J.P. Choquette's Blog, page 9

A Back-to School Cheat Sheet for Writers

I refuse to believe that summer is nearly over. Forget the back-to-school sales, yellow buses dotting the landscape and cooler air. 

Nevertheless, September always marks a month of new beginnings. If you're a writer looking for some inspiration, tips and tools, be sure to read my guest post over at Pen, Ink and Crimes, the blog run by Sisters in Crime New England.  image credit

How Much do Indie Authors Make?

At a recent book show, I noticed a recurring theme as I chatted with shoppers: the majority seemed interested in "how much an author makes." One person went so far as to ask me how much income I bring in by selling books, another asked how many copies of Dark Circle   I'd sold since it was published last year. (For the record? I don’t carry that kind of information around in my head. There’s barely enough room to manage my day-to-day in there.)

Honesty is important though, and even though some of the questions felt a little invasive, (do I ask my customers how much they make before selling them a book?!), I understand the curiosity. There is much ado in the papers and online about indie authors making a killing by writing and publishing their own books. 

While I'm not going to share my Profit and Loss statement with the world just yet, I'm happy to tell you how much income is generated from book sales each month. First a little primer …  How Indie book sales work 
First, let’s look at how book sales work in the indie world. When you’re an indie author you get to keep a higher (in most cases, much higher) percentage of royalties than a traditionally published author. However, that comes at a price: you aren’t represented by a publishing house and have no agent, which means that no one, other than you, promotes your work. 
Digital book sales
Generally, the royalty split on a site like Amazon are 70/30: the author keeps 70% and the distributor/store make 30%. This is true only for books priced over $2.99. So, for my book Subversion, priced at $3.99, I make approximately $2.80 per book sale. Epidemic, which has been my best seller this year, is priced at $5.49, however Amazon runs a constant “sale price” of $3.99. I still collect royalties on the higher sale price.

Higher sale prices result in higher royalties for the author, but this must be weighed against how much readers are willing to spend, particularly on an unfamiliar-to-them author. ( Note : this is why book reviews/stars are so incredibly important to indie authors. It’s like a vote—positive or negative—for your book. Even a negative review is better than none, believe me!)
At the Women's Festival of Crafts, November 2014 Paperback book sales
Paperback sales are a little different: in general I receive 1/3 of the royalties on a paperback book that’s published through CreateSpace. This makes some sense: they are printing the books and distributing them for me. However, unless you’re Louise Penny, it’s likely that no one will find your book on Amazon or Barnes and Noble unless they search for it specifically.

The beauty of the paperback format though, is private sales. I can order as many books as I like and sell them at retail price. I take my boxes of shiny books to a show, enjoy a day chatting with book lovers, and hopefully make a bit of profit (after paying the show fee and for promotional items like my new bookmarks and postcards).

In general, I make $10 per book through private sales, after taxes (yes, you're required to collect taxes and send these in to the state tax agency). This is double what I make if Amazon or Barnes and Noble sell the book for me. Plus, I get to meet readers—that’s a great deal of fun.
“How much income are your books bringing in?”
It’s hard to give a concrete number because none of them are concrete! Sales vary. I should also note that I'm completely lackadaisical about marketing my books. I rarely run ads. I barely even take the time to let people know that there's a sale going on. So nearly all my sales now are just word of mouth or searching the bookstore sites. 

Paperback sales online are typically slower, though I have had a recent spike due, I think, to some recent reviews/guest posts on various blogs. 

Shows (and thus, private sales) vary greatly as well: at one show I recently sold 30 books, at another only five. Lots of indie authors have decided to sell only ebooks. This cuts down on production costs and energy. If you want a good overview of the range that indie authors are making, be sure to check out the Author Earnings by hall of fame indie author, Hugh Howey.

When all is said and done though, my book sales break down like this: 

Private sales (includes in-person shows): 65%Digital sales (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords): 25%Paperback sales (online): 10%
I hope this is helpful information. I’m happy to answer questions you have—just leave a comment or get in touch via email or Twitter. 

Great Summer Reads

Looking for a great summer read? Me too. I write about that and a recent excellent book I've read over at Pen, Ink and Crimes today. Join me?  image credit

5 Ways to Make Your Summer Count

How to get to September without saying, “Oh, crap, I never got a chance to _____”

The Beauty of Imperfection

I have a love-hate relationship with imperfection. I know that "perfect" isn't possible, or do-able, at least not most of the time and not for me. But my OCD-side struggles despite my best attempts to ignore or even (gasp!) embrace imperfection. 

While logically I KNOW that imperfect is perfectly fine, and that accepting imperfection is often a lot more fun and adventurous than seeking perfection, it's still hard to let go. 

That's the topic I'm exploring today over at the Pen, Ink and Crimes blog. Join me? 

Giving Yourself Permission to Quit

Why quitting may be just the right answer “I quit.”

How many times in your life have you imagined saying those words? Maybe you’ve daydreamed of marching into your overbearing boss’s office and throwing the words directly into her smug little face. 

Or maybe instead, you picture using the phrase in a different way: announcing happily to your kids, “I quit!” smoking/drinking/yelling … and they know you really mean it. Maybe you’ve always wanted to do something that would change your life: leave your job to pursue a passion for writing, stop shopping mindlessly and save money to finally travel, give up calling yourself names and putting yourself down because you aren’t the artist that so-in-so is.

How many times instead, do we put on a brave face? Put our nose back to the grindstone (or revert to the behavior that feels comfortable and familiar, even though we know it’s not what we want deep down), in order to just keep moving? To feel like we’re doing something. Anything. 
This bracelet couldn't have said it better ... I'm quitting I’ve been doing this for the past couple of months. A series of negative events—none of them life-threatening but all of them stress-inducing—have sent me pretty close to the edges of my comfort zone. And rather than acknowledge that I’m hurting, that I need help, that I’m tired—I’ve put my head down, plowed onward. Because that’s what strong people do, right?

Don’t worry, I wasn’t a martyr. I spent lots of time complaining (to myself, to God, to close friends and my poor family) but ultimately, I’ve chose to believe the (false) hope that this is just a rough patch. That things will soon be looking up. That I don't need to do anything differently, just keep going. 

But last week I acknowledged something important: Things suck right now. I’m spent. And I’m quitting. 
What I'm giving up I’m not giving up my career, but I am looking at a different way to do things. Feeling deep dread when you imagine yourself starting your work day is a sign that something is off. Feeling your shoulders creeping up to your ears while feverishly composing (hopefully) witty posts for social networking sites isn’t healthy. Carrying on a mental dialogue that sounds like the boss-from-hell is sitting on your shoulder, finding fault with every creative attempt you make is discouraging.

All of these things tell me one thing: I need a break. Rest. Time to re-group.

I’m not sure yet what that looks like. It definitely doesn’t mean that I won’t be posting here any longer. This blog is one of my favorite writing outlets and I appreciate the interaction with you, dear readers, too much to let it go.

It may mean that other parts of my life simply need more attention. While I’m very good at making sure my “have to’s” are taken care of daily, I don’t spend a lot of time or money on frivolous things—things that are fun and silly and make me laugh. And I'll be the first to admit that I LOVE fun, frivolous, silly things. Things that aren’t “necessary,” at least on the surface. 

And really, is the point of life to take everything seriously? To work, work, work until you collapse into your grave? Good grief, I hope not!

What are your thought on this? What would you secretly like to “quit?” Is there a person or situation that drains you that you’d like to let go of, at least for a period of time? I’d love to hear about this in the comments section.

***Signed up for the Newsletter for Writers yet? It comes out twice a month and is packed with information, inspiration and education to empower writers. Get on the list in less than a minute and receive my free 7 Ways to Find Time to Write guide. 

5 Ways to Care for Your Creative Soul

“You can do anything, but not everything.” ~David Allen

What a difference a few minutes make. In a few minutes you can:

Take several deep, restorative breathsLight a candle and watch the flame flickeringPet a cat or cuddle a dogGive/get a hugWatch leaves danceSketch a pictureSmell something amazingStretch your bodyDo a cartwheelTake a picture of something beautiful
What does a writer know about self-care? More and more the busier she gets. But knowing and doing aren’t the same at all, are they? I know what I need to take care of myself. It’s the implementation that throws me. 
image credit "So, how do we practice self-care when we are busier than a slot machine on Saturday night in Vegas?"  In recent weeks I’ve been blessed with a couple of new client projects. I love the beginnings of things: everything is new and fresh and so full of possibility. It’s also a little scary starting something new. There’s the chance for failure. The risk of disappointing someone (and myself).

It’s also a risky time because when I dive into something new, I DIVE in. And sometimes I get a little lost in the process of trying to do well, to impress. To make sure that I produce above and beyond what someone asks for.

And all of that striving and trying hard and being productive takes its toll. I get grumpy. I don’t get enough rest which makes everything feel more challenging. I have that old, nose to the grindstone mentality which makes me feel a little panicky (am I ever going to have fun again? enjoy things? when?). 

I push and cajole myself into doing more, doing it faster, trying harder, doing better. And then, exasperated, I start to burn out. I don’t feel joy. I am not at peace. I am tired and frazzled and stop taking care of myself other than the ‘regular’ duties that have to be done (bathing, clothing, eating, cleaning the house, taking care of family) in order to survive.

So over a long-weekend recently I indulged a little. I sketched (a new-to-me passion), I slept in, I watched mindless television (how did I miss Under the Dome the first time?), I hiked with my family and ate out twice. Whenever I thought about work and all that I “should be” doing (checking email, getting a head start on the week’s work, filing papers), I took a deep breath and said that tiny, precious word that I don’t use enough: “no.”

After a rousing game of family tag and a dinner of whatever-you-can-find-in-the-fridge, it dawned on me how happy I felt. It had been a perfect weekend. Perfectly ordinary—no big trip, no money spent (other than eating out), no extravagant agenda—but perfectly pleasurable. Listening to an interview by the inspiring Kris Carr this morning further inspired me to make self-care an every day occurrence, not a once-in-a-blue-moon one.

That of course got me thinking: what does my creative soul need to be nourished? And how can I share that with others? 
Five things our creative souls could use
Freedom.  Time to just be. Stare at the clouds, watch a bird hop around the lawn, take five deep breaths and listen to the sound the air makes as it goes in and out. Outlet.  I’m notorious for taking a fun hobby and turning it into a business. While I love my entrepreneurial spirit, sometimes it’s nice to do something just because you love it. Whether that’s creating a beautiful meal from scratch, doodling in a sketchbook or playing a round of golf, allowing our creative selves an outlet is essential. Beauty.  Where do you gather inspiration? In the form of words? Artwork? Interior design? Nature? Wherever you find yourself gasping quietly at the beauty before you, be sure to add more of that to your days. Privacy.  In our busy world and often noisy homes, it’s challenging to find privacy. I give you permission to lock yourself in your bedroom (or bathroom if you need to) for at least 20 minutes and just be alone with your thoughts. Movement.  This is one of those things that we often mean to do, but don’t. Like the 15-Minute Writing Method though, movement in whatever form—swimming, walking, jogging, yoga, juggling—doesn’t have to take up an hour or more at a time to provide you benefits. 
What items show up on your self-care list? Please share in the comments below.

***Signed up for the Newsletter for Writers yet? It comes out twice a month and is packed with information, inspiration and education to empower writers. Get on the list in less than a minute and receive my free 7 Ways to Find Time to Write guide. 

How Much Does it Cost to Publish an Indie Book?

Monday evening found me sitting in a chilly conference room at a library, talking with two other Vermont authors about independent publishing. I love being able to do this type of thing, particularly since chatting with other writers/bookworms and talking about publishing and marketing are some of my very favorite things to discuss.

The question inevitably came up: “How much does it cost to self-publish a book?”

The answer, unfortunately, isn't nearly as succinct as the question. There is such a range: you could hire out everything from cover design to marketing, publicity to Facebook launch parties. Or you could choose to do every single thing yourself. 


Lots of writers fall in the middle of the spectrum: seeking help with the pieces of the process that are either a) challenging for them or b) they hate doing.

Marketing is a whole different story than publishing a book and a topic that I’ll cover in a different post. But let’s take a look at what it costs to publish a book: from Word format to paperback and digital versions.

Please note that all of this information is for estimating only. Charges for various pieces could be significantly more or less than depending on your project or desired final product. I should also note that while I presently use CreateSpace for my print books, my long-term plan is to eventually contract the printing out to a smaller, local publisher or printing house. 
image credit Let’s start at the beginning … 
Early Readers & Editors

These are ESSENTIAL in my book (ha—no pun intended). While early readers—sometimes called beta readers—are pretty easy to find (ask friends, librarians, bookworm co-workers and others who read in your genre if they’d like to volunteer), editors can be a bit trickier.

A good editor can start at anywhere from $40/hour and go up significantly from there. Some editors charge by the project. There are also different types of editors: some look only for grammar and punctuation, others look at your story as a whole and tell you where changes are needed ( The 15-Minute Novelist has a whole chapter on this if you want more info).

COST: Between $200-$2000+ (maybe more depending on your book).

 

Cover Design

There are some options when it comes to cover design. If you’re very artsy and like technology it’s completely possible to create your own cover and do a good job of it. Places like CreateSpace (Amazon’s Print-on-Demand publisher) offer free templates which you can use as they are, or modify with your own stock or personal photography.

Next level up? Pre-made covers. There are some places which have great options. The Cover Collection created the cover for Epidemic and it’s gotten a lot of good feedback. I hired a fellow suspense author to create the covers for Subversion and the sequel because I love the work he does. The one cover that I created myself was for Dark Circle and that was using the CreateSpace template and adding my own “flair” to it. The background image is actually part of a piece of my mixed media art and a rusty ring I found on the side of the road.

Another option is to hire a professional graphic designer. If you’re working on a tight budget, consider a place like 99 Designs (I apologize right now to all my designer friends who abhor sites like this). It’s a good option though for new authors with a tight publishing budget. If you have a little more money to put into your cover, consider hiring a graphic designer either online or in-person, who will work with you to make the cover exactly what you want. Note: make sure that the person has experience specifically with cover creation if at all possible.

Cost: Between $0-$1000+

 

Formatting

Print formatting is a real PITA (I’ll let you work out that acronym!). While print-on-demand publishers often offer free templates which are supposedly easy to use, they aren’t. At least, not in my experience. Prepare for hair-pulling and gnashing of teeth. On the plus side, if and when you do figure it out you can blast Rocky music and know that you saved some moolah.

Cost: Between $0-$200+ (books with pictures, illustrations, graphs, etc., are all going to be more time intensive and thus, more costly).

Digital formatting is separate from print formatting. So while you use a template to get the printed book to look just so, the digital book is going to look quite different. Different screen sizes, chapter breaks, the font itself … all are going to be different than your printed book. Also, you’ll want your book available in different formats: .mobi (Kindle) and ePub (most devices). I can’t offer any advice or insider information on digital formatting because I’ve hired it out with every single book. I found a great digital formatter and simply hand off my final manuscript via Word document to her. This makes me very happy.

Cost: Between $0-$30 on the low end, maybe up to $100 or so on the high end (books with pictures, illustrations, graphs, etc., are all going to be more time intensive and thus, more costly).
***
Those are the three big things that all books require. There are other optional costs that we haven’t talked about: if you want your own ISBN rather than using the free one that a digital or print-on-demand publisher offers, that cost would have to be factored in. There are also options of buying some sort of “mark” that libraries use and listing in the Library of Congress. I’m not familiar with either of these processes—if you are, please chime in in the comment section.

Have I forgotten any other costs associated with publishing an independent book? Again, please post it in the comments section.

So, tallying it all up the range looks like this:

Low end: (doing most or all of the work yourself): $200

High end: (contracting out most or all of the work to others): $3000+

What do you think? Are my ranges too high or low? Do you have other resources to share? 
 

***Signed up for the Newsletter for Writers yet? It comes out twice a month and is packed with information, inspiration and education to empower writers. Get on the list in less than a minute and receive my free 7 Ways to Find Time to Write guide. 

Effectively Marketing a Fiction Book: Mission Impossible?

Recently, I talked about whether it was feasible to expect to make a living as an author. While I haven’t yet reached that point in my career—and if current sales numbers continue at this rate I will probably be able to retire around the ripe age of 359—I continue to read and learn more about marketing one’s fiction book(s) effectively.

The problem? So many books that I’ve read on the subject focus on nonfiction books. It’s an entirely different ballgame marketing a novel versus a “how to” guide. There is no “setting yourself up like an expert,” or “lending your vast expertise to reporters.” No one cares that you’ve written a novel … except maybe your family and friends. And even they will tire of the news if your marketing attempts entail blasting the information over social network sites three times a day. Every day.

In a recent Facebook chat with the 10 Minute Novelist—(I know, I know. She makes me feel very old and slow with my 15-Minute Writing Method)—I talked with other writers and authors about marketing one’s novels effectively. While this year my focus is on increasing online sales, I’ve been pleased with my in-person, print copy sales. While every event is different, here are a few things I’ve learned in the past two years about marketing a fiction book. 
Me, enjoying a great YA mystery book, The Secret Room, on my lunch break. Know Your Readers
I don’t mean this like, “you can only sell books to people you know,” rather, know what your readers like, where they might congregate, how they like to be approached. This isn’t rocket science. Or maybe it is and I’m doing it all wrong … I just strike up conversations at events like non-book related shows and markets where I have a table set up. I ask people if they are mystery readers and if they are, who their favorite authors are. It’s fun to talk about books so this is a nice way to start a dialogue.

Also, at in-person events you have a chance to find out if the person you’re talking to might like to hear from you again. Say a woman buys your book. Offer to put her on your mailing list for non-spammy, regular contact where you’ll share sneak peeks at upcoming works, contests and giveaways, etc. If she doesn’t like using email or feels overwhelmed by her inbox already, have a plan B. “I understand,” you could say. “Would you like a free bookmark instead?” Of course, the bookmark has a beautiful image of your book cover along with the ISBN and AIS numbers (ISBN is for print books, AIS is for digital books) and your website address. 
Treat Your Reader Well
Of course, you may be thinking, I want to treat the person buying my book well. But what if she didn’t buy your book?  Maybe she borrowed it from a friend or the library. Maybe she stole it (ha ha, just kidding!). However someone gets their hands on your book, thank them for their interest.

If you added up all the money I’ve made in my lifetime, since I first started babysitting at age 12 until the present day, it would be significant. But the best money I’ve ever made came from selling my books. There is no other way to describe someone paying you for something that you poured your heart and soul into other than work bliss.

So how do you treat your readers well? Thank them—in-person, online, publically, privately. Thank them with words, with notes of appreciation, with little freebies like bookmarks or your business card with ways to get in touch, with discounts and giveaways of books (digital and print), other contests and sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes looks into your writing life. I don’t do all of these things every single day. But I try to do one or more of them weekly.

We’ll be looking at some other ways to market one’s fiction work effectively in upcoming posts. In the meantime if you’re interested in my latest fiction book, Subversion, it’s FREE right now on Smashwords and only $.99 on Amazon.

***Signed up for the Newsletter for Writers yet? It comes out twice a month and is packed with information, inspiration and education to empower writers. Get on the list in less than a minute and receive my free 7 Ways to Find Time to Write guide. 

Books, Writing Practice, and Capsule Wardrobes

Today I am writing over at Pen, Ink and Crimes, a guest post for the Sisters In Crime New England blog. I'm talking about what a capsule wardrobe taught me about writing (huh?!). Please head over and have a read! 

Also, exciting news: Subversion is now on sale for $.99 at Amazon and is FREE on Smashwords!  This is in preparation for the sequel coming out next month (fingers crossed). Please grab a copy and leave an honest review--I'd be very grateful.