Creative Reviews discussion
Tips and Tricks
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Tips for an Aspiring Indie Author
There are a lot of things I wished I'd known and done before. I wish I'd gotten my blog started at least a year before publishing, and I wish I'd joined Goodreads a long time ago and also that I had developed a presence online. It is very hard to do it now. Marketing is moving at a snail's pace. If you're interested, you can go to my blog and read some articles on my experience with self-publishing. I think I did one on what has worked in marketing and what hasn't, and a few on misc. items such as reviews and formatting. http://kasi-kcblake.blogspot.com
Hi KC,I read your article on what has and hasn't worked for you. Basically, you seem to say that the only thing that has worked is your blog. Is that correct?
K.C. wrote: "There are a lot of things I wished I'd known and done before. I wish I'd gotten my blog started at least a year before publishing, and I wish I'd joined Goodreads a long time ago and also that I h..."
Jeanine-First off welcome to the group!!! So great to have you here and you are already taking a great step in getting your name out there! This group is huge and it also is filled with people who want to help other people out!
Now about your question... I can offer some advice and somethings I have learned myself and through talking with others.
Establish a presence online. This is hard but you are already here and that is huge! I would suggest a blog of some kind (whether it be about your journey as an author or just fun random posts or a review blog...or all three! but a blog is somewhere that people can connect with you.) Let's face it, marketing is huge when selling a book. You want people to think you are approachable and identify you. Then they will say, oh hey, thats Jeanine, the writer who loves cheese (or whateverm lol) then they will have more of a want to pick up your book!
Get a facebook page. (a public one)
Get twitter
and if and when your book comes out a website is another great marketing tool and there are sites that you can use that are free.
maybe start writing reviews (if you don't already) it will give you a chance to connect with writers in ways you hadn't before.
There are a lot of resources here in the group that you can tap into. Lots of advice and I would suggest reading some of the topics and jumping into all our conversations.
A must when e- publishing:
EDIT!!!!! this should be non negotiable. You NEED to have someone edit your book. the last thing you want is your story being tripped up with errors that put people off. I'm not saying that yours is, I'm just saying :) I hear some people say they will wait to get an editor until they get a following. In my opinion (and this is just mine) no one will want to follow your writing if it is full of errors.
Market as much as possible, there are a lot of free online ways to market, tap into those. Also get creative and think of things that relate to your story that you can get involved in. Do blog interviews and posts and try to talk to as many people as you can.
Cover art- this is important bc it draws someone to your book. Just because its a ebook doesn't mean it isn't important.
Get your book available everywhere you can. Amazon, smashwords, journalstone (journalstone.com) and Barnes and Noble. Check with local libraries to see if you can donate a copy to their collection.
Give more than you recieve. Be friendly and don't just talk about your stuff (though it is important) ask people about their stuff and if you have a blog offer to do a review or post that involves their work. When you give to people like that then they will be happy to do the same for you. Make sense?
Whew, didn't know I ahd so much helpful advice stored up. LOL. These are all just things I have picked up along the way. I think the most important thing is to be yourself. I have been told this and I agree 100%.
Again welcome to the group and feel free to jump into all our crazy topics!!! We are here to help you!
Wow! Cambria, thank you so much for your awesome advice :) I appreciate it SO much! And thank you for your warm welcome! I am so super excited that I joined this group! lol :)
You are welcome! We are super excited to have you here as well!!
Mod
Welcome to the group, I can't wait to get to know you better!
Thanks, Amy! This group is seriously amazing ;)
Mod
Amy wrote: "I'm very happy that you like it here! We do have lots of fun, and have some of the most helpful people!"Ooh.. I just checked out your website! I may be needing your services in the near future :) I am currently having someone beta-read for me. I'll probably need to find at least four other willing victims as well before I pay for editing :) Though, it wouldn't hurt to know your pricing so I can start saving up. lol
Mod
Jeanine - one of the most useful things I've learnt is that when editing your MS, save it with a different name when you've finished, then move the old copy to a different folder! I say this as when I uploaded ODS the first time, I uploaded the penultimate version and as it took me SIX times to get the active TOC working, when I realised I was going to have to start all over again, I could have wept!
For me, the blog was great but took a lot of time. Twitter is good but most useful for social media is to go via something like Hootsuite where you can post something to FB / Twitter / others all at the same time. This is simply as it's easier to check them all in tabs on one screen, you can shrink long URLs to shorter ones and on Hootsuite you can set it up to tell you how many clicks each link got, which tells you what works and what doesn't.
But really, in joining Creative Reads you've hit paydirt. There are a lot of people in here who are lovely, mental and really helpful and it's such a valuable source of shared knowledge.
I'm firmly of the opinion that if we're not careful we'll all end up like some high-falutin literary group... the bookish equivalent of the Illuminati or something (the Illiterati, obv....)!
heheheh
Just wait till we have our logo'ed T-shirts....it'll be hooded capes and Venetian masks next, I kid you not.
JAC
J.A. wrote: "Jeanine - one of the most useful things I've learnt is that when editing your MS, save it with a different name when you've finished, then move the old copy to a different folder! I say this as w..."
Thank you, J.A., for your awesome tips. Saving the edited version of my Manuscript under a different name is something I would NEVER have done.
I appreciate everyone's helpful feedback :)
I would like a logo'ed hoody, please.. lol.
I now number the different versions of the manuscript and add FD (final draft) to the latest version, the one I'll format for Smashwords and Lulu (POD). I used to do another formatting for Kindle, but somebody here told he uploads the Smashwords-generated .mobi file, which I did with my latest title, and it went live much quicker than the previous ones! :-)I do my own covers (most of them) because 1) I'm very prolific 2) my artist friend is very slow (I asked her five covers in January, she still has to deliver the last two) and 3) I enjoy the DIY, BUT I do use professional editors, especially on novels - I admit on skipping it on the short stories, but when they'll come out as collections, I'll pass them through a pro editor. And I've just discovered even Amy is starting to book up quickly, YIKES! Will have to book her ASAP!
As for social networks: I have an almost 2 years old blog, and a Facebook author profile. I don't Tweet because... that's not me, and, like Cambria says, I must be me 100%! :-)
Have any of you guys tried to get your works published traditionally?
Mod
Jeanine wrote: "Have any of you guys tried to get your works published traditionally?"I have researched the market and agents and the rest for over a year... then stumbled on Dean Wesley Smith's blog and decided that
1) I'm a control freak. I want to keep control of everything! ;-)
2) I'm a foreigner, so dealing with American publishers/agents is probably too hard for me - I can't stand legalese in any language...
3)I'm VERY prolific so I can't wait a year or two for a trad pub to issue my book. I have dozens written already. I have a tight publishing schedule. And another way to make it in the "Million sales Kindle club", like Joe Konrath and Dean say, is to have many titles out there. The word is bound to spread if your name keeps popping up, right?
So I have five novels and unnumbered short stories (to be gathered in 2 collections) planned for this year and have made a schedule until 2015 when I hope to be able to quit Day Job and live on royalties... :-)
Hope this helps!
Barbara wrote: "Jeanine wrote: "Have any of you guys tried to get your works published traditionally?"I have researched the market and agents and the rest for over a year... then stumbled on Dean Wesley Smith's ..."
Barbara... You bring up a lot of great points :) I am a stay at home mother of three, so it would definitely be ideal for me to go the self-publishing route. I just can't see myself making deadlines at this point and having to be told what to do and when.
I don't know if this was mentioned, but an open mind. Whether it's with good/bad reviews or other people you talk to about advice, publishing and with technology things are constantly changing and we're all trying to figure out what is going on, the current economy I'm sure has a hand in this matter also.
Yes! An open mind is important, for sure. Especially when it comes to your books being reviewed, I would imagine. I've had a couple of family members and one friend read my book and they've all told me how great my book is. Is it wrong that that dissapoints me? Let me explain: I know there are things wrong with my book and I just want an honest opinion. I think author, Zoe Winters, has it right when she says to find people to read your book that you don't have a relationship with because they wont be afraid to hurt your feelings. What do you guys think?
I agree, I have this blunt honest friend currently reading a story for me. She finds holes that I wouldn't think of so I'm appericating that.
Ottilie- your totally right. An open mind. there is no right way to this stuff. i think we have to find what works for us. Jeanine- I am currently working with a Otherworld Publications and my debut novel is set to be released Dec. 16th of this year. :) I am revealing my cover and website this friday.
I also think it depends on what you are writing, like genre wise to help marketCambria-can't wait!
The opinions of friends and family are worthless unless they criticize. Really. I forbade friends and family from reading The Reluctant until strangers gave me feedback. I would still prefer that they don't read it, but you can't so no forever.
Splitter
Cambria wrote: "Ottilie- your totally right. An open mind. there is no right way to this stuff. i think we have to find what works for us. Jeanine- I am currently working with a Otherworld Publications and my ..."
Congratulations, Cambria!!!! That is super awesome!
C.S. Splitter wrote: "The opinions of friends and family are worthless unless they criticize. Really. I forbade friends and family from reading The Reluctant until strangers gave me feedback. I woul..."
There have been plenty of family memebers who have asked to read my book... I am running out of excuses. lol
Yeah, one short was published with Twenty or Less Press, and the other with Books to Go Now.If you go to duotrope.com you can find lots of publishers at different levels. Meaning, some are going to be easier than others to work with. Since I was a newbie, I went with semi-pro (paying) fledgling publishers. If you can do this, I recommend it because it's completely free. And any revenue you make is instantly profit.
Things you get for free when you work with a publisher:
Editing (which can be good or bad depending on the one you pick)
Artwork (same)
Copy Setting
Help with Promotion
A personal Cheerleader
So, for me this has been extremely helpful. Also, there are so many self-published books out there, being able to say that you've published through such as such gives you a TINY more credibility. The more prestigious the publisher, the more credibility it gives you.
Anyway, you might as well try it and see.
I know people talk about wanting 100% of the royalties, but honestly, a newbie author usually isn't going to make that many sales anyway, so if you pay a butt-load for the services listed above, it's really hard to recoup your investment.
I think self-publishing is actually a better idea when an author has gathered a following, and is experienced enough to publish a quality product on their own. Then 100% royalties could actually mean something.
Anyway, I know a lot of my colleagues here have gone the self-publish route, but I just want to state what my experience has been from the other side.
Cambria gives some excellent advice, particularly about the editing.I made the mistake of thinking that I had completed the proofreading of my book, only to discover later, that I was wrong. If you can afford it, then getting an editor is a very good idea, but if your book is long, it can be very expensive (for example, my book, Liberator's Ruin, is about 180,500 words. Even with the cheapest freelance editors, that can cost a few thousand pounds!). Otherwise, a good tip I've found is to put your book on a kindle/kindle app (or equivalent), and read through it in a large font. It makes it much easier to spot typos.
I imagine that someone's already said this, but it bears mentioning again: if you are publishing your book as an ebook, formatting is absolutely key. Smashwords do a style guide which is handy to follow.
That's about all I can add. The rest of the tips are fantastic!
Wow! Jennifer and P.J., this is really great information. I will check out that website :) I am hoping to work with Amy soon and get my book edited. She is quite a busy girl, so I better figure things out quick! lol
Has anyone had a hard time writing a synposis and query letter? Why is it that the synposis terrifies me? I am so not kidding...lmao
Oh, don't worry, it terrifies every author!It's probably the hardest thing to come up with, and something most writers leave til the last. It's hard trying to distill your book down to a few paragraphs and keep it interesting.
If you have written a plan for your book, it's easier to use that as your basis. Otherwise, write down notes of the main events in each chapter, and write the synopsis from that.
There are a few guides online, such as writer's workshop, which offer some helpful advice for your synopsis and query letter.
Jeanine wrote: "Cambria wrote: "Ottilie- your totally right. An open mind. there is no right way to this stuff. i think we have to find what works for us. Jeanine- I am currently working with a Otherworld Public..."
Thank you! :)
Please feel free to check out my brand new website as of today. www.cambriahebert.com
I think writing the query and synopsis is harder than writing the book! lol.Its a real beast. i think the one thing to remember when writing a query is to not loose your "voice" you know? Its so easy (i do it too) to just want to get the main plot down for the people to see but then the good stuff, the stuff that makes your book truly unique is missing.
oh, any Amy is fantastic. She is my editor of choice.Tip: Amy does formatting as well...
Cambria wrote: "oh, any Amy is fantastic. She is my editor of choice.Tip: Amy does formatting as well..."
Cambria wrote: "I think writing the query and synopsis is harder than writing the book! lol.
Its a real beast. i think the one thing to remember when writing a query is to not loose your "voice" you know? Its so ..."
P.J. wrote: "Oh, don't worry, it terrifies every author!
It's probably the hardest thing to come up with, and something most writers leave til the last. It's hard trying to distill your book down to a few para..."
Cambria... I am looking forward to your book reveal :)
P.J. I am glad that I am not the only one who is scared of the synopsis... That makes me feel better.
I didn't write a summary before I started writing my book. I just had an idea and started writing.
I wish I would have thought to write a summary and I am currently doing so with another book I am planning on writing. Which ridiculously has nothing to do with my first novel :)
I will ask Amy about formatting. She is probably going to be like, "What else does this girl want from me?!" lol
I've already asked her about editing and helping me with my synposis and query letter. Hahaha. She sounds awesome though and it is nice to have so many people say great things about her :)
OMG!!!! Cambria! Your book, Masquerade, sounds so FRICKEN great! I seriosly can't wait to read it. Sam already sounds yummy :) lol
There's nothing wrong with your next book having nothing to do with your first. Liberator's Ruin was a steampunk fantasy, whist my next book is a sci fi thriller. I plan to return to the world of my first book at a later date, however. Plenty of ideas to keep me occupied into old age!
Myself, I tend to plan my stories out. I know some writers, such as David Gemmell, just started with an idea and started writing. There's an anecdote from an introduction to one of his anthologies, where he mentions that his editor used to tear his hair out because he'd be 80,000 words in and still not know where the story was going!
I've tried doing that myself, but I'd get so far and couldn't think where to go next. Hence the need to plan!
Jeanine wrote: "OMG!!!! Cambria! Your book, Masquerade, sounds so FRICKEN great! I seriosly can't wait to read it. Sam already sounds yummy :) lol"Thank you!!!!! Sam is yummy!
Mod
Tip: Amy does formatting as well..."
Cambria wrote: "I think writing the query and synopsis is harder than writing the book! l..."
Girl, I will help you with whatever you need for your book! LOL
I love what I do, so it's no worries at all! :)
And you will LOVE Masquerade. If you love a good paranormal, this is a good book for you!
Mod
OOHH - Steampunk! That is such a great genre!
I've never actually read any books in the genre, but I've played plenty of games that use the setting.I love the mish-mash of science and magic that you can play around with.
Mod
Lol, at the moment, I've just gone back to playing Halo 3, having completed Deus Ex: Human Revolution.Also playing Metro 2033 (you can see a theme going here ...)
I'm looking forward to Batman next month, and Skyrim after that!
I don't play many JPRGs as I get a bit bored of the random battles and convoluted stories. Saying that though, one of my favourite RPGs is Skies of Arcadia, which is set in a fantasy steampunk world.
Mod
I never get to play games anymore :-(... It stinks being a grown up...
Cassie - Gathering Leaves wrote: "I never get to play games anymore :-(... It stinks being a grown up..."Haha. I was just thinking the same thing :( I do sneak in some Guitar Hero and Rockband every once in awhile, though :)
We got rid of our Rockband since no one ever played it! I still do a little GH occasionally... I got about halfway through Lego Pirates and then got too busy for that. I did beat Lego Harry Potter before things got crazy...and I AM looking forward to the next one!!!I started playing the Mickey one...I can't remember the name...Epic or something? Where he has to clean up all the paint and stuff?? It was fun, but again, too busy...
The only person who gets to play games around here is my six-year-old... The two little ones play on the computer all the time too.
I'm 31. I would say technically a grown up, but I am male, lol. I sometimes wonder how my partner puts up with me, but she's quite accepting! Plus she likes assassin's creed :)
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Is there anything you wish you would have known before you self-published your books?
What is a must when e-publishing?
Any information you can provide me with would be so helpful and greatly appreciated. Thank you to all of you in advance and I can't wait to hear your thoughts :)