Goodreads Authors/Readers discussion
XI. Misc
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What I learned from writing/publishing my first book...
I would like to hear about your publicist experience.
what I learned from publishing my first book 10 years ago is to write according to your vision and ignore everyone else. if I wrote stories how everyone dictated then it's theirs not mine. however the book did well when it was in print. I hated it and took it down. it wasn't my vision. I still can't stand to look at it to this day. ..
My first and only book was published Aug. 9, 2011. It took me 14 months to produce what I proudly felt was a completed and polished manuscript. The next several months, working with and learning from those assigned by the publisher to assist in converting the manuscript into a commercially viable book, taught me three valuable lessons1. The completed, polished manuscript, of which I had been so proud, was not yet complete nor polished.
2. I possess neither the talent nor inclination to be a prolific writer.
3. Fortunately, my previous career provided for a very comfortable lifestyle and retirement. To-date, only 935 units of my novel have been sold, earning me a grand total of $2,175.60 in royalties; so I would have been a starving artist - literally!
Belle - my experience with my publicists has been good. They've been attentive and have tailored the campaigns to my needs. I feel like their help has been invaluable, not only because they have access to contacts I don't have, but because I don't have the time to cultivate interest leads and do the continuous follow-up that a good publicity campaign requires.That said, not all publicists are created equal. Some will promise things they cannot deliver, and you should be wary of a group that claims to take on any project or a campaign that comes at too high a price tag. Look at reviews of the group you're considering before you sign on, and check them out on the BBB. Don't be shy about doing a little research on who might be handling your project before you approach them.
I'd rather not name names as to which group I use, so to avoid the sense I'm trying to do a promo here, but I'd be happy to give more details via PM.
K.P. and Jim - I'm sorry you both seem to have had negative first book experiences.I agree with K.P. completely that your work must be your own from beginning to end. If you don't love it, don't put it out in the marketplace. Whether it does well commercially or not, if your writing isn't true to how you want it, you'll hate it later.
And, I agree with Jim's sentiment that one shouldn't quit their day job to be a writer, until it becomes clear you can do that and be financially secure. Unfortunately or fortunately (however you want to look at it), my job quit me when I was laid off six months ago. It gave me plenty of time to get my book ready to go out into the world. But, I'm stil looking for full-time work again, simply because my writing career isn't quite "there" yet.
Jim - Would you mind expanding on what you meant about your book not being as complete or polished as you'd thought?
Thank you for your thoughts, A.M. Your post is really timely for me because my first book comes out this Nov. and I'm considering hiring a publicist. I don't feel I have the expertise, contacts or inclination to promote my book myself. It sounds like you had a good experience. If anyone else has any comments about publicists, I'd love to hear them! Thank you.
I'm Doug Oudin, author of 'Between Two Harbors, Reflections of a Catalina Island Harbormaster' (a memoir), and most recently 'Five Weeks to Jamaica', a work of fiction.I began my 'writing career' after retiring as harbormaster on Catalina Island for 32 years. Fortunately, I am not dependent on my writing to survive, because it is not easy to make $ off self-published books, at least without paying thousands for a publicist and/or agent.
For me, the easy part is writing. I'm very pleased with the response from both of my books; good reviews, good comments from those who have read them (my second book has only been 'live' for less than a month, but it too is being well received. The hard part comes after the writing; editing, re-writing, and worst of all, marketing and promoting.
I was hoping a traditional publishing company might pickup my work(s), but that did not happen. I hired a publishing company, and I am less than happy with their support.
I am also not comfortable with social media, computer inputting, or much beyond very basic computer skills. So, from my experience, it's a difficult process, but I have learned a lot, reached my goals (of getting published and breaking even with the costs), and feel very good about having fulfilled my dream of writing both a memoir and a novel, both of which have been well-received by the limited market that I have reached.
Doug Oudin
I have written four books so far with another one coming out in the fall. I've learned so much but will condense it:Writing is the easy part, even rewriting and editing it over and over and over is nothing compared to the job of advertising. I truly suck in this area. And from the threads I've read, it's hard for a lot of authors. I, too, am not comfortable with social media. I'm a very shy person, but I have to get out of my comfort zone so that potential fans can find me.
A.M. is right, no matter how many times you or your assistants go over the manuscript for errors, they will not catch them all. But just as long as it's not a constant irritating pattern in the book, then it should be fine.
I used to pray for a traditional house or an agent to pick me up so that I can become the next overnight success and live off my wealth. NOW? I'm so thankful to be able to do it all on my own. Nobody to tell me what to write, or how to write it. I'm my own boss and I can write whatever I want; and it's okay that I'm not on the Bestselling list. There are those readers who like me, and I can still pay a few bills with my sales.
That I must love to write, because no matter how grueling it gets, how time consuming it is, how many bad reviews I get, I wouldn't dream of doing anything else. The stories living in my head are all scrambling to get out, and I love it. (that didn't make me sound crazy, did it?:)
I wish the best to all of you on this journey of writing--have fun!
Oh, I forgot one more thing I've learned that is important:We all want our books to be loves and treasured by everyone who reads them, but it ain't going to happen. You're going to get some good reviews, and you're going to get some bad ones. Constructive ones are good, but expect the nasty, cynical ones, too, cause they're coming!
A.M. wrote: "K.P. and Jim - I'm sorry you both seem to have had negative first book experiences.I agree with K.P. completely that your work must be your own from beginning to end. If you don't love it, don't ..."
A.M. - To answer your question:
When I stated that I believed that the manuscript, after 14 months of writing, rewriting, proofreading, having others proof read it, and rewriting again, was finally complete and polished, that is exactly what I meant. This was my first (and only) attempt at writing a novel.
While working with the conceptual editor, I learned that I had sometimes used many more words than necessary to achieve the intended purpose or occasionally had a character do or say something completely out of character. While working with the layout design artist, I learned how to utilize separations more effectively and to switch scenes without compromising or complicating continuity. I also learned how to better phrase the first and last sentences of each chapter so that they would effectively introduce and end each, while arousing the curiosity of the reader and ensuring a smooth transition. The original manuscript contained 126,000 words. The paper back book and e-Book, now on the market, contain 111,000 words. The audio book is abridged. It contains 85,000 words.
Please allow me to correct your assumption that this was a negative experience. Writing a book and participating in the publishing process was educational, enlightening, entertaining, and unique. In other words, it proved to be a very positive experience. The ongoing quarterly royalty checks, regardless of the amount, are an added bonus.
It took many years and drafts until I found a publisher for my novel. It came out late last year and the publisher is small (and on another continent!), so I do a lot of the marketing work myself. However, it's been a wonderful experience. The publisher and his team are very supportive and, together with my fellow writers, I feel like part of a big family.
I had heard so many horror stories from writers that I was very suspicious of contracts and of the publisher doing what he said he would, but what I have learned is that my gut instinct that I could trust the company completely proved absolutely true. No small thing!
Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences. It's so helpful to us who are mid-process. Much appreciated!
My first novel is The Mandate of Earth, released two months ago in March. It's doing well. I spent over a decade on the ms because I just didn't know how to finish it for a long time. Like A.M., I was laid off this winter and used the time to finally get it done, revised, polished. I couldn't afford $1,000 for a professional editor (and that's a "friend discount"), so I did my own editing. Not practical for most writers who are in a hurry, but if you can take a year off and come back to your ms, then it is possible to edit it yourself objectively (with your copy of Strunk & White handy). If editing yourself without time to spare, then use every tool available to check spelling & grammar. Impose on friends & relatives to proofread. Do hire beta readers for about $20--don't rely on free reviewers. Use them if you have time to waste--TANSTAAFL. Get what you pay for. Some hired beta readers will also post a review afterward so it's win-win.
Make the title, cover, and first 3 chapters absolutely compelling even if you feel you're compromising on what you really want to write. You MUST bait the hook with quality bait, not a dead worm. Buyers will make a decision based on these points in this order: 1) Cover, 2) Title, 3) Description, 4) Preview chapters.
After my first month of sales, with no advertising, no reviews, I was able to join the SFWA (www.sfwa.org) as an active/voting member (e.g. the Nebula awards). During the second month, I wasted 100 hours on marketing--a complete waste of time because sales dropped by over 25%. Let your writing sell the book, not gimmicky web sites or twitter services or paid reviewers (yuck). I'm back to writing, lesson learned. If sales are weak, change something--the cover, the title, revise your opening chapter to hook readers. I'm convinced that marketing is pointless UNTIL you have good sales happening. Success breeds success, and at least in the Amazon ecosystem only the bestsellers get noticed. Amazon can be very unbalanced and unfair--like, for example, the free promotion given to the unknown author of (R)evolution. She got lucky, put her book up for pre-order, and an Amazon "editor" noticed it and pushed it ahead of every other sci-fi book for a month. So, do use the pre-order scheme, and regardless of writing skill or cover or synopsis, there's also the LUCK factor.
All great, great insights that coincide with mine. Murder Becomes Manhattan, my first mystery novel, debuted in November/December. I have been very pleased with the results of our heavy social media-oriented campaign -- but that still only has translated into tens of sales per month, not hundreds or thousands.Marketing is much more difficult than we imagined, even with good reviews on Amazon and GoodReads. There will be typos, there will be bad reviews (although the 2 we have received make me even wonder if the person read the book, they were so generic).
Good news is, my follow up, Murder Becomes Miami, comes out this fall. We are in this for the long-haul and believe that will help sales growth. That said, as others above so wisely have indicated, LUCK plays an enormous factor. The right reviewer, mention in the media, can make a weak book a best-seller, and vice versa. So just write interesting stories and hope sales pay the bills!
www.murdermanhattan.com
Congrats to those who have success with their first books. Here are a few thoughts from my experience.I had heard many authors talking about how series are great for sales and so decided to start with a trilogy. Though the first book had some success, the second one did not match that and so I've found myself lowering my expectations greatly for the third.
If I had it to do over again I would not have invested in the series up front. Instead, my plan going forward is to write stand alone novels that are capable of being made into series, but I will not write the subsequent books unless there is a much greater demand.
By the way, here is another chuckle from my experience. An agent (actually her intern) kept asking for more chapter of Murder Becomes Manhattan, eventually accepting about 20 or so before deciding it wasn't right for their list. Her comment: "The characters just don't grab me."Guess what is the number one positive comment the book has received on Amazon, etc. from readers who purchased it? "The characters are quirky, fun, different, I can't wait to follow them in the upcoming books."
So there you have it . . .
I've, too, learned that the more books you write, the more you'll get noticed. Readers want to discover someone who are more than just a one-book-wonder.Each time I've released a book, my fan base grew. I have a sequel to one, but like D.J., unless there's a demand for it, it stays in the vault.
And kind of like Jeffrey, one of my first reviews for my suspense novel received a one star. Why? Because she didn't like the title. So much for reading it.
Great input everyone. Many thanks for participating in this lively discussion!I want to comment on a couple of things that others mentioned.
- Social media: I'm pretty easily defined as an introvert (I write, because I spend a lot of time in my own head, scary as that place is...), but in this day and age, we are required as writers to "connect" with the public who knows nothing about us or our work via social networking. It's a necessary evil for us introverts. And, I hate to sound like I'm stumping for publicists, but I was fortunate that my publicists have helped me navigate the murky waters of what makes for a (at least semi-) successful Twitter account. My general advice to anyone in doubt about how to get going on Twitter or Facebook is to find someone more versed in social media than you to help you out, and above all things, be true to yourself (i.e. don't post more things than you're comfortable sharing or more frequently than you want to).
- Reviews: Although Goodreads and Amazon are great places for drumming up reviews for your work, not all of them will be beneficial to your success as a writer. I recently got my first 2-star review, and like others have commented, after reading through it several times, it neither gives me anything I can call useful criticism nor matches any of the other feedback I've EVER gotten about the work. I, too, wonder if the person actually read the same book. So, we must just come to terms with the fact that not everyone will like our work or give us a helpful critique. Get used to taking the bad with the good. Some people will just hate your work for seemingly arbitrary reasons and won't be shy about posting them on Goodreads or Amazon.
That’s a great question; the replies may help other authors.I learned that (a) books sell books (=> write more books) & (b) this next one hurt – my first cover did not work.
Readers have no idea how much work I invested into my first cover. My motive was the Johnny Mercer Pier in Wrightsville Beach, NC. For weeks I visited the pier twice a day, at dawn and at sunset, and shot pictures of flood waves crashing against the pier.
Sometimes the waves slapped me around; I always got wet, plus it took up a lot of time. Not to talk about the sand! My car, pants, shoes, everything I owned seemed to be full of sand.
A few days after I thought I had finally shot the perfect picture, a friend, who is a surfer, called me and said, “Come to the pier right NOW and bring your camera!” I replied, “Thx, I already have my picture.” The friend said, “Gis, get into the car NOW and bring your camera!” So, I did!
The pier was lit by an eerie, brilliant, golden light. It’s really hard to describe. This was THE DAY, on which hurricane Sandy (on its way to NYC/NJ) passed by Wrightsville Beach, NC, about 200 miles offshore. The immense power of this storm had created a natural phenomenon. You can see this picture on the “old” cover of my book “Naked Determination”. I thought this cover was beautiful, phenomenal, expressive etc… Naked Determination,41 Stories About Overcoming Fear
This cover did not sell the book.
All in all I had invested about 150 hours driving to pier and taking pictures, and gas money, but lo and behold, this cover did nothing for the book.
When the book won gold at the RF award, a friend told me to change the cover. In fact, he told me, I absolutely had to change that cover.
I listened and picked a picture from a stock photo catalogue. It took ten minutes… no driving… no salt water… no sand – anywhere… and the cover worked.
People began buying the book!
What can I say? I invested hundreds of hours - uselessly. I thought I had shot the picture of the century… but it did not work…
It appears that because so many authors use photoshopped pictures for their book covers, readers have come to expect that “look”. These days I recommend using photoshopped stock photos.
Wow Gisele I knew cover art was difficult but damn that's totally bogus -_- I slave at my art as well and it seems that tacky PS look is the new in thing. I shudder at having to eventually go that route to get sales to pick up... Necessary evil I suppose...
A review is posted by readers to share their personal opinion of a book with other readers, not as a personal message to the author. Since a review is merely an opinion, it is subjective. One person's "One of the worst book ever!" may be another person's "One of the best books I've ever read!. For these reasons, I seldom pay much attention to reviews, choosing instead to follow my own gut instinct when choosing a book.Most books and periodicals on the subject recommend a multiple approach to promoting and marketing books:
Public Appearances - Literary conventions & festivals, public libraries, book stores, and book clubs. Come prepared to deliver a well-rehearsed presentation with book-signing pen in hand.
Website - Professionally designed and consistently maintained. Should include a blurb, author's bio., scheduled events, and a secure communication page.
Push cards, bookmarks, business cards, and thank-you cards - Professionally designed and dedicated to a specific book and its author.
Active participation in literary websites - Not just in the self-promotion threads, but in the others as well. Allow members to become familiar with you as a person and fellow reader, as well as an author.
I hope that these suggestions prove helpful and that there may come a time when I may tell my acquaintances that I knew you before you became famous.
K.P. wrote: "Wow Gisele I knew cover art was difficult but damn that's totally bogus -_- I slave at my art as well and it seems that tacky PS look is the new in thing. I shudder at having to eventually go that..."Photoshopped stock photos look like what they are - cheap tacky short cut. Nothing turns me off a book faster than a poor excuse for a cover. I just skip right by. Stick with your art KP - don't buy into this "trend" - it won't last...
Gisela wrote: "When the book won gold at the RF award..."Gisela, congrats on the award, but I was wondering what "RF" stands for?
And yes, I think paying for a cover designer is a worthwhile investment even though I have designed all the covers for my books up to this point. I plan on using a cover designer in the future.
Wow - this is quite a topic! Very interesting reading everyone's experiences.Well, we have Chameleon Publishing today, and in a small part, a boost for starting Book View Cafe, because of what I learned publishing my first book.
My first book (short fiction collection) was one of the first Print on Demand trade paperbacks. My second book (novel) was one of the first Print on Demand hardcover books. The good news? Both are still in print. The bad news: I got smashed and bashed same as in more recent times, indy-published authors have taken criticism. As to quality (one of the major criticisms at the time) - these are holding up extremely well. The paper is non-yellowed, print quality very good and bindings excellent.
These books shared the challenges mentioned here. However, they did get reviewed in major publications.
27 books later ...
Here is where y'all can help out. This survey covers basic questions about the writing and publication process and it does have some marketing questions for writers. It takes only about 5 minutes and I'm reaching out today because we are using it as part of our market validation process. And, the results are going to be part of not only our ever-evolving pitch deck, but also a motivational/educational presentation for writers and readers conferences. First up will be the Greater Los Angeles Writers conference in June so hoping for a good group of responses by then. So far, responses are very heavy with traditionally-published authors and we would love to hear more from indy authors!
Nothing's in there by accident and all questions pertain to "what I learned from publishing my first" (and other) books.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VCL2H85
I agree about the ugly covers. I do believe that's why my second book "Under the Harvest Moon", is doing "nada"! (my other ones however are doing pretty good) And I have to admit, I was in an hurry and wanted to get the book out. It is THE ugliest cover, I hate it, and when I get the funds to pay for a redo, believe me I will. (if some of you check it out, let me know what you think) You won't hurt my feelings. It's ugly, isn't it ?My cover designer charges $150 a pop, she's good, and I like her. And I have a book coming out in a few months, so the funds will have to go there. Until then...
Cover design is really important, because it will always be what readers see first, before even deciding to read a single page. I think if one knows their way around InDesign (as I do) or Photoshop or even Gimp, designing one's own cover is fine. Just make sure you have someone who can give you purely objective criticism on the cover before you commit to it. My cover is part of a photo series that I took in the woods near me and then thrown into Gimp and InDesign both. It took weeks to complete, unfortunately, but I was and remain satisfied with the result. Whether it causes people to buy the book or not, I don't know, but the feedback I've gotten so far is that the cover is pretty cool looking.
Jonathan wrote: "My first novel is The Mandate of Earth, released two months ago in March. It's doing well. I spent over a decade on the ms because I just didn't know how to finish it for a long tim..."Great insights here. Candor appreciated!
D.J. wrote: "Gisela wrote: "When the book won gold at the RF award..."Gisela, congrats on the award, but I was wondering what "RF" stands for?
And yes, I think paying for a cover designer is a worthwhile inv..."
Hi DJ,
That's a misunderstanding - I always used a cover designer but at first I used a NOT photoshopped picture. That's a big mistake. Readers are used to them and obviously it does not matter how rare the picture is (like in my case, luckily we don't have events like hurricane Sandy all the time) the picture needs to be photoshopped.
RF = Readers Favorite and I think last submission day is in 2 or 3 days.
Golden Age writers of 1930s earned a penny a word for dime novels. At $2.99 a book, I earn $0.00003 a word. (But I make up for it in volume.) :-)
Wow, I'm so impressed with this candid sharing and very grateful.My own experience with my first book was quite out of the blue! It was a non-fiction title about a social and political issue in Hong Kong and I self-published it in 2005. I went through the grueling process of designing my own cover and finding my own printer and distributor, and doing my own marketing. Nothing seemed to work. But I was lucky to have had a good review from the Canadian Book Review Annual. Still that didn't help sales. Then in 2010, on the encouragement of friends in Hong Kong, I got a publisher to have it translated into Chinese and published & marketed in Hong Kong and Mainland China. It became a hit overnight and a bestseller and got raving reviews. It went on to win the Hong Kong Book Prize in 2011. I guess timing (it hit a nerve with its arguments when it got noticed) and a bit of luck got me there.
However, my dream has always been to write novels. I wrote my first novel between 2013 and 2014 and self-published it as an ebook and POD. It got good reviews on Goodreads & Amazon but these did not help sales at all. My conclusion is that I'm no expert in marketing and that for my next novel (which is an epic historical novel based on extensive research) I will not go the self-publishing route again but will try to find a publisher.
As a last-ditched effort in promoting my first novel, I've entered it in the Readers' Favorites contest. Let's see whether luck will smile on me!
Alice, I think unless you know somebody famous like Oprah, all of us as authors suck at marketing. But you just have to keep trying new avenues.If you're going to find a publisher for your next book because of the marketing issue, you still have to market the book yourself, in case you didn't realize. Unfortunately, the days of publishers going all out for their clients marketing-wise is over. The only difference between traditional publishing and self-publishing is they get 15% of your sales.
Groovy, thanks for pointing that out! I think I'd be OK with promotion through the various social media platforms. With a publisher, at least I wouldn't have to worry about bookstore distribution. Somehow I think it's important for the print book to be displayed in bookstores.
Good point. Traditional publishers can get your books in the stores a heck of a lot easier.
Alice wrote: "Somehow I think it's important for the print book to be displayed in bookstores."It was once, but with the slow decline of brick-and-mortar bookstores, it's less so now. Remember that unless your book becomes a runaway bestseller, it gets only six weeks or so on a shelf before it gets remaindered. If you sell your paperback online and use POD, it stays on sale essentially forever.
The potential for sales of a book increases exponentially with the number of formats available, scope of distribution, and the number of commercial vendors willing to stock and promote it.
Lance wrote: It was once, but with the slow decline of brick-and-mortar bookstores, it's less so now. Remember th..."Exactly, Lance. I wanted to say that. This isn't the 20th century where if your book was accepted by an agent and then bought by a traditional publisher, it was treated like gold. And they worked hard to get your book exposure.
That's why I'm so glad I do it all myself. I may suck at advertising, but I am selling, and my books are there forever, not six weeks and then discarded for the bestselling authors.
Thanks, Jim.
Thanks Lance and Jim for your respective input! It's just that my experience with self-publishing has been quite discouraging on my first novel. On the other hand though, I'm very excited about my second novel (which I'm still working on) and just want to give it the best chance :)
Alice wrote: "Thanks Lance and Jim for your respective input! It's just that my experience with self-publishing has been quite discouraging on my first novel. On the other hand though, I'm very excited about my ..."Alice,
Your frustration and disappointment are perfectly understandable and natural. If it is any consolation, you are not alone. In fact, your current situation is shared by the vast majority of published authors.
The number of books, appearing annually, once numbered in the hundreds. Today, due to the internet and proliferation of self-publishing opportunities, hundreds of thousands are released each year. The market is saturated. Literary periodicals and websites often point out that less than 3% of published authors ever become commercially successful and achieve notoriety due, at least partially, to the proliferation of product.
Think positive. The dreams of 3% of published authors do eventually come true. There is no reason why you could not be one of them. Perhaps someday, I may be able to say to my friends: "I knew Alice before she became a bestselling author."
Maybe I am making a mistake but even though I ha(d)ve an account with Ingram in the past (maybe it’s still active) I did not submit my latest books to Ingram for distribution. @Alice
One of my books did win Gold at the Readers Favorite award 2014 and without me doing anything a few copies of this book ended up on the shelves of my local B&N.
The reason why I no longer distribute with Ingram is that in the past (1988-2004) before ebooks had been invented, routinely, Ingram would return damaged copies with bent corners. Obviously this damage happened in stores, I sent them perfect copies.
What most indie authors don't realize is, as a self-publisher YOU have to pay for shipping the books to Ingram and YOU get charged by Ingram if they ship back damaged books.
In 1988 I penned/published/ distributed a slim 8.5"x11" alphabet book, which could be shipped cheap because of its format. In other words, tough I could save shipping costs because I figured out which was the best way to go, Ingram shipped back via UPS and I paid for a more expensive form of shipping. That put me into the position that I shipped perfectly fine copies to Ingram, which eventually got damaged (I could not sell them anywhere else), plus, I paid for shipping the book to and fro Ingram. In short, though I made money selling books in bookstores, I lost a lot of money because Ingram would send me shipments of damages copies (individually). And that does not include the bookkeeping efforts. You have to keep a record of all this.
That's why since 2013 I am working exclusively with Createspace. Their fulfillment rate is unsurpassed. I found this out because write books for authors and in general authors are great communicators. Sometimes authors sent me an email that they ordered my book (paperback copy) and three days later they already posted their review. The Secret? - - A lot of people (including me) have Amazon Prime which is why they get my books so quickly (typically on the second day). I am very happy with that service – no damaged copies, no stupid bookkeeping of shipping costs and keeping a record of damaged books (which I eventually donated to schools); it is a much more pleasant experience.
I second Jim's comments that your frustrations as a first-time author are normal, and they are not really unique to indie authors, either. Very, very few authors are great successes right out of the gate. It takes time and a lot of effort to build an audience, no matter how great the feedback is from reviewers. Getting people talking about your book is a full-time job, which is why I employ the services of a publicist.
But, here's a tip no one has covered yet, although it was alluded to when someone mentioned that seeing print books on a shelf is important - don't forget your local libraries. I got my book added to my local public library and my university library. It takes a bit of time for the book to go through the cataloging system, but once it does, it's displayed as a "New Title". Instant, free exposure.
All I had to do was send an email to each of those libraries, and the public library also asked me to participate in this year's local author forum in the fall, which has book sales and signing at the end. Again, instant and zero-cost exposure for you and your book.
So, don't forget the libraries, folks. Believe it or not, plenty of people still use them a lot. :)
And, since we're on the subject of general frustrations, here's one of mine: having to make sure everyone can FIND your book, once it's posted to Amazon, Goodreads, and the like.Maybe it's just the fact that my first name is two initials and no space between them, "A.M.", but I discovered that neither I nor my book shows up easily in some organic searches. This means that I need to contact the site where the search isn't working and raise a little hell about it to get the error corrected. That's one way to get known, right? Not my first choice for how to make that happen, for certain.
Incidentally, for anyone who may have clicked on the link in the first post on this discussion, obviously, that's not my book. My bad. This is my book: Into the Darkness.
The hazards of having a book with a similar title to so many others, I suppose.
I agree, Cristine. Publishing is hard work. But that's the part of being a writer. Don't we all wish we had a book fairy that could do all the promotion and advertising for us and leave us to just write.And my biggest goal, like you, is to get my stories out there for readers to enjoy, and put a smile on someone's face, or a tug at their hearts.
I'm somewhat new to publishing and I still don't know what an Indie author is (I'm going to look it up) But I do know that it involves self-publishing, like me. And I love doing it myself.
Gisela wrote: "What most indie authors don't realize is, as a self-publisher YOU have to pay for shipping the books to Ingram and YOU get charged by Ingram if they ship back damaged books..."This is true only if you don't go through Lightning Source, their POD service. LSI manages order fulfillment through all of Ingram's online clients; my paperbacks are available all over the world online. LSI will also deal with brick-and-mortar bookstores if any deign to order your book. The distributor shows up as "Ingram" on the bookseller's systems.
However, the cost basis is considerably higher for POD than for traditional press (no economies of scale), so it's hard to price a 300-page-and-up book to give the bookseller his/her desired 55% discount and still be able to sell it.
Lance wrote: "Gisela wrote: "What most indie authors don't realize is, as a self-publisher YOU have to pay for shipping the books to Ingram and YOU get charged by Ingram if they ship back damaged books..."This..."
@Lance - - Yes, I have heard that from others too. To be honest I don't really care. I am confident that Amazon/Createspace knows more about every opportunity than I do. Like when I won the Readers Favorite Award... I have no idea who placed this/my book into the local B&N here, the only thing I know is, I did not do it. My assumption is that Createspace placed a few copies into stores in the winners' home cities' B&Ns, or maybe it was B&N who did. The list of winners is no secret. What I appreciate about Amazon/Createspace is the speed. If I order a book from them I have it in two days even though I do not live in a metropolis. Ordering a book from B&N takes longer because they have to go through their distributor. Plus, Amazon sells my bestselling paperbacks at a reduced price, but I am not losing a penny, and it's still that fast. I like that.
@Jim, Gisela & A.M., thanks for your encouraging words. And thanks Gisela for sharing your experience with Ingram; and thanks A.M. for the library tip :)
This must be the most useful thread on Goodreads at the moment! Like A.M. I sell quite a few to libraries and I always e-mail them when I release a new book. It's a bit of work to set up the distribution list as you have to take the individual e-mail address off the library lists. Another form of free advertising is through Goodreads' author websites - a lot of us have a Guest Author or BlogSpot. (Mine is www.ritaleechapman.com and you can contact me through the website if you are interested).
A lot of these authors go to a lot of trouble to display the interview well and to promote it.
Hi. Jumping in here because I don't know where else to look for answers. If you are self-publishing do you need to get an ISBN or any other sort of identifier for your book?
What about copyright? Does just including a copyright page with a standard copyright blurb actually protect your work?
Goodreads Authors/Readers
Books mentioned in this topic
The Mandate of Earth (other topics)Naked Determination: 41 Stories About Overcoming Fear (other topics)
The Mandate of Earth (other topics)
Into the Darkness (other topics)
Here's mine:
- Whether you're under contract with a publisher or self-publishing, getting your manuscript, etc. prepped and out to market is a LONG process.
- A good publicist is worth having and paying for.
- No matter how many people do a spelling/grammar review on your work, they will never catch ALL of the typos; typos will happen anyhow, and you just have to live with them.
- A.M.