So what’s it take to succeed as an indie author?

So what’s it take to succeed as an indie author?


[note: this article first appeared as part of the How to be a Good Writer series on the C.P. White Media Blog.]

Sales. God help us. My good friend Aaron Patterson once posted up a comment on Facebook about this: what’s it take to sell your book (basically)? I mean, some of us are selling and some of are not, and it’s not as if it’s cut and dried that the nonsellers are shitty writers. Pardon me, but come on. And there’s plenty of hot-selling total crapola out there. So it’s not simple.

Adding to the complexity is the free market, which I adore. The rise of the eBook has been confounding the Big Six publishers today in the same way that Napster and iTunes changed just about everything in regard to the music business a while back. Well…when I say everything…the point is that Bob Dylan was right about how times change, but only insofar as they don’t really, which was King Solomon’s counterbalancing bit of sagacity.

Aaron and I secretly agree that for the business-minded author, the entrepreneurial, the indie author…pssst: there’s really no need for a publisher. The dirty little secret is that the Big Six will expect you to work just as hard for them as if you were going it alone, and in exchange for that gigantic favor they will be taking about 85% of the pot, thanks. At least. I personally don’t want to shove against that wall. Someone else can shove it, if you get my meaning.

The facts, therefore, have been distilled down to these: editing, cover design, publishing, and marketing strategy. Those are the things that matter most, and the things that any competent publisher (even if he’s just a one-man operation, i.e. an indie writer) will spend the bucks on. Let’s have a look at ‘em one at a time.

Editing is the process, often painful, whereby you as the author pay large amounts of cash so that your work can be pulled apart by someone wiser than thou. It’s also so that you can be emotionally abused about it. Okay, I’m (mostly) kidding. A great editor will do that so nicely that you’ll catch yourself saying, “Thank you, sir, may I have another.” Remember that editing isn’t just spelling and grammar; it’s content, the creative bits, pacing, character development, plot, and so on. It’s my personal opinion that the best editors are a one-stop shop. Spelling and grammar are fixed pretty easily, either by Word itself or by the conscientious author. Anyway, editors who only do spelling and grammar are called proofreaders, not editors. And if you’d like to get in touch with me aboutediting your work, please do.

Okay, covers. Cover design is something at which I suck. Okay, that’s not fair, but let’s say that a guy struggles when he lacks tools and experience sometimes. Just being honest. So few authors are double-edged swords; able to produce literary and graphic excellence. I once posted on Facebook a cover I did for my novella The Marsburg Diary, alongside another cover that was professionally done, and asked people to vote. It was something on the order of 20:1 against mine. Not to say that I can’t learn eventually, but for now, I’ll be leaving it to the professionals. I’d counsel you to do the same. It’s almost impossible to spend too much on a good cover. Don’t be afraid to “focus group” it with your friends, either.

Get yourself out there

Get yourself out there

 

[note: this article first appeared as part of the How to be a Good Writer series on the C.P. White Media Blog.]

Unless you have tried and failed at something, you might not get it. If you’ve never stood your ground even once and told people exactly what you’re thinking, you probably can’t relate to what I’m about to say. If you’ve never tried to create something truly personal, and then taken the huge risk of allowing people to see it, read it, experience it…then you can’t know how it feels. If you can’t look yourself in the mirror and say, “I have something to say,” and mean it, well, you probably don’t know what I’m talking about.

I’m talking about putting yourself out there; in this case as a writer. It might seem difficult to write a book, especially for those who never have, and it is. But it’s even more difficult to finish it and let it go. Out into the wild. Where people are free to love it or hate it. But I gotta tell you: it’s worth the risk. It is totally worth the risk.

Aaron Patterson and I released Airel a couple of springs ago. And then we re-released it last November, with a few improvements. And we have more improvements in store. That first release was the result of about a year’s worth of work. Yep. That much. and like I said, work on that series is ongoing. And as hard as the writing and editing and revising process sometimes is, it doesn’t compare to how difficult it can be emotionally to publish the Work—and allow people into what amounts to a very private inner sanctum: the imagination of the author.

How to submit for publication (or do it yourself, thanks very much)

How to submit for publication (or do it yourself, thanks very much)


[note: this article first appeared as part of the How to be a Good Writer series on the C.P. White Media Blog.]

How to submit for publication: it’s the question you probably wonder about when you turn out the lights and you’re trying to get to sleep. But it’s not one very many authors are asking out loud these days, and for good reason. It’s because of self-publishing. It’s because of technology. We might assume the world has changed for good. But publishers aren’t going anywhere. After all, Sony Music weathered the rise of Napster and iTunes; Harper Collins and Penguin aren’t just going to roll over and die. So then… you might want to know, after all, “How do I submit for publication?”

My best answer to the question? Don’t. You’re going to work your keester off whether you’re independent or traditionally published. The rate of pay, though, is wildly different. I’ve said it before: You don’t need a publisher. Not these days. And not, certainly, for what you’ll get out of making a deal with the Devil, which amounts to about 15% on the high end, and that’s if Beelzebub likes you. Or if you drive a harder bargain than Faust. See, publishers used to be able to justify their gargantuan takes. After all, there was the cost of print, the risk they were taking, the rent on their palatial Manhattan offices; the whole enterprise of publishing to begin with. Plus they were the gatekeepers of the industry. Without a competitive alternative, monopolies tend to do as they see fit, and to hell not only with the consequences but with everyone else as well.

Plot, and how awesome it is, especially in stories (duh)

Plot, and how awesome it is, especially in stories (duh)
 

[note: this article first appeared as part of the How to be a Good Writer series on the C.P. White Media Blog.]

I want to feature plot in this post. I’ve posted other things about this subject (Archetypes), and that’s because it bears study. A good writer is one who understands at least the basic elements of plot. For me, plot = characters in a lot of ways. But for now, plot.

A good story has a skeleton in good order. If you break out the major events in any well-written story, you can build an outline around them (whether the author intended you to do so or not). Sometimes we get a look at it in disjunct ways, a la LOST or The Prestige, which are great stories that keep us guessing—but they’re organized quite well in the final analysis. In other words, whatever happens in the storyline has a reason for happening (the fictional past) and a consequence as well (the fictional future). That’s what I mean by a skeleton in good order.

Good stories have certain elements that are universal, too. It’s been that way since the dawn of time. If a crowd can relate to part of the story, they buy in. That’s what Heathcock bangs on about, and with good reason. It’s called empathy, and you should cultivate the hell out of it. If your book has it, people buy it. That’s the goal here, folks, and it doesn’t require selling out or ignoring/forgetting your principles, contrary to popular belief.

Take a look at any Sherlock Holmes story. I still stand in awe of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s knack for this. I always wonder which part of the story he wrote first; as if he wrote it inside out and backwards, because how can anyone write such mysteries? It’s crazy good writing, with lots of layers, lots of interdependencies; like a combination lock on a safe.

Writing a story with a freakin purpose

Writing a story with a freakin’ purpose


[note: this article first appeared as part of the How to be a Good Writer series on the C.P. White Media Blog.]

Good writing has certain elements that cause it to be compelling, realistic, successful. And savvy authors wield these elements like a skilled craftsman uses his tools. I'm talking about good fiction. Today we're going beyond the nuts-and-bolts talk, beyond subject-verb agreement, tense, and even the difference between present participle and gerunds (which is extremely important stuff), and we're dealing with high-level, meta-picture kinds of things. Following are a few things Good Writers know.

Disasters: Every scene must end with some kind of disaster for the protagonist. More importantly, when it does not, the story is over. Why? Because the thing that drives Story is conflict. Coincidentally, that's the same thing that keeps readers turning pages. And it's the same reason reality TV has been so successful. Why do you think Survivor was such a hit? And why do you think The Office, with its truly cringe-worthy moments, kept people enthralled for so long? You're right; it's because everybody likes a good train wreck. Which explains NASCAR, mostly.
I suppose I should mention here a little about consequence. Truth is indeed stranger than fiction, and if you look to life for symmetry in cause and effect, you'll rarely find it. Evil prospers and good often suffers. Cf. the books of Job and Ecclesiastes. In the best fiction, I think authors are hypersensitive to all the potentialities of the scenes they're writing and how they want them to play out in the lives of their characters. The best authors just flat out notice things, and all the time. Read Klinkenborg for more on noticing.

Just remember, too, that when you're writing a scene, it won't necessarily feel natural to keep your hero from the One Thing (the Story Goal) she's striving toward. But you must be cruel. And realistic too, and that goes for all you scifi and fantasy nerds out there as much as it goes for all you family saga bow tie-wearing spendthrifts, because no matter where, people are people, whether it's just outside of Alpha Centauri or somewhere in Yorkshire. Yes, people will be total jerks—or completely selfless (rarely)—to each other no matter where they are. And that means there'll be arguments. Sometimes, those arguments are big enough to produce a story, which segues nicely into my next point.

Secrets of the Acquisitions Editor: 5 Steps to Getting Your Novel Published

As my guest poster today I'm thoroughly impressed. When asked to describer herself Erin Lale wasn't pulling any punches "Acquisitions Editor at Eternal Press and Damnation Books and Editor and Publisher of Time Yarns and an author published both self and traditionally." See what I mean.

Secrets of the Acquisitions Editor: 5 Steps to Getting Your Novel Published

By Erin Lale, Acquisitions Editor at Eternal Press and Damnation Books, and Editor and Publisher of Time Yarns

If you want your novel published by a publishing company, there are five important steps to ensure success. These steps are based on the five most common reasons why I reject a manuscript submission from Eternal Press or Damnation Books.

1.   Follow instructions. Read the submissions guidelines and follow every requirement. If the guidelines say to submit your manuscript in doc or rtf format, don’t submit it in a different format. If the guidelines say to include a marketing plan, then do so. “Market plan: whatever will sell millions of copies J” (yes, that is a quote from a real cover letter) is not a marketing plan. If you don’t know how to write a marketing plan, it’s OK to ask for help. An author’s marketing plan is just a list of all the types of publicity and marketing in which the author is willing and able to participate. An example would be doing a guest blog post via email, like this one except about your book. Not following instructions is the most common reason why I reject a manuscript submission.

Distractions, Roadblocks, and Naps

My blog had some kind of freaking tantrum and I couldn't post anything. But I digress...please welcome D.G. Glass. She describes herself as an author-wife-mother-eclectic personality who sometimes lets her adhd get in the way and gets distracted easily. But I have to tell ya DG is my girl. I"m a napper myself. 2pm 6 days a week.

Distractions, Roadblocks and Naps by D.G. Gass

Once upon a time, I told folks that Franklin Covey was my friend.  Not that I'm personally acquainted with Stephen Covey, the author of “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”.  It's just that there was a time I lived and died by my day planner.  Sounds silly I know, but the scheduling and the planning had allowed me to get into routines.  Routines allowed me to get things finished.  When things got finished, life was less chaotic. 

Am I a little OCD? Probably.

That was before I began forgetting where I placed my precious binder that had all my dates and tasks that needed to be accomplished.  To alleviate that, my husband bought me a Hewlitt Packard Ipaq, palm pilot kind of thingy.  It was great.  I could just automatically up load the contents from Outlook and there it was, available to grab from my purse. Being a bit of a tech geek, I loved it. I coveted it.  I forgot to charge it.  Since it required being shipped away to have the battery replaced, it became a paperweight that mocked me about missed appointments and uncompleted tasks.  It sat on the desk for several years like that, until I finally found the heart to get rid of it.

I reverted to Post It notes.  You know the colorful little squares of paper that stick to things. I was actually taught this method in a Lean Sigma Six Delta something or another workshop.  They were great.  I had an excuse to feed my addiction to hoarding colored paper.  The only problem was more often than not, they would end up sticking to the cat's hind legs after the beast rubbed up against the computer, the desk or my pant legs.  I never really am sure how the paper ended up on my pant legs. 

Getting into a habit is important, no, essential to me. Especially since I became serious about my writing.  Few writers are afforded the ability to focus on their writing full-time.  There's jobs and families to attend to.  Free time is often a juggling act between adding a few extra hours to get a few thousand words typed up and trying to squeeze in that nap.  And it get's worse when you try to add in those little luxuries such as eating and sleeping. 

Then there's the distractions.  The family members wanting to talk when you're in the middle of writing up that great dialogue.  The cats wanting attention by walking over the keyboard.  The squirrel on the windowsill taunting you because it knows he's teasing the cat.  If there's a dog involved, that's the time they want to take  a walk.  Of course it doesn't help that they have to walk around the spot for the next thirty minutes deciding whether or not they really want to go there. 

Yet, we're our own worst enemy.  In a way, I can see how it may have been better to use a typewriter. I know, with the advanced technology we have, it's made it easier.  No backspacing and strikeouts.  No white-out.  No ripping the sheet of paper out from the carriage for do-overs.  Easy access to dictionaries and a thesaurus.

Still, I've found it difficult to maintain focus at times.  Usually this comes when I have to bring up the browser to verify spelling or find a synonym.  I'll just blame the subliminal messages hidden in the songs that are playing on Pandora telling me to check my emails and statuses on all the social network sites I belong to.  You'd think that having been in the military, I'd be a little more disciplined. 

While it may seem that being distracted or being thrown off my routine may be the biggest threat to my writing, it actually isn't.  It's frustration that comes from using other writers accomplishments as a benchmark. It would be the doubt that might come if I thought I should be putting out so many words a day.  Or if I hit a wall and can't get through it at that moment that some how, I failed myself. 

When I was writing “Ghosts of Arlington”,  everything that could sidetrack me, did. I procrastinated.  I allowed myself to get distracted.  I allowed myself to get thrown out of my routine.  What didn't happen, though, is important.  I didn't allow myself to give up or quit.  When the voice of self-doubt tried to divert me, I told it to “bite me” (yes, those were my exact words). 

It's difficult, I know.  I had years of practice telling myself my writing was garbage, that was until I found out people actually liked reading what I wrote, whether it was a blog or a poem.  I'd use that encouragement from time to time to help keep me writing.

There's a lot of obstacles to achieving a dream, these were (and still are) mine.  Every writer has their own unique hurdles to cross.  It would be pointless for me to tell a new writer what to do.  Even if I had twenty books under my belt, I still wouldn't be able to tell them what will work. 

The best I can tell you is this.  There's a lot of advice in books and on the internet from other writers.  Try it out, see what works for you.  If it doesn't seem to help, don't get discouraged.  Keep trying until you find the right formula to get you into your writing zone.  If it's your passion, if it's your dream, it will come together for you, even if it's not the same way it came together for author X or writer B.  If you feel like you stumbled, pick yourself back up and brush yourself off.  Achieving dreams is hard work and sometimes found in paths less traveled. 

I'd like to thank Bri for allowing me to ramble, I mean guest post, on her blog. And thank you to everyone who took the time to read it.  I hope you liked the picture. 

About the author: 

 Inspired by Walt Whitman and Carolyn Keefe, author D.G. Gass, from a young age, has always loved to write. It just took 40-years for her to believe in her work enough for it not to find the trash when she finished. Originally from Jeannette, PA, the Yankee transplant, currently resides in Columbia, SC with her husband and daughter, not to mention, three cats that own her.

A veteran of the US Air Force, whose day job is in healthcare IT, the author has a passion for veterans issues, which is the driving force behind her first book, “Ghosts of Arlington”. When she’s not writing, she can be found curled up with a good book, working on handcrafts, or staring blankly at walls in a catatonic state.

D.G. Gass released her first poetry compilation, “Twilight Ponderings, Midnight Musings” at the beginning of 2011. The compilation is a series of poetry and prose that was born out of loving someone with diagnosed chronic depression.

The author is currently working on several stories for submission to crime noir anthologies and is in the process of completing her second poetry compilation, "Dancing Along the Dreamscapes", to be released the summer of 2012.

Find me on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/DGGassAuthor

Website:  www.dggass.com

Books available on both Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com

 

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A New Release and Writing Community

Bri, thank you so much for hosting me on your blog.  I am so excited to start the blog tour of my second novel Raven’s Song on your site.  I really get a kick out of seeing you at different book events and following your posts on face book. You have so much energy and enthusiasm for the craft.  Sometimes I wonder where you find the energy to do all the things you do.  One of these days we will have to sit down to coffee and I will spend a few hours siphoning out your secrets. (Fab Lucinda, congrats. I'd love to sit down and shoot the breeze.)

WRITING AS A HOBBY AND WRITING PROFESSIONALLY

As my guest today I'd like to introduce Empi Baryeh. She's a long time reader but new author. She like so many of us ie authors shares her experience of going from a hobbyist to a professional writer. I have to say her bio and personality really pulled me into this piece and made me want to read her book. I'd say with that impression she's doing amazing in her new endeavors as a professional. See for yourself. 

WRITING AS A HOBBY  VS WRITING PROFESSIONALLY

Someone once asked me what things I’ve learned as an author that you didn't know when I started out with my writing. I thought that was an interesting question and a topic I’d definitely like to blog on. I’ll turn it around slightly and talk about the difference between writing for fun and writing as a career.

I started writing around the age of thirteen, so there was a lot of learning for me to do, and even as recently as four or five years ago when I started pursuing publication – and in fact before I actually signed a contract – writing was simply a hobby. If I didn’t feel like writing, it wasn’t a huge deal. There were stretches of time that I wasn’t putting too much effort into writing, when I easily allowed life to encroach on writing. I have to admit, though, it was nice to write for a small audience of friends…much safer. 

Irish historical meets paranormal romance

 I'm pleased to introduce Diva Jeffersons as the guest post for St Patrick's Day. Also known to all those close to me as my wedding anniversary. I'm thrilled that an Irish novel release is featured on my blog today of all days! I'm Irish. I'm a romantic. And it never fells that some kind of Celtic influences all my books. Oh did I mention I combine paranormal and historical. Obviously, ya'll know I'm loving Diva right now.

Why did you combine historical romance with a touch of paranormal?

At first, paranormal elements were not found in To Love An Irishman. The original outline excluded instances involving ‘little girl’ and a suddenly appearing ‘rose’. All good stories evolve as writers put their ideas to paper. Sometimes we write the unexpected. Our characters guide the book and in a sense tell us what they want to happen. The most unlikely plot could literally appear from thin air.

            Since my novel takes place mostly in Ireland, I figured there is a lot of intrigue and mystery on the island. After all, some things happen for a reason, despite their magical influences. With love, there is possibility, and sometimes the main character needs a little push into the right direction. I realized my hero and heroine needed more than fate to bring them together. They needed a tiny miracle to show them what is more important in their lives. Not every feeling is conveyed through words alone. So, this is where the ‘little girl’ makes her appearance. She shows the characters what they are failing to see.

            As for the bloomed ‘rose’ over two bud’s sudden appearance, it is also a well-placed sign. During the time I spent researching my theme, I found a good omen in the ‘rose’. In rose lore, a rose over two buds represents secrecy. I wanted to dedicate the rose’s appearance in my story to Kathleen E. Woodiwiss’s memory, and to the inspiration she gave me through her novel A Rose In Winter, so I incorporated it in the plot. After all, what is more secret than a silent message?

Although, I will not reveal who the ‘little girl’ really is or the significance of the ‘rose’, I will tell you that they appear in the story unexpected and at times of great need.

Diva Jefferson ~ Historical Romance Author

Website: www.divajefferson.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/divajefferson

Twitter: www.twitter.com/diva_jefferson

How to Gain Blog Traffic from Writing Communities

Please welcome Nicole Pyles my first guest blogger in the month long "Guest Post win a Kindle" event. Nicole describes herself as "
I am a writer social networker bookworm and blogger that loves spending her time with family books the bookstore and the beach." She shares some great info on blogging and some basic do's and don'ts. Find out more about Nicole here. Enjoy.

Photo Copyright by Nam Nguyen

Since June of 2011, I have been blogging about the writing process and everything that has inspired me to write along the way. I have blogged about things that I have learned and I also have reached out to several writing communities to help me out with some posts. But what I have noticed the most about those communities is that if you treat them right your blog can actually benefit and see some growth from those communities. But if you don't...you may find that you are all alone in a desert

Buttcrack of Dawn

Crap there are even t-shirts. Maybe there is a club too!

 Now some of you may not know what the buttcrack of dawn is. It's that time just before dawn when it's still really dark and then you are in full view of the sun. I know...I know it's a bad metaphor since a full butt is a moon. But I'm southern do we ever make sense.

Anyways, I digress why am I up at this dark hour?

I'm working.

My friend who quotes his poppa oh so much, Vincent Zandri, did a post recently about how Hemmingway, (that's poppa) would wake everyday at dawn and work. He'd make sure to always stop at a point in his MS so he would have a starting point the next day. But if you want to read more about Hemmingway and his advice click Vince's name.

I'm not up writing...well since I'm writing this post I guess I am. The point is I'm up before dawn because in the West the sun doesn't rise early enough for me to begin my day. And the reverse of that is in the summer it won't become dark until like 11:00 pm. Boy does my schedule get off in the summer.

The point is I'm an entrepreneur as an author and as a literary strategist. In the first five years of any start up you are going work your butt crack off if you are successful. Even then you might not succeed. It really depends on what your definition of success is. Initially I've had amazing success in both just in my first year. When I look back I'm going to be able to say that I gave it my all. Including making time for my family and friends. Because in that potential fail/win situation they were there before and they will be in the end.

Lepoard Print, The Trojan and Service

Yesterday my laptop, the cornerstone to my consulting firm where I am publicist to several clients got a Trojan. At the time I didn't know what had happened but essentially it was all so sudden I almost had a nervous breakdown. I was uploading an eBook for a client and then all hell broke loose. All my windows shut down and this alarm sounded then it was trying to prompt me to download something and a scan started on my computer I had not prompted. Then when I shut the laptop, because I had enough sense not to accept or download anything, the sound of a pig squealing sounded scaring the day lights out of me and a box popped up saying some one was hacking my computer enable this. When in reality as soon as I disconnected from the Internet their efforts were all but cut off. 

After several deep breaths I called my computer guy. You know that friend you have that knows about computers that you call when you feel like vomiting your stomachs in so many knots at 7PM on a holiday week. Yeah I got one of those. The main reason being he is my best friends husband. Before he has come to our aide. However, this is where he differs from others I have known. His charity is amazing. When we were really down and out he let me pay him in brownies...plain brownies. No embellishments like nuts or marshmallow but simply requests plain brownies. After leaving my laptop with him one night I now have my computer back, my husband downloaded even more intense protection, and when I ask how much I can pay him he doesn't respond. Because his wife forbid me from bringing brownies, they are trying to lose weight, I'm kind of stuck.

Which brings me to the leopard print in the title. While out with the visiting granny my daughters had a Claire's gift card to cash in, plus the granny that lives far away and was with us is always a gold mine. While at Claire's I found a leopard print phone cover for the wife of computer guy, aka bff. She's been wanting one, I bought the wrong size for her birthday....simple right? I bought it for her.

When arriving to pick up the fixed laptop I showed it to her and she literally squealed with delight. That in itself was a payment I never expected she's of the most refined lady's with genteel and polite behavior and she was on her best because she was meeting my granny for the first time. Which brings me full circle. I know her husband is thrilled she's thrilled I made her happy and to him that's payment enough. But I love her and would have done it anyway...computer fix or not. I also know he believes in the blessings of heaven coming to those who serve quietly. So I have purposely left out their names.

So how do I show my appreciation to the literal knight who saved me from the Trojan menace?