Adam Croft's Blog, page 16

Self-publishing: is more choice always a good thing?

Much has been written about the increase in choice bought about by self-publishing: more choice for authors, and more choice for readers. On the whole this is undoubtedly a good thing. Allowing authors to write and publish the books that they want to write and publish rather than what the publishing industry thinks they should publish is good for everyone involved. It gives writers more freedom and readers a greater range of books to choose from.

But there is also another side to this, one that poses a couple of challenges for writers and readers alike. For writers, self-publishing might have made it easier to get books published, but it has also increased competition. It is hard to get noticed and, for readers, the increase in choice can lead to a dilemma: how can you tell which books are actually good?

This can make it harder for self-published authors to get noticed, especially if some readers react by sticking to what they know, looking out for authors they already read and rarely taking risks on other books. It’s also why trial and error still plays such a part for both writers and readers. For readers, the increased choice is great but there’s no guarantee that every book they pick up will be their cup of tea. For writers, there is still a significant amount of luck involved in success.

However, we shouldn’t be disheartened. Despite the challenges it poses, self-publishing is a good thing. The extra choice is better than less choice and, from the perspective of both writers and readers, you never know when you are going to strike gold. That potential on its own is more than reason enough to celebrate the benefits of the choice provided by self-publishing.

4 benefits self-publishing has bought the book industry

The benefits of self-publishing to the wider book industry are plentiful, but sometimes it is worth having a look at a few key points to see just what it is able to offer. Of course, there is still a debate going on about publishing, and there are undoubtedly challenges relating to self-publishing as well as benefits, but as it grows in popularity, it’s impossible to deny that there is something important going on here. With this in mind, here are just some of the benefits that independent publishing has bought the book industry.

The publishing process is more appreciated

Now that more authors are getting involved in independent publishing, the process of publishing a book is more appreciated than ever before. Authors understand the work involved, and as the quality of self-published books continues to improve, the role of professionals is also important. This isn’t just good news for authors looking to get their work published, but also for others who work in the industry – editors and proof-readers and marketers. There is more choice and opportunity for them as well as for writers.

Authors understand the business better

When the only way of getting published was to go down the traditional route, a lot of authors didn’t really get that involved with the business side of things. With the rise of independent publishing, this is changing – and it’s a good things. When authors understand the business of publishing better, they are able to make more informed choices about what they want to do themselves and what they would like to use others to do for them. Better appreciation of marketing is also important, with tech-savvy authors taking responsibility for more and more of their promotions.

Authors have more power

We’ve looked before at how self-publishing gives authors more control over what they write, but it also gives them control in other ways. For instance, traditional publishers are starting to wake up to self-publishing success stories and are often keen to work with authors who have already had success. Since the self-published author has all their own rights, it puts them in a position of power. The hybrid model of publishing also opens up more options for authors, giving them choices that didn’t exist until quite recently.

More diversity in publishing

Traditional publishing with one of the big publishers. Self-publishing. Small press publishing. Hybrid publishing. Keepsake publishing. There is more diversity than ever before in the industry, which not only makes it more likely that writers will be able to find an option to suit them, but also gives more choice and power to readers. And, as self-publishing becomes seen more and more as a respectable, viable option for authors, there is arguably more of a level playing field in terms of publishing routes.

What do you think? How else has self-publishing benefitted the book industry?

7 tips for creating characters who are nothing like yourself

When it comes to creating characters for novels, the easy option is to come up with a protagonist who is quite a bit (or quite a lot) like yourself. However, someone like you won’t be right for every story, and a lack of variety in your characters will make your books end up seeming one-dimensional and unrealistic.

Coming up with characters who are often completely different to yourself is a common challenge of the novelist – and it can also be great fun, putting yourself in someone else’s shoes to see how they see the world. Still, it can sometimes be difficult to create believable characters that you find it hard to relate to. Luckily, there are plenty of things you can do to help things along.

Create someone completely the opposite of you. As an exercise, write down a range of characteristics and opinions of your own. Then write down the opposite. Think about how you might come to reach those opposite opinions. Even if you don’t use this character for anything, it’s still a useful exercise that can help you see the differences and similarities between people.
Do research. If you are, for instance, a marketing executive and you are writing about a character who is a brain surgeon, a little bit of research will make things much more believable. Even if you aren’t going into the technical aspects of the work, an idea about the kind of routine that the character might follow or the background they might have will be hugely useful.
Read lots of books to see what makes characters believable – and also to see what doesn’t work.
Observe people like the characters you are writing about. In many cases, casual observation should get you the information you need – people watching in a café, for instance, or paying attention to how people react to situations. In other cases, more formal observation might help, such as work shadowing.
Make them up like you make up stories. As authors, we don’t question the fact that we have to make stuff up when we’re constructing the plots of our stories, and this approach can also be applied to our characters. As long as there is an element of truth in there that makes them seem real, there is nothing wrong with making stuff up and seeing what happens.
Use your own POV to enhance them. As someone who is different to your characters, you can provide an interesting, objective view of them and how they are – just as someone who is different to you could provide an objective view of you that you might not be able to reach yourself.
Create an outline and build on it. Just as you would create an outline for your novel and then fill out the details of the plot later, so you can do something similar with your characters. Develop their key traits first, and then start to flesh the out into a living, breathing person. The act of writing a novel is great for this as you can learn about them as you’re writing.

Will we see self-published books in libraries?

Yesterday on this blog we took a little look at the news that e-book lending pilot schemes are due to start soon in the UK. Today we turn our attention to a related, yet slightly different, issue: that of self-published books in libraries. Namely, will there come a time when self-published authors are just as likely to see their work available to borrow from the library as traditionally published authors?

I think we are probably some way off from this yet, but there are signs that it could one day happen. For instance, more and more people are reading self-published novels by choice, and are buying them regularly online. As the books become more widely-read, it is possible that the demand for them in libraries will grow.

Related to this is the fact that there are now quite a lot of self-published authors who have gone on to be successful in traditional publishing careers; there is no longer the stigma there once was around self-published books, and books that were previously self-published are now available in the traditional manner. This also links to the hybrid model of publishing, where self-published authors can also be traditionally-published and perhaps more likely to see their books on the library shelves. The self-published author Hugh Howey (who wrote Wool) recently signed up to a print-only deal with Simon & Schuster, for instance.

Also, as e-lending schemes start to be developed, there might be potential in the future for self-published authors – who, as we know, are very keen on digital – to take part, depending on demand. There are undoubtedly still plenty of challenges to overcome before we see lots of self-published books on the library shelves, but as they become an increasingly important part of the publishing industry and what people read, one day it could become a reality.

What do you think?

New pilot schemes for e-book lending

It was announced just over a week ago that libraries in the UK could be lending e-books by as early as this summer. Pilot schemes are set to be introduced to look into the issue of e-book lending patterns, and it is hoped that more libraries will become involved later on in the year.

This is happening in response to the Sieghart Review, which came to the conclusion that readers should be able to borrow e-books in an effort to secure the future of libraries. Another interesting point to come out of this is that it has been recommended that people should be able to borrow the e-books remotely.

You can find out more about this news here. What do you think about borrowing e-books from libraries?

5 ways for crime writers to boost their brand

We all know that crime fiction is a popular, competitive industry. With so many crime writers out there all trying to reach readers, what can you do to give you and your books the best possible chance of getting noticed? As well as all of the usual things, such as making sure you’ve got a top notch book and are prepared to put the time in to make it work, there are other things you might like to try. For instance…

Release your work as a serial

Back in the day, authors such as Charles Dickens regularly released instalments of their novels in serial form. It’s not such a common thing now, but for crime writers looking for different ways to publish their work, it could be something to consider. Amazon has a service called Kindle Serials that allows you to do this (you can read more about it here). It’s a particularly interesting option for crime writers as the serial provides great opportunities for ramping up tension and cliff-hangers.

Write tie-in works

If you have a crime fiction series on the go, one way to try and boost your brand is to create tie-in works for that series. For example, if you’re currently writing the next book in the series but publication is still a long way off, a short story set in the same world could be a good way to keep interest going. As well as providing new, extra content for readers, it will also build up your back catalogue and ensure that you have something fresh and new to use in your marketing. It could even act as a compelling lead in for your new book.

Invest in translation

This is probably an option to consider once you’ve established yourself as a crime writer and have had some success with your work, but translation can still be an option to consider. International crime fiction is a popular genre – you only have to look at the popularity of Scandinavian crime fiction in the UK to see evidence of this, so getting your book translated for international markets could be a good way to go.

Use a range of publication options

It might sound obvious to say that you should try and get your work onto as many different platforms as possible, but it is often tempting for self-published crime writers to just stick with e-publication. For some this definitely makes sense, particularly when you’re just starting out, but you also shouldn’t ignore print publication. There are plenty of crime fans who still like a printed book, and print-on-demand services help to make this affordable.

Have more than one series to your name

If you are looking to improve your success as a crime reader and attract more readers, something to consider is writing more than one crime series. Having a couple of series on the go – particularly if they deal with different kinds of crime or have a different style and tone – can be beneficial. Different readers like different kinds of crime novel – some prefer police procedurals while others prefer grittier psychological thrillers. As long as you’re not scrimping on quality, a couple of crime novel series have the potential to be useful to you.

5 tips for writing the perfect first line

The first line of your novel needs to have impact. I am fairly certain that whole novels’ worth of material have been written about how much the first line matters (and here is some more material on the subject) and the role it plays in your novel. Everyone has their own ways of starting stories, but here are some tips to help you when writing your perfect first line.

Read lots of them. It’s an interesting exercise; going through all of the books in your house and reading the first line in each of them. Which of them are the most compelling, and why? Are there any that you think could be improved? Read on a little to the end of the first page – how does it affect the impact of the first line?
Make sure it’s a strong opening. A very vague tip, I know, but an important one nonetheless. No matter what your novel is about, make sure your first line does it justice.
Practice writing them. Write the first line of a few ideas you’ve got floating around, or even just any first line that springs to mind to find out what works and what doesn’t.
Write the first page of your book and then see if you could cut the first paragraph. Despite best intentions, we often start our novel drafts with a small amount of waffle. It might not seem like waffle at the time, but often when you come back to it, you find it could in fact be cut: your first first line might not always be your final first line.
Follow it up well. There’s no point writing a cracking first line only to then wreck it with a poor follow up. Make sure your second sentence is just as great as the first. And make sure that the third sentence is as good as the second, and on, and on…

 

8 self-publishing essentials

While many things about independent publishing are up to you, there are also quite a few that are so important they can be classed as essential. Here are some of the main ones.

E-book publication. In this day and age, you don’t necessarily have to do a print run of your book, especially if you are writing fiction, but you do need to have an e-book publication. And that e-book should be…
Available on as many platforms as possible.
Some form of promotion. A blog and a presence on social media are the two big ones – and they’re great because you can do them for free – but there are plenty of other forms of promotion you can get involved in.
Business sense. If you are serious about self-publishing, you can’t just be a writer. Of course, being a writer is an essential, but you also need to understand about working for yourself and all that it entails.
Editing and proofreading. You can do this yourself or you can ask someone else to do it for you, but you should never self-publish a book without making sure it is properly edited and has been proofread before publication.
Focus and commitment. If you’re not committed to what you’re doing and don’t have the focus you need to get things done, you simply won’t get them done at all.
An objective person. You can do most self-publishing tasks by yourself, but it still helps to have at least one other person by your side, if only because it can sometimes be hard to be objective about your own work. Someone who can be constructively critical and offer an unbiased opinion is a must.
A good book. This must be the biggest essential of self-publishing: if you don’t have a book worth reading, it’ll be hard to get anywhere.

What are your self-publishing essentials?

5 reasons traditional authors are embracing self-publishing

We’ve known for quite a while now that authors who have previously gone down the traditional route of publishing are starting to turn to independent publishing. To many people, it might at first seem like an odd move; after all, these are authors who have already broken into the publishing industry. However, if you look a little deeper, it all starts to make sense. Here are some of the top reasons traditional authors are embracing self-publishing.

Control. This is definitely one of the big ones. Self-publishing simply gives you more control over your career – what you write, how and when you publish it, and how you market it.
More self-publishing options. Now that methods of self-publishing are improving and there is an increasing range of options out there, it is growing much more attractive to all authors. Traditional publishing is no longer the only option.
Authors have to do marketing no matter what. Whether you are traditionally published or self-published, you are going to have to do quite a bit of your own marketing. With that in mind, you might as well have control over it and go indie.
Less bureaucracy. Of course, self-publishing comes with its own share of admin, but you do get to miss out a lot of the bureaucracy. It’s much faster to get a book published through self-publishing than it is with a traditional publisher.
Expanding career options. Also, switching to self-publishing doesn’t close down other options; it is simply another option that authors can now make use of. There are plenty of hybrid authors who make use of both traditional and self-publishing, and this figure seems set to grow.

Making your bad habits work for your writing

Writing-related bad habits are sure to be something familiar to many of us. We know that what we’re doing might not be quite the best thing for making good, quality progress with our writing, but somehow, we just can’t stop. We just keep on procrastinating despite a looming deadline, we stare out of the window daydreaming instead of getting on with writing, and get so scared of failing that we don’t even try in the first place.

But what if these bad habits could actually work for you? Here are some tips and ideas on how to make your bad habits work for your writing.

Making procrastination productive

Avoiding writing by doing almost anything else is something plenty of writers are guilty of. We usually see it as a bad thing as it prevents us from making progress, but if you do feel the need to procrastinate, one way of turning into a more positive activity is to think about how your alternative activities could help your writing.

For instance, if you procrastinate by faffing on the internet, it might not add to your word count, but it will be adding in some way to your knowledge of the internet and whatever it is you’re using it to read about/do. Equally, if you’re someone who procrastinates by daydreaming, at least you’re giving yourself a chance to be creative and think of new ideas. And you never know when that knowledge or those ideas could come in handy in the future…

Turning fear of failure into an asset

Fear of failing – of not being any good at writing, or of being rejected by agents/publishers/competition judges/readers – is common. I think all writers suffer from it to one degree or another and, while it can hold us back, it does also have its uses.

Primarily, it shows us just how much we care. We want to be good at writing. We want other people to think we’re good at it and we want to do well and achieve through it. If you can harness that worry and use it to focus yourself on just how much you want to do well with your writing, it could end up doing some good.

Making irregular writing patterns work for you

We’ve all read the advice on how writing regularly – if possible, every day – is the best way to make progress, but in practice this doesn’t always happen. If you are someone who has an irregular, inconsistent writing pattern, either through necessity or accident, you could make it work well for you. For instance, if you only write once or twice a fortnight, you might well end up getting more done in a session because you have to write then or not at all. Also, if you keep a log of ideas and thoughts in between writing sessions, you can easily be more productive when you do write as you’ll already have a good idea of what you need to do.

Making the most of your inner editor

Your inner editor can sometimes be a pain, particularly when you’re on the first draft of a piece of writing – you can end up editing the same section over and over trying to get it right, without making any progress in terms of getting to the end. However, if you can train yourself to use that inner editor properly, it could do you some great favours.

Being a good editor can help you in the writing process because you’ll be thinking carefully about what you write in the first place and, if you can switch off your urge to edit as you go but then turn it back on when you come to the end of the draft, you’ll hopefully be really productive when it comes to editing and proofreading later on.

What bad habits do you think could actually be an asset to your writing?