Tag Archives | self publishing

Open mike at Laura’s! Stop on by.

By on July 25, 2011 in Writing

Sigh. I love my followers. They are so gracious and full of wisdom.

That was my last comment on Friday’s post. We’ve been talking about Nathan Bransford’s attempt at self promoting, which did end up with sales. He reminded his readers and some of them responded very positively. #goNathan

You’ve been listening to me ramble on about agents, promotion, and the publishing industry. You’ve offered up your wisdom and opinions in the comments. I love that we all approach publishing from a different angle with different experiences. I love that we will all choose our own path.  #stillfiguringoutmypath

So, it’s your turn. What have you been thinking about? Have you read an awesome book this summer? What are your concerns with where you are at in the publishing journey? What are you doing this summer to grow as a writer? Tell me one thing you learned this last month concerning your writing? #plentyofquestions #answerone #noexcuses  #humorisallowed

Thanks everyone!

Comments { 26 }

What exactly is self promotion in today’s world publishing? (part 2)

By on July 22, 2011 in social media

What exactly is self promotion in today’s world of publishing? (part 2)

I’ve had more than one writer tell me they couldn’t self publish because they are not good and/or terrified at self promotion. What do you think you’re going to have to do when you publish traditionally?

Let’s look at several facts about traditional publishing:

  • Advances are smaller.
  • Publishers are buying less.
  • If you don’t sell through your advance, book 2 will be hard to sell.
  • Most authors get very little promotional support from their publishers – unless you are a lead title.
  • Fewer books will be in bookstores for any length of time, unless you make it big.

So if you traditionally publish, who is going to keep your book in print? Who is going to make sure it does sell through?  #rhetoricalquestion

Would sales increase if a traditionally published author approached the release of their book as if they self published? (And I mean the self published authors that are doing it in a non-spammy kind of way!)

Self promoting is hard work. But I disagree that it has to suck.

What is self promotion?

  • Self promotion is promoting others.
  • Self promotion is giving back.
  • Self promotion is providing unique content on a consistent basis.
  • Self promotion is capturing the core of your writing and presenting it through the various mediums of social media.
  • Self promotion is being a friend.
  • Self promotion is working hard to build a tribe of people who will help you promote your book and you will help them.
  • Self promotion is reaching out to others and making yourself vulnerable.
  • Self promotion is being yourself – the best side of course – and hoping people forgive any mistakes.
  • Self promotion is being smart and making the best use of your time on social media.
  • Self promotion is making a plan and following through.
  • Self promotion is a business.
  • Self promotion is writing a great book.
  • Self promotion is writing the next book.
  • Self promotion is understanding Amazon and key words and lists.
  • Self promotion is learning internet marketing alongside writing.
  • Self promotion is about relationships.

I hate to break it to all of you, but self promotion is now part of being a writer. Even if you’re traditionally published.

And if you want further reading, I highly recommend these three e-books. It’s for everyone, however you publish.

They all approached self promotion in a grassroots sort of way – taking the time to build relationships. It’s worth reading one or all of them if you are trying to figure out how to promote your books.

How would you finish the statement: Self promotion is… Do you agree or disagree that as writers we need to learn to embrace self promotion in all its forms and stop telling ourselves it sucks?

Comments { 46 }

WARNING: Changes in publishing industry may cause whiplash.

By on July 6, 2011 in publishing industry

I am absolutely fascinated with the changes happening monthly. The contradictory articles and posts written by people within the same industry are extremely informative. And interesting.

Here are just some of the issues causing my head to spin:

  • Agent vs no agent.
  • Traditional publishing vs self or e-publishing.
  • Agents helping their clients self publish. Is it a conflict of interest? Or not?
  • Big publishers not being honest about ebook sales. (Yikes!)
  • Publishers not giving authors a big enough percent on ebook sales.
  • Do the work on your own to epublish or pay someone else?
  • Is traditional publishing dying a slow and painful death? Or not?
  • Write fast vs write slow. Which is it?
  • Should writers be discouraged or encouraged?

No one has all the answers. Each month the industry changes. No one seems to be totally right or totally wrong. And I think it’s awesome.

I have come to one solid truth. Only you can decide what is right for your career. But whatever you decide. DO THE RESEARCH. Know your options.

As a writer, I feel like I’m in the middle of a revolution. The opportunities have never been better. I don’t know my path yet. I’m not fully decided. That’s why I’m doing the research. Every Wednesday, I’m going to provide one of the following: links, a response to a blog post, a thought provoking question, or an Indy book review. Something that pertains to this publishing revolution. And it’s relevant to all writers whether you have an agent or not and whether you are published or not.

Here’s one article to get us started. It’s about self publishing being the new midlist. You might have read it.

Have you been paying attention? What do you think?  *hands out warm compress*

Comments { 52 }
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