston, took me to the LDS Booksellers Association convention (LDSBA). It's a closed convention where a bunch of people set up booths and show the things they produce while "buyers" walk around, deciding what they want to sell in their stores. Stores such as Deseret Book, Seagull Book and Tape, independent stores, etc. Authors go to sign books and meet people who would potentially carry their books at their locations.
At the start of the convention, Tristi asked me if it would be okay for her to tell people about my books. I said yes, of course. :-) Right then, one of her friends, a Deseret Book representative, walked by. Tristi grabbed her, spoke with her briefly, and the lady referred us to another woman. We'll call her Jamie. When I told Jamie I'd had several Deseret Book managers approach me, telling me they'd had many customers request my books, Jamie said that Deseret Book actually distributes for independent authors, and that they'd be very interested in representing me.
She asked me to send her my information, along with all three available books in my series, and let her know how my sales have gone, etc. She would get back to me in a couple of weeks. I was soooo excited! Being distributed by Deseret Book would be so cool!
But that's not the end of the story. :-) Deseret Book only distributes to their stores. And Tristi, who follows the Spirit, had a feeling to introduce me to another woman. We'll call her Savannah. Savannah was there as a food rep of some sort. She and I instantly hit it off--she's energetic, fun, and knowledgeable. When Savannah found out that Deseret Book wanted to be my distributor, she said, "No. We'll represent you." Tristi, in all her sneakiness, hadn't told me that Savannah also works for one of the largest distributors in Utah, and has for many years. When Savannah wants a book, the company takes it.
And after hearing how successful my eBooks have been, and the fact that Deseret Book wants to represent me, Savannah decided she wants my books. :-)
She spent a few hours telling me why I should choose Brigham Distributing over Deseret Book. After I got over my shock and excitement, I realized it was a no-brainer. I talked to my hubby and we both felt good about. :-)
Brigham Distributing gets books not only into Deseret Book, but also all Barnes and Nobles, Costco, independent bookstores, etc.
The excellent thing about all of this: I still own my rights. They only take 25% of my royalties, where an actual publisher would own the rights to my books AND take around 90% of my royalties. As an independent author, this puts me in a very, very good position! My books go everywhere an author who has a publisher goes, and I can do whatever I need to do with my books, along with keeping a very large part of the royalties. So exciting!
While I was talking to Savannah, two well-known authors walked by. Savannah stopped them and had them tell me how they started. They both said she was the one who got them on their current paths. She turned to me and said, "I didn't pay them to say that." It cracked me up!
I still can't believe how things fell into place!
A year ago, an author friend (Jenni James) told me to contact the owner of Brigham Distributing and ask them to distribute for me. I did so, but was rejected a couple of months later, which didn't surprise me - I imagine they probably reject a lot of authors who submit. However, I felt very, very strongly that I would end up being distributed by them, so I didn't do what some authors would be tempted to do: write/call them back and beg - telling them how successful my books had been, etc. And the night before the convention, I had a feeling to ask my husband how he would feel if a distributing option came up while I was there. He said, "That would be good, but don't go to them in a position of weakness. Don't beg. They should be wanting you just as badly as you want them." That might sound a bit pig headed, but I agreed - they'd already rejected my books. No sense in begging!
And with how everything fell into place, it was amazing. :-) Savannah took me to meet the owner. He remembered my books, remembered why they were rejected (the young adult fantasy market was saturated), and said, "If Savannah wants your books, I want your books." Yay!
Tristi is a very inspired person. She knew I had to be at the convention, so arranged it. She knew who to talk to, in what order, and what to say.
Anyway. What this means for my hubby and me is this: Savannah is putting me in Costco next month. I'll be signing just the first book in my series at the Lehi, Sandy, Murray, and West Valley stores during the month of September. Since I don't have a publisher, I'll have to foot the printing bill for 300 books. That ends up being a nice chunk of money! Savannah is absolutely positive I'll do well, and that my books will be popular. In October, depending on how September goes, they want me to sign at all eight Costcos in Utah (not including the one in St George), with all three books in my series, and with a print run of 3,000 books. Wow!
I'm going to be very busy! But I've got a couple of independent author friends who also work with Brigham, and they've promised to help me quickly learn the ropes.
Anyway. I still can't believe how quickly everything fell into place and how good it all feels! The Lord is really watching over us. It's pretty neat. :-)
Wish me luck with this new endeavor!
Andrea
August 13, 2012
Priestess of the Eggstone
One of my author friends, Jaleta Clegg, is having a book released this month. It's called Priestess of the Eggstone: The Fall of the Altairan Empire Book 2. I promised her I would post the blurb for it, cover, and an excerpt. Enjoy! I think it sounds great!
Blurb:
Pursued by the Targon Crime Syndicate bent on revenge, the Patrol intent on recruitment, and the Sessimoniss who want their god back, the last thing Captain Dace needs is a handsome copilot with romance on his mind.
But that’s exactly what she’s got.
She didn’t realize she was smuggling when she accepted the courier job. Now Targon wants her for stealing the shipment and the Patrol wants to arrest her. The Sessimoniss want their god back. And Jerimon’s aunt is planning their wedding.
She doesn’t know which scares her most.
Priestess of the Eggstone: The Fall of the Altairan Empire Book 2 by Jaleta Clegg
Here's a link to purchase it.
Here's Jaleta's website.
And here's the excerpt:
We rounded the last big moon into clear space. I checked the nav program one last time, to make sure we were headed the right direction before we jumped. The chatter of local pilots was steady as a background noise that dissolved into static as we passed into the moon's shadow. The ship lurched, then slowed, the engines whining.
I flipped switches, trying to find the problem. Jerimon pushed the thrusters all the way to the stops. The engine whine rose in pitch. The ship shuddered. The emergency lights flashed. Warnings hooted through the ship.
"Shut it down!" I yelled over the noise.
Jerimon stubbornly tried to pull more power from the engines. His face was pale and his chin set as he goosed the throttles. I reached across the controls to slam the switches off. Jerimon slumped in his chair, hands over his face. The engines spun down. The alarms shut up, all except one. It was a quiet, insistent beeping with a single, flashing red light.
I checked the screen, then muttered a bad word at the unknown vessel showing on the scans. "Who'd be using a tractor beam out here?"
The ship was bigger, but that didn't mean much. Anything was bigger than my ship. The scanners didn't show any ID traces from the other ship.
"Does it look like pirates to you?" Pirates weren't uncommon in this sector but Rucal had a major Patrol station out beyond the moons. What pirate would be stupid enough to operate under the Patrol's nose?
I knew of at least one, but he was in prison. I scowled at the screen. In a few moments, I wouldn't need the scanner. I could just look outside.
Jerimon dropped his hands to his lap, staring bleakly at the monitor. If he didn't know who was on that ship, I'd eat my socks—the ones I'd been wearing for three days without washing because I hadn't found the time.
"Who are they and why are they dragging us in?"
Jerimon shook his head, eyes locked on the approaching ship. He gripped the chair so hard his knuckles went white.
Blurb:
Pursued by the Targon Crime Syndicate bent on revenge, the Patrol intent on recruitment, and the Sessimoniss who want their god back, the last thing Captain Dace needs is a handsome copilot with romance on his mind.
But that’s exactly what she’s got.
She didn’t realize she was smuggling when she accepted the courier job. Now Targon wants her for stealing the shipment and the Patrol wants to arrest her. The Sessimoniss want their god back. And Jerimon’s aunt is planning their wedding.
She doesn’t know which scares her most.
Priestess of the Eggstone: The Fall of the Altairan Empire Book 2 by Jaleta Clegg
Here's a link to purchase it.
Here's Jaleta's website.
And here's the excerpt:
We rounded the last big moon into clear space. I checked the nav program one last time, to make sure we were headed the right direction before we jumped. The chatter of local pilots was steady as a background noise that dissolved into static as we passed into the moon's shadow. The ship lurched, then slowed, the engines whining.
I flipped switches, trying to find the problem. Jerimon pushed the thrusters all the way to the stops. The engine whine rose in pitch. The ship shuddered. The emergency lights flashed. Warnings hooted through the ship.
"Shut it down!" I yelled over the noise.
Jerimon stubbornly tried to pull more power from the engines. His face was pale and his chin set as he goosed the throttles. I reached across the controls to slam the switches off. Jerimon slumped in his chair, hands over his face. The engines spun down. The alarms shut up, all except one. It was a quiet, insistent beeping with a single, flashing red light.
I checked the screen, then muttered a bad word at the unknown vessel showing on the scans. "Who'd be using a tractor beam out here?"
The ship was bigger, but that didn't mean much. Anything was bigger than my ship. The scanners didn't show any ID traces from the other ship.
"Does it look like pirates to you?" Pirates weren't uncommon in this sector but Rucal had a major Patrol station out beyond the moons. What pirate would be stupid enough to operate under the Patrol's nose?
I knew of at least one, but he was in prison. I scowled at the screen. In a few moments, I wouldn't need the scanner. I could just look outside.
Jerimon dropped his hands to his lap, staring bleakly at the monitor. If he didn't know who was on that ship, I'd eat my socks—the ones I'd been wearing for three days without washing because I hadn't found the time.
"Who are they and why are they dragging us in?"
Jerimon shook his head, eyes locked on the approaching ship. He gripped the chair so hard his knuckles went white.
August 3, 2012
Indie Questions Post #1
I've received a few messages from other authors who are trying to figure things out. (By the way, if there's anything regarding being an Indie author you're interested in learning more about, send me your questions via a message on Facebook or to my email, and I'll try to answer them in a future post.)
Their questions revolve around the following:
1. My cover artist (prices, etc.) and whether he's accepting new clients
2. If I hired an editor
3. If I formed an LLC
4. How much marketing is necessary
5. Social Networking
So, in order:
1. My cover artist
My cover artist is James Curwen. He's really good to work with and enjoys helping Indie authors. James uses stock photos, but his main focus is original art, which works really well to keep your books from looking like some of the other cookie-cutter covers out there. Just like any other cover artist, his style might not suit your needs, but he's very diverse and able to adapt to what you're looking for. He charges between $50 and $150, and sometimes more, depending on how much original art is required. Check out his blog here. It includes samples of covers he's done in the past.
And yes, he's accepting new clients.
2. My editor
is amazing. :-) Her name is Tristi Pinkston. I've loved working with her, mainly because she puts everything into the edits, making sure to help me maintain my voice, whereas other editors I've hired haven't been so good at that. She charges $1.50 per page. This is quite a steal for her experience and talent.
If anyone is worrying about the cost behind self-publishing, read my blog post that addresses this topic here. And remember this: there are always really, really cheap ways to get things done, but that doesn't necessarily mean you'll have a good product to sell. Going the cheap (or free) route rarely pays in the end. I've seen authors who uploaded books that weren't edited, or that were edited poorly. They made a bunch of money, but then discovered that their sales went downhill really fast, even after they hired editors. So yes, they got initial money. But they burned their readers by presenting unprofessional material, and now they're needing to work extra hard to earn back the respect they lost.
3. My LLC
Yes, I formed an LLC. I don't really use it, though, except for the bank account I had to create to accompany it. Here's the thing: right now, I represent myself to companies who don't really care about my personal information. I'm not about to mess up my own life by making bad choices where my name is concerned. Back when I was with a traditional publisher, however, the contract was signed between them and my LLC, and that offered me some protection. If you plan to get movie deals, sign contracts with traditional publishers, or agents, or whatever, I'd recommend forming an LLC and having everything be under its name. (I'd suggest working with an attorney to do so. Mine is one of the best attorneys I've ever met - incredibly kind hearted. His law firm is in Provo, UT. Let me know if you'd like his information.)
But it's not completely necessary to form an LLC during the early stages of publishing. First off, you're unlikely to sign any movie deals within the first few months. Just make sure to get one set up when something looks like it's heading your way.
4. My marketing
Okay, that's a silly header, but it felt like it needed to go along with the other ones. :-) Here's what I do to market:
Almost nothing.
That's not to say I didn't used to market. Oh, heavens knows I did. We flung all sorts of time and money toward this fairly useless (for me) endeavor.
My success and sales didn't start to go upward until I'd published several quality books. After I released my first book (yes, it was edited. :-)), we spent a lot of time trying to get the word out through reviews and free advertising. I spent hours and hours contacting blog owners and reviewers. I hired someone to head up a blog tour for me. And saw almost nothing from it. Just a few sales here and there (and I'll be honest - my sales were more than a lot of Indie authors have during their first few months. They just didn't equal the amount of work I put in).
Success didn't actually start happening until a couple of things were in place:
1. I had a bunch of books available
2. We put up the first book in my series for free (across the board - Nook, Kindle, etc.)
I'm not saying marketing won't work for you. If you feel strongly like you need to do something, then do it. But remember this: the digital age is different from days of the past. Our memories, as readers, are shorter - if there isn't another book available when we finish an enjoyable story, we probably won't return to the author. Most people won't make it a point to return until they've read several things from an author.
Don't market to other authors. We're all in the same boat, and it gets annoying to hear messages over and over again from the same people. "Check out my latest book!" "Fan my author page!" I block people who are constantly spamming others in their search for new readers, fans for their pages, people to support their cause, etc.
Rather than searching for sales from other authors, we should be supporting and friendshipping each other.
5. My social networking
This is a pretty sensitive subject right now. To see what I'm talking about, check out this flawed article by the Guardian, one of the responses to that article on an Indie author blog, and then make sure to go back to the Guardian article and read all of the comments made by JA Konrath. He and the author of the article go back and forth quite a bit, and I have to say, Joe's arguments are pretty sound.
Indie authors, beware the trap that is social marketing. The majority of us have figured out that big sales don't really come from social marketing - not for 95% of people, anyway. Most sales come from readers telling readers about a cool new author they've discovered. Sales come from people having multiple ways to find authors who have multiple books out. The more books you've written and published, the more ways you'll have to find readers.
Basically, the best use of your time is in writing new material and progressing in your abilities. I use Facebook and Twitter to keep in touch with readers, fans, friends, and family. I talk about the things that are most important to me: writing, family, movies, etc. I update on current writing projects, but almost never talk about books that are already for sale. I don't expect most family and friends to actually buy my books. :-)
I think that answers all of the questions. Just so we're on the same page: marketing and social networking do work for some. You might be that person. But play it safe - make sure you've got plenty of options for readers to choose from before you start a huge marketing or social networking campaign.
And don't annoy people with spammy messages. :-)
That's all for today.
Mini update on my books:
The Music of Anna Morse is with my editor. I'll be sending Britnell Manor (formerly The Forgotten Photograph) to her soon. About to start writing Whistle, and I'll Come. These are all novellas that fall under my Katon University umbrella. I'm really excited to have them ready! Feedback from beta readers has been extremely positive so far. These are creepy, fun stories!
Their questions revolve around the following:
1. My cover artist (prices, etc.) and whether he's accepting new clients
2. If I hired an editor
3. If I formed an LLC
4. How much marketing is necessary
5. Social Networking
So, in order:
1. My cover artist
My cover artist is James Curwen. He's really good to work with and enjoys helping Indie authors. James uses stock photos, but his main focus is original art, which works really well to keep your books from looking like some of the other cookie-cutter covers out there. Just like any other cover artist, his style might not suit your needs, but he's very diverse and able to adapt to what you're looking for. He charges between $50 and $150, and sometimes more, depending on how much original art is required. Check out his blog here. It includes samples of covers he's done in the past.
And yes, he's accepting new clients.
2. My editor
is amazing. :-) Her name is Tristi Pinkston. I've loved working with her, mainly because she puts everything into the edits, making sure to help me maintain my voice, whereas other editors I've hired haven't been so good at that. She charges $1.50 per page. This is quite a steal for her experience and talent.
If anyone is worrying about the cost behind self-publishing, read my blog post that addresses this topic here. And remember this: there are always really, really cheap ways to get things done, but that doesn't necessarily mean you'll have a good product to sell. Going the cheap (or free) route rarely pays in the end. I've seen authors who uploaded books that weren't edited, or that were edited poorly. They made a bunch of money, but then discovered that their sales went downhill really fast, even after they hired editors. So yes, they got initial money. But they burned their readers by presenting unprofessional material, and now they're needing to work extra hard to earn back the respect they lost.
3. My LLC
Yes, I formed an LLC. I don't really use it, though, except for the bank account I had to create to accompany it. Here's the thing: right now, I represent myself to companies who don't really care about my personal information. I'm not about to mess up my own life by making bad choices where my name is concerned. Back when I was with a traditional publisher, however, the contract was signed between them and my LLC, and that offered me some protection. If you plan to get movie deals, sign contracts with traditional publishers, or agents, or whatever, I'd recommend forming an LLC and having everything be under its name. (I'd suggest working with an attorney to do so. Mine is one of the best attorneys I've ever met - incredibly kind hearted. His law firm is in Provo, UT. Let me know if you'd like his information.)
But it's not completely necessary to form an LLC during the early stages of publishing. First off, you're unlikely to sign any movie deals within the first few months. Just make sure to get one set up when something looks like it's heading your way.
4. My marketing
Okay, that's a silly header, but it felt like it needed to go along with the other ones. :-) Here's what I do to market:
Almost nothing.
That's not to say I didn't used to market. Oh, heavens knows I did. We flung all sorts of time and money toward this fairly useless (for me) endeavor.
My success and sales didn't start to go upward until I'd published several quality books. After I released my first book (yes, it was edited. :-)), we spent a lot of time trying to get the word out through reviews and free advertising. I spent hours and hours contacting blog owners and reviewers. I hired someone to head up a blog tour for me. And saw almost nothing from it. Just a few sales here and there (and I'll be honest - my sales were more than a lot of Indie authors have during their first few months. They just didn't equal the amount of work I put in).
Success didn't actually start happening until a couple of things were in place:
1. I had a bunch of books available
2. We put up the first book in my series for free (across the board - Nook, Kindle, etc.)
I'm not saying marketing won't work for you. If you feel strongly like you need to do something, then do it. But remember this: the digital age is different from days of the past. Our memories, as readers, are shorter - if there isn't another book available when we finish an enjoyable story, we probably won't return to the author. Most people won't make it a point to return until they've read several things from an author.
Don't market to other authors. We're all in the same boat, and it gets annoying to hear messages over and over again from the same people. "Check out my latest book!" "Fan my author page!" I block people who are constantly spamming others in their search for new readers, fans for their pages, people to support their cause, etc.
Rather than searching for sales from other authors, we should be supporting and friendshipping each other.
5. My social networking
This is a pretty sensitive subject right now. To see what I'm talking about, check out this flawed article by the Guardian, one of the responses to that article on an Indie author blog, and then make sure to go back to the Guardian article and read all of the comments made by JA Konrath. He and the author of the article go back and forth quite a bit, and I have to say, Joe's arguments are pretty sound.
Indie authors, beware the trap that is social marketing. The majority of us have figured out that big sales don't really come from social marketing - not for 95% of people, anyway. Most sales come from readers telling readers about a cool new author they've discovered. Sales come from people having multiple ways to find authors who have multiple books out. The more books you've written and published, the more ways you'll have to find readers.
Basically, the best use of your time is in writing new material and progressing in your abilities. I use Facebook and Twitter to keep in touch with readers, fans, friends, and family. I talk about the things that are most important to me: writing, family, movies, etc. I update on current writing projects, but almost never talk about books that are already for sale. I don't expect most family and friends to actually buy my books. :-)
I think that answers all of the questions. Just so we're on the same page: marketing and social networking do work for some. You might be that person. But play it safe - make sure you've got plenty of options for readers to choose from before you start a huge marketing or social networking campaign.
And don't annoy people with spammy messages. :-)
That's all for today.
Mini update on my books:
The Music of Anna Morse is with my editor. I'll be sending Britnell Manor (formerly The Forgotten Photograph) to her soon. About to start writing Whistle, and I'll Come. These are all novellas that fall under my Katon University umbrella. I'm really excited to have them ready! Feedback from beta readers has been extremely positive so far. These are creepy, fun stories!
August 1, 2012
Exciting Updates and Words of Encouragement
I'm pretty excited today. I was really excited last night. Mainly because I sat down and did the actual math.
A year ago, I had a really strong feeling that I needed to quit teaching orchestra at an elementary school (contracted position) so I could focus solely on writing/Indie publishing.
It's only been 11 months since quitting that job, and already, I'm making more off of royalties than I made teaching orchestra.
Not only that, but my royalties exceed what I made teaching both orchestra and private lessons. And I'm not a cheap teacher. :-)
All I can say to this is WOW, and that I feel so very blessed! What an exciting, liberating, and thrilling time it is to be an author!
I post this as a way to encourage other Indie authors. I'm not huge or best selling, but I don't need to be, and neither do you to feel successful and to make a living - even if it is a meager one.
As Karen McQuestion said in a recent post on the new Kirkus Reviews Self-Pubishing Blog, "I was one of the first, but many other authors have gone the self-published e-book route and had the same kind of results—some even better! It’s a good time to be a writer, maybe the best time in the history of the world. Three years ago my books were rejected. Now, they’re being read and I get to write novels for a living. It doesn’t get much better than that."
How is that for a nice warm fuzzy? :-)
And a really awesome quote from Mark Coker over on the Smashwords blog, talking about multiple best selling Indie authors hitting the NYT Bestselling list this week:
"Maybe tomorrow's bestseller is languishing on an undiscovered writer's computer, still waiting for a publisher to give it a chance. Maybe that writer will now realize they don't need the blessing of a publisher to become a published author, or to reach readers. Maybe they'll realize that the tools to publish and distribute a book are available at no cost, and the knowledge to professionally publish is available for the taking.
"It just takes effort.
"Give your book a chance. Get it out now. If you're exceptionally talented and work your butt off, then lightning might strike for you too. Or, if you're like most authors, you'll find the journey of self-publishing is reward enough, even if you don't make the New York Times bestseller list."
All right. Let's talk about what Mr. Coker is saying.
"It just takes effort," and "work your butt off"
Self-publishing IS NOT easy. Nothing worth achieving in life is - we've all heard that before, so don't be surprised to find out that it applies to this line of work as well. There are so many things to learn and understand, and so many avenues authors must use. If you aren't willing to make sacrifices, you won't succeed or achieve your goals.
Take your work seriously. Don't upload or make books public that haven't been edited and don't have professional covers. Give people a good impression. Help them feel confident that their investment - even if only $2.99 - is worth it.
Speaking of professionalism, Joe Konrath said, "Just because it's easier than ever before to reach an audience doesn't mean you should. Luck still plays a part in success. But so does professionalism. Being a professional means you won't inflict your crappy writing on the public."
He also said that being a professional includes being prolific and providing readers with multiple things to read, in every avenue possible (Smashwords, Kindle, Nook, etc.). And then he says that if, after doing all this, your sales aren't where you want them to be, you need to take a hard look at the writing itself. Did you have it read by multiple people/beta readers/editors before publishing? Is the writing actually good? Are you doing your best to progress? To give your readers something better each time you put up new work? If not, fix it.
Mark Coker said, "If you're exceptionally talented and you work your butt off, then lightning might strike for you too."
As with nearly any other field, inborn talent isn't always a requirement. Sometimes, working really hard, learning everything possible, practicing all the time, and listening to criticism from other people will actually get you farther than someone who was born with the talent to be a good writer.
And to those of you who complain about how much money self-publishing costs, you need to realize this isn't a get-rich quick scheme. You can't just expect to upload a badly-written book and start making money without actually sacrificing something. It's a business, and whoever heard of a business that didn't require an initial, upfront investment of the financial sort? Someone somewhere has to put money into the project. And you can bet you're going to be that person.
Here's another "blunt" quote from Joe Konrath (same link as above):
"A sacrifice involves choosing one thing over another. If you can't devote the time, energy, and money it takes to pursue this career, go do something else."
Something my husband and I have found, especially when it comes to the financial aspect of things: where there's a will, there's a way. Things have always worked out. We make the goals, work as hard as we can, and things fall into place.
The extra money we've needed has come along when we needed it. Perhaps this is due to the sacrifices we've made. In the beginning, and before we started, we set money aside every month. We still sacrifice going out to eat, going to the movies, buying toys and books and ice cream and even traveling to some family things to save on gas.
But I can tell you now, it is worth it. This is important to us and we made it a priority.
And it's paying us back. Things are still tight, but I can actually say I'm getting paid to do what I love.
What a great time to be alive!
A bit about the book signing (book launch for August Fortress) tonight:
It's official! The Molg (creature from my book) figurine/miniature will be on display!! We'll also have illustrations for you to look at and keys to sell along with my books. I'm so very excited! See you there. :-) (Click on the link above for details about the book signing.)
A year ago, I had a really strong feeling that I needed to quit teaching orchestra at an elementary school (contracted position) so I could focus solely on writing/Indie publishing.
It's only been 11 months since quitting that job, and already, I'm making more off of royalties than I made teaching orchestra.
Not only that, but my royalties exceed what I made teaching both orchestra and private lessons. And I'm not a cheap teacher. :-)
All I can say to this is WOW, and that I feel so very blessed! What an exciting, liberating, and thrilling time it is to be an author!
I post this as a way to encourage other Indie authors. I'm not huge or best selling, but I don't need to be, and neither do you to feel successful and to make a living - even if it is a meager one.
As Karen McQuestion said in a recent post on the new Kirkus Reviews Self-Pubishing Blog, "I was one of the first, but many other authors have gone the self-published e-book route and had the same kind of results—some even better! It’s a good time to be a writer, maybe the best time in the history of the world. Three years ago my books were rejected. Now, they’re being read and I get to write novels for a living. It doesn’t get much better than that."
How is that for a nice warm fuzzy? :-)
And a really awesome quote from Mark Coker over on the Smashwords blog, talking about multiple best selling Indie authors hitting the NYT Bestselling list this week:
"Maybe tomorrow's bestseller is languishing on an undiscovered writer's computer, still waiting for a publisher to give it a chance. Maybe that writer will now realize they don't need the blessing of a publisher to become a published author, or to reach readers. Maybe they'll realize that the tools to publish and distribute a book are available at no cost, and the knowledge to professionally publish is available for the taking.
"It just takes effort.
"Give your book a chance. Get it out now. If you're exceptionally talented and work your butt off, then lightning might strike for you too. Or, if you're like most authors, you'll find the journey of self-publishing is reward enough, even if you don't make the New York Times bestseller list."
All right. Let's talk about what Mr. Coker is saying.
"It just takes effort," and "work your butt off"
Self-publishing IS NOT easy. Nothing worth achieving in life is - we've all heard that before, so don't be surprised to find out that it applies to this line of work as well. There are so many things to learn and understand, and so many avenues authors must use. If you aren't willing to make sacrifices, you won't succeed or achieve your goals.
Take your work seriously. Don't upload or make books public that haven't been edited and don't have professional covers. Give people a good impression. Help them feel confident that their investment - even if only $2.99 - is worth it.
Speaking of professionalism, Joe Konrath said, "Just because it's easier than ever before to reach an audience doesn't mean you should. Luck still plays a part in success. But so does professionalism. Being a professional means you won't inflict your crappy writing on the public."
He also said that being a professional includes being prolific and providing readers with multiple things to read, in every avenue possible (Smashwords, Kindle, Nook, etc.). And then he says that if, after doing all this, your sales aren't where you want them to be, you need to take a hard look at the writing itself. Did you have it read by multiple people/beta readers/editors before publishing? Is the writing actually good? Are you doing your best to progress? To give your readers something better each time you put up new work? If not, fix it.
Mark Coker said, "If you're exceptionally talented and you work your butt off, then lightning might strike for you too."
As with nearly any other field, inborn talent isn't always a requirement. Sometimes, working really hard, learning everything possible, practicing all the time, and listening to criticism from other people will actually get you farther than someone who was born with the talent to be a good writer.
And to those of you who complain about how much money self-publishing costs, you need to realize this isn't a get-rich quick scheme. You can't just expect to upload a badly-written book and start making money without actually sacrificing something. It's a business, and whoever heard of a business that didn't require an initial, upfront investment of the financial sort? Someone somewhere has to put money into the project. And you can bet you're going to be that person.
Here's another "blunt" quote from Joe Konrath (same link as above):
"A sacrifice involves choosing one thing over another. If you can't devote the time, energy, and money it takes to pursue this career, go do something else."
Something my husband and I have found, especially when it comes to the financial aspect of things: where there's a will, there's a way. Things have always worked out. We make the goals, work as hard as we can, and things fall into place.
The extra money we've needed has come along when we needed it. Perhaps this is due to the sacrifices we've made. In the beginning, and before we started, we set money aside every month. We still sacrifice going out to eat, going to the movies, buying toys and books and ice cream and even traveling to some family things to save on gas.
But I can tell you now, it is worth it. This is important to us and we made it a priority.
And it's paying us back. Things are still tight, but I can actually say I'm getting paid to do what I love.
What a great time to be alive!
A bit about the book signing (book launch for August Fortress) tonight:
It's official! The Molg (creature from my book) figurine/miniature will be on display!! We'll also have illustrations for you to look at and keys to sell along with my books. I'm so very excited! See you there. :-) (Click on the link above for details about the book signing.)
July 26, 2012
In the News and Indie Publishing
We live in exciting times! Not only are more and more self-published authors making quite a bit of money from eBook sales, but hundreds of traditionally published authors are successfully leaving their publishers to go on their own. Why are they leaving? Because they recognize two important things: self-publishing offers a lot of freedom, and traditional publishers are actually hurting their careers.
This morning, Smashwords put up a really eye-opening blog post, the title of which will generate a lot of buzz: How a Traditional Publisher Could Harm a Writer's Career.
In the article, Mark Coker, founder and owner of Smashwords, lays out current market trends, along with the statistics behind his bold statement in the title. After talking stats, he discusses Penguin's action to purchase Author Solutions, a well-known self-publishing company.
Go ahead and read the article, then come back. In fact, don't continue until you've read it, since I'll only touch upon it here and there throughout this post.
About Book Reviews
I've come across many reviews in the last year where the reader automatically assumed a book was self-published because it was "subpar." Unfortunately for many of those readers, they didn't do their homework, and the reviews I read were of traditionally published books (many under imprints of the "Big 6" publishers).
I don't blame those people - a lot of Indie authors are making bad names for themselves (and Indie publishing) by putting up unedited material that simply isn't ready for the public. (Unedited means NOT READY. Just to emphasise my point. :-))
However, having a traditional publisher's name behind a book doesn't guarantee a worth-while read, and there are many stories that shouldn't ever have been accepted by publishers. My husband's favorite example is a book titled Planet X , which is a crossover between Star Trek and X Men. As he says, "That should never have happened." Ha ha!
An avid reader will openly admit to having read quite a few TP books that were awful. Just because it's traditionally published, doesn't mean it'll be good. Experienced Indie authors are carefully preparing their ideas and making sure books are as professional as possible before uploading. And they're making a lot of money doing this.
Joe Konrath recently posted about success in self-publishing. After mentioning the fact that there are millions of YouTube videos available (comparing to how many eBooks there are), he says, "Sure, some YouTube videos won't be watched, just like some ebooks won't be read. But quality does seem to eventually find an audience. Maybe not to smashing success, but authors don't need smashing success. They need 100 sales a day at $2.99 to live very well."
He then goes on to help authors understand what they need to do to have those sales. It involves putting up quality material (including editing and professional covers/descriptions), finding a good price to put on said material, and then experimenting with promotions. Then he says what not to do, which includes marketing. If interested in learning more, go read his post (you'll find the above info toward the bottom of it), then come back.
Let's do the math here.
70% of 2.99 is roughly $2.09. An Indie author selling 100 eBooks a day is making $209. Times that by 365 and that author is earning $76,285 a year. (Before tax.)
Compare to traditionally published authors. If they're with one of the "Big 6," they're making about 17.5% per eBook (after agent fees). Traditional publishers frequently price a book at $9.99 or more.
17.5% of $10 is $1.75. A TP author selling 100 eBooks a day is making $175. Times that by 365 and that author is earning $63,875 a year. (Before taxes.)
And, as we already know, you have to work a heck of a lot harder to sell 100 eBooks a day when they're priced at $9.99. Sadly, several of my traditionally published friends are only given 10% per eBook.
Then there's the fact that publishers don't always pay for actual sales. A lot of them use stats to track royalties. They say, "For every print book, five eBooks are sold." And a year or so later, they pay the author according to how many print books are sold. They never give exact sales numbers, because that would require exact math. Underpaying authors happens a lot, but you can bet they'd never overpay.
Coming back to square one, it's easy to see why being with a traditional publisher will hurt an author's career. Not only are traditional authors getting paid $12,410 less a year (if daily selling 100 eBooks), but readers are offered many more options, and don't have to pay $9.99 if they don't want to. If it's Stephen King they're craving, and they can't cough up the money for his eBooks, there are several authors who are just as good who sell for $2.99.
Now then. Here are a few articles that have been in the news over the last couple of weeks that really caught my attention:
David Farland takes charge of publication process with thriller
- "Farland took a long look at the rapidly evolving world of publishing. As publishers rush to catch up to readers' burgeoning attachment to various electronic gadgets, ink-and-paper books are increasingly being pushed aside.
"I love my publishers," Farland said. "I just looked at it and thought, 'Ten or 15 years down the line, do I want to be stuck with a traditional contract?' "
Self-Published Slavery Novel Scores World-Wide Book Deals
- "Marlen Suyapa Bodden had faith that her first book, “The Wedding Gift,” a historical novel about American slavery that she self-published in 2009, would find an audience, but she never dreamed she would land four separate six-figure deals with major publishers who plan to launch the book next year in U.S. and international markets."
Atria Books acquires self-published romance hit
- "NEW YORK (AP) — A self-published romance novel that has sold hundreds of thousands of copies has been acquired by an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Atria Books announced Tuesday that it had signed up Jamie McGuire’s ‘‘Beautiful Disaster,’’ to be released immediately as an e-book. A paperback will follow in August."
Scholarly publishing is broken: Is it time to consider guerrilla self-publishing?
- Aimee Morrison has been congratulated and gained professional credit for ‘publishing’ her article in a high profile journal. Except, her work will not be printed for another two years. She writes that commercial publishers are exploiting academics’ desire for reputation against a true public good. 'Scholarly publishing is broken–and I don’t want to be complicit in this brokenness anymore, just because it serves some of my purposes, some of the time.'"
Back to Andrea. :-) You hear a lot about successful self-published authors who get huge advances when they sign with big publishers. What's even more cool are the thousands upon thousands of authors who are earning a very comfortable living by self-publishing. Most of them will never be best sellers, but do they care? Not one bit.
This morning, Smashwords put up a really eye-opening blog post, the title of which will generate a lot of buzz: How a Traditional Publisher Could Harm a Writer's Career.
In the article, Mark Coker, founder and owner of Smashwords, lays out current market trends, along with the statistics behind his bold statement in the title. After talking stats, he discusses Penguin's action to purchase Author Solutions, a well-known self-publishing company.
Go ahead and read the article, then come back. In fact, don't continue until you've read it, since I'll only touch upon it here and there throughout this post.
About Book Reviews
I've come across many reviews in the last year where the reader automatically assumed a book was self-published because it was "subpar." Unfortunately for many of those readers, they didn't do their homework, and the reviews I read were of traditionally published books (many under imprints of the "Big 6" publishers).
I don't blame those people - a lot of Indie authors are making bad names for themselves (and Indie publishing) by putting up unedited material that simply isn't ready for the public. (Unedited means NOT READY. Just to emphasise my point. :-))
However, having a traditional publisher's name behind a book doesn't guarantee a worth-while read, and there are many stories that shouldn't ever have been accepted by publishers. My husband's favorite example is a book titled Planet X , which is a crossover between Star Trek and X Men. As he says, "That should never have happened." Ha ha!
An avid reader will openly admit to having read quite a few TP books that were awful. Just because it's traditionally published, doesn't mean it'll be good. Experienced Indie authors are carefully preparing their ideas and making sure books are as professional as possible before uploading. And they're making a lot of money doing this.
Joe Konrath recently posted about success in self-publishing. After mentioning the fact that there are millions of YouTube videos available (comparing to how many eBooks there are), he says, "Sure, some YouTube videos won't be watched, just like some ebooks won't be read. But quality does seem to eventually find an audience. Maybe not to smashing success, but authors don't need smashing success. They need 100 sales a day at $2.99 to live very well."
He then goes on to help authors understand what they need to do to have those sales. It involves putting up quality material (including editing and professional covers/descriptions), finding a good price to put on said material, and then experimenting with promotions. Then he says what not to do, which includes marketing. If interested in learning more, go read his post (you'll find the above info toward the bottom of it), then come back.
Let's do the math here.
70% of 2.99 is roughly $2.09. An Indie author selling 100 eBooks a day is making $209. Times that by 365 and that author is earning $76,285 a year. (Before tax.)
Compare to traditionally published authors. If they're with one of the "Big 6," they're making about 17.5% per eBook (after agent fees). Traditional publishers frequently price a book at $9.99 or more.
17.5% of $10 is $1.75. A TP author selling 100 eBooks a day is making $175. Times that by 365 and that author is earning $63,875 a year. (Before taxes.)
And, as we already know, you have to work a heck of a lot harder to sell 100 eBooks a day when they're priced at $9.99. Sadly, several of my traditionally published friends are only given 10% per eBook.
Then there's the fact that publishers don't always pay for actual sales. A lot of them use stats to track royalties. They say, "For every print book, five eBooks are sold." And a year or so later, they pay the author according to how many print books are sold. They never give exact sales numbers, because that would require exact math. Underpaying authors happens a lot, but you can bet they'd never overpay.
Coming back to square one, it's easy to see why being with a traditional publisher will hurt an author's career. Not only are traditional authors getting paid $12,410 less a year (if daily selling 100 eBooks), but readers are offered many more options, and don't have to pay $9.99 if they don't want to. If it's Stephen King they're craving, and they can't cough up the money for his eBooks, there are several authors who are just as good who sell for $2.99.
Now then. Here are a few articles that have been in the news over the last couple of weeks that really caught my attention:
David Farland takes charge of publication process with thriller
- "Farland took a long look at the rapidly evolving world of publishing. As publishers rush to catch up to readers' burgeoning attachment to various electronic gadgets, ink-and-paper books are increasingly being pushed aside.
"I love my publishers," Farland said. "I just looked at it and thought, 'Ten or 15 years down the line, do I want to be stuck with a traditional contract?' "
Self-Published Slavery Novel Scores World-Wide Book Deals
- "Marlen Suyapa Bodden had faith that her first book, “The Wedding Gift,” a historical novel about American slavery that she self-published in 2009, would find an audience, but she never dreamed she would land four separate six-figure deals with major publishers who plan to launch the book next year in U.S. and international markets."
Atria Books acquires self-published romance hit
- "NEW YORK (AP) — A self-published romance novel that has sold hundreds of thousands of copies has been acquired by an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Atria Books announced Tuesday that it had signed up Jamie McGuire’s ‘‘Beautiful Disaster,’’ to be released immediately as an e-book. A paperback will follow in August."
Scholarly publishing is broken: Is it time to consider guerrilla self-publishing?
- Aimee Morrison has been congratulated and gained professional credit for ‘publishing’ her article in a high profile journal. Except, her work will not be printed for another two years. She writes that commercial publishers are exploiting academics’ desire for reputation against a true public good. 'Scholarly publishing is broken–and I don’t want to be complicit in this brokenness anymore, just because it serves some of my purposes, some of the time.'"
Back to Andrea. :-) You hear a lot about successful self-published authors who get huge advances when they sign with big publishers. What's even more cool are the thousands upon thousands of authors who are earning a very comfortable living by self-publishing. Most of them will never be best sellers, but do they care? Not one bit.
July 25, 2012
Book Launch for August Fortress, Kilenya Series Book Three!!!
Yay for book launches and signings!
What: August Fortress, Kilenya Series Book Three, in print, of course! Also, The Key of Kilenya, The Ember Gods, and the Key of Kilenya accessory! (To see the accessory, click on Kilenya Merchandising above)
Just so you know: All of my books will be available for $10 each. :-) If you buy all three books, it'll be $25. Why the discounts? Each author will be handling their own money, and $10 is a lot easier to work with than the usual price of $12.99. :-)
When: Wednesday, August 1, 2012
(It's fitting, isn't it, that August Fortress be launched in August? :-))
Where: Pleasant Grove Library, Pleasant Grove, UT
30 East Center Pleasant Grove, Utah 84062 (Click here for a map and the Facebook event Tristi Pinkston put together)
Time: 7:00pm to 9:00pm
Who: A TON of authors!
Including:
Tristi Pinkston (also launching a new book! It's a super fun YA romance called Turning Pages)
Julie Coulter Bellon (suspense)
Nichole Giles (humor, memoir)
Angie Lofthouse (speculative (religious science fiction))
Monique Bucheger (middle grade)
Heather (H.B.) Moore (inspirational nonfiction and historical fiction)
Rachelle Christensen (suspense)
Heather Justesen (family drama, romance)
Loralee Evans (historical fiction)
Suzanne Reese (paranormal romance)
L. L. Muir (romance)
Julie N. Ford (romance)
And me, of course! :-)
I've met most of these authors - they're a lot of fun, and they write dang good books!
Also, there's going to be a silent auction, and all proceeds will go straight to the Pleasant Grove Library. I love libraries, and it's exciting to be able to help them.
Hope to see you there!
In case you didn't already know, The Key of Kilenya is still up for free everywhere eBooks are sold. Go check it out. :-) The downloads (and sales on the other books) have been so good that I didn't have the heart to up the price again. :-)
What: August Fortress, Kilenya Series Book Three, in print, of course! Also, The Key of Kilenya, The Ember Gods, and the Key of Kilenya accessory! (To see the accessory, click on Kilenya Merchandising above)
Just so you know: All of my books will be available for $10 each. :-) If you buy all three books, it'll be $25. Why the discounts? Each author will be handling their own money, and $10 is a lot easier to work with than the usual price of $12.99. :-)
When: Wednesday, August 1, 2012
(It's fitting, isn't it, that August Fortress be launched in August? :-))
Where: Pleasant Grove Library, Pleasant Grove, UT
30 East Center Pleasant Grove, Utah 84062 (Click here for a map and the Facebook event Tristi Pinkston put together)
Time: 7:00pm to 9:00pm
Who: A TON of authors!
Including:
Tristi Pinkston (also launching a new book! It's a super fun YA romance called Turning Pages)
Julie Coulter Bellon (suspense)
Nichole Giles (humor, memoir)
Angie Lofthouse (speculative (religious science fiction))
Monique Bucheger (middle grade)
Heather (H.B.) Moore (inspirational nonfiction and historical fiction)
Rachelle Christensen (suspense)
Heather Justesen (family drama, romance)
Loralee Evans (historical fiction)
Suzanne Reese (paranormal romance)
L. L. Muir (romance)
Julie N. Ford (romance)
And me, of course! :-)
I've met most of these authors - they're a lot of fun, and they write dang good books!
Also, there's going to be a silent auction, and all proceeds will go straight to the Pleasant Grove Library. I love libraries, and it's exciting to be able to help them.
Hope to see you there!
In case you didn't already know, The Key of Kilenya is still up for free everywhere eBooks are sold. Go check it out. :-) The downloads (and sales on the other books) have been so good that I didn't have the heart to up the price again. :-)
July 16, 2012
Let's Not Be So Negative...
Smashwords interviewed Jonathan Maberry, a NYT Bestselling author. One of his responses, about being positive online, really stuck with me. And I know it's geared to writers and the writing field, but MAN is it applicable in every day life and conversation. Here's a quote from it (I've edited it a bit):
"Negativity does not sell, but a lot of writers seem to use it as a way of getting heard. Sure, you’re heard ... and then ignored. If you want to vent, do it over beers at the next Stoker banquet. We’ll all listen. But don’t put it online.
(He then uses Twilight as an example, where a lot of authors/writers talked online about how stupid and awful it was. Then he said agents and editors pay attention to these sorts of things, that they know that Twilight brought a lot of money into the industry and will avoid you for slamming it and other crappy (but potentially successful) books.)
"So, what do you put out there? Think about a party. If there’s someone who is whining and moaning and someone else who’s getting folks to laugh and loosen up, which way do you drift? If a kid in a playground is constantly whining about the quality of the toys, and another kid has turned a cardboard box into a sideshow funhouse, who’s getting more attention? Who’s going to be remembered in a positive way?
"And, even if you are a naturally cranky, snarky, sour-tempered pain in the butt, for goodness’ sake share that with your therapist or priest. When you go online to promote yourself and therefore you products, try not to actually scare people off your lawn."
I loved this quote. And like I said, I know it's geared to writers and the writing field, but it is definitely applicable to anyone. Every time we post something online, we're "promoting" ourselves. And don't we want people to remember us in a positive instead of negative light?
People who complain and whine all the time about how horrible and hard life is, and how other people who don't deserve success are getting it, tend to be ignored - except by other people who whine and complain a lot. Whereas people who are uplifting, complimentary, and positive are cheered on, then supported when they need support. They put a positive spin on everything, which is so much more attractive than a negative spin. Let's be "an example of the believers, in word, in conversation" (1 Tim 4:12), by seeking (and writing/posting) things that are "virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy" (13th AofF).
This applies not only to people who are wanting to be traditionally published, but those of us who are indie authors. None of us can afford to lose readers (agents/editors) because of one temper-tantrum article we post.
To read the rest of the interview, including the parts I cut out of the above quote, go here.
"Negativity does not sell, but a lot of writers seem to use it as a way of getting heard. Sure, you’re heard ... and then ignored. If you want to vent, do it over beers at the next Stoker banquet. We’ll all listen. But don’t put it online.
(He then uses Twilight as an example, where a lot of authors/writers talked online about how stupid and awful it was. Then he said agents and editors pay attention to these sorts of things, that they know that Twilight brought a lot of money into the industry and will avoid you for slamming it and other crappy (but potentially successful) books.)
"So, what do you put out there? Think about a party. If there’s someone who is whining and moaning and someone else who’s getting folks to laugh and loosen up, which way do you drift? If a kid in a playground is constantly whining about the quality of the toys, and another kid has turned a cardboard box into a sideshow funhouse, who’s getting more attention? Who’s going to be remembered in a positive way?
"And, even if you are a naturally cranky, snarky, sour-tempered pain in the butt, for goodness’ sake share that with your therapist or priest. When you go online to promote yourself and therefore you products, try not to actually scare people off your lawn."
I loved this quote. And like I said, I know it's geared to writers and the writing field, but it is definitely applicable to anyone. Every time we post something online, we're "promoting" ourselves. And don't we want people to remember us in a positive instead of negative light?
People who complain and whine all the time about how horrible and hard life is, and how other people who don't deserve success are getting it, tend to be ignored - except by other people who whine and complain a lot. Whereas people who are uplifting, complimentary, and positive are cheered on, then supported when they need support. They put a positive spin on everything, which is so much more attractive than a negative spin. Let's be "an example of the believers, in word, in conversation" (1 Tim 4:12), by seeking (and writing/posting) things that are "virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy" (13th AofF).
This applies not only to people who are wanting to be traditionally published, but those of us who are indie authors. None of us can afford to lose readers (agents/editors) because of one temper-tantrum article we post.
To read the rest of the interview, including the parts I cut out of the above quote, go here.
June 28, 2012
Sometimes I Have to Wonder ...
I like to follow what people are saying online about self or indie publishing. It's great to keep tabs on the publishing industry, especially the success (and not-so-successful) stories. But I just came across a question on some random website, followed by an answer that irked me. The asker is curious about self and indie publishing. Here's where you can find the original. The question is as follows:
Barring having a professional editor, I saw that my book is nearing completion. That being said, I was wondering what peoples thoughts on self-publishing vs. indie publishing (as in going through an indie publisher) were?
I don't know what to do with this book yet. I'm just hoping to make some money off of it to have made the time invested into it worth it! So for those of you with a few titles under your belt, or if you happen to have done a lot of research - what did you choose? Which ended up better for you? Why?
First, I'm really glad he's doing his research and asking others what their experiences have been. This is huge when it comes to deciding which road to take, and I applaud him.
Second, self-publishing and indie publishing are the same thing. Luckily, the number of people out there who still think "indie" publishing means having a publisher behind the author are dwindling. The word "independent" means just that: independent. :-) And I'm glad he added that parenthetical thought regarding indie publishers. It makes a difference. Most people will argue it's still self-publishing, though. You're heavily involved in the process and still carry quite a bit of the marketing and promoting weight.
Third, publishing "to make money off of it to have made the time invested into it worth it" . . . sounds like this guy isn't a "true" writer. I don't want to offend anyone who has written just one book and never plans to write another and is trying to get money from that one book. But according to most authors I've ever met, true writers write because they have to. Because they need to get stories off their chests. Because they love their characters. Many of them won't look at it like a waste of time if they don't make money. It's their passion, their hobby. And as we know, a person is incredibly lucky if they can make money on a passion or hobby. For me, I wanted to share the stories and characters I'd been so obsessed with for so many years - for free, if necessary. But I was going to continue writing either way. I'm sure many of you feel the same. (Even after the discouraging times, we're still drawn to picking up that pen, figuratively speaking.)
I could look at it from this angle, though: most of us have had that deep, dark secret that we hold dear to our hearts: the dream of becoming a hugely, successfully published author. I didn't tell anyone I was a writer until after I'd finished my first book in 2008. Aside from my younger brother, a friend, and one co-worker. Maybe this guy is just more upfront with that dream than the rest of us. :-) I still stand by what I said earlier, though: I, like most others, will keep writing, even if the money stops coming in.
Okay, here's the comment/response that annoyed me:
I have no experience but I'm very tempted to try for the indie publishing or even publishing in general because I love the idea of a physically published book. It seems too easy to self-publish and anyone can do it. But to seek out publishers and actually get accepted seems like way more of a challenge, and I would feel like more of a writer if I get through it :p
Call me blunt, but this person is very uneducated when it comes to the publishing world.
First off, self-publishing doesn't mean there won't be a physical book. I've got physical books and they've been sold in bookstores and I'm self-published.
Second, anyone who is truly self-published will comment first on how difficult it is. The weight of everything is on your shoulders. Who she's referring to are people who write a book, upload it, and don't put another thought into it - don't have editors, cover designers, or don't put in any work to promote. As anyone who's actually tried self-publishing will know, it requires hard, hard work, and yes, even some money.
And feeling like more of a writer just because her book got accepted by a company? Sad, sad, day. Sigh. Writers write. If you write, you're a writer. I read that comment to my husband and he said, "It's the whole acceptance thing again. People need this mythical publishing world to make them feel like they made some imaginary cut. Most published books fail and lose money. And many worth-while books are rejected multiple times before actually finding a publisher, if they ever do."
That's all for today.
While perusing the internet, I came across a great article on the difference between indie publishing and traditional publishing. Check it out here. Kris is a traditionally-published-veteran-turned indie author. Her posts are long but insightful and she makes some really good points about how much time it actually takes to get traditionally published.
Okay, back to work now. I'm spending a lot of my time on Dmitri: A Kilenya Romance. I'm LOVING how it's going so far!
And this is what I'm listening to while writing (if you've never seen it, you actually need to watch the video. The filming/cinematography is beautiful and amazing!):
Barring having a professional editor, I saw that my book is nearing completion. That being said, I was wondering what peoples thoughts on self-publishing vs. indie publishing (as in going through an indie publisher) were?
I don't know what to do with this book yet. I'm just hoping to make some money off of it to have made the time invested into it worth it! So for those of you with a few titles under your belt, or if you happen to have done a lot of research - what did you choose? Which ended up better for you? Why?
First, I'm really glad he's doing his research and asking others what their experiences have been. This is huge when it comes to deciding which road to take, and I applaud him.
Second, self-publishing and indie publishing are the same thing. Luckily, the number of people out there who still think "indie" publishing means having a publisher behind the author are dwindling. The word "independent" means just that: independent. :-) And I'm glad he added that parenthetical thought regarding indie publishers. It makes a difference. Most people will argue it's still self-publishing, though. You're heavily involved in the process and still carry quite a bit of the marketing and promoting weight.
Third, publishing "to make money off of it to have made the time invested into it worth it" . . . sounds like this guy isn't a "true" writer. I don't want to offend anyone who has written just one book and never plans to write another and is trying to get money from that one book. But according to most authors I've ever met, true writers write because they have to. Because they need to get stories off their chests. Because they love their characters. Many of them won't look at it like a waste of time if they don't make money. It's their passion, their hobby. And as we know, a person is incredibly lucky if they can make money on a passion or hobby. For me, I wanted to share the stories and characters I'd been so obsessed with for so many years - for free, if necessary. But I was going to continue writing either way. I'm sure many of you feel the same. (Even after the discouraging times, we're still drawn to picking up that pen, figuratively speaking.)
I could look at it from this angle, though: most of us have had that deep, dark secret that we hold dear to our hearts: the dream of becoming a hugely, successfully published author. I didn't tell anyone I was a writer until after I'd finished my first book in 2008. Aside from my younger brother, a friend, and one co-worker. Maybe this guy is just more upfront with that dream than the rest of us. :-) I still stand by what I said earlier, though: I, like most others, will keep writing, even if the money stops coming in.
Okay, here's the comment/response that annoyed me:
I have no experience but I'm very tempted to try for the indie publishing or even publishing in general because I love the idea of a physically published book. It seems too easy to self-publish and anyone can do it. But to seek out publishers and actually get accepted seems like way more of a challenge, and I would feel like more of a writer if I get through it :p
Call me blunt, but this person is very uneducated when it comes to the publishing world.
First off, self-publishing doesn't mean there won't be a physical book. I've got physical books and they've been sold in bookstores and I'm self-published.
Second, anyone who is truly self-published will comment first on how difficult it is. The weight of everything is on your shoulders. Who she's referring to are people who write a book, upload it, and don't put another thought into it - don't have editors, cover designers, or don't put in any work to promote. As anyone who's actually tried self-publishing will know, it requires hard, hard work, and yes, even some money.
And feeling like more of a writer just because her book got accepted by a company? Sad, sad, day. Sigh. Writers write. If you write, you're a writer. I read that comment to my husband and he said, "It's the whole acceptance thing again. People need this mythical publishing world to make them feel like they made some imaginary cut. Most published books fail and lose money. And many worth-while books are rejected multiple times before actually finding a publisher, if they ever do."
That's all for today.
While perusing the internet, I came across a great article on the difference between indie publishing and traditional publishing. Check it out here. Kris is a traditionally-published-veteran-turned indie author. Her posts are long but insightful and she makes some really good points about how much time it actually takes to get traditionally published.
Okay, back to work now. I'm spending a lot of my time on Dmitri: A Kilenya Romance. I'm LOVING how it's going so far!
And this is what I'm listening to while writing (if you've never seen it, you actually need to watch the video. The filming/cinematography is beautiful and amazing!):
June 13, 2012
Big, Awesome, Wonderful Announcements! :-)
Today is the day I can finally make some announcements I've been wanting to make for a very long time! I've got five of them, so be sure to read through to the end, and help me spread the news!
First, The Key of Kilenya (or, as my hubby says, "Keys of Kilenya") is now available for purchase! James Curwen and I decided not to make them into individual necklaces, since several people said they wanted to carry them in their pockets, or to put on a key chain. The simple loop you see in the picture below will come with every key. Cost: $5.00. Click here to purchase, for more information, including shipping and handling info, and specs on how they were made! :-)
Second, I'm pregnant!!! Yay!! I can't even begin to say how excited we are. :-) And I can't even say how hard it was not to blurt it out randomly (before we made the announcement)! Morning sickness = awful. Being tired all the time = not so much fun. Frequent bathroom trips = sigh. A baby coming the first week in December = wonderful and awesome! Here's an older picture from our first ultrasound (cause it's an adorable picture :-)):
It's hard to know who's more excited: me or my husband. Yay! :-)
Third, August Fortress, Kilenya Series Book Three is now available as an eBook! Hallelujah and miracle of miracles! :-) You can get it from Kindle, Nook, or Smashwords for $3.99 (Smashwords carries most formats). It'll populate to Sony, Kobo, Apple, etc., in a couple of weeks, and the print version will be out in a month or so.
Fourth, we've released a compilation of books one and two into an eBook, complete with a gagreel of silly/stupid/funny typos my editor(s), beta readers, and I discovered while going through The Key of Kilenya and The Ember Gods. If you want to get caught up on the first two books before reading August Fortress, download Kilenya Series Books One and Two from Kindle or Smashwords (Smashwords has Nook's format, along with formats for the other eReaders). It's only $2.99 right now.
Fifth, and as many of you already know, the eBook version of The Key of Kilenya is up for free across the board! (Kindle, Nook, Smashwords) It has been this way for a little over a month (will be for another week or so), and the downloads have been super, super good! And having it up for free has increased sales on all of my other eBooks. "Neato," as my dad would say. :-) The Key of Kilenya hasn't fallen below 25 on the bestsellers list on Amazon for its genre since going up for free. So cool. :-)
Sixth, did I mention I'm pregnant? Yes? He he. :-)
Seventh, August Fortress is FINALLY out!
Ha ha. Okay, you get the point.
Please help me spread the news by clicking on the "share" buttons a couple of lines below - especially the one for Facebook!
Thank you so much to all of you for your support, patience (while waiting for August Fortress), and friendship!
First, The Key of Kilenya (or, as my hubby says, "Keys of Kilenya") is now available for purchase! James Curwen and I decided not to make them into individual necklaces, since several people said they wanted to carry them in their pockets, or to put on a key chain. The simple loop you see in the picture below will come with every key. Cost: $5.00. Click here to purchase, for more information, including shipping and handling info, and specs on how they were made! :-)
Second, I'm pregnant!!! Yay!! I can't even begin to say how excited we are. :-) And I can't even say how hard it was not to blurt it out randomly (before we made the announcement)! Morning sickness = awful. Being tired all the time = not so much fun. Frequent bathroom trips = sigh. A baby coming the first week in December = wonderful and awesome! Here's an older picture from our first ultrasound (cause it's an adorable picture :-)):
It's hard to know who's more excited: me or my husband. Yay! :-)
Third, August Fortress, Kilenya Series Book Three is now available as an eBook! Hallelujah and miracle of miracles! :-) You can get it from Kindle, Nook, or Smashwords for $3.99 (Smashwords carries most formats). It'll populate to Sony, Kobo, Apple, etc., in a couple of weeks, and the print version will be out in a month or so.
Fourth, we've released a compilation of books one and two into an eBook, complete with a gagreel of silly/stupid/funny typos my editor(s), beta readers, and I discovered while going through The Key of Kilenya and The Ember Gods. If you want to get caught up on the first two books before reading August Fortress, download Kilenya Series Books One and Two from Kindle or Smashwords (Smashwords has Nook's format, along with formats for the other eReaders). It's only $2.99 right now.
Fifth, and as many of you already know, the eBook version of The Key of Kilenya is up for free across the board! (Kindle, Nook, Smashwords) It has been this way for a little over a month (will be for another week or so), and the downloads have been super, super good! And having it up for free has increased sales on all of my other eBooks. "Neato," as my dad would say. :-) The Key of Kilenya hasn't fallen below 25 on the bestsellers list on Amazon for its genre since going up for free. So cool. :-)
Sixth, did I mention I'm pregnant? Yes? He he. :-)
Seventh, August Fortress is FINALLY out!
Ha ha. Okay, you get the point.
Please help me spread the news by clicking on the "share" buttons a couple of lines below - especially the one for Facebook!
Thank you so much to all of you for your support, patience (while waiting for August Fortress), and friendship!
