Bottom Line It For Me, Baby Version (200 Words or Less):
If you think writing the book, soliciting feedback, revising, designing cover art, formatting, publishing and getting the book listed for sale are the hard parts...you ain't seen nuthin' yet. Your adventures in authorship have only just begun, and your work is far from over. Somehow, we've all acquired the tribal misinformation that once the book is out there, readers will rejoice and the inevitable tidal wave of sales will commence. The reality for newly-published, unknown authors everywhere is quite different. It's a given that indie authors are on their own to promote their books and get their books into brick-and-mortar stores, but the same is now true for mainstream-published authors as well. Shockingly, publication with a major house is no longer any guarantee that your book will show up on the shelf of your local Borders. It's oddly comforting to know we indies aren't at such a huge disadvantage compared to the mainstream anymore, but that doesn't make the work of self-promotion any easier or more pleasant.
An Indie Author Guide to Promotion is coming to the rescue, but every minute I spend writing about promotion is a minute I'm not able to do any promotion, so please be patient.
(No Run Yo Mouth Version again, because I'm too busy with...wait for it...promoting my books!)
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Merch And Schwag!
Bottom Line It For Me, Baby Version (200 Words or Less):
A number of friends and acquaintances have commented that the IndieAuthor movement needs t-shirts, coffee mugs and other stuff with appropriate slogans on them. Since I'd very much like to have an IndieAuthor t-shirt and coffee mug of my own, to show off my indie status with pride and maybe spark some conversations on the topic, I bet lots of others out there feel the same way. Along the same lines, several readers have commented about a specific quote from my novel 'Adelaide Einstein' as particularly t-shirt and magnet-worthy: "I am healthy, and vanity is the enemy of the soul."
As I am ever the servant of my fellow authors (and hope to make a few bucks to keep this little IndieAuthor dog and pony show rolling along), I've set up a Cafepress shop where you can buy t-shirts, mugs, tote bags and magnets with IndieAuthor slogans and that quote from 'Adelaide Einstein'. To date, it seems the most popular slogan is, "Independence: It's Not Just For Musicians and Filmmakers Anymore," but there are many others as well. Take a look-see!
(Once again, there's no Run Yo Mouth version...I'm not feeling terribly verbose lately)
A number of friends and acquaintances have commented that the IndieAuthor movement needs t-shirts, coffee mugs and other stuff with appropriate slogans on them. Since I'd very much like to have an IndieAuthor t-shirt and coffee mug of my own, to show off my indie status with pride and maybe spark some conversations on the topic, I bet lots of others out there feel the same way. Along the same lines, several readers have commented about a specific quote from my novel 'Adelaide Einstein' as particularly t-shirt and magnet-worthy: "I am healthy, and vanity is the enemy of the soul."
As I am ever the servant of my fellow authors (and hope to make a few bucks to keep this little IndieAuthor dog and pony show rolling along), I've set up a Cafepress shop where you can buy t-shirts, mugs, tote bags and magnets with IndieAuthor slogans and that quote from 'Adelaide Einstein'. To date, it seems the most popular slogan is, "Independence: It's Not Just For Musicians and Filmmakers Anymore," but there are many others as well. Take a look-see!
(Once again, there's no Run Yo Mouth version...I'm not feeling terribly verbose lately)
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
More IndieAuthor Guides
Bottom Line It For Me, Baby Version (200 Words or Less)
I've been working on a series of IndieAuthor Guides for authors who would like to go independent but worry that they lack the necessary technical skills or knowledge. When all the Guides are finished I will combine them for publication as a book, but until then I'm offering them to my fellow writers for free via the IA Guides link on my author website. The following IndieAuthor Guides are available now:
- Publishing With the Amazon DTP & MS Word(TM) 2003 or Higher
- Publishing With CreateSpace(TM)& MS Word(TM) 2003 or Higher
- Designing Your Own Book Covers
- Editing
These are the Guides still to be written:
- IndieAuthor Guide to Why Going Indie Is Right For Most Authors
- IndieAuthor Guide to Creating Your Brand
- IndieAuthor Guide to Creating Your Web Presence
- IndieAuthor Guide to Getting Organized
- IndieAuthor Guide to Resources
So go to my site, bookmark it and check back for additional Guides every week or so. At the rate I'm cranking them out, I should be ready to turn them into a book by the end of April.
There is no 'run yo mouth' version of this post, because believe it or not, that's all I've got to say!
I've been working on a series of IndieAuthor Guides for authors who would like to go independent but worry that they lack the necessary technical skills or knowledge. When all the Guides are finished I will combine them for publication as a book, but until then I'm offering them to my fellow writers for free via the IA Guides link on my author website. The following IndieAuthor Guides are available now:
- Publishing With the Amazon DTP & MS Word(TM) 2003 or Higher
- Publishing With CreateSpace(TM)& MS Word(TM) 2003 or Higher
- Designing Your Own Book Covers
- Editing
These are the Guides still to be written:
- IndieAuthor Guide to Why Going Indie Is Right For Most Authors
- IndieAuthor Guide to Creating Your Brand
- IndieAuthor Guide to Creating Your Web Presence
- IndieAuthor Guide to Getting Organized
- IndieAuthor Guide to Resources
So go to my site, bookmark it and check back for additional Guides every week or so. At the rate I'm cranking them out, I should be ready to turn them into a book by the end of April.
There is no 'run yo mouth' version of this post, because believe it or not, that's all I've got to say!
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Terrific Resources For Indie Authors
Bottom Line It For Me Baby, Version (200 words or less) :
My ultimate goal with Indie Author is to build it up into a time-saving, one-stop resource for independents such as myself, with information for every step of the process. Eventually, ideally, whether you're trying to decide if going indie is the right choice for you, figure out how to use various technologies in self-publishing, find ways to promote yourself and your work, or just locate some kindred spirits in the movement, I want Indie Author to serve your needs. When I first began this blog, it was disheartening to find "indie author" wasn't already taken as either a gmail username or a blog name. It made me wonder if there were any other independents out there at all. As it turns out, there are others who are just as passionate about the movement as me. I've been very, very busy, but I'm taking a brief breather to post links to the most valuable sites and resources I've found for indie authors so far. It's good to know I will not have to author all of that much-needed content myself, but I'm also writing some articles of my own to fill in the gaps. Check the 'Links of Interest' at my author website for the new stuff.
Go On An' Run Yo Mouth, I Got Nuthin' But Time Version (can't promise it won't go on forever):
So much to do, so much to do. Based on my own needs and requests from others, here's my short list (in no particular order): inspect and (hopefully) approve my latest trade paperback proofs, get a promotional blitz going for them, order and distribute editorial review copies of the trade paperbacks, continue my promotional efforts on my Kindle editions, convert the manuscripts into all the most popular ebook formats and offer them for sale, write and offer more Indie Author how-to articles on how to do everything from establishing a web presence to creating your own cover art, and last but not least, get back to my two works-in-progress.
However, while researching ways to promote my work---notoriously challenging for any author, but particularly so for an independent---I've come across some sites of tremendous value. I've added these to my 'Links of Interest' at my author website, and provide a brief overview of them below. This is some excellent stuff, and whenever a given site or resource includes a link to email or send a comment to the creator, I strongly encourage each of you to let the authors of these sites know how much you appreciate their generosity in sharing their wealth of experience and information. Any indie movement is a grass-roots movement, so anything you, I or other indie authors can do to help one another ultimately benefits the movement as a whole.
Trying to decide whether or not 'indie' is the right choice for you? Read the pertinent articles on The Populist Publisher and Foner Books' Self-Publishing Blog. Want to know what's going on in the world of indie publishing? Check out Independent Publisher and The Independent Authors Guild.
Want to know how to publish your work for the Kindle, using Amazon's Digital Text Platform and MS Word 2003 or higher? Read my how-to article on that very topic.
It's written and published, but now you don't know how to promote your work online? Try posting something at Independent Authors, 1 Chapter Free, or Pages Unbound. For information and links to get your author 'web presence' going, try these tips from Marsha Jordan.
It's written and published, you've got your web presence and you've posted in every possible corner of the internet, but now you need some editorial reviews and old-school marketing help? To quickly locate a ton of news and editorial outlets that have expressed a willingness to review and/or share news about your type of work, sign up for a free account at BookConnector and you can do a search of such outlets all over the world. Need to solicit editorial reviews from newspapers and magazines? Search for the periodicals best suited to your request at Newspapers of the World. Not surprisingly, Marsha Jordan offers some great ideas in her Tools You Can Use article and her Book Promoting Tips article. Also check out the articles by Carolyn Howard Johnson, The Frugal Book Promoter.
And there you have it, my indie brothers- and sisters-at-arms. Anytime I find a new resource or article I think could be of some use to you, I'll post it here at Indie Author. In the meantime, I hope today's stuff is enough to keep you busy for at least a couple of weeks while I try to check a few more things off of my own to-do list.
My ultimate goal with Indie Author is to build it up into a time-saving, one-stop resource for independents such as myself, with information for every step of the process. Eventually, ideally, whether you're trying to decide if going indie is the right choice for you, figure out how to use various technologies in self-publishing, find ways to promote yourself and your work, or just locate some kindred spirits in the movement, I want Indie Author to serve your needs. When I first began this blog, it was disheartening to find "indie author" wasn't already taken as either a gmail username or a blog name. It made me wonder if there were any other independents out there at all. As it turns out, there are others who are just as passionate about the movement as me. I've been very, very busy, but I'm taking a brief breather to post links to the most valuable sites and resources I've found for indie authors so far. It's good to know I will not have to author all of that much-needed content myself, but I'm also writing some articles of my own to fill in the gaps. Check the 'Links of Interest' at my author website for the new stuff.
Go On An' Run Yo Mouth, I Got Nuthin' But Time Version (can't promise it won't go on forever):
So much to do, so much to do. Based on my own needs and requests from others, here's my short list (in no particular order): inspect and (hopefully) approve my latest trade paperback proofs, get a promotional blitz going for them, order and distribute editorial review copies of the trade paperbacks, continue my promotional efforts on my Kindle editions, convert the manuscripts into all the most popular ebook formats and offer them for sale, write and offer more Indie Author how-to articles on how to do everything from establishing a web presence to creating your own cover art, and last but not least, get back to my two works-in-progress.
However, while researching ways to promote my work---notoriously challenging for any author, but particularly so for an independent---I've come across some sites of tremendous value. I've added these to my 'Links of Interest' at my author website, and provide a brief overview of them below. This is some excellent stuff, and whenever a given site or resource includes a link to email or send a comment to the creator, I strongly encourage each of you to let the authors of these sites know how much you appreciate their generosity in sharing their wealth of experience and information. Any indie movement is a grass-roots movement, so anything you, I or other indie authors can do to help one another ultimately benefits the movement as a whole.
Trying to decide whether or not 'indie' is the right choice for you? Read the pertinent articles on The Populist Publisher and Foner Books' Self-Publishing Blog. Want to know what's going on in the world of indie publishing? Check out Independent Publisher and The Independent Authors Guild.
Want to know how to publish your work for the Kindle, using Amazon's Digital Text Platform and MS Word 2003 or higher? Read my how-to article on that very topic.
It's written and published, but now you don't know how to promote your work online? Try posting something at Independent Authors, 1 Chapter Free, or Pages Unbound. For information and links to get your author 'web presence' going, try these tips from Marsha Jordan.
It's written and published, you've got your web presence and you've posted in every possible corner of the internet, but now you need some editorial reviews and old-school marketing help? To quickly locate a ton of news and editorial outlets that have expressed a willingness to review and/or share news about your type of work, sign up for a free account at BookConnector and you can do a search of such outlets all over the world. Need to solicit editorial reviews from newspapers and magazines? Search for the periodicals best suited to your request at Newspapers of the World. Not surprisingly, Marsha Jordan offers some great ideas in her Tools You Can Use article and her Book Promoting Tips article. Also check out the articles by Carolyn Howard Johnson, The Frugal Book Promoter.
And there you have it, my indie brothers- and sisters-at-arms. Anytime I find a new resource or article I think could be of some use to you, I'll post it here at Indie Author. In the meantime, I hope today's stuff is enough to keep you busy for at least a couple of weeks while I try to check a few more things off of my own to-do list.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Chapter Two: The Troubles Begin
Bottom Line It For Me, Baby Version (200 Words Or Less):
Promotion is a bi*ch, and so's her sister, Marketing.
Go On An' Run Yo Mouth, I Got Nuthin' But Time Version (can't promise it won't go on forever):
I've got two Kindle-edition novels up for sale in the Kindle store at Amazon, and the trade paperback editions of those novels will go on sale in the 'regular' Amazon bookstore shortly. When they do, I can get some free review copies out to local newspapers and magazines to try and drum up some coverage. In the meantime, I'm having a great deal of difficulty finding legitimate, socially acceptable ways to promote my work.
I originally generated some interest in the Kindle editions by posting to some Kindle discussion groups on Amazon and elsewhere, but you can only do that once without risking the label of 'spammer' and the ire of the group. When a new book comes out the publisher generally tries to get some quality editorial reviews, i.e., in Publishers Weekly or the Times Book Review, but those types of publications are too busy pointedly ignoring self-published authors to give us the time of day.
So I thought, "Hey, enthusiastic readers enjoy discovering new voices, just like film and music fans. I should approach one of these enthusiastic reader groups to see if any of them might be interested in forming an editorial review body specifically for independent books!" What a lovely, simple idea it seemed at the time. Now that the smoke has cleared, the bodies have been removed from the field of battle and we're free to sift through the rubble, let's see if we can piece together what happened.
I located an ebook reader group that described itself as interested in new technology and the lively discussion of books both old and new. I politely asked this group if any of their members might be willing to form an editorial review circle for books from self-published authors, whereby they would get free review copies of the books and have their reviews posted in the Editorial Review box on Amazon book pages. I'm still not sure precisely what part of this idea inspired such irritation in them: the free books, the prestige of becoming a recognized editorial reviewing body, the opportunity to be a driving and influential force behind the indie author movement, or the idea of all the free promotion their group would get as a result.
Whatever it was, what I thought had been a nice, friendly and productive discussion between me and a few other, interested group members was soon characterized as some kind of attempt to take over and subvert the group---though why anyone thought I could have possibly accomplished such a coup with my one thread out of over 30, I can't say. Then I noticed a thread in which one of the objectors posted about celebrating the sense of friendship and community in the group, and just about got whiplash. That's when I decided that maybe my definition of friendship and community is quite different than the standard for this group, and perhaps it would be best for all involved if I left them.
One member emailed to tell me she'd also decided to quit the group as a result of what was said to and about me there, and another posted to say he wished I'd return because he was also interested in my idea. But I'm afraid I've soured on the whole thing; I'm fiercely protective of my positive attitude, which has been absent all day on account of this fracas, and I'd prefer not to delay its return any further. I'm gonna need all the willfull-idealism-in-the-face-of-hopeless-odds I can muster in the coming weeks, as I begin soliciting for editorial reviews on my trade paperback editions. Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens...
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Toward An Indie Author Movement
Bottom Line It For Me, Baby Version (200 Words Or Less):
Big publishers are run like movie studios, only interested in prestige titles, potential blockbusters and genre fare that earns predictably. When quality, affordable DIY tools became available, aspiring musicians and filmmakers jumped at the chance to go indie. Why haven’t aspiring authors likewise turned to ebook and POD technologies? Conventional publishing industry wisdom states ebooks and POD are merely new forms of vanity publishing for inferior manuscripts, but do readers share that opinion? I intend to find out. I'm releasing two of my novels exclusively for POD and Amazon’s Kindle ebook reader using only Amazon technologies, though not in a bid to attract publisher attention, as many others have done before me. I intend to bypass publishers and brick-and-mortar stores entirely, and remain independent. The experiment is thus far succeeding, as my Kindle-edition novels Snow Ball and Adelaide Einstein are selling well and garnering good reviews. Both will be released as Amazon POD trade paperbacks in March. If sales and acceptance continue, mine will be the first totally indie author success story.
Go On An' Run Yo Mouth, I Got Nuthin' But Time Version (can't promise it won't go on forever):
I'm an agented novelist who's been struggling against the 'gatekeeper' system employed by the publishing establishment to locate new talent. Books are a matter of taste. I don't enjoy every bestseller out there, and neither do you. Yet if my agent, the publishing house editor, or the publishing house marketing department rep simply isn't "passionate" enough about a given manuscript, any one of them can put the kibosh on its further progress for the time being.
Big publishers are run like movie studios, only interested in prestige titles, potential blockbusters and genre fare that earns predictably. When quality, affordable DIY tools became available, aspiring musicians and filmmakers jumped at the chance to go indie. Why haven’t aspiring authors likewise turned to ebook and Print On Demand technologies?
Conventional publishing industry wisdom states ebooks and POD are merely new forms of vanity publishing for inferior manuscripts, and that brick-and-mortar bookstore presence (which is denied to virtually all POD books) is a prerequisite to a successful career in authorship. These suppositions are widely accepted as gospel among aspiring writers, largely due to a bizarre sort of Stockholm Syndrome fostered by the publishing industry: aspiring writers have come to not only accept the industry establishment's absolute control over their future careers, they've come to believe there's inherent value in that control and will even defend it.
Not long ago I would've been right there with them, because until recently the publishing establishment had a complete monopoly on publishing. There was simply no way to get your book to market other than via established publishers with established supply chains. Along came vanity presses, but they were quickly discredited and dismissed, and far too expensive for a typical aspiring writer to afford besides. Now, at last, ebook, POD, and online viral marketing technologies have leveled the playing field such that anyone with a modest budget, some basic computer skills, a little time and a lot of passion can duplicate or approximate almost every service offered by a big publishing house. I say almost because the establishment still has a stranglehold on that one, last piece: supply chain and distribution to brick-and-mortar bookstores.
However, with Amazon the #2 bookseller in North America and perhaps the largest international bookseller, I believe we've reached a tipping point. Brick-and-mortar bookstores may have become marginalized to an extent where bookstore presence is no longer a required piece of the writing success puzzle. If I'm right about that, then the publishing establishment truly has nothing to offer me.
They reserve their promotion and marketing budgets for their prestige clients, bestselling author clients, and celebrity clients. Unless you come with a built-in 'angle', you're on your own to publicize your work whether you self-pub or not. They can't compete on the money front; author royalties on self-pub titles tend to run about three times the standard percentages offered by major publishers. And as for the 'prestige' factor, it's irrelevant to readers. No reader gets pulled in by jacket copy or a free excerpt, then rejects the book after a glance at the publisher details, exlaiming in horror, "Why, this book was published by Joe Bob's Falafel Hut, Bait Shop and Press, not a legitimate publisher at all!"
So, I'm putting my authorial money where my mouth is in an attempt to blaze a trail for truly indie authors. I've released two of my novels exclusively for POD and Amazon’s Kindle ebook reader using only Amazon technologies, though not in a bid to attract publisher attention, as many others have done before me. I am bypassing publishers and brick-and-mortar stores entirely, attempting to reach the same level of sales and success as a typical mid-list author through online sales of ebook and POD editions only.
I've rambled on quite long enough for one post, but stay tuned to this bat-station for future posts with details on what I'm doing, how I'm doing it, and how it's going. For now, you can check out my Kindle-edition novels: Adelaide Einstein and Snow Ball. Support the indie author movement!
Big publishers are run like movie studios, only interested in prestige titles, potential blockbusters and genre fare that earns predictably. When quality, affordable DIY tools became available, aspiring musicians and filmmakers jumped at the chance to go indie. Why haven’t aspiring authors likewise turned to ebook and POD technologies? Conventional publishing industry wisdom states ebooks and POD are merely new forms of vanity publishing for inferior manuscripts, but do readers share that opinion? I intend to find out. I'm releasing two of my novels exclusively for POD and Amazon’s Kindle ebook reader using only Amazon technologies, though not in a bid to attract publisher attention, as many others have done before me. I intend to bypass publishers and brick-and-mortar stores entirely, and remain independent. The experiment is thus far succeeding, as my Kindle-edition novels Snow Ball and Adelaide Einstein are selling well and garnering good reviews. Both will be released as Amazon POD trade paperbacks in March. If sales and acceptance continue, mine will be the first totally indie author success story.
Go On An' Run Yo Mouth, I Got Nuthin' But Time Version (can't promise it won't go on forever):
I'm an agented novelist who's been struggling against the 'gatekeeper' system employed by the publishing establishment to locate new talent. Books are a matter of taste. I don't enjoy every bestseller out there, and neither do you. Yet if my agent, the publishing house editor, or the publishing house marketing department rep simply isn't "passionate" enough about a given manuscript, any one of them can put the kibosh on its further progress for the time being.
Big publishers are run like movie studios, only interested in prestige titles, potential blockbusters and genre fare that earns predictably. When quality, affordable DIY tools became available, aspiring musicians and filmmakers jumped at the chance to go indie. Why haven’t aspiring authors likewise turned to ebook and Print On Demand technologies?
Conventional publishing industry wisdom states ebooks and POD are merely new forms of vanity publishing for inferior manuscripts, and that brick-and-mortar bookstore presence (which is denied to virtually all POD books) is a prerequisite to a successful career in authorship. These suppositions are widely accepted as gospel among aspiring writers, largely due to a bizarre sort of Stockholm Syndrome fostered by the publishing industry: aspiring writers have come to not only accept the industry establishment's absolute control over their future careers, they've come to believe there's inherent value in that control and will even defend it.
Not long ago I would've been right there with them, because until recently the publishing establishment had a complete monopoly on publishing. There was simply no way to get your book to market other than via established publishers with established supply chains. Along came vanity presses, but they were quickly discredited and dismissed, and far too expensive for a typical aspiring writer to afford besides. Now, at last, ebook, POD, and online viral marketing technologies have leveled the playing field such that anyone with a modest budget, some basic computer skills, a little time and a lot of passion can duplicate or approximate almost every service offered by a big publishing house. I say almost because the establishment still has a stranglehold on that one, last piece: supply chain and distribution to brick-and-mortar bookstores.
However, with Amazon the #2 bookseller in North America and perhaps the largest international bookseller, I believe we've reached a tipping point. Brick-and-mortar bookstores may have become marginalized to an extent where bookstore presence is no longer a required piece of the writing success puzzle. If I'm right about that, then the publishing establishment truly has nothing to offer me.
They reserve their promotion and marketing budgets for their prestige clients, bestselling author clients, and celebrity clients. Unless you come with a built-in 'angle', you're on your own to publicize your work whether you self-pub or not. They can't compete on the money front; author royalties on self-pub titles tend to run about three times the standard percentages offered by major publishers. And as for the 'prestige' factor, it's irrelevant to readers. No reader gets pulled in by jacket copy or a free excerpt, then rejects the book after a glance at the publisher details, exlaiming in horror, "Why, this book was published by Joe Bob's Falafel Hut, Bait Shop and Press, not a legitimate publisher at all!"
So, I'm putting my authorial money where my mouth is in an attempt to blaze a trail for truly indie authors. I've released two of my novels exclusively for POD and Amazon’s Kindle ebook reader using only Amazon technologies, though not in a bid to attract publisher attention, as many others have done before me. I am bypassing publishers and brick-and-mortar stores entirely, attempting to reach the same level of sales and success as a typical mid-list author through online sales of ebook and POD editions only.
I've rambled on quite long enough for one post, but stay tuned to this bat-station for future posts with details on what I'm doing, how I'm doing it, and how it's going. For now, you can check out my Kindle-edition novels: Adelaide Einstein and Snow Ball. Support the indie author movement!
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