Why are you an author? More to the point, what is your objective as an author?
If that question strikes...
Why are you an author? More to the point, what is your objective as an author?
If that question strikes you as odd, you might want to skip this post. If your answer is "because I'm compelled to put words to paper," then you might want to skip this post. If your answer has more to do with art or creative exploration than tangible business objectives, then you certainly should skip this post.
The antithesis is business ---- making money -- as the primary answer to the question asked. And when you get right down to business, choices become more clear. More simple. And much more ruthless.
Those of you truly in the business of being an indie author, the phases of digital publishing become binary decisions: things you must do and things you must not do.
For the things you must do, you must do them exceedingly well, else you run the risk of being beaten at your own game. Take the first stage: writing. As a business-focused indie author, you must do this on your own, and you must do it exceedingly well. Sadly, many business-focused people assume this stage much more easy than it truly is. Yet it is not. But they can get better. And must if they are to be successful. No one can do this but the author, and sloppy writing -- regardless of what might be seen on bookshelves -- is unacceptable.
Editing and publishing? Those are on the list of things you must not do. I shouldn't have to convince you that you must not ---- can not -- do your own editing. If you don't accept that truism, then you have confused short-term cost-cutting with long-term financial objectives.
Publishing is also on this list, but for a different reason. The business-focused indie author doesn't have time to waste -- yes, waste -- on hand-coding ebooks, futzing with interior layout templates, or struggling with the vagaries of online marketplace listings. Rather, the business-focused indie author uses modern tools, techniques and even service providers to remove or offload the drudgery of this task, freeing time for more productive things that only the author must do.
The last two stages, promoting and interacting, remain in the must do category. Yes, some tools, techniques and service providers exist to assist the business-focused indie author with these tasks. But the indie author plays a central role in their delivery. There is no "over the wall" approach here that will be successful. No publicist or agency worth their salt will tell you otherwise. Yet. This, I'll grant you, may be changing. Maybe.
In this post I covered great swaths and skipped the finer details. Wordsmithing devices, cover design, interior layout, book blurbs, pricing strategies, mailing lists, interview booking ... All of them fall somewhere in the continuum above, and the question of must/must not do lines up nicely -- for most of them.
Depending on the reaction this post receives (I can't be virtually burned at the stake for heresy, can I?) I'll attempt to address each of them in turn with the same mercenary view of the business-focused author in the coming days.
I welcome the spirited debate that is sure to ensue. Please attempt to follow civil discourse in the comments. And remember: this is aimed at those indie authors who place business in front of art or creative pursuits. Not in place of, but merely in front of. There is room in my world for those who do not. This was not written, however, for them.
This appropriate image is made available under Creative Commons license on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/carltonbrowne/6436669865/
If that question strikes you as odd, you might want to skip this post. If your answer is "because I'm compelled to put words to paper," then you might want to skip this post. If your answer has more to do with art or creative exploration than tangible business objectives, then you certainly should skip this post.
The antithesis is business ---- making money -- as the primary answer to the question asked. And when you get right down to business, choices become more clear. More simple. And much more ruthless.
Those of you truly in the business of being an indie author, the phases of digital publishing become binary decisions: things you must do and things you must not do.
For the things you must do, you must do them exceedingly well, else you run the risk of being beaten at your own game. Take the first stage: writing. As a business-focused indie author, you must do this on your own, and you must do it exceedingly well. Sadly, many business-focused people assume this stage much more easy than it truly is. Yet it is not. But they can get better. And must if they are to be successful. No one can do this but the author, and sloppy writing -- regardless of what might be seen on bookshelves -- is unacceptable.
Editing and publishing? Those are on the list of things you must not do. I shouldn't have to convince you that you must not ---- can not -- do your own editing. If you don't accept that truism, then you have confused short-term cost-cutting with long-term financial objectives.
Publishing is also on this list, but for a different reason. The business-focused indie author doesn't have time to waste -- yes, waste -- on hand-coding ebooks, futzing with interior layout templates, or struggling with the vagaries of online marketplace listings. Rather, the business-focused indie author uses modern tools, techniques and even service providers to remove or offload the drudgery of this task, freeing time for more productive things that only the author must do.
The last two stages, promoting and interacting, remain in the must do category. Yes, some tools, techniques and service providers exist to assist the business-focused indie author with these tasks. But the indie author plays a central role in their delivery. There is no "over the wall" approach here that will be successful. No publicist or agency worth their salt will tell you otherwise. Yet. This, I'll grant you, may be changing. Maybe.
In this post I covered great swaths and skipped the finer details. Wordsmithing devices, cover design, interior layout, book blurbs, pricing strategies, mailing lists, interview booking ... All of them fall somewhere in the continuum above, and the question of must/must not do lines up nicely -- for most of them.
Depending on the reaction this post receives (I can't be virtually burned at the stake for heresy, can I?) I'll attempt to address each of them in turn with the same mercenary view of the business-focused author in the coming days.
I welcome the spirited debate that is sure to ensue. Please attempt to follow civil discourse in the comments. And remember: this is aimed at those indie authors who place business in front of art or creative pursuits. Not in place of, but merely in front of. There is room in my world for those who do not. This was not written, however, for them.
This appropriate image is made available under Creative Commons license on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/carltonbrowne/6436669865/
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