The Indie Author & The Contract.

Oh, hello there! 
I'll bet you didn't expect to see me here. After all, it's just my blog that I haven't written anything for in ... forever. Sorry about that. I guess I have a lot of news to catch you up on.
 
Well, not really. I do, however, have some BIG news to share.  For those of you who haven't already heard, I've signed a contract for publishing "Learn To Love Me"!  (Release will be  August 10 , 2012).

For the people who've been following the blog, and didn't know about it, I can already picture the head scratching, scrunched up noses and quizzical squinting.

"What did she say?"
"A Publisher?"
"But I thought she was going to self-publish!"
"What happened to 'proud indie'?"
I know it's a little confusing, but bear with me for a minute. I am still an Indie author. See, the company I've signed with is Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing . CH&BB is an Indie Publishing company founded by the brilliant Indie author, SJ Davis .  Her vision is a Publisher that will bring the best and brightest of the Indie writing scene to readers, without shaking the Indie out of them.

So how is that different from a traditional publisher or a small press? Well, I can give you my impressions from this side of the fence. If anyone reading this finds that I have misconceptions, please correct me.

First, I have creative control over my work.  CH&BB does include editing in their services to their authors, (as part of the contract, btw, not at an extra charge), but the authors aren't chained to a desk, and forced to change everything about their book that makes it different from every other book on the market. (Okay, so that's a bit of an exaggeration, but you get my meaning).

As you may know, I had already contracted Simon Marshall-Jones to do my editing, and he did a wonderful job of it. It wasn't a sticking point with CH&BB, at all. I have a say in my book cover, too. In fact, SJ has very graciously agreed to keep the cover art created for me by Dave J. Ford , though they use an excellent cover designer, Para Graphics , for most of their publications.

I didn't require an agent.  Literary agents are your advocate with the publishing company. They woo the publisher, (many of whom won't so much as glance at your book without an agent), review the contract, negotiate the terms, and fight the important battles for you. They also take a cut of your royalties in exchange.

Well, CH&BB accepts submissions without an agent. Their contract is simple straightforward and fair, and the terms negotiable within reason. And to date, I have yet to have a single "battle" over my work. (There's that creative control thing again.) Granted, I didn't sign the contract without having a trained legal professional read it through, but that's just common sense.


Then, there is the promotional backing. From what I've read and heard, from authors who've gone the traditional route, if you aren't a big name in the industry, you can't expect much by way of promotion.  Yes, I still have to do my own work. Signing with an Indie Publisher doesn't mean I'm going to just sit back and have them plug my book for me, without making my own effort.  Besides, CH&BB isn't looking for that type of author. A promotions company, Sizzling PR , will provide me with a plan, and a schedule, for promoting my work. I'll be doing a blog tour, (something I was at a complete loss about), interviews, guest blogs and more.

My fellow CH&BB authors will back me. In most publishing companies, you'll rarely see one author going out of their way to promote the other authors in the company. CH&BB is a publishing family.  The authors support and promote each other, and the company. We make an effort to inspire each other. Critiquing and beta-reading are readily accommodated.  We believe in SJ, her vision, and each other. I believe that's just as important, in terms of the big picture, as the work we produce individually. 

They care about the readers. Many publishers view the readers as numbers, or sales figures, (with the odd mega-fan thrown into the mix).  I'm thrilled to be a part of a company that understands that the readers are the most important part of the process. CH&BB authors appreciate their readers and fans. They regularly offer swag contests, and genuinely want to connect with their readers via social media and fan mail. The authors don't view the time they spend as an inconvenient interruption in writing. They enjoy doing it.

 Of course, the bottom line played a role as well. The almighty dollar must rear its head somewhere in the equation.  So, here's a little peek at my reasoning:

 I could self-publish  the book, garner 70% of a ridiculously low selling price, promote the hell out of it, work 24/7 to expand my fan base and promotional networks, and pray that I make enough to cover my initial investment.

OR, I could sign with a company that knows what they're doing, price the book a little higher, still make a substantially higher royalty than a traditional publisher would offer, (no, I won't tell you the figure, as I've been raised to believe such conversation is impolite at best). I could accept their promotions plan, (by the way, to date, every CH&BB release has made the Top Ten Kindle Download list in its respective category), and likely sell three times as many books as I would on my own.  The math was pretty simple.

I'm not looking to become rich and famous, though I'd love to sell enough books to finance the next novel I have planned. My dream of dreams? To make enough to allow me to stay at home and write for a living, so I can be here for my children before and after school. To work from home, instead of hauling myself to a minimum wage day-job, and then home to "spit and polish" the house, leaving me an hour or two a day to write. To give my Hubby some breathing room between the two jobs he works, to ensure that we don't slip into debt. I dream of being a self-sustaining author. It may be a pipe-dream, but it's my pipe-dream, and I plan to go for it!

Yes, an Indie Publisher may not be the right way to go, for every writer.  For me, for this book, and with this publisher, it is. I'm still a proud Indie author, but I'm also a proud Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly author. Go Team Crush!