I've been considering self publication, specifically an e-book only self-publication route. I'd always said that I had zero interest in self publication, but I feel differently now.
There are few reasons:
- Self-publication doesn't see to have the same stigma that it once did. I've been really enjoying self-published authors recently.
- I like the idea of "owning my destiny"
- The thought of sending my query into the black hole of agent desks sounds scary.
- I can afford to spend the up-front costs on editing/marketing/book-covers
Goals Before I get Started:
- 3 fully polished books in my "back list".
- I currently have one fully polished and another that's 14k words into its rough draft.
- I plan on releasing them 6-8 weeks apart.
- One will be the first in a series
- The other two will be books 1 and 2 in a different series (with the first being free)
- Create a full marketing plan. I want my books to be launched...not released...and not escaped. The plan will have all of my marketing goals, but a subset includes
- Giveaways
- Facebook page
- Press Release for my hometown (Fishers, IN) and local (Chicago)
- Blog Tour
- Email List
- Blog pages for each book
- More...part of making the plan is deciding the "more"
- Get books professionally edits
- Get professional cover art
Currently the only item on the goals list that I am working on is getting three fully polished books. I plan to finish that before I start the other goals.
I think I need to be able to write a couple books a year if I want to be a successful published author. I know that the more books you have, the more of all of them you can sell.
The first book took me five years, admittedly on and off. This second book has taken me four months to get to this point, and has at least six months left. The third book I hope to fully write in six months. The third book would be book two in one of my series. The other two were the first books in two different series, so have a bit of "start up costs" around world building etc.
Anyone out there in blog-land have any thoughts about traditional vs self publication?
How many books per year should I aim to release if I am published?
Links of interest:
Posts
2 tidbits:
Congrats on taking the plunge, or being close. I'm looking to get into indie pubbing too, before the end of the year.
Some great links:
Dean's Think Like a Publisher posts -- http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/?page_id=3736
Dean's Killing the Sacred Cows of Publishing posts -- http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/?page_id=860
Kris's The Business Rusch posts (ongoing -- muchly worth RSSing her blog to read each week) -- http://kriswrites.com/business-rusch-publishing-articles/
Kris's Freelancer's Survival Guide -- http://kriswrites.com/freelancers-survival-guide-table-of-contents/
Passive Guy's blog -- http://www.thepassivevoice.com/ PG is a contracts lawyer who got interested in publishing when his wife started publishing her books. I particularly recommend his Contracts posts, but anywhere he comments on the legal end of writing and publishing is worth a read.
Dean and Kris also teach classes on things like covers, blurbs, formatting, etc. I've taken several, and they're awesome. :)
Angie
@Angie - Wow! You rock! Thanks so much for sharing those links. I'm going to go check them out. Super helpful/awesome :)
Post a Comment