Self-Publishing Tips from AAD 2011
Here are some (very belated) self-publishing tips that I learned from a panel at AAD 2011 in August. Some of these apply to erotica but the majority of them are good tips for any genre or any author who e-pubs traditionally or self-pubs.
Don't put your eggs in one basket. If your going to self-publish, do several books before you determine whether or not it's right for you. More books, more chances of results and a better underlying understanding an author can have about whether or not they are getting sales or reaching their core audience.Find a niche and stick to it.Use Createspace even if no one buys it. In the end, the profits work in an authors favor that way.Pick a strange or unique category on Amazon when tagging so a book isn't swallowed up by everything else out there.Stick to lower pricing, shop around in length and determine price from there. 2.99 or lower on Amazon sells well.If you can, or you want to, cross-promo with a e-publisher or traditional publisher.Don't cut corners in anything: editing, promo, story or cover. Be the best you can to make a good first impression.Platform doesn't matter in terms of genre, it's all about the voice or raunch level that will set an author apart from the crowd. Make sure there are particular levels of either in whatever you write so a reader can have their expectations met with every book. This doesn't mean write the same book, just pay attention to certain things you enjoy writing and include them in different ways in all the books. A reader had to pick up a book because something got their attention, right?Find an editor you trust. That goes without saying though.
Don't put your eggs in one basket. If your going to self-publish, do several books before you determine whether or not it's right for you. More books, more chances of results and a better underlying understanding an author can have about whether or not they are getting sales or reaching their core audience.Find a niche and stick to it.Use Createspace even if no one buys it. In the end, the profits work in an authors favor that way.Pick a strange or unique category on Amazon when tagging so a book isn't swallowed up by everything else out there.Stick to lower pricing, shop around in length and determine price from there. 2.99 or lower on Amazon sells well.If you can, or you want to, cross-promo with a e-publisher or traditional publisher.Don't cut corners in anything: editing, promo, story or cover. Be the best you can to make a good first impression.Platform doesn't matter in terms of genre, it's all about the voice or raunch level that will set an author apart from the crowd. Make sure there are particular levels of either in whatever you write so a reader can have their expectations met with every book. This doesn't mean write the same book, just pay attention to certain things you enjoy writing and include them in different ways in all the books. A reader had to pick up a book because something got their attention, right?Find an editor you trust. That goes without saying though.
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