Wisdom of 2011...what have you learnt?

[J.A.]

I used to keep a diary. It was a 5-year diary so there were only 4 lines per day, but each time I filled it in I would read what I’d put the previous year and the one before, and the one before that, and it made me realise how far I’d come and how much I’d learnt in the interim, in a way that you don’t do otherwise.

We slog our way from one year to the next and so rarely have time to stop and take stock of our progress – and that’s a pity because often we’ve done great things, but just slowly enough that we didn’t really notice along the way.

I was reading Barbara’s thread about her year in publishing and thinking that though it’s only been 9 months for me, I’ve learned SO much since March! So this thread is where we all jump in, reader, reviewer, author, lurker, whoever you are, whatever you’ve learnt, and stop just for five minutes to think about what we’ve achieved in 2011.

Can be anything at all, and you can post as many times as you like, but a few ideas to get the ball rolling...

Reading:
have you found new authors and books that you love? Are they indie, trad or don’t know/care? Where did you come across them and to whom would you recommend them?

Publishing:
Have you learnt new ways of doing things, using new programmes? What have been your best resources and most useful marketing strategy? What will you do next?

Online:
Have you found new websites, review sites, blogs, forums, social media, funny pictures of cats falling off chairs? (With links, please!)

Offline:
Have you found new recipes, new gadgets, new fave shops, or just come by some general nuggets of wisdom or trivia that you’re game to share with us?

What have you learned since this time last year? Jump right in and tell us...
JAC

[J.A.]

As a starter for ten, here are some of mine for you.

1)Food (you knew I’d start here, didn’t you?!)
Duck and cherries go together like you would not believe. Who knew? I don’t specially like duck normally but this is a fabulous combo – mail me if you want the recipe (ah the joys of being related to a gamekeeper!). Also, roast butternut squash is yummy with butter, and mushrooms are rather nice with cinnamon on, bizarrely.

2)Forums;
Amazon forums have got a bit spiky for me but all the cool kids are on Goodreads anyhow, and in terms of GR obviously this group is where it’s at. Peeps, I have had the MOST fun lurking on here this year and it is your collective fault that wetsuits and cheese are now inextricably linked in my head. Nutters, the lot of you.

3)Computer programs;
Hootsuite and/or Ping for management of social media. Mobipocket for e-conversion, and then Kindlegen (I found some instructions which use small words so I can just about manage it, given my complete lack of html-type-knowledge). Arachnophilia (oldstyle) for generation of .ncx file. Gimp for resizing/retouching photos (and probably more when I have time to learn how to use it) but actually you can get a whole load of image-tweakery done with a combo of Paint, Excel (i kid you not, it has some great picture tools) and Ctrl-Alt-PrtScr !! To a distinctly amateur level, obv, but passably so I think.

4)Blogs:
SO many. I shall pepper the conversation with links ongoing.

5)Other:
Grits. These do not go at all well with scrambled eggs. And cooties are not headlice....

Upon which note I throw it open to the floor!
Anyone else learnt cool stuff this year?
JAC

[C.S. Splitter]

2011:

I should have started into the social media thing long ago.

How to self publish. It's been a long trip.

There are still voracious readers out there. I thought reading was dying out.

80% of fiction readers are women. I am actually glad I did not know that before because it might have effected my writing.

I should have written something supernatural. Action/Adventure has a small following dominated by just a few big names. Everyone wants castles, swords, vampires, zombies, and magic. Ah well.

New friends. I have made some GREAT internet buds this year. Really. I didn't think people could be internet friends and give a sh...darn.

Splitter

[Barbara]

1) I have read mostly indie authors this year, and most of them are now friends *waves at some members of CR and thinks about the others*
2) It was my first year with e-books (I started putting my graphic novels on Lulu in 2009 - haven't sold any, in case you were wondering) and it has been a huge learning curve. My first uploads sucked. Now I manage to get to the premium catalog of Smashwords almost at the first attempt (with some glitches here and there). I am still exploring new e-venues, like Xinxii (aka the European Smashwords, it's German, but you can go to the English page) and IBS (it's Italian, and I'm still figuring out if I can get on there as an indie) and trying to figure out KDP and Smashwords (don't have access to PubIt). But I'm only at the beginning of this wonderful and scary new road and will keep learning while I go! :-)
3) Forums: I'm now only on Goodreads. Blog: I still follow many, but I had to cut blog-reading - I'd rather read fiction instead of your wonderful blogs out there, sorry! :-)
4) I'm currently attending a book fair for small and medium publishers of Italy, so hopefully by Sunday I'll know something more about the publishing business in my home country. Maybe.
Anyhow, the year really flew by! Look forward to the new one and all those other releases - I'll double my output next year, under two more pen-names, so stay tuned! :-)
UPDATE! Always check the e-mails from POD or distributor! I left a coupon for free print copy unused on Lulu last October and now that I uploaded 4 more books for print I could use only one... meh! Teaches me to ALWAYS read the emails I get in full (and I've been using Lulu since 2009... but it was the first time they made that offer!)

[Justin]

I've learned that writing a book is fairly easy as long as you plan it out and go over it many many times yourself before having it edited, however I have found promoting it to be a bit of a challenge..but know that I could be doing so much more to get my book going, just looking for a push and opportunity.

I have also found that by reading, following or showing interest and conversating with fellow authors generates not just interest but help on tips and advice as well, such as and especially this group on Goodreads.

Last, I have learned that if you want to get things done you gotta do em yourself, you can't wait for an opportunity you gotta make your own and if its good enough and the people come so will other opportunities.

[Jenn]

I have met some AMAZING people on here and learned so much from this group alone.
From marketing, to self pub, traditional pub, book formatting and everything else in between!

My choice gadget is my iphone which I WISH i had the new one but it's too expensive and can NOT wait to see what the ITV will look like.

I have learned that a divorce is expensive because it's worth it ;)

[[deleted user]]

I found out that self-publishing is a lot of work but still very rewarding.
I've learned that i definitely want my next book to be professionally published. I've met a lot of great people on here just when I thought reading was dying out.

[M.T.]

Hmm... OK.

Lesson 1.
Don't get your book proofed on paper. You will make more mistakes doing the alts. Get them to do it for you in the document.

Lesson 2.
Don't give up.

Lesson 3.
Don't force it. If you have to stop, stop. If your brain is so knackered it can't even be arsed to wander, it means it needs a holiday. Give it one.

Lesson 4.
Success is all relative. If you like your work and you believe in what you've written others will. It may take a while but they will. Set your own goals and do not be distracted by other people's results. Their circumstances may be different to yours, they probably have more books out and most likely they have more time to market and write than you do.

Behind almost all of those 'I'm making millions of pounds from my writing' posts you will find a LOT of hard work, in many cases very big back catalogue (or a book being released every month) and a person who has a LOT of time* to spend writing and marketing their work.

*Possibly all of it.

Um... I think that's all.

Cheers

MTM

[Amy Eye]

I have learned that I can still do more than what I thought I could - and that having some of the best friends a gal could ask for (many of whom I have met in this group!) makes all the difference in the world.

Keep trying no matter what happens and don't give up on dreams. You never know what is waiting over the next hill if you just keep trudging along.

I have learned more acronyms than I ever thought I would now, and I learned that some of my favorite words are a bit "risque" in other countries. (it started up a whole conversation about wet suits...don't ask. LOL)

OH! Big one - I learned how to help publish a whole book in less than 2 months!! HAHAH!! Thanks to all of you who helped with that!!

[Felicia A Sullivan]

Having quit my very well paying, highly stressful job back in April to stay home and edit books/make jewelry full time for half the money, I learned that I shoulda quit a LOOOOONNNNGGGGGGG time ago. LONG time.

[J.A.]

Felicia, I love to hear you say that! This time next year, I'd love to be doing the same. Don't have a clue how I'd be able to afford it, but I'd love to be doing so.
JAC

[Felicia A Sullivan]

Well, I don't have nearly the resources I used to have, but I have never been happier in my life. I live like Laura Ingalls Wilder...in the city. I grow a lot of our food, we're off store bought bread, cereal and yogurt - I actually have the time to make all that stuff now at my own pace. Candles and soap too, and all of our meals are completely from scratch. It's such an awesome way to live.

I think if I was more materialistic, I wouldn't be able to do it because, like I said, I can't just buy whatever I want whenever I want to anymore, or take lavish vacations, but I really have never been happier in my life, and I barely ever even leave my house anymore. :-))

[[deleted user]]

Felicia wrote: "Well, I don't have nearly the resources I used to have, but I have never been happier in my life. I live like Laura Ingalls Wilder...in the city. I grow a lot of our food, we're off store bought ..."

That sounds great! As a college student I would love to go to college and make a living as a writer. I believe if you truly want to make a career out of your passion you should go for it.

I think there is nothing that makes you happier than working and doing something you love.

[Gabriel]

The best lesson I learned: invest yourself in the lives of your readers and they will take you far.