Chris’s Comments (group member since Feb 17, 2017)

Chris’s comments from the Navigating Indieworld Discussing All Things Indie group.

Crystal Dawn wrote: "Roughseasinthemed wrote: "Back on topic. That's a similar rate ie £400/$500 to what I charge. And I still get people saying it is expensive. Yet, there are editors out there charging thousands for ..."

I use ProWriting Aid to edit my book before even considering sending it over for someone else to edit. Grammarly is good, but not AS good.

Regarding editing, I wouldn't go as far to say your efforts are futile - you will build your own clientele as time goes by. But that also doesn't mean that a cheaper rate means the edit is going to be poor. Editors that cost thousands can deliver a poor service, too. If David R Burton used software, THAT I can't be certain of, but he did a fairly good job with it. In saying that, it all comes down to the author. I dedicated thousands of hours on my book, always trying to improve it. But, no matter how much time and money you spend on it, people have tastes and opinions, and no editor, affordable or expensive, absolutely amazing or absolutely useless, can help you build a miraculous work of art that will only get 5* reviews. There are people who will give you 2* because they CAN, because they are human, because that's how life is. Some will give you 5 * because they enjoyed it. Others 3 or 4 because they're really picky and dissect the book. It doesn't matter. Everyone can treat your book however they like.

True. Big marketing campaigns are hard to beat. The best I can do is write, hope people will enjoy it, then write some more. Regardless of how trends shift (and they DO shift, a lot) I think I've picked a great genre (sci-fi) to be a part of, given the amount of movies and games coming out yearly. I'm not saying the audience of sci-fi readers will grow, but it will hopefully remain stagnant.

Carole wrote: "It's like hitting a brick wall. Even with traditional publishing, most authors are not making enough to survive.Like actors, producers and directors in Hollywood- there are a handful making megabuc..."

Movies and gaming are growing enormously. More and more people are becoming too lazy to flick through pages, so they sit back and allow to become entertained by blockbusters and gaming franchises that cost millions to make. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy movies, and gaming on the rare occasion, but there are extremes. People's reading habits these days have shifted enormously. You used to see passengers on a train holding a book in their hands, now, more and more are seen holding a gossip magazine (media trash) or a media trash website on a mobile phone screen. If I hear about Beyonce's twins one more time I'm going to kill myself. If you're not in university, or have just come out of it, the only education you will ever receive is the latest on Kanye West's controversial opinion "about everything," or the amazing transformation of a Hollywood actress in just 3 months, or Ivanka Trump's product line. So, why does trash media exist? It might be because "real" news is so scary, creating news from around the world that make people uncomfortable - and people avoid what makes them uncomfortable.

With fewer people reading books that will either educate or entertain, or both, WHERE the publishing industry will end up in the next decade is a mystery. I might be wrong with the whole topic, but it's just observations that I make during the course of the day. So, feel free to correct me.

I think I went through my first book ... a hundred times? Mostly to see if there were any plotholes. Found a few, edited some stuff, found a few errors like the one you described, then repeated the process.

These errors sometimes come down to external factors, not just the author's capabilities. What I mean by that (I'm going to use myself as an example, but I'm sure it happens to a lot of indie authors}: I get up at 6:30 a.m. head to work on a train so that I'm at my desk for 9 a.m. and, many spreadsheets, data analysis, graphs etc. later, I'm back on the train and home at 18:30 (if it's on time). Apart from having other obligations, which I take care of first, I then sit down with a burned-out brain and strained eyes and tend to my manuscript like it's my garden, trying my best to keep focused, maintain a level of imaginative output and, most important of all, enjoy the process. The entire journey is a learning curve, because I taught myself how to format, how to build a website, self-edit, resourcing, research etc. If I had some expert guidance, it would've been easier, but not necessarily fulfilling. And this has been happening Monday - Friday for over a year now (2013, 2014 & 2015 were more relaxed when building the first novel). Weekends, I have a lovely partner that I like to fit into my schedule, as well as promote one book and write a second. And don't get me started on the amount of emails that I type to external sources, hoping someone will take an interest. It's an exhausting process, but I'm too passionate and stubborn to let big publishing houses trample on the humble nature of indie authorship (and I'm not saying they do this intentionally - it's just business).

And now that the violins are coming to the end of their soul-wrenching performance, the answer to WHY I do this is: the idea of entertaining readers with the worlds that I build out of words is fulfilling. And WHY I'm telling you all this? Well, because I know how difficult it is to write a book and take on life's other challenges at the same time, so I'd like to help out other people who feel they have a great book in their hands, and just don't know HOW to tackle the money-milking publishing monster of an industry.

Roughseasinthemed wrote: "Back on topic. That's a similar rate ie £400/$500 to what I charge. And I still get people saying it is expensive. Yet, there are editors out there charging thousands for no different standard of w..."

There's a vast majority who think an indie author is bad quality writing. And I get it. Sometimes it is. But there are some REALLY REALLY good indie authors, out there. A shame that reviewers/bloggers/publishing houses/readers turn their noses up when they see "self-published" or "indie". A lot of these notable indie authors have full-time jobs, families, rents or mortgages, loans to pay, people to take care of, personal lives to live. They take on the beast solo and they put a good book in the market, regardless. They haven't got agents or publishing houses to steer them, do all the marketing/branding for them, the editing, the covers, the 24/7 feedback. And yet they still manage to write, edit format a book, each with their own goal in mind.

From a personal experience, whenever I reach out to bloggers and book review sites, newspapers and magazines, 1 in 10 get back to me (if I'm lucky). And when they do, they'll say: "Sorry, we don't read books my indie authors. Best of luck." - they don't even read the first 2 pages.

Whoa. Major rant there. Sorry. It's been a bumpy year for me, so when it comes out ... it comes out!

Carole wrote: "We aren't posting books there- we are doing blog posts for each other and it's working. We have all seen an uptake in sales. See if you can get on one of the lists and join the fun. Also, check out..."

Ah. Amazing. I'll be sure to check it out. Thanks Carole.

Carole wrote: "Yes, please stop by and let everyone know about your books. https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/..."

That's the Blog Go Around. Are you sure you want me to post my book there?

Carole wrote: "You are in the right place. We don't stifle discussion. Please look at some of our very active threads. There are blog go rounds, we have set up a website to showcase all our authors. Jump on and t..."

Thanks Carole. I'm glad to be part of the group. Indie authors have to help one another. It's the only way to guarantee that books with potential make it into the hands of readers

Amy wrote: "I couldn't have afforded even £4/1000 words. I might have managed £50 in total but not £300+. Ah well. Maybe one day."

I hope you manage it at some point. It's a journey with loads of ups and downs, but it's worth it

I'm not only a self-published author, but I'm new at it. Everything is a learning curve for me, whether it's formatting, editing, covers, opening accounts, promotion, social media, SEO etc. Trial and error may be a risky method, but when you're going solo at every obstacle, sometimes it's just the only way. I hope I can share my experiences with new writers and help them avoid some potholes that I had to go over

It definitely is, but a lot of people struggle financially, and at the same time they want the world to read their book. You can do a class A job when you get the right editor and the right illustrator to finish off your book. And although it took me a long time to find both, I wish back then I had someone to direct me to the right place. Everyone deserves the chance to have their book properly edited, and you don't need to throw in $3000 to achieve that, or $6000 for a book cover. (yeah those were some of the quotes I stumbled upon)

David R. Burton did an amazing job with my book, and for a good price. While close to finishing my draft, I did my research around the web for an editor that was willing to take on 160K words. There were some extravagant prices that my wallet couldn't afford, and, unlike publishing houses who assign an editor to polish a renowned author's work.

I came across https://economyedits.wordpress.com/ and David R. Burton, who charges just £4/1000 words ($5/1000). He did a brilliant job and I highly recommend him to indie authors, like myself, who have tighter budgets, as well as rents/mortgages/bills/baby expenses/loans to pay.

Hi Ariel,

I'm rather new here. And in the world of self-pub, too. I've written a post-apocalyptic/alien invasion novel. It's the 1st of a series of 6. Would you be interested? If so, PM me.

Best wishes,
Chris