Writer's Life

I've been fortunate to work with many indie authors during the publishing of their first book. Self-publishing your first book is a thrilling, empowering process, but may also overwhelm or intimidate the unprepared. Once you're through it the first time, you learn many valuable lessons that make the next one even easier.

Here are three things I wish first time indie authors knew about self-publishing.

Exact publication dates are very difficult to meet.

Publishing is a long and complex process. A great many opportunities for things to go wrong exist between all the editing, cover design and formatting that must be completely perfect before your book is live. Even if all goes well, you could hit the approve and publish button the night before your publication day only to find it will take 5 days for your book to actually appear on Amazon.

First time authors can get themselves in tricky situations when they pre-pay for advertising to run on launch day or make public promises about a specific day. This is easy to avoid.

Take a tip from startups, be very specific with yourself and your publishing team about your date. Manage the process tight to make sure everything stays on track. However, be more vague publicly. Instead of saying your book will be out "December 20th", you can say it will be available "late December". Small difference, but a huge impact on stress levels.

Your book will not sell thousands of copies simply because it's on Amazon.

Do not tell me about the exceptions because you are not one of them.* Once you hit publish and post the link to your book on your Facebook page, your work is far from over. Your friends and family may buy 20 copies of the book, but then what?

In July of this year, there were over 30 million titles on Amazon (across all sites). Traditional publishers add another 300,000 new titles each year. On top of that, you must account for the legions of your self-publishing peers using Kindle Direct Publishing and CreateSpace. Your book desperately needs your direct help to stand out above the rest.

I encourage my author clients to ask themselves how many people did they reach today. Your "reach" is how many people heard about your book. Scale matters when it comes to sales. Facebook is a great start. If you build an author platform, that will increase your reach. You can purchase ads to increase your reach. You can look for reviews, blog appearances and media coverage to increase your reach. If you aren't working to market your book, no one else is either. It's up to you to get the word out. You can't rely on your book's mere existence on Amazon to bring you sales.

*If you are a celebrity, you are an exception as you already have a great reach and an audience that will buy your book. In fact, you should probably share this blog right now with your loyal followers. Thanks!

 A stranger will read your book and it will feel GOOD.

A 2012 survey of indie authors found that only half make more than $500 on their books. However, only 5% considered themselves unsuccessful. Even the most artistically, altruistically-driven among us agree that it would be very nice to earn money from our creative pursuits. However, turns out that we're not all that upset if that doesn't happen. Why is that?

Imagine you've come home late on a Monday evening from the job you tolerate to pay your bills. You log in to check your sales and find you've only sold three books this month. Crushing bummer. But then, what's this? A new five-star review from someone named MaryGold12 from Toledo says the story in your heartfelt novel was not only deeply moving and cleverly captured in beautiful prose, but also gave her the courage she needed to tell her own story. You sit back as the warm glow of meaningful human connection triggers all your dopamine transmitters and floods your body with pleasing chemicals. The joy of making a real impact on another soul, or even of having your art recognized by one person, is a better high than all the red wine and shiny new things can bring you.

Indie publishing presents an excellent learning opportunity. You may have great fun and find the experience wholly satisfying. I hope that the first book you publish will not be your last. Onward!

If you need help building your author platform, I'm leading a course called Small Town Writer, Big World Audience on Gutsy Creatives. If you enter the discount code BLOGGISH you'll get $25 off the cost of the full course. Click here to register.

You can even preview a sample lesson here!

Best of luck on your publishing journey!

Guest post by Seattle-based mystery author Tom Kelly. Originally published here.

I’m often asked about the difference between fiction and non-fiction writing. Both require dedication and preparation, yet a different mindset.

Both also involve a ton of time. Less structure does not mean fewer hours.

Forty years in the newspaper business teaches you all about deadlines, importance of accurate facts and writing to a definite space. There are hours spent on developing sources, research and interviews. In my case, it led to books with major publishers (McGraw-Hill, John Wiley & Sons, Dearborn-Kaplan).

The business did not encourage exploring a creative imagination or wondering what could be. Get it done, get it right, get it in the paper.

For example, I loved covering college football. I’d start the day by submitting a first half play-by-play from the press box, add the second half action, and then sprint the locker room for quotes. Returning to the press box, I’d file a game story, locker room sidebar and then sub both pieces for the next edition. Action happened in front of me. People spoke with me. I recorded both in a logical way and sent it to the newsroom.

When I began focusing on fiction, nothing happened in front of me at a specific time that I needed to document and record. There was no finite space to fill. Much of my research became remembering the thoughts and emotions, smells and colors of places I’d been. Observations and reflections needed to be stowed in a memory bank or an entirely different kind of notebook. Sure, facts needed to be checked and dates confirmed, but there was no library to visit to find what could be.

What I underestimated was the time and discipline required to enhance personal imagination. What are the variety of things possible? The results proved to be more rewarding—and the preparation more time consuming. Fiction may be more casual, but it’s not easier.

Tom's debut mystery novel Cold Crossover is free today on Amazon. Get it here!

"Cold Crossover is a riveting mystery based on the drama of small-town high school basketball, complete with the missed shot no local will ever forget. Along the way, Tom Kelly takes the reader from the Northwest’s wild frontier days to its equally crazy present as a real-estate mecca. Kelly weaves the ferries, crabbers, and timber-men of his region into a timeless and page-turning tale."
—Jim Ragsdale, Minneapolis Star-Tribune

I am so pleased to announce a new webinar series to my publishing class line up...

How to Score a Book Deal: Tips and Tools from the Publishing Pros

With this one-two punch from industry insiders Jen Worick and Kerry Colburn of The Business of Books, you’ll be ready to land a traditional publishing contract no matter your genre.

All classes are pre-recorded. You'll be able to move along at your own pace, plus ask the instructors questions via email.

Webinar One: Prepare to Get Published

You’ve got a book idea, but how do you get it out of your head—and onto the shelves? We’ll show you how to hone your idea, assess the competition, bulk up your author bio, choose the right sample text, strategically research publishers and agents, and develop a complete proposal, giving you all the tools you need to create a savvy, on-point submission.

Webinar Two: Learn What Every Publisher Wants You to Know

Wouldn’t you like to be a fly on the wall during acquisitions meetings with publishers and agents, so you could find out what they really want—and don’t want? We’ll cover the proposal components that are most crucial to landing a publishing deal, rookie mistakes to avoid during the submission process, the aspects of an author platform that matter most, and how to fine-tune your proposal to address today’s publishing climate.

The registration for the series is $249.

Class details and registration.

Jennifer Worick and Kerry Colburn are the dynamic duo behind The Business of Books (www.bizofbooks.com), a successful publishing consulting company based in Seattle. With nearly forty years of publishing experience and forty published books between them, they are in the unique position of having been “on both sides of the desk”— as both acquisitions editors and as authors.

Kerry is the former executive editor of Chronicle Books and the author of a variety of titles, including How to Have Your Second Child First, Good Drinks for Bad Days,and Mama’s Big Book of Little Lifesavers.

Jennifer, previously editorial director of Running Press, has co-authored or written more than 25 books, including Things I Want to Punch in the Face and the New York Timesbest-selling Worst Case Scenario Handbook: Dating and Sex. During their publishing careers, they have reviewed countless proposals and shepherded many successful titles to market.

Any questions? Please feel free to contact the class host, Kelsye Nelson, anytime. Ready to register? Just click here.