Advice About Going Indie

Did you know I'm still alive? Ha! I know, I know. I haven't posted on this blog in ages. With Devotion's release and managing my other blog (www.KristieCook.com), I just haven't had the time. But this is my blog about writing and sometimes I have something to say about writing or to writers specifically, so I don't want to close it down. Today is one of those days.

I'm often asked what advice I'd give to writers who are considering self-publishing. There's a TON of advice I could give. But here's the most important things I can tell you before you dive in:

First, do your homework and be sure you understand all that it takes—formatting and uploading is the easy part. It’s all the marketing and promotions to get your book noticed that authors don’t expect or want to do. It takes a lot of work, but it’s so worth it.

Then, commit to this as your career path. I don’t mean you can’t keep trying to go the traditional route, but throwing up one book that didn’t get an agent just to get it out there is not going to make you happy. The more committed you are, the more success you’re going to see. This means commitment to marketing and promotions and also commitment to your readers by bringing them more of your work – more books for them to enjoy.

Hire an editor and, almost as importantly, hire a professional cover designer. Many people will suggest saving yourself the money and creating your own cover in PowerPoint. Trust me – covers make a HUGE difference. I have graphic design experience and used fancy software and everything to create my original covers. They weren’t bad and even won some Best Cover competitions. But after I hired someone much more experienced and talented than me to redesign them, I now have covers that rival any of those produced by the Big 6 publishers. They’re gorgeous! And they’ve made a HUGE difference in attracting the right audience and boosting sales.

You’ve made the investment of your blood, sweat, tears and hours upon hours of time to write your book. It deserves the monetary investment to hire an editor and cover designer to really make it shine. Especially when there are virtually no other costs to self-publish.

So that's my initial advice. I actually have some other topics I want to write about soon, too, so maybe we'll see a little revival here. Hopefully, I'll have time.

Are you indie? What advice would you give to writers considering this path? Are you a writer considering self-publishing? What questions do you have? 

Hey, there! (Yeah, I'm still here...)

Holy schmoly, has it really been two months since I've posted here?! What a slacker I am! LOL Yeah, right. I assume most of you follow me on my main author's blog (www.KristieCook.com) so you know what I've been up to - blog tours, Genesis release, holidays, pulling Devotion together for its upcoming release... Yeah, not much slacking going on here.

I really haven't had much to say in regards to writing, but I thought it was time to at least drop in and say "Hi!" and let you know that I'm still here.

I'm in the midst of editing Devotion, so not many new words being written, and I get tired of complaining talking about revising and editing. So I just kind of kept quiet here. I'm slowly making my way through a book on dialogue that I'm determined to finish, though I'm not sure why. I guess I'm hoping there's still something I might learn from it. I'll let you know soon what the book is and my thoughts.

The big talk in the self-publishing circles seems to be about production, production, production. Everyone who's making decent sales is pushing out book after book after book. I can't say that I completely agree. Yes, the more books you have, the more you'll sell overall. Each book plays a role in sales of the others. You can't just put one book out there and expect to become a bestseller. However, my experience proves that you don't have to put out a book every two months, either.

I have three books out, one of which just came out a month ago and had little to do with my sales numbers. And my sales numbers are fantastic. If you didn't see, Promise made it into the Top 100 of all Kindle paid. It's a national bestseller. That was before I even had three books, when my most recent release had been nine months prior. So, no, you don't have to push out a book every 2-3 months to find success in this industry.

Now, if you want to produce that many books that quickly and it doesn't cause you to lose all of your hair, scream at your loved ones until your voice runs out or result in your home being a disaster area that makes the houses on Hoarders look clean...well, then, that's your choice. I'm just saying you don't have to. Just make sure that you're producing the absolute best books you can that have been edited and polished to a shine. The goal should be to be proud of your work, not just throw something out there because you think you're in some big numbers game.

Ruth Ann Nordin wrote about how to write 4+ books a year and she has some great ideas. I know I can't do it like her - I need more than one draft. Like 4 or 5 or 6...or 10 is more like it for me. And that's before the final proofread! But as she says, just as we all plot and plan (or not) differently, we all write on different schedules, too. So it is possible. Not for me, but possible.

What I liked most about the post: her emphasis on the subjectivity of quality. Because she's absolutely right when she says quality is in the eye of your readers. If enough people think you're producing high quality work to keep buying and telling their friends about it, then you're producing quality.

Just keep in mind the "enough people" part. Because you may get a few thousand or even ten or twenty thousand people who think your quality is good, but that's not enough. Not enough to make you a bestseller. Not enough to make you a full-time writer earning a decent living. Even if you do produce 6-8 books a year. Because people's attention wanes. We're easily distracted. What we thought was good for the first 3 or 4 or 5 books might not impress us anymore in book 6 or 7. We might have moved on to something new - another series, another author. And there aren't enough new readers who accept that same quality to make up for the ones who've moved on.

Again, produce something you're proud of. Nothing less than your best. When you're proud of your work, everything else just goes better, from promotions to your response to reviews to, yes, sales. And trust me, readers notice when your quality doesn't reach your potential.

That's my two cents. What's yours? What are your thoughts on producing 6-8 books a year? And I mean actually writing and producing, not pulling out past pieces that are already finished and just need edited. Is that something you can do? Is it something you'd want to strive for?

A Couple Thoughts on Writing and Publishing

I know it's been a while since I've posted here. You might have seen on my main blog that July was a heck of a month. I'm starting to catch up...but I don't think I can ever be fully caught up. I'm sure you know how that is...

I just have a couple thoughts to share today. First, Karen at Coming Down the Mountain posted what I've decided to call The Writer's Ten Commandments. They may not be your ten top commandments, but they certainly are things I need to keep in mind. I've printed and posted a copy to keep in front of me as a reminder.

Secondly, Diane Wolfe at Spunk on a Stick's Tips wrote about John Locke's How I Sold 1 Million Ebooks in 5 Months. She made two great points, one that I wrote about, too, and one that I forgot to include in my own review of the book. And it's a very important point:

The business world is comprised of people who take a huge risk and invest in themselves - in their products  they've invented, in the services they can provide like no other, in their new businesses. This includes everyone from Sam Walton to the indie bookstore owner and everyone - and every business - in between. These people are commended for their passion and belief in themselves, regardless of how big or small their venture grows. As they well should be.

But, as Locke points out, it doesn't work this way in the publishing industry. In fact, it's just the opposite. At least until very recently, writers who believed in themselves and in their work, who were passionate about their books and their abilities were looked down on for taking a risk and investing in themselves. To paraphrase Locke, if the creator doesn't hold enough passion for their own work and doesn't believe in it enough to invest in themselves, why should anyone else?

I like how Diane said it, so go check out her post. But first, here's something else that recently occurred to me. Something for writers to think about:

For commercial/traditional/legendary/whatever-you-want-to-call-them publishers, there is always another author. In fact, there are thousands up on thousands of authors to move onto. Yes, they want to see a return on their investment in an author they take on. But if they don't see that desired return, there are others who can take that author's place in their catalog.

It ain't so when you're indie. *wink*

What Is Success?

My last two posts about going indie, when you want success and when you don't care, has me thinking about what "success" exactly means. Because in those posts, we discussed whether you want a particular book to be successful and whether you want yourself to be successful as a writer. But what does that mean?

Of course, everyone has their own definition of success. Those definitions often evolve over time as we change and grow and embark on new paths in our lives. Even if we look just at our writing. Because we might start out as writing only for ourselves and success means finishing a complete novel. When we think of sharing it with others, success might mean that they actually enjoy it. Then the goals keep moving - get an agent, get published, sell another book, land on the bestsellers list...

Some of us never worry about anything beyond hoping others like our writing. We're happy with writing for ourselves, family and friends. We feel successful because we've made them happy.

For others, though, the dream is bestseller-dom and seeing our books at the front of the bookstore, on big display. Of selling movie rights. Perhaps of amusement parks built around our book's world. We want to make it BIG.

Going indie probably won't get you to that kind of success unless you get picked up by an awesome agent and big publisher. So what do I mean when I talk about being successful as an indie author?

Well, I guess I give it my definition. See, I'm a major income earner in my family - well, to be honest, since December, I've been the only income earner. My idea of success, for now anyway, is to be in a position to write full time. I love to write just as much as those who do it only for fun. Because it is fun. And I have to write or I would lose my mind. I have tons of ideas and stories to tell and no time to tell them because I have to pay the bills. So, yeah, it would be nice to be able to write for a real living. And it would be a lot less stressful and exhausting.

So that is my definition of success when it comes to indie publishing and book sales: To sell enough books to comfortably support me and my family so I can continue writing. And that is very achievable as an indie author. In fact, my sales are pretty much there and it's just a matter of time - a very short time - where I can feel that I've achieved that level of success. So it can be done.

What is your definition of success? What are you willing to do to achieve it?

When You Don't Care - More Indie Thoughts

When I wrote about when not to go indie the other day, I mentioned a key phrase that I really didn't get a chance to explore. And I think it's really important to elaborate on it.

"I don't care if I'm successful."

I talked about why I think it's a bad idea to self-publish a book just because it's there and you have nothing else to do with it. You really want to be traditionally published but you have this one title that you've given up on. That's a case of "I don't care if this book is successful but I do care that my writing career is successful. In fact, I want to be really successful with it." That's when going indie can be tricky, if not done right.

But there are lots of us who just want to write, want to make our stories easily available to friends and family and if someone else picks it up, great. This is a whole different situation. This is, "I really don't care if I get a big publisher or make a bestseller's list. Writing is my hobby, something I love doing and I don't ever want it to become work."

And in that case, YES! Do it! Why not??? If you go in knowing that you'll get out of it whatever you put in and without expectations of making it "big," then self-publishing is a perfect solution for you. Just one little caveat...

Be sure that you really don't care, that you're really doing this for fun. Because if you change your mind later and decide that you really do want to have a successful writing career, you might have some major clean-up to do after yourself. After all, you'll have a book or several out there that never sold well. You'll have to decide what to do with them, which might mean pulling them to never see the light of day again.

Because here's the deal - publishers might want to publish something you've already done indie, especially if it's sold well. They'll likely have you do edits to improve it and then do a re-release. Most likely, however, they won't. They want exclusive first rights and since you've already published it, it's no longer first rights or exclusive. So the benefit your indie title(s) will give you is showing that you know how to market and can build a fan base, which will help with your next books. If you haven't done that, however, your indie titles can play against you. If you have poor sales and/or reviews, they're a black mark.

So, if you change your mind and have a book you really want to try to get published, you may want to pull your indies. OR...if they're good, you can market the heck out of them and focus on building that fan base before you start querying the new title. Then you have some good stuff to put in that letter. Which brings me to another little caveat...

Even if you're only doing this for fun, still put out the absolute, very best that you can possibly offer. If you don't want to invest in an editor, at least have several betas/critique partners help you. Then have someone else do a line-by-line edit and proofread. Don't put out crap. It's bad for all of us. And, if you do change your mind later, you have many more options available as far as what to do with your self-pubbed titles. You'll be in a better position to pump up your marketing and sell them. So it's in your best interest to put out only your very best, polished work.

(Of course, that last bit applies to all of us...)

Any other cases of "I don't care..."? Any questions? I'd be happy to discuss.

When NOT to Go Indie - Thoughts Part II

As I said before, self-publishing will soon become the norm and agents and publishers will find their next authors from the Amazon and Nook bestsellers lists. It'll take a few years, but unless some industry game-changer comes along (which could very well happen!), it will get there. It's already starting. The number of indies getting approached by agents and publishers is growing. And I can't count how many writers I've seen announce the decision to go indie just in the last month or two.

For now, though, it's not for everyone. It is a lot of work. We are still finding our way, learning the ropes, creating and re-creating the best paths to take to success. To go this route, you must have a sense of adventure because the map is still being developed. For each one of us who achieves success, a different road has been taken. Some are close and parallel but no highway yet exists.

But (some may say) maybe I don't care if I'm successful. I just want to get my book out there and see what happens. It's written, it's good and since the publishers (or agents) didn't want it, I don't want it just sitting in the drawer or on my hard drive. I may as well give it a chance.

I can totally understand this perspective. And I'm all behind you if this is you. But the key phrase in this situation is, "I don't care if I'm successful." See, this is where my big "However" comes in.

At one point, not only did I agree with that philosophy, I was completely behind it. Self-pubbing is so easy and relatively cheap. What do you have to lose by putting something out there instead of letting it sit on your hard drive? By watching others with this mentality go for it, though, I've changed my opinion on this. You have a lot to lose.

There are many writers who have queried the hell out of their books, never to get an agent. Or perhaps they did get an agent but the book didn't sell to a publisher. They've given up on that particular book, but not on the thought of traditional publishing. Rather than leave that book to collect dust, they decide to throw it out there as self-published, while they continue to pursue traditional publishing for their next piece.

But here's what happens...

I've seen more than one author fall into a pit of depression, thinking they've failed and only went this way as a last resort. If they feel so negative about their decision and about their book, how on earth are they going to promote with passion? You need passion to market! You have to believe in your book and in yourself to get others to do the same.

I've seen other authors throw their book out there and then basically forget about it as they continue querying and submitting their next book for traditional publishing. There's nothing wrong with still pursuing that dream, however, when do these authors have the time to promote their self-pubbed baby? They don't! But it's not just time.

More importantly, it's focus. It's the mentality of, "Okay, it's out there. Now I really need to focus on getting an agent for this next one." Our minds (and time) are already split in so many ways - writing, revising, blogging and social networking, learning, improving and, oh yeah, those people called family, those dirty things called dishes and clothes, etc. It's inefficient and ineffective to split it even more to try to market your self-pubbed title AND query.

Then there's the whole bit that the more titles you self-publish, the faster and bigger your success. That is a proven point on the map. So if you only have one out and you're not even considering putting the next one out because you're querying it, you're losing your big chance. A single title by an unknown author just doesn't get noticed.

It all comes down to the fact that you can't be successful with self-publishing if you're not 100% into it. And if you're not successful, not only are you losing opportunity for sales, but you're also really messing with your career. Because the whole idea is to attract readers and build a following so you can become a full-time author. You gain attention to your books and your writing...and, very possibly, land a deal with a Big 6 publisher. Or, at least, get offered a deal. Then the decision is in your court whether you still want that deal or not. If you flop at self-publishing, you just might gain that black mark against you and the chances for that deal are virtually eliminated.

So that's my big "however": If you're going to choose this path, choose this path. Make it a real decision, not a throw-it-out-there-and-see-what-happens, half-ass gesture. Approach it as a business or career - this is how you'll publish your books, all of them, at least until a traditional publisher picks you up (after picking you out).

Either go all in or don't take the risk. Not now, anyway.

Thoughts About Going Indie - Part I

More authors have asked me about going indie in the last two months than in all previous months combined. Does it have to do with Amanda Hocking's success? Or perhaps John Locke's?

Actually, I think it's because writers are finally realizing that they have a choice. And regardless of what you're doing, it's always smart to at least check out all your options. Educate yourself on everything available and make an informed decision that best works for you. So I'll share what I can, starting with my "predictions" and one of the reasons I chose this path to publication.

My personal opinion and forecast (which I had over a year ago when I first decided to go this way) is that in today’s industry and economy, there is too much luck involved in going the traditional route. Not just for authors, but for publishers, too. After all, it's really hard to predict what readers will love in 18 months or more down the road, especially when most of the Big 6 publishers don't even do focused studies of their markets.

The Big 6 publishers will soon be looking for their next deals by looking at the self-pubbed best-sellers. In other words, Amanda Hocking has set a precedence that I think will eventually become the norm, rather than the exception. Last year, I was saying within the next 5-7 years. Now I’m saying in the next 3-5 years. It makes too much sense for publishers to let the author build their own fan base before making an investment in them.

Agents won’t go away, though. In fact, really, they’ll be the ones out looking for the best-selling self-pubbed authors who they like and want to take to the publishers. Rather than writers having to do all the work of identifying potential agents, querying, jumping through hoops, etc., it will be the other way around. Agents will seek out authors they want to represent, which is a win-win for everyone. Authors will need them – an author who goes into a deal, especially a huge auction like Amanda did, without an agent or attorney needs a sanity check. We still need someone who knows what they’re doing to protect us.

My own opinion is that writers shouldn’t wait for this to be required of them. They can be proactive about it, which is why I did it. I started building my fan base in 2010 and now it’s grown exponentially. If I’d kept on querying, relying on luck more than anything, for the next few years, only to learn then that publishers prefer to find their next deals through Amazon and Nook best-seller lists, I’d lost all that time. All those fans. All of that opportunity. I’d be starting at zero in 2012 or 2013, instead of already having sold tens of thousands books.

That’s one way to look at going the self-pubbed route. Rather than it being a mark on your career or reputation, as it once was, it’s a jumpstart on where the industry will likely go anyway.

Next time, I'll talk about the "However" to this last statement.


Have a question about going indie? Please, do ask!