self-publishing

Embracing The Digital Age

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Writing is a scary process. It’s one of the few times we can let ourselves be completely vulnerable. We pour our heart and souls onto the paper and then all of the sudden, it’s there- ready for the rest of the world to see. Unfortunately, the publishing process is just as scary. Especially into today’s publishing landscape, there are so many options an author needs to consider. Do they want to try their hand at a traditional publisher? Do they want to immerse themselves in the indie world? Do they want to seek a strictly digital publisher? The digital age has changed so much about book publishing its very easy to become discouraged.

Today I can across another Huffington Post article that highlighted five things that all authors should know about publishing in the digital age. Perhaps the article will ease your mind, maybe it will ensure you that despite all it’s challenges it is possible to succeed in today’s publishing market. Or perhaps the article will increase your anxiety even more, bringing to light more things that you had never even thought of. Either way, the article addresses some important issues that our digital age has created for authors and book publishing. So take a deep breath, read it for yourself, and know that you can do this.

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  1. Traditional vs. Indie

The indie world has opened up a mass amount of opportunity. More authors than ever have the ability to publish their work, share it with fans, and most importantly- make money off of it. But now every author is faced with the dilemma of going with a traditional publisher or acting as their own. Being your own publisher allows you to find your own success, work on your own terms, and maintain absolute creative control. The freedom comes with a price tag of a lot of work, many logged research hours, and a host of lingering questions. If you decide to seek out a traditional publisher, the work that will need to be done on your end in terms of producing the book decreases dramatically. But now you need to decide which publisher is right for you and what your expectations are.

2. You need to market your own work.

The world of social media has made it easy for everyone to become a marketer and once you write your first book, you aren’t just an author now but a marketer as well. Even if you have a traditional publisher, the role of social media is instrumental to your success. Your publisher just isn’t going to have the amount of time needed to appropriately dedicate the hours into growing your social presence, so you are going to need to do it. Everyone loves being able to connect with their favorite authors, see what they are up to on a daily basis, and keep track of their upcoming projects. Being visible is the best thing for your writing career. Once people are invested in you, they will be invested in your work as well.

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3. Print On Demand Books.

Bookstores rarely stock print on demand books, so this is something you should be aware of before making any distribution/publishing decisions. Bookstores want to be able to return their stock if it doesn’t sell, so the print on demand model just doesn’t work for them. The article points out a couple ways in which you may be able to get around this, so check it out.

4. Distribution.

So, you have this lovely physical book- how do you sell it? Finding a distribution company can be next to impossible, especially if you are a new author. Most distribution companies like to see a successful sale history, so if you don’t have any to show them then you just might be out of luck. Your best bet is to wait until you have some (good) digital sales. The good news? Digital sales are growing by leaps and bounds, so don’t sweat it.

5. Pitch Your Work.

Don’t be afraid to talk about your book (and get used to it). Put yourself out there and pitch your book to whoever you need to in order to get the job done. If you don’t get yourself out there, the likely hood of them coming to you is very slim. You will also need to prepare yourself for rejection. It’s one of those unavoidable harsh realities of writing and publishing. That one “YES” will make all false hope worth it. If not, don’t get discouraged- you can always do it on your own. If you don’t ask, you shall never receive.

Write on.

Fifty Shades of Success

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There was recently an article in THE GUARDIAN by Hannah Ellis-Petersen about the FIFTY SHADES OF GREY phenomenon, due to the most recent release of GREY. If you aren’t a fan, you are probably beyond fed up with all the hype. When are we going to stop talking about it? Why do we care so much?

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Hannah’s article perfectly captures why we should never stop talking about FIFTY SHADES- it has completely transformed the erotica genre, let alone the publishing landscape itself. Despite if you read the book or not, nor if you find the genre enticing or sickening, there is so much we can learn from this single book.

As we all know, the book was self-published fan fiction before being “discovered.” The author was unknown and the genre was taboo. Critics are harsh on E.L. James, many label her writing as “boring and clunky.” Some aren’t afraid to say that it is the most poorly written book to ever be published. Putting all the book’s challenges and criticisms aside, somehow it still managed to do the impossible- becoming one of the most read and talked about books of the past few years.

It is now very clear what made this book so successful- the readers. It proved that all readers are really looking for is a good story and they don’t care how they get it. Historically, as Hannah points out, the publishing industry’s opinion used to be the only thing that mattered. If they didn’t like your writing then you were out of luck, it wasn’t getting published. Their opinion was mostly based on the literary style and quality of writing. We are now seeing that readers have a completely different opinion how what makes good writing and that opinion is really starting to matter.

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Not only did FIFTY SHADES start to force writers/authors to think more about their audience rather than their editors or agents, it also catapulted digital publishing. It showed that digital publishing is actually a fantastic way to publish quickly, build a platform, and reach the masses. The print publisher followed the trends of digital publishing when releasing the print books, releasing each book really close to each other. “Thick and fast” worked in the digital world, why wouldn’t it work in the print realm as well?  FIFTY SHADES shattered traditional print habits and never looked back.

FIFTY SHADES OF GREY also completely legitimatized the erotica genre, pushing it from the back of the book shelf into the spotlight. It took what many readers want (a deep love story) and cast it in light of a completely different world (BDSM). It was new, intriguing, and risky. It was wanted, or perhaps it was needed. Reading should be enjoyable and no one can be the judge of that better than the readers themselves.

That is why we shouldn’t stop talking about or learning from books that overcome the impossible, whether we want to rip the pages to shreds or keep reading. Write On.

How Do You Value Your Work?

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Amazon is at it again, changing the literary/publishing market with another “innovative” idea. Beginning July 1st, Amazon will pay Kindle Unlimited lending library royalties based on qualified borrows to a per page read system.

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The way it will work is: “The author of a 100 page book that was borrowed and read completely 100 times would earn $1,000 ($10 million multiplied by 10,000 pages for this author divided by 100,000,000 total pages).” A recent article in THE GUARDIAN by Samantha Shannon gave some further insight into this change over.

On the surface, the biggest problem with this change over is that longer books will have more value. The reality is that a longer book does not always mean higher quality or enjoyment. Therefore, some authors may feel it is in their best interest financially to have “fuller” books for pure profit reasons, not to enhance the story.

Shannon further revealed the real problem with this change over, that this may just be a precursor to things to come. If this trial program is successful, Amazon may have a pay per page option for all purchased books, which would drastically devalue the creative process. Shannon pointed out all the ingredients that go into publishing a book. Each layer (editor, publicist, agent, graphic designer, etc.) all contribute to the book’s success and they get paid in full for their contribution- whether they hate or love the book, whether readers hate or love the book. What about the author? The one person, who without them, the book would have never come into existence? Why are they the only one losing money that is rightfully theirs? Shannon also explains that unless there is an objective problem with the book, you should not be able to only pay for a portion of it. Take a bite of a perfectly good piece of cake at your local coffee shop and perhaps you then decide you aren’t in the mood for the cake anymore, or you are fuller than you had originally thought, do you only get to pay for that one bite? I don’t think so.

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I understand why Amazon creates the programs that they do. They are in the business to make money and stay profitable. Publishing is a quickly changing industry and you need to way finds to stay on top of it, or your customers will take their money elsewhere- I get that. Without Amazon’s self-publishing programs, many authors would still be struggling to share their work with the world. Amazon creates a lot of opportunity, but we must be weary. There is no reason that authors should not get what they deserve for the work they successfully completed. Amazon is not your local library and should stop acting like one. Amazon should start catering to their clients needs and let their clients cater to their consumer’s needs. Without happy clients, there will be no consumers. Write On.

Erasing The Stigma

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It really makes me happy to see that self-published books are gaining more and more integrity every day. We are starting to hear more of their wild success stories about grossing more and more money- some even into the seven figures. With each of these successes comes more writers willing to take the plunge into the self-publishing world. To be honest, there really isn’t any reason why they shouldn’t. Of course getting picked up by a major publisher certainly does have its perks, but for many writers that just isn’t an obtainable goal. There are only so many books each publisher can produce and the competition is only rising for those few spots. The good news is that self-publishing provides a reasonable and accessible solution to that problem. With the amount of success the industry has had and the amount of advice/resources available today for self-published authors, I don’t see why one wouldn’t give it a shot.

selfpub1 In my line of work I do not automatically discern a self-published work from non self-published work. What’s more important are the numbers, the audience, and the books’ marketing appeal for my company. At least for me, the self-publishing stigma talked about in a recent Guardian article, entitled “Is the self-publishing stigma fading?” by Ben Galley, is truly fading. Self-publishing done right is not easy. At a publishing house you have many different people working on your book- an editor, graphic designer, publicist, sales associate, etc. When you self-publish you need act as all those people yourself, or find people who will. If you don’t, then that self-publishing success you hear about probably won’t happen to you. Your readers still want polished, pristine work. After all, they deserve it. They are the reason you are able to do what you are doing.

The biggest issue I have with a self-published book is editing… surprise! It is so important for a self-published book to be edited appropriately. I completely understand the difficulties a new self-published author has in order to get their work edited. Who should I have edit my book? How much should I pay them? Should I even pay to have someone edit my book or just do it myself? Does the editor I hire know what they are doing? And the questions can go on and on, I understand that. The bottom line is that every self-published author needs to do something. They need to edit and have someone else edit their work. You may be a grammar queen/king yourself but I guarantee you that you will miss a few errors here and there. There’s only so much time that each of us can stare at the same story and not become numb to it. You always need a fresh set of eyes before you publish. If hiring someone isn’t on the table for you, ask a friend or family member. They may not be expert editors but if there are any major problems I’m sure they will be able to point them out. If hiring an editor is an option for you, do your research and make sure you pick the right editor for you with the right credentials.

The article also touched on other issues with self-publishing, some being “awful covers, and mediocre content.” Visual appeal and content are obviously very important as well. Your cover is the first impression readers have of your book. If it looks unprofessional then chances are readers will think the same of you and your writing, not even willing to give it a chance. If you aren’t versed in graphic design I would suggest finding someone who is. There are many designers out there that can whip up a pretty awesome cover for you quickly and relatively inexpensively. Content is tricky but it’s also pretty personal. When thinking about what to write about or what to include or exclude in your writing, think about your audience and genre. Write to what your readers want. Listen to their comments, suggestions, and even criticisms. They are the ones driving your success.

At the end of the day, both book covers and content are personal choices. If the author did what their heart told them to and stayed true to themselves, a true fan will understand and most likely agree with your choice. Bad grammar, on the other hand, is not a choice. Grammar is universal and should not be undervalued. If more self-published authors took grammar more seriously then more publishers, literary agents, and literary awards would drop the “self-publishing stigma.” I, for one, will keep reading and publishing self-published book into audio, the craze is only beginning. Write on.

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The Opportunities Of Self-Publishing

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This morning I came across an article by Phil Emore, who appears to have a great deal understanding and exposure to the publishing world. His article really made me think about the self-publishing industry, its effects on both readers and writers, and its benefits along with its pitfalls.

Essentially, his article highlighted the fact that self publishing has transformed from somewhat of a novelty to a big industry. He also touched on some benefits of self-publishing, along with some of its downfalls. He largely pointed out that the explosion of self-publishing has led to a plethora of books being made available to readers and how this makes it easier and harder to find a good book to read at the same time.

In most respects, I agree with all his concepts. I think that it is certainly easier to find something that speaks to a wide variety of audiences with the rise of self-published books. If you have an interest about something, no matter how obscure, I can guarantee you will find at least one book out there about it. Each and every reader has a different personality and interests so it’s really great to see the variety of authors is starting to mirror that diversity.

Despite all the awesome facts and arguments he presents, I just can’t get myself to say that there is such a thing as a useless self-published book. It’s no secret that there are many poorly written self-published books out there that would never have a chance to be picked up by a major publishing company. Everyone knows that and I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Every book that is published contributes to the publishing industry and each and every book has a part in keeping it vibrantly alive. Each book that goes through the self-publish process is also contributing to a whole other budding industry at the same time. Each self-published book supports online retailers as they continue to push forward in a challenging publishing economy. Each self-published book contributes to the variety of books made available to readers. They can often inspire “cults” of readers to flock to very niche genres, creating a loyal readership you can’t find many other places. In some cases, they also serve as the ground work for future master pieces. Nothing that gets thrown into the self-publishing fray is a waste.

I am also a firm believer that if you feel strongly enough about something to spend time to write it down on paper and if you truly feel its power in your heart than who is to say you shouldn’t make it available for the world to see? Especially when we have the tools so readily available to us. I am certainly no expert on what every single person in the entire world will think of it, I don’t think anyone is. You never know what might stick.

However, I do think that the most important point that was brought up is liability in regards to copyright infringements. I could not encourage self-published authors enough to check their books for these issues before publishing.  There really is no “safeguard” for a self-published author other than themselves when it comes to prevention of copyright infringements, whether it be inadvertent or intentional. I would hate to see an author go through a lawsuit over something so basic and that could be prevented.

As long as you have faith in the work you put out and you properly conduct all your research, there is no self-published book that shouldn’t be written and shared. Keep on publishing. Write on.