Vicki V. Lucas's Blog, page 11
June 22, 2012
Have You Read...
I love books. I always have. As a child, whenever someone sat down who could read, I would toddle up to them with more books than I could possibly carry and say “Read me.” I’m told that it would have been more appealing if I had chosen two or three, but I still don’t know how to pick between great books! When I was ten, our librarian told me that I was too young to read “The Robe” by Lloyd C. Douglas and almost didn’t let me check it out. I try not to hold hard feelings since it is approximately 500 pages long and set at the time of Christ’s crucifixion. After protesting greatly, she let me have it. I finished the book in a week and passed the quiz she gave me when I returned it. She never questioned anything I checked out after that.In college, I still managed to find time to continue reading any fiction book I could find. My backpack was filled with notebooks, textbooks, and my fiction book...just in case I finished studying and wanted something to read!Currently, I always have at least two or three books with me in case I finish one and have nothing to read - one of my greatest fears. Travelling by airplane causes great problems. Not only do I have to choose between books, but my back aches from carrying all that weight! I love books. Fantasy, historical, science-fiction, contemporary, mystery, classics, nonfiction. The general rule of thumb for me is the fatter the book, the better. But I have found some great gems in shorter books. Check out my GoodReads page. It’s filled with all genres, and I’ve barely begun adding to it. I even like textbooks. Gasp.The next best thing to reading is finding that kindred spirit who also loves to read. I’m always amazed at how a complete stranger can instantly turn into a close friend by discussing a shared favorite book. Conversation turns from stilted to unstoppable. You suddenly share inside jokes. Within the space of time that it takes to say “Have you read ...”, friendship is made, grown, and fully developed.
For that reason, I am turning this blog into a discussion. I know what I think. I want to hear from you. Yes, I’ll keep you updated with what I’m doing for marketing, current self-publishing trends, etc. But I am also going to be asking about...
Books – Which books you like or don’t,What Christians should be reading,Issues with secular books,Current writing styles,And more!I’m deeply hoping you’ll join in! I want to get to know you better and pick your brain about booksHere’s your first question. It’s simple, but it’s a great way to get to know you a little better: What book are you currently reading, and how do you like it?
And begin... Photos provided by http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/
June 19, 2012
Why I Chose to Self-Publish, Part Three
So, who has done it? Who has self-published and found success in this modern day world? The real question is who to start with! 1. J.A. Konrath. He says it best in his blog. (Note: I have cut it down a bit. I hope he doesn’t mind.)
2. Christopher Paolini
3. Graham P. Taylor
In 2002, British Vicar Graham P. Taylor self-published his young adult novel, Shadowmancer. Knowing that traditional publishers would probably not be interested in a novel about Christianity and black magic set in the 18th century, he self-published for approximately $6,700. This book sold thousands by word of mouth. Eventually Penguin Putnam bought the US rights for $500,000 and Graham Taylor sold the film rights for $4.5 million to Universal.
4. Darcie Chan
5. Amanda Hocking
6. William P. Young
Six examples. I know there are a thousand examples out there of people who self-published and have sold under a hundred. But it can be done. Write a great book, get it on as an e-book, and work your butt off at marketing while writing more books. It’s a lot to do at once, but look at what you can achieve.
“One hundred grand. That's how much I've made on Amazon in the last three weeks. This is just for my self-pubbed Kindle titles. It doesn't include any of my legacy sales, print or ebook. It doesn't include audiobook sales. It doesn't include sales from other platforms. This is from my self-pubbed books. So far in January I'm averaging well over $3500 a day. In January of 2010, I made $2300 for the month on Kindle. In January of 2011, I made $34,000. That means I'd make about $50,000 in January, just in US sales. I can't see a limit. I can't see a ceiling.
This is no longer a question of choosing between accepting 17.5% royalties from a legacy publisher or doing it yourself. This has now become the best way in the history of mankind for a writer to earn money. It may be one of the greatest ways to ever make money, period.
...I've been following the ebook revolution for three years, and I never could have predicted this would get so big so fast. I've consistently been surprised by numbers and sales, and have lost count of the times I've said, "This is unreal." But it isn't unreal. It's very real. I know, because I just pinched myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. For the fifth time today.”
2. Christopher Paolini
At fifteen, he began working on his first book Eragon. zpon completion, he toured over 135 schools and libraries. By nineteen, he was a New York Times bestselling author. Eragon was picked up by 20th Century Fox and made into a movie – making $249 million. It’s the highest grossing film with a dragon as its focal point and the second highest grossing film in the sword and sorcery subgenre. The last number I could find was that the Inheritance Cycle (a total of four books) has sold more than 25 million copies.
3. Graham P. Taylor
In 2002, British Vicar Graham P. Taylor self-published his young adult novel, Shadowmancer. Knowing that traditional publishers would probably not be interested in a novel about Christianity and black magic set in the 18th century, he self-published for approximately $6,700. This book sold thousands by word of mouth. Eventually Penguin Putnam bought the US rights for $500,000 and Graham Taylor sold the film rights for $4.5 million to Universal.
4. Darcie Chan
Her first novel was self-published early 2010. It has sold more than 413,000 copies. She bought some ads on Web sites targeting e-book readers, paid for a review from Kirkus Reviews, and priced her book at 99 cents to encourage readers to try it. After 600 copies sold, she spent about $1,000 on marketing, buying banner ads on websites and blogs devoted to Kindle readers and a promotional spot on goodreads.com. She's now attracting bids from foreign imprints, movie studios and audio-book publishers.
5. Amanda Hocking
6. William P. Young
Originally written for just his six children, but he ended up printing 15 copies of The Shack. Two of his friends encouraged him to have it published. Rejected by 26 publishers, he and his friends started a publishing house and spent $200 in advertising. A year later, it was number one on the New York Times best-seller list. Now, with 10 million copies in print, it continues on the NY Times Best Seller List. It’s been translated into 34 languages. It is also a bestseller in Canada, the U.K., South Africa, and South Korea.
Six examples. I know there are a thousand examples out there of people who self-published and have sold under a hundred. But it can be done. Write a great book, get it on as an e-book, and work your butt off at marketing while writing more books. It’s a lot to do at once, but look at what you can achieve.
Who I Chose to Self-Publish, Part Three
So, who has done it? Who has self-published and found success in this modern day world? The real question is who to start with! 1. J.A. Konrath. He says it best in his blog. (Note: I have cut it down a bit. I hope he doesn’t mind.)
2. Christopher Paolini
3. Graham P. Taylor
In 2002, British Vicar Graham P. Taylor self-published his young adult novel, Shadowmancer. Knowing that traditional publishers would probably not be interested in a novel about Christianity and black magic set in the 18th century, he self-published for approximately $6,700. This book sold thousands by word of mouth. Eventually Penguin Putnam bought the US rights for $500,000 and Graham Taylor sold the film rights for $4.5 million to Universal.
4. Darcie Chan
5. Amanda Hocking
6. William P. Young
Six examples. I know there are a thousand examples out there of people who self-published and have sold under a hundred. But it can be done. Write a great book, get it on as an e-book, and work your butt off at marketing while writing more books. It’s a lot to do at once, but look at what you can achieve.
“One hundred grand. That's how much I've made on Amazon in the last three weeks. This is just for my self-pubbed Kindle titles. It doesn't include any of my legacy sales, print or ebook. It doesn't include audiobook sales. It doesn't include sales from other platforms. This is from my self-pubbed books. So far in January I'm averaging well over $3500 a day. In January of 2010, I made $2300 for the month on Kindle. In January of 2011, I made $34,000. That means I'd make about $50,000 in January, just in US sales. I can't see a limit. I can't see a ceiling.
This is no longer a question of choosing between accepting 17.5% royalties from a legacy publisher or doing it yourself. This has now become the best way in the history of mankind for a writer to earn money. It may be one of the greatest ways to ever make money, period.
...I've been following the ebook revolution for three years, and I never could have predicted this would get so big so fast. I've consistently been surprised by numbers and sales, and have lost count of the times I've said, "This is unreal." But it isn't unreal. It's very real. I know, because I just pinched myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. For the fifth time today.”
2. Christopher Paolini
At fifteen, he began working on his first book Eragon. zpon completion, he toured over 135 schools and libraries. By nineteen, he was a New York Times bestselling author. Eragon was picked up by 20th Century Fox and made into a movie – making $249 million. It’s the highest grossing film with a dragon as its focal point and the second highest grossing film in the sword and sorcery subgenre. The last number I could find was that the Inheritance Cycle (a total of four books) has sold more than 25 million copies.
3. Graham P. Taylor
In 2002, British Vicar Graham P. Taylor self-published his young adult novel, Shadowmancer. Knowing that traditional publishers would probably not be interested in a novel about Christianity and black magic set in the 18th century, he self-published for approximately $6,700. This book sold thousands by word of mouth. Eventually Penguin Putnam bought the US rights for $500,000 and Graham Taylor sold the film rights for $4.5 million to Universal.
4. Darcie Chan
Her first novel was self-published early 2010. It has sold more than 413,000 copies. She bought some ads on Web sites targeting e-book readers, paid for a review from Kirkus Reviews, and priced her book at 99 cents to encourage readers to try it. After 600 copies sold, she spent about $1,000 on marketing, buying banner ads on websites and blogs devoted to Kindle readers and a promotional spot on goodreads.com. She's now attracting bids from foreign imprints, movie studios and audio-book publishers.
5. Amanda Hocking
6. William P. Young
Originally written for just his six children, but he ended up printing 15 copies of The Shack. Two of his friends encouraged him to have it published. Rejected by 26 publishers, he and his friends started a publishing house and spent $200 in advertising. A year later, it was number one on the New York Times best-seller list. Now, with 10 million copies in print, it continues on the NY Times Best Seller List. It’s been translated into 34 languages. It is also a bestseller in Canada, the U.K., South Africa, and South Korea.
Six examples. I know there are a thousand examples out there of people who self-published and have sold under a hundred. But it can be done. Write a great book, get it on as an e-book, and work your butt off at marketing while writing more books. It’s a lot to do at once, but look at what you can achieve.
June 15, 2012
Why I Chose Self-Publishing, Part Two
The next reason that I chose to self-published lies in who has gone before me and the fact that editors are humans, too. Sometimes editors or boards at large publishing houses make mistakes. More on that later. First, let’s look at the history of self-publishing.
1. History -
When you think of self-publishing, what is the first thing that goes through your mind? I’d wager there are a couple things. The first one is normally “Oh, so the author wasn’t good enough to get accepted into a traditional publishing house.” The next is that the author must be rich because you know it costs a lot of money. Then you go on to wonder where that person is going to put all those hundreds of books they had to buy. And, finally, you start to doubt the quality of the book.
A lot of these thoughts are valid. Fifty to a hundred years ago, self-publishing was called “vanity press” as a slight to those who deemed their book worthy of printing. The idea was that the self-published authors had been rejected by the “gatekeepers” (in other words, editors with impeccable judgment), and the authors were too vain to handle the rejections, so they hired a press to print their books. It was very expensive, and you normally had to buy hundreds of books, which then sat in your garage until you started throwing them away. I also have to admit that a few authors do not take the time to edit their book well enough, and sometimes the quality is bad.
In defense of self-publishing, a lot has changed. No longer is it expensive to hire a company. In fact, one company called Createspace lets you publish for free. You upload your interior as a PDF, choose from one of the templates for a cover (or upload your own image), and then buy the books. Period. Thanks to print-on-demand printing, a machine can print a book in the matter of minutes. This allows an author to buy ten or ten thousand copies. I will admit that there are a lot self-published books out there that need serious editing, but most professional authors will carefully edit the book before printing. There are a lot of books from traditional publishing houses with serious errors.
However before 1941, most publications were self-published because they were written, printed, and sold by the owner of the printer. It’s only in this late century that the roles of author and publisher have been separated. Don’t believe me? Look at this list of self-published authors...both from long ago and now. Benjamin Franklin, William Blake, Virginia Woolf, Thomas Paine, Alexandre Dumas, Walt Whitman, James Joyce, E.E. Cummings, Oscar Wilde, Tom Peters (In Search of Excellence), D.H. Lawrence, Thomas Paine, Christopher Paolini, Edgar Allen Poe, George Bernard Shaw, E. B. White, Upton Sinclair, G.P. Taylor, Mark Twain, Henry David Thoreau, Zane Grey, Rudyard Kipling, Carl Sandburg, Gertrude Stein, John Grisham, and Stephen King. And the list goes on!
· 2. Relying on the GatekeepersEditors didn’t always make the best call, which is a natural thing. I love fantasy and don’t really like romance. If I was an editor, and you sent me a romance, I wouldn’t know whether it was good or not, probably wouldn’t like it, and would probably reject it. Many people believe that a novel that has been rejected is worthless. We have been brainwashed into believing that editors are looking for great writing. And if our writing is great, the editor will accept it. Period. WRONG!!! Editors are also looking for profit, especially today where the houses are losing money. And remember…editors are humans and sometimes they make bad judgment calls. Don’t believe me? Look at this…
1. Pearl S. Buck. The Good Earth - 14 times.2. Joseph Heller. Catch-22 - 22 times. 3. Anne Frank. Diary of Anne Frank - 16 rejections. One publisher said, “The girl doesn't, it seems to me, have a special perception or feeling which would lift that book above the 'curiosity' level.4. Stephen King. His first four novels were rejected. On his fifth book, King received 30 rejections, and then he threw it in the trash. His wife fished it out. King sent it out again. One of the publishers said, “We are not interested in science fiction which deals with negative utopias. They do not sell.” It was finally bought, with little enthusiasm, for $2,500. It’s called Carrie.5. Frank Herbert. Dune - 23 rejections. It won the Hugo Award for Best Novel. Dune was followed by five sequels and a film version of the book. 6. William Golding. Lord of the Flies - 20 rejections. One publisher said: “An absurd and uninteresting fantasy which was rubbish and dull.”7. Richard Doddridge Blackmore. Lorna Doone - 18 rejections. Today Blackmore is considered one of the greatest British authors of the 19th century.8. Richard Hooker. M*A*S*H – 21 times. Before the series, and the film, there was the novel. 9. Margaret Mitchell. Gone With the Wind - 38 rejections. It won a Pulitzer Prize in 1937. 10. Madeleine L'Engle. A Wrinkle in Time - 26 rejections. 11. J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter –12 times. A small London publisher took it on because the CEO’s eight-year-old daughter begged her father to print it. 12. George Orwell. Animal Farm – at least once. One publisher rejected it because “It is impossible to sell animal stories in the USA.”13. Richard Adams. Watership Down - at least once. The publisher said “Older children wouldn’t like it because its language was too difficult.”14. John Grisham. A Time to Kill - 15 publishers, 30 agents. 15. Chicken Soup for the Soul. 140 rejections. Today, the 65-title series has sold more than 80 million copies in 37 languages.16. Dr. Seuss. To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street – 29 rejections. 17. Louis L'Amour. 200 rejections.18. Jack London. 600 rejections
What’s your rejection limit? Do you want to follow Jack London’s example and collect 600? If you have to do the marketing either route you choose, why not stop wasting time and get out there and start making money? Think it can’t be done? On the next blog, I’ll give you some modern examples of people who self-published and are household names.
1. History -
When you think of self-publishing, what is the first thing that goes through your mind? I’d wager there are a couple things. The first one is normally “Oh, so the author wasn’t good enough to get accepted into a traditional publishing house.” The next is that the author must be rich because you know it costs a lot of money. Then you go on to wonder where that person is going to put all those hundreds of books they had to buy. And, finally, you start to doubt the quality of the book.
A lot of these thoughts are valid. Fifty to a hundred years ago, self-publishing was called “vanity press” as a slight to those who deemed their book worthy of printing. The idea was that the self-published authors had been rejected by the “gatekeepers” (in other words, editors with impeccable judgment), and the authors were too vain to handle the rejections, so they hired a press to print their books. It was very expensive, and you normally had to buy hundreds of books, which then sat in your garage until you started throwing them away. I also have to admit that a few authors do not take the time to edit their book well enough, and sometimes the quality is bad.
In defense of self-publishing, a lot has changed. No longer is it expensive to hire a company. In fact, one company called Createspace lets you publish for free. You upload your interior as a PDF, choose from one of the templates for a cover (or upload your own image), and then buy the books. Period. Thanks to print-on-demand printing, a machine can print a book in the matter of minutes. This allows an author to buy ten or ten thousand copies. I will admit that there are a lot self-published books out there that need serious editing, but most professional authors will carefully edit the book before printing. There are a lot of books from traditional publishing houses with serious errors.
However before 1941, most publications were self-published because they were written, printed, and sold by the owner of the printer. It’s only in this late century that the roles of author and publisher have been separated. Don’t believe me? Look at this list of self-published authors...both from long ago and now. Benjamin Franklin, William Blake, Virginia Woolf, Thomas Paine, Alexandre Dumas, Walt Whitman, James Joyce, E.E. Cummings, Oscar Wilde, Tom Peters (In Search of Excellence), D.H. Lawrence, Thomas Paine, Christopher Paolini, Edgar Allen Poe, George Bernard Shaw, E. B. White, Upton Sinclair, G.P. Taylor, Mark Twain, Henry David Thoreau, Zane Grey, Rudyard Kipling, Carl Sandburg, Gertrude Stein, John Grisham, and Stephen King. And the list goes on!
· 2. Relying on the GatekeepersEditors didn’t always make the best call, which is a natural thing. I love fantasy and don’t really like romance. If I was an editor, and you sent me a romance, I wouldn’t know whether it was good or not, probably wouldn’t like it, and would probably reject it. Many people believe that a novel that has been rejected is worthless. We have been brainwashed into believing that editors are looking for great writing. And if our writing is great, the editor will accept it. Period. WRONG!!! Editors are also looking for profit, especially today where the houses are losing money. And remember…editors are humans and sometimes they make bad judgment calls. Don’t believe me? Look at this…
1. Pearl S. Buck. The Good Earth - 14 times.2. Joseph Heller. Catch-22 - 22 times. 3. Anne Frank. Diary of Anne Frank - 16 rejections. One publisher said, “The girl doesn't, it seems to me, have a special perception or feeling which would lift that book above the 'curiosity' level.4. Stephen King. His first four novels were rejected. On his fifth book, King received 30 rejections, and then he threw it in the trash. His wife fished it out. King sent it out again. One of the publishers said, “We are not interested in science fiction which deals with negative utopias. They do not sell.” It was finally bought, with little enthusiasm, for $2,500. It’s called Carrie.5. Frank Herbert. Dune - 23 rejections. It won the Hugo Award for Best Novel. Dune was followed by five sequels and a film version of the book. 6. William Golding. Lord of the Flies - 20 rejections. One publisher said: “An absurd and uninteresting fantasy which was rubbish and dull.”7. Richard Doddridge Blackmore. Lorna Doone - 18 rejections. Today Blackmore is considered one of the greatest British authors of the 19th century.8. Richard Hooker. M*A*S*H – 21 times. Before the series, and the film, there was the novel. 9. Margaret Mitchell. Gone With the Wind - 38 rejections. It won a Pulitzer Prize in 1937. 10. Madeleine L'Engle. A Wrinkle in Time - 26 rejections. 11. J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter –12 times. A small London publisher took it on because the CEO’s eight-year-old daughter begged her father to print it. 12. George Orwell. Animal Farm – at least once. One publisher rejected it because “It is impossible to sell animal stories in the USA.”13. Richard Adams. Watership Down - at least once. The publisher said “Older children wouldn’t like it because its language was too difficult.”14. John Grisham. A Time to Kill - 15 publishers, 30 agents. 15. Chicken Soup for the Soul. 140 rejections. Today, the 65-title series has sold more than 80 million copies in 37 languages.16. Dr. Seuss. To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street – 29 rejections. 17. Louis L'Amour. 200 rejections.18. Jack London. 600 rejections
What’s your rejection limit? Do you want to follow Jack London’s example and collect 600? If you have to do the marketing either route you choose, why not stop wasting time and get out there and start making money? Think it can’t be done? On the next blog, I’ll give you some modern examples of people who self-published and are household names.
June 8, 2012
Up and Up!
I have been talking in my blog about self-publishing, but one thing I promised to do was to keep you informed of any marketing tips for my book Toxic as I went along. I just have to quickly share with you my latest results.
I’ve read for some time now that a great way to increase sales is to give away e-books on Kindle. I didn’t for months because of the typical reasoning. I’ve spent two years working on Toxic. I deserve the money. It’s worth a whole more than I’m selling it for already. You’ve heard the excuses. You might have even made them.
On a whim, I decided to put it on Kindle for free for two days. Since it was a quick decision, I didn’t advertize it too much. I tweeted it. I put it on different places in Facebook. I contacted a handful of web pages that have sections for free e-books. That’s it. Looking back, I see so much more I could have done, but honestly I wasn’t expecting too much to happen with it. I thought I’d get about a thousand downloads and probably no sales.
No one was more surprised than I was when the tally rushed past 100 in the first hour! In fact, by the end of day two, I had 1,455 downloads! Yes, they are all free so that means I don’t get a penny (until they want the sequel, that is!). But something amazing happened after that. My sales have skyrocketed. I’ve gone from a very small trickle to a medium trickle. I am by no means rich, but I have enough earnings to buy a large pizza, and let me tell you, that pizza is going to taste awfully good. I’ve recently read that for every three you give away, you sell one. So be generous.
It’s been three weeks since I offered Toxic for free, and the sales continue. They’ve slowed somewhat, but at least they are steady.
So, thank you so much to those who have supported Toxic and given it a try! I cannot say how much it means to me to see those numbers going up. God is good! I truly hope that you enjoy reading it. I’ll be watching the reviews to see what you have to say.
Oh, and another cool thing. I just noticed last night that fifty-four of those copies went to people in the United Kingdom and four went to people in Germany! I am now an international author! And I’m dying to go for a book tour! If you’re interested in hosting me, email me and let’s chat!
Thanks again for the support. You guys are the best!
June 6, 2012
Terms Defined
In my previous posts, I mentioned that I am self-publishing and self-marketing. These are two terms that people interpret many different ways, so I am going to define exactly what I mean when I use them.
1. Self-Publishing
When I declare that I am self-publishing, I am saying that I have chosen to select a company. This company does not own my material. It does not have any right to change anything without my permission. In essence, I am the publisher, and I have hired a company to make books. My work is published independently of an established publishing house. I am responsible for the whole process from design, formats, price, marketing and so on. Now, I may hire someone to design the cover, but it’s still my decision what gets put on that cover. There are many reasons why I have chosen this route, which I will cover in a later post because I have so much to say on that subject.
2. Self-Marketing
I’m not a marketer. Marketing sounds to me a lot like selling, and I am definitely not a salesman...woman. I tried it once with one of those party companies. I didn’t do horrible, but I’m just not the kind of person to push a sale. If someone wants it, great! If not, well, I never know what to say. I hate being pressured, and I hate being talked into a buy. With that said, I am marketing my book on my own. Yikes. Nevertheless, as I have done research, I have come to see marketing different than sales. It’s letting more people know about my book whether online or through a personal contact. I don’t have to push the sale, I don’t have to talk anyone into it, but I do have let as many people as I can know that my book is available. So when I say I’m self-marketing, that means that I have researched marketing thoroughly and am doing everything I possibly can do to spread the word.I may contract people to do certain things for me, but my budget is not huge. My plan is to do as much as I can on very little money and do it day by day so that I can continue writing.
Now that I’ve somewhat cleared up the terms, let me continue by saying that I’m going to lay my journey out for you. There will be no secrets. If something works, I’ll let you know how I did it. If something blows up in my face, I’ll let you know what not to do. This is not a blog about how to write a good book. If you are reading this, that step is over. If your book isn’t at its best, then perhaps you’re jumping ahead of yourself by reading this blog. Go polish up your novel and then come back.
This blog is for the author who has gone through the first wave of friends and family purchases, only to watch the sales slowly diminish until almost a standstill. This is for the person who wonders how to get the news out that their book is a great book. This is for the writer who is ready to watch their book sales rocket to unimaginable heights. This is for the author that wonders “Now what?” This blog is for you.
1. Self-Publishing
When I declare that I am self-publishing, I am saying that I have chosen to select a company. This company does not own my material. It does not have any right to change anything without my permission. In essence, I am the publisher, and I have hired a company to make books. My work is published independently of an established publishing house. I am responsible for the whole process from design, formats, price, marketing and so on. Now, I may hire someone to design the cover, but it’s still my decision what gets put on that cover. There are many reasons why I have chosen this route, which I will cover in a later post because I have so much to say on that subject.
2. Self-Marketing
I’m not a marketer. Marketing sounds to me a lot like selling, and I am definitely not a salesman...woman. I tried it once with one of those party companies. I didn’t do horrible, but I’m just not the kind of person to push a sale. If someone wants it, great! If not, well, I never know what to say. I hate being pressured, and I hate being talked into a buy. With that said, I am marketing my book on my own. Yikes. Nevertheless, as I have done research, I have come to see marketing different than sales. It’s letting more people know about my book whether online or through a personal contact. I don’t have to push the sale, I don’t have to talk anyone into it, but I do have let as many people as I can know that my book is available. So when I say I’m self-marketing, that means that I have researched marketing thoroughly and am doing everything I possibly can do to spread the word.I may contract people to do certain things for me, but my budget is not huge. My plan is to do as much as I can on very little money and do it day by day so that I can continue writing.
Now that I’ve somewhat cleared up the terms, let me continue by saying that I’m going to lay my journey out for you. There will be no secrets. If something works, I’ll let you know how I did it. If something blows up in my face, I’ll let you know what not to do. This is not a blog about how to write a good book. If you are reading this, that step is over. If your book isn’t at its best, then perhaps you’re jumping ahead of yourself by reading this blog. Go polish up your novel and then come back.
This blog is for the author who has gone through the first wave of friends and family purchases, only to watch the sales slowly diminish until almost a standstill. This is for the person who wonders how to get the news out that their book is a great book. This is for the writer who is ready to watch their book sales rocket to unimaginable heights. This is for the author that wonders “Now what?” This blog is for you.
May 29, 2012
Why I Chose to Self-Publish, Part One
The title of this blog is very important. It includes the concept of choosing self-publishing, instead of coming at it as a last resort. The main problem of seeing self-publishing as your last option is that you may be angry and resentful about the process with traditional publishing, and it may set you up to self-publish for the wrong reasons. This is a hard enough battle already without having it more difficult by the emotions you may fight.
Let me tell you a bit of my story first. I went into writing a book with the full intention of getting a traditional publisher. I went to a conference and pitched to three editors and three agents. I had a very mixed response. Some hated it. Some loved it. After I finished the book, I carefully followed the guidelines for writing a book proposal and sent it to the one editor who was most excited about it. The response? “Sorry, we’re not accepting young adult fiction right now.” I researched the market and found that very few (and mostly unknown) Christian houses were accepting proposals for young adult books. During this time, I had started reading online about self-publishing and eBooks. I was astonished by what I found.
Today if I met the editor that rejected my book, I would be tempted to hug him. I’m kind of shy, so I’d probably just shake his hand and say a huge “Thank you!” I certainly didn’t feel that way when that rejection email came back, but it saved my day and brought me to self-publish. Everyone looks at me like I’ve lost my mind when I say that, but here’s why...
1. Traditional Publishing Notice that Borders is gone? How about that independent book store? I’ll be they’re on the brink of extinction. Thanks to the digital world and recent releases of technology, there is no reason to go into a bookstore that is probably going to charge you more money. If you have a Kindle, most books are around $2.99. A printed book cannot compete with this, and the publishing houses are having difficulties keeping up with eBooks as well. What does this mean to an author trying to decide between self-publishing or traditional publishing? Earnings. The golden age of publishing is gone. Gone are the $500,000 advances. Gone are the red carpet treatments. Gone are the high earnings. Royalties are now about 7-10%. An agent will take 15-20%. If this sounds okay to you, check this out... On a $20 book, you’d earn $1.60 per copy sold. If you sold 10,000 copies, you would receive $16,000. And, by the way, an advance is just a loan on your royalties. If you got an advance of $5,000, you won’t see any royalties until you make over $5,000. Considering you will probably be getting a whopping 7%, that might be a while.Agents. Think you find a publishing house without an agent? Nope. A large commercial publisher will not consider a manuscript unless it is represented by an agent. Most houses have closed their doors to unsolicited manuscripts since they receive between 3,000 and 5,000 a week. However, agents get 200+ queries a month, so around 99% of submissions are rejected, even if the manuscripts are great. Time. Let’s say your luck holds. With good luck, it can take up to 6-12 months to hire an agent because they are almost as busy as the editors. Figure another six months to convince a publishing house to take your book. Then it can take up to 12-18 months to actually have it on the shelf. It is very likely that it will be over 2 years until your book hits the shelves...if you’re lucky. Control. Okay, so you’ve made it over the hurdle. You have your agent and a publishing house. Then you sign a contract. With this, you sign away the final say on the title, the slant of the material, the cover, the content, the pricing, the promotion, distribution, timing, and a multiple of other things, including in most cases, the copyright. They hold the power. Let’s say they want you to change the name of the protagonist. You don’t want to, and so you refuse. They will probably say, “Then we won’t print your book,” leaving you all the way back to square one. They also decide how long your book stays on the market. If it’s not selling, they can take it off the shelf and not sell it anymore. Depending on your contract, you may have to either buy back the rights to your book or wait for years (I’ve heard up to five) for the company to release it back to you. Marketing. The publisher doesn’t really do marketing. That’s for the bestselling authors. They expect to have your own platform already before they will think about your book. Your book proposal is often required to include a marketing plan. And if you are going to have to market anyways, why not do it for yourself and earn more money?
2. Self – Publishing What does life look like on the other side of the coin? As you can well imagine, I have many things to say about this, and I will continue this topic in later blogs. But, for a fair comparison, let’s just look at the issues I raised in traditional publishing and compare them to self-publishing. Earnings. When you self-publish, you earn a higher profit (25-100%). The amount you receive depends on how you sell your book and can be complicated by several layers of distribution. For example, I had my book Toxic for sale on Amazon Kindle (as an eBook for those of you living under a rock) for $2.99. When someone buys that, I get 70%. If someone buys the paper copy from Amazon, I get 40% because Amazon and Createspace both want a bit of the pie. However, when I sell it off my webpage, the royalties go up to something like 60%. If I sell it to a person face-to-face, it’s close to 80%. Here’s a fun fact. If a self-published book hits a level of 10,000 copies, that author will make more than three times an author who went through traditional publishing. That means you would make $48,000. Now, there are doubters out there that say they never will sell that many. If that’s your attitude, then it doesn’t matter which route you take. Agents. There are no agents with self-publishing. You decide which company to hire, how the book will be laid out, and all the other decisions. This means that you don’t have to share royalties with anyone - except maybe your family. Time. This is a tricky one. Since the company doesn’t proceed without your approval or feedback, it lands on you to keep the ball rolling. It also depends on what you want your cover to look like. If you can find a stock photo that you love and can use a template, then I would say it’s possible to have your book in about a week. Maybe two if you include shipping. If you want a cover designed, the process could take from about a month to six months. Again, it all relies on you and your desires. Control. Obviously with self-publishing, you are the publisher. You retain all the rights for the book. The decisions, the mistakes, and the success are on your shoulders. Sounds like a lot, right? But think of it this way. Who else knows your book like you do? Who else has sweated and cried over it? Who else is as motivated as you to see it sell like those proverbial hotcakes? The answer is...NO ONE! This is why YOU make the best publisher and marketer for your book. And, if something is not working for you, you can change direction. Don’t like self-publishing...well then, there’s nothing stopping you from trying traditional publishing. The direction of your book can be modified by you anytime you want. Marketing. Sometimes I think this is the biggest obstacle for authors. I hear these cries come up “But I’m not a salesperson!” Great! I’m not, either. Marketing is not about sales. (Did I surprise you there?) Marketing is about communicating and relationships. It is letting people know that your book is for sale and why they should buy it. Here’s another thing. Amazon and all the other eBook places allow you to put your book on their site for free. EBooks are hot right now. USA Today reported in January 5, 2011 that eBooks are outselling print. In December 2011, Amazon sold 5 million Kindle Fires. Barnes & Noble sold around 2 million Nooks, and Apple’s iPad sold about 40 million last year. That is approximately 47 million people who will be looking to read something on their device. EBooks have brought people back to reading while they’re on the road. Some people enjoy reading more broadly and more often – getting free classics to books they never knew existed! One of those books could be yours.
As you read through the information I am giving you and do your own research, keep in mind that this is your decision to make. If you want to try traditional publishing, go for it. I would urge you to keep your eyes wide open and not get discouraged if you get rejection letters. As you will see in the next blog, many famous people have been rejected. I would also recommend you carefully read through the contract, perhaps even getting a lawyer to explain everything, so that you are not blindsided by something. I’m not saying that the traditional publishing houses are out to trick you, but you hold the responsibility to know exactly what kind of deal you are getting. Look the gift horse in the mouth and anywhere else to get the full picture before you sign anything.
This is not a process of throwing the dice and seeing what happens. This is your career - your future. It is up to you to carefully consider what is best for you. Take control of it. Make informed decisions and act wisely on them. As Malcolm X said, “The future belongs to those who prepare for it today.”
May 17, 2012
Leaving the Grey Twilight
The Goal: Grow a career as a writer. The Plan: Self publish and self-market. The Result: Undetermined.
I believe three things.1. I believe in following dreams, even when it requires a fight.2. I believe that I am meant to write. 3. I believe that it is possible to be a new writer and create a good income from it.
There’s a place where belief is put into action. As my first novel is now for sell, I am looking at an uncertain and scary future. I have invested HOURS of work into Toxic. It’s been more work than a full time job since I even dream about it! There is a very real possibility that I sell only 500 copies. There is a very real possibility that I will get laughed out of the publishing world. But if I never try, I have already failed. Theodore Roosevelt said “Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.” I shall not live in the gray twilight. I may crash and burn, but at least I have flown.How about you? Did you try, only to crash and burn? Are you putting out the fire from your crash? Are you like me…ready to fly but terrified of that first step? Join with me on this journey out of the gray twilight. I hope that I will end with the glorious triumphs, but there are no promises. If not, at least I have tried.
I believe three things.1. I believe in following dreams, even when it requires a fight.2. I believe that I am meant to write. 3. I believe that it is possible to be a new writer and create a good income from it.
There’s a place where belief is put into action. As my first novel is now for sell, I am looking at an uncertain and scary future. I have invested HOURS of work into Toxic. It’s been more work than a full time job since I even dream about it! There is a very real possibility that I sell only 500 copies. There is a very real possibility that I will get laughed out of the publishing world. But if I never try, I have already failed. Theodore Roosevelt said “Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.” I shall not live in the gray twilight. I may crash and burn, but at least I have flown.How about you? Did you try, only to crash and burn? Are you putting out the fire from your crash? Are you like me…ready to fly but terrified of that first step? Join with me on this journey out of the gray twilight. I hope that I will end with the glorious triumphs, but there are no promises. If not, at least I have tried.
May 2, 2012
Unresolved Resolution
As those who are reading my blog know, or perhaps those who have talked to me in person, I resolved on New Year’s Day to finish Rancid, the sequel to Toxic, by April 2012. It was an ambitious goal, but one that I thought would be possible.
Since this is May 2012, you can see that I did not make my goal. I had two personal events happen – one very bad and one very good – that have taken time and energy from me, making it very hard to write.
Now for the good news! I have over 75,000 words written. I figure Rancid will have about 100,000 words, so I’m almost done. I still have the editing process to go through, but I’m very hopeful that it will be finished soon. I’m extremely excited about Rancid and how the story is coming together. I’m not going to promise a certain date until Rancid is much closer to being finished. I don’t want to hurry through the editing or the writing. I want to make sure Rancid is as good, if not better, than Toxic. However, to tantalize you a bit, I thought I would post a bit from the first chapter of Rancid.Please keep in mind that it is not edited or finalized. It is quite possible that I will change some things about this section. Enjoy!
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A scream as sharp as a warrior’s sword pierced through the darkness. Lizzy jerked awake as her heart quickened. Seekers! Rica! Fear washed over her like a sudden flood, but her eyes refused to stay open. She struggled to wake up, forced herself to move. Yet her arms and legs wouldn’t move. Panic grew as she imagined what unseen horror was causing the shriek. For a minute, she thought she was still with her parents. The yell sounded just like a cougar she once saw trapped in a tree by dogs. But somehow she knew that this screech was from a human. She could hear the terror in it as it echoed around her. It was the sound of something cornered but not yet ready to give up. She fought to keep her eyes open and tried to see something, anything, that would tell her what was attacking.She glimpsed a small light off in the distance growing close. Eladar!Hope soared. The great white Archippos would chase away whatever evil was close. Her eyes closed as she remembered how the winged horse had fallen to the ground covered with blood. Tears she could not wipe away streamed down her cheeks as she recalled the instant that he took his last breath. She forced her eyes open again, trying to clear her head, trying to think. Why can’t I wake up? Who is screaming? The light blinded her as it grew from the size of a small candle to a large lamp. The shadows from the light bounced off large dark shapes looming like Seekers. Her weariness disappeared with horror, and her scream joined the other in an eerie harmony. The other scream changed to shouted words filled with a tinge of panic and hysteria. “You can’t take me! I won’t go!”Lizzy stopped screaming. The voice, although strained with fright, was strangely familiar. The name, the face, that belonged to the voice drifted away before she could grasp it as her eyes began to close again. She struggled to stay awake as darkness closed in around her.“I don’t want to go!” The words shot through her, and her eyes snapped open with realization. Kai! It was Kai screaming!
March 29, 2012
What are You Wasting?
I recently watched the movie In Time. Set in the future, the premise is that where people stop aging at 25, due to engineering. They have a clock on their arms which counts down how much longer they have to live. People can transfer the time to others, use it to pay for things, and receive payments in time. Of course, the rich have centuries and the poor often have only minutes. Will Salas, the protagonist, meets someone who has centuries on his clock. This man asks Will, who is used to living day to day, “If you had as much time as I have, what would you do with it?” Will responses, “If I had all that time, I sure wouldn’t waste it.”
That got me thinking about what I waste and why I waste it. I waste time. I waste money. I waste opportunities. Why? Because I believe I have a surplus. I watch TV at night instead of talking to my friends and family because I believe my friends and family will always be there. I waste money because I believe the paychecks will always come. I waste opportunities because surely I’ll get another one.
But what if another chance never comes?
What if I knew that friend or family member was going to die? Would I spend time in front of the TV or with that person? What if I knew I had received my last paycheck? What if I knew that the stranger was planning to commit suicide...would I waste an opportunity to talk to him or her? What if my right to vote was taken away and I had wasted my last chance because I thought I was too busy?
What if the right to worship God openly was taken away? What if you could no longer go to church or talk about Christ? What if all Bibles were ripped from your hands? How many Sundays have you lost where you were too tired to go to church? Would you remember from the Bible, or did you waste your opportunity to read it?
What about your life? When was the last time you did anything of value, or are you just wasting your life day after day?
I believe that we waste only what we have an excess of. We throw away only what we think we will get more of. Take a look at your life. What are you wasting? Chances are it’s something that you think will be renewed. But will it?
