Paul Colt's Blog - Posts Tagged "writers"
Agents, Publishers and You
Before you tackle questions about agents and publishers; you need to decide what you want to accomplish with your writing. Is your book a one-time tick on a bucket-list or is it something more? Do you plan on becoming a professional writer; or is writing an enjoyable hobby? Answers to those questions should influence the choices you make. If your book is a one-time thing, a self-publishing strategy might make the most sense. If you plan to pursue writing professionally, you will probably find value in an agency relationship at some point. If you are a serious hobbyist you may want to focus on a publisher relationship. There is no right answer to these questions. The only a right answer is the one that’s right for you. In my case, I said: If I can’t sell it, it’s not worth putting my pseudonym on it. You get experience, picking that gate.
Do you need an agent? You don’t need one; but if you have the opportunity to get a good one, they can open doors for you that help you sell your work. I don’t have an agent. I’d be open to considering it; but I’m not out soliciting one. I have a great relationship with a wonderful editor and publisher. It took a lot of at bats to get to first base; but it can be done.
Let’s talk about publishers. They come in all shapes and sizes- print, digital, audio and self-publishing services. Set the selfies aside for a moment. Publishers are businesses that sell products called books. They usually limit their consideration to specific types of work: fiction, non-fiction, a specific list of genre. Your work needs to match the publisher’s consideration. They produce books in print, digital or audio. My first three books came out in audio. Audio is a niche market so sales were modest. I pitched some digital publishers without much success. Digital is growing; but it is still a niche market. Royalty rates are higher. Price points are lower. Volume can be good if you are a good marketer. Print is still the big game. When I finished Boots and Saddles: A Call to Glory I knew I had a good one. One that would open the print gate for me. It did. It took three years.
Now a bit about selfies. The big advantage to self-publishing is that you skip a really nasty gate. Actually you run the risk of skipping two gates. Without having to get through that tough gate-keeper, you may not fully learn the lessons of craft. Like commercial publishers, self-publishing services come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Vanity press print and do-it-yourself digital are the two most common. Based on the horror stories I’ve seen and heard, I don’t recommend vanity print. It can be expensive, quality in some cases is poor and in the end, you wind up with boxes of books in the basement it is up to you to sell. If I was going to self-publish, I’d go do-it-yourself digital. That puts you into digital sales, marketing and distribution that is way better than humping boxes out of the basement. In general, it is also far less expensive.
Next week: Sales and Marketing- Really
https://www.amazon.com/author/paulcolt
Ride easy,
Paul
Do you need an agent? You don’t need one; but if you have the opportunity to get a good one, they can open doors for you that help you sell your work. I don’t have an agent. I’d be open to considering it; but I’m not out soliciting one. I have a great relationship with a wonderful editor and publisher. It took a lot of at bats to get to first base; but it can be done.
Let’s talk about publishers. They come in all shapes and sizes- print, digital, audio and self-publishing services. Set the selfies aside for a moment. Publishers are businesses that sell products called books. They usually limit their consideration to specific types of work: fiction, non-fiction, a specific list of genre. Your work needs to match the publisher’s consideration. They produce books in print, digital or audio. My first three books came out in audio. Audio is a niche market so sales were modest. I pitched some digital publishers without much success. Digital is growing; but it is still a niche market. Royalty rates are higher. Price points are lower. Volume can be good if you are a good marketer. Print is still the big game. When I finished Boots and Saddles: A Call to Glory I knew I had a good one. One that would open the print gate for me. It did. It took three years.
Now a bit about selfies. The big advantage to self-publishing is that you skip a really nasty gate. Actually you run the risk of skipping two gates. Without having to get through that tough gate-keeper, you may not fully learn the lessons of craft. Like commercial publishers, self-publishing services come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Vanity press print and do-it-yourself digital are the two most common. Based on the horror stories I’ve seen and heard, I don’t recommend vanity print. It can be expensive, quality in some cases is poor and in the end, you wind up with boxes of books in the basement it is up to you to sell. If I was going to self-publish, I’d go do-it-yourself digital. That puts you into digital sales, marketing and distribution that is way better than humping boxes out of the basement. In general, it is also far less expensive.
Next week: Sales and Marketing- Really
https://www.amazon.com/author/paulcolt
Ride easy,
Paul
Building a Brand
The writer’s journey continues. You write and promote. In the process you build a brand. Your brand builds reader expectation. When a reader picks up one of your books they come to know what to expect. You don’t think in those terms with your first book. It’s the second one that starts building a brand. It continues to define who you are as an author. When you pick up a Dusty Richards book you know you’re getting a solid traditional western. Pick up a Jeff Shaara title, you know you’re in for a first class historical dramatization. Building a brand is how you build a following. That’s what makes successful writers successful. There are some authors like Loren Estleman and Robert B. Parker who manage two genre. Both write westerns and mysteries. I love their westerns. I’ve never read one of their mysteries. Nothing is more risky than a small sample; but I suspect they have a brand in both audiences.
Building a brand is a bit of a dilemma for me. I love big historical dramatizations I call ‘Unexpected history’. It’s a story that involves some little known or over looked aspect of an otherwise familiar character or event. Boots and Saddles: A Call to Glory is unexpected history. Most people don’t know that chapter in George Patton’s career. The trouble with ‘I-had-no-idea’ stories like Grasshoppers in Summer; or A Question of Bounty is that they don’t come along every day. So what do I write when I don’t have my teeth into one of those? We’re about to find out.
A couple of years ago I thought about creating a short novel series for digital publication. I stumbled on an unexpected history premise for the series. Did you know the Pinkerton Detective Agency had a competitor? Most people don’t. I came across a compilation of case reports for something called the Rocky Mountain Detective Association. The group operated across the west in the latter decades of the nineteenth century. I chatted up the idea with my publisher who showed interest in doing them in print. The first release in the Great Western Detective League series will be out in January 2015. It’s a western with crossovers in crime/detective and a sprinkle of romance. The series introduces a colorful cast of Great Western Detective League and Pinkerton characters who pursue criminal cases while battling each other for the rewards and bounties that go with getting the bad guys. The idea is to create a light fun read. Will it muddy my brand? It could. We’ll try to give the series a brand of its own.
That brings us to the end of this guided tour of the writer’s journey. It’s not the end of the journey mind you, it’s only as far as I’ve come. The writing, publishing, promotion and brand building continue. It’s a long way to a best seller; but who knows? Maybe someday. Enjoy the journey wherever you are.
Next week: Saber Master
https://www.amazon.com/author/paulcolt
Ride easy,
Paul
Building a brand is a bit of a dilemma for me. I love big historical dramatizations I call ‘Unexpected history’. It’s a story that involves some little known or over looked aspect of an otherwise familiar character or event. Boots and Saddles: A Call to Glory is unexpected history. Most people don’t know that chapter in George Patton’s career. The trouble with ‘I-had-no-idea’ stories like Grasshoppers in Summer; or A Question of Bounty is that they don’t come along every day. So what do I write when I don’t have my teeth into one of those? We’re about to find out.
A couple of years ago I thought about creating a short novel series for digital publication. I stumbled on an unexpected history premise for the series. Did you know the Pinkerton Detective Agency had a competitor? Most people don’t. I came across a compilation of case reports for something called the Rocky Mountain Detective Association. The group operated across the west in the latter decades of the nineteenth century. I chatted up the idea with my publisher who showed interest in doing them in print. The first release in the Great Western Detective League series will be out in January 2015. It’s a western with crossovers in crime/detective and a sprinkle of romance. The series introduces a colorful cast of Great Western Detective League and Pinkerton characters who pursue criminal cases while battling each other for the rewards and bounties that go with getting the bad guys. The idea is to create a light fun read. Will it muddy my brand? It could. We’ll try to give the series a brand of its own.
That brings us to the end of this guided tour of the writer’s journey. It’s not the end of the journey mind you, it’s only as far as I’ve come. The writing, publishing, promotion and brand building continue. It’s a long way to a best seller; but who knows? Maybe someday. Enjoy the journey wherever you are.
Next week: Saber Master
https://www.amazon.com/author/paulcolt
Ride easy,
Paul
