Karen Foley
Lynn Raye Harris
Ellen Hartman
Diana Holquist
Samantha Hunter
Shirley Jump
Dee Tenorio
Jeannie Watt
Welcome Guest Blogger Linda Mickey!
Note From Sam: Take notice that today we have two guest bloggers: Elaine Williams is addressing her experiences self-publishing her nonfiction book, and our other guest, Linda Mickey, is addressing self-publishing her mystery series (fiction). This is a follow-up on my previous discussion about self-publishing, and I thank these two authors for coming to chat with us today. I hope we'll all have a great discussion! I have highlighted both discussions so visitors know we have two bloggers today, and I didn't want you to miss either one! Sam
From Linda:
First, let me point out that there are really two categories of self-publishing. One requires that the author form a publishing company. The author is responsible for everything from paper selection to distribution –and the author/publisher pays all the costs of getting the book to market. The other I’ll call supported or subsidized self-publishing. In this, the author makes some decisions but portions of the process are LICENSED to a company that handles a variety of tasks. If an author gives up his or her ownership rights and pays to publish, it is not self-publishing. It is vanity press and that is something completely different.
There are pros and cons to everything and that certainly applies to self-publishing fiction.
I write series mystery fiction. In today’s market, any contract from a major house will include more than one manuscript and will dictate that new titles be ready for publication about every 9 months. In addition, the publisher has sales expectations that must be met in order for the relationship to continue.
I have a full time job that I love - plus it pays the bills. Because of this, I can write and market only six months out of the year. I cannot devote enough time to writing/selling to satisfy most publishers. By self-publishing, I work at my own pace. There were other reasons for my decision but time control was primary. In fact, my fourth book has been delayed a year by family needs. Because I self-publish, this affects only me…and my disappointed fans.
There is a lot to learn and readers see a big difference between my first published book, Greased Wheels, and Horse Power, my third. In addition, the industry is constantly changing. Contracts alter, companies come and go, paradigms shift. Self-publishing lets me adjust.
The biggest problem for the self-published fiction writer is marketing. My books are not included in a publisher’s catalog and I do not have a sales force pushing my titles. I am not allowed to join national genre writing organizations and am often prevented from attending conventions as anything other than a fan. I am entirely dependent on word-of-mouth and my ability to sell at public appearances. Therefore the key to self-publishing fiction is SELF.
Yes, self-publishing fiction is difficult but I would never publish any other way. That said, I do not recommend it for everyone. Self-publishing is perfect – for me.
In honor of the cordial invitation to guest blog here, I am giving away a copy of Defective Goods , the second Kyle Shannon mystery. There’s a special reason I selected this book for all you romance readers – his name is Jake. Remember – you must be registered at Love is an Exploding Cigar to win.
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Welcome Linda
Thanks for coming by -- I hope you'll talk with us about your books, and how you started writing mystery, and I'm also wondered if you have any writing groups, critique partners, etc people who edit for you or just offer support and motivation?
It's true that writing commercial fiction happens on a fast production schedule, and I couldn't help but smile at one book every 9 months, since for romance we typically will write 3-5 books a year! And often, with the additional loads of the family/jobs, etc. I'm not saying this is better or worse, I'm saying that I see people struggle under that pressure, and writing often isn't enjoyable for them under all of that pressure -- it's a second job -- so I think that your decision not to take on that load is an interesting option.
Obviously there are trade-offs in terms of income, etc (writing is my full time job, so I have to get those 3 books out a year, etc), but I think there are trade-offs in any situation. I'm looking forward to a good discussion and thankful you came to talk with us today. :)
Sam
Writing Groups and Editing
First, Sam, thank you for your kind invitation. I am delighted to be here.
I love to write but I love the rewrite even more. I get lots of support from family and friends but I never let them read a manuscript. They see the book when it is finished. I depend on my writing group to keep me on target. I also give a nearly complete manuscript to select readers whom I trust to tell me when there are problems. For example, I gave Horse Power to someone I knew had never been around horses so that he could point out things he didn't understand. Finally, I hire a professional editor. She helped me understand the power of words. The dictionary is my best friend.
As for the writing frequency, I know romance writers have to produce books more rapidly and I applaud the effort. I couldn't do it.
I was thinking about Lawrence Block who said that he struggles to produce one book a year and thinks the best writing time span is 18 months. By the time one researches, plots, lays out the real clues and the red herrings plus writes and rewrites, a lot of time passes. Block assumes that the balance of the time is spent marketing.
Time
Hi Linda,
Thanks for sharing your experiences. I understand your time pressures. I'm a pretty slow writer and I have a day job (necessary) and kids who still need a lot of parent time. I tried to write two books last year and while I did accomplish that, I was miserable. I've decided to try to figure out a different approach for this year using a combination of different writing goals and better time-management. I'm hoping I'll be able to sell another book, but I'm not going to try to force myself into a working model I can't support.
For me, at this time, writing fiction doesn't provide enough income to be anything other than a sideline and a source of personal satisfaction. If I'm not happy with my fiction career, I don't have a lot of incentive to do it. ;-)
I wonder how you handle the publicity side of things if time is your "enemy?" I'm grateful for the marketing my publisher provides and I can't imagine spending the amount of time some self-published authors do on their promotion efforts. (See Elaine's post, for one!)
Thanks again for your interesting perspective on this publishing alternative.
Money or Lack Thereof
Ellen - Amen to money and fiction. It takes awhile to develop enough of a following to generate income. My non-fiction freelance friends have much better income streams than I do. I write mystery because I love it. I also write some non-fiction. Crimespree Magazine published two of my articles in 2008 - a critique of Rex Stout and an interview I did with another mystery author. I'll do some other freelance work in 09 plus I am polishing a new short story.
Write, market, write, market...
Hi Linda.
Thanks so much for coming by.
I was wondering about this, too: how the added marketing responsibility offsets the less writing.
I sympathize with the timeline troubles, but I also think that outside deadlines make me a much better, more disciplined writer. I for one learn only by doing. So while I hate my deadlines, I also couldn't live without them. How do you keep yourself writing?
--Diana
Split personality
Hi Diana. Great questions.
I keep myselfing writing by doing that first every morning. I don't even get dressed. I make tea and head for the computer. I have a deal with my employer to start later and work later. I've always been a morning person - did my homework at 5 AM - so this is great for me. Then I market or make appearances in the evenings.
I know what you mean about deadlines - I feel exactly the same way. The difference is that I set deadlines for myself. I create deadlines for my publisher (me) that I have to meet.
Regarding marketing, I don't see much added to my plate that isn't on my friends' plates. Most of my "traditionally" published friends get little or no help from their publishers. They are responsible for the bulk of their advertising and marketing. They create and pay for collateral materials (chaplets, bookmarks, announcement postcards), Web site creation and maintenance, book their own appearances, etc. The big difference I see between them and me is that I own the thing I am working so hard to promote.
Linda
self publishing
I was very interested in what you said about the production schedule. When one looks at the classics of literature, there seems to be more time between inidividual works. The time to let ideas percolate does have some benefit. I can also see that today's hectic lifestyle creates a real need for more options available to authors.
I would be interested to hear your ideas on marketing as well. I am not an author and have no desire to be one but I am interested in hearing about marketing form a reader/reviewer standpoint as well as the author standpoint. I am continually shocked as a reviewer to see the differences between publishers in terms of marketing. Some publishers seem to go out of their way in terms of marketing even into smaller areas of marketing and others do not. It has very little to do with big/small at least from my viewpoint. The more I review, the more marketing I see by authors from all corners of the book world. I think it is necessary today no matter how a book is published just because there are so many books being published period.
I think self-publishing is a good counterbalance to the industry. One of the best books my husband and I have read was a self-published book. The author took more risks than I think one might see otherwise and that is what made it so wonderful. As a reader/reviewer, I am often torn between a desire to read a book that does something truly innovative and wanting a safe good read that might not blow me away but won't be bad. It's rare to find those out of this world books sometimes, especially as publishers seem to get bigger and bigger.
Merri (who re-registered as Paisley because I forgot my password)
Risk
Merri, good point on risk. I do wonder what it might be like to write something free of the risk of someone saying "no."
Authors are sometimes caught between publishers/editors who say they want something fresh and original, so you take a risk, and they say "no, sorry, doesn't fit" -- but I was trying to be fresh and original! LOL Too risky, I guess... You have to be fresh and original within a certain parameter, not always easy to do.
Anyway... I think I mentioned before that I have often heard from epubs the wide range of stretch they have in their writing, and I think it is a good thing, at least from a creative standpoint... I wonder what would happen if Harlequin had accepted, for instance, some of the books they R'd from me as too "risky." (Thinking of one I subbed recently -- I kind of had a feeling it was too edgy, but it would have been interesting to see what readers would have thought.) Readers might have hated it, but then again, you never know...
Sam
Risk
A quick story - a mystery writer acquaintance of mine struck gold a few years back and got a big deal through a major NY publisher. She does everything the editor requests of her and the edginess, the uniqueness of her style is gone. While the writer is "successful," the comment to me was "Be careful what you wish for." She is quick to point out that editors are really marketers and she hires a private editor to perform the editing function. Her muse does not remain squelched however. She sings loudly in the horror genre where she self-pubs or works only with small press.
Linda
How interesting
I believe that, because when you sell with a large house, unless you are wildly successful and bring in a lot of cashola (and therefore, like Nora, say, you can do whatever the heck you want), then I think they probably do still shape author to their "brand." And not to say that's a bad thing -- for instance, I love the Blaze "brand" or the Prime Crime "brand" etc.
And also, I don't know if editors are marketers, but I do know they are influenced by marketing depts, and that marketing has a lot of pull. I know one of my books, marketing titled it -- they were telling my editor what was acceptable as a title and what wasn't. And who knows why, of course, but the one they retitled was the book (with a title that was completely contrary to the book -- I argued, but lost) with my lowest sales numbers. ;)
But I imagine editors have their battles, too, in this regard...I can imagine them in a very difficult spot between marketing and authors both talking in their ears. ;)
Sam
To Market, To Market
Hi Merri/Paisley - You make some good points.
One of the joys of marketing for me is the many things I do that I would not otherwise do. For example, I morphed my training experience into some library programs including one that is particularly popular about forensic science and crime scenes. I bring a police crime lab DNA scientist with me and we've become pretty good friends after doing about 25 of these together.
Fans can influence marketing as well. For example, the Penzlers are supporting characters. They own a small, independent corner market and Mary Penzler bakes the best cinnamon rolls in Lake County. Something about those cinnamon rolls catches people's attention. A reviewer mentioned them when she wrote a review of my third book, Horse Power and a fan brought cinnamon rolls to a signing. Needless to say, the launch party for my next book will feature cinnamon rolls.
I take note of marketing as a reader - what catches my eye and what puts me off. I am reading Empire of Blue right now. It's non-fiction about the pirates of the Caribbean. The subtitle was all the marketing I needed to check it out. (By the way, it's very interesting.) I agree that how marketing is handled and the size of the campaign have little to do with the size of the publisher.
Linda
risk and marketing
Sam, even reviewers face risks, lol. If a reviewer appreciates something more risky in a book they often get slammed because their taste is not that of the general public.
I can imagine that it would be highly satisfying to have more control over one's own book. I bought a work of traditionally published historical fiction that is almost 800 pages and the print is so microscopic! I would have preferred a 1000 or even 1500 page book! Even though I am dying to read the book, the print size puts me off, especially since I read at night when my eyes are tired anyhow. That is such a small detail but an important one. For my undergraduate thesis, I put together a collection of my own photographs and poetry. I would think that self-publishing could be wonderful discovery in much the same ways planning that thesis was.
I like the idea of the two way influence and how your book and marketing it changed you. I would think libraries would be a vital source for the reading public. Several of my internet friends either lead or participate in library reading groups. Our local libraries often have programs. As someone who trained to teach literature, it gladdens my heart to know that libraries are such a vital part of the local communities! It is very refreshing for readers to have many options. I'm a kind of reader who likes a large variety of books so it's good to hear we have both traditional publishers and also a way of pushing the envelope more.
It's also good to hear that fans make a difference. Reading is such a personal and quiet experience. I read to have quiet, reflective time. And yet, reading a good book hardly seems complete until one is able to share the beauty of it with another reader. One of the things that really excites me about the internet is how readers can share their love of books in ways that broaden outward geographically and brings people together.
Merri
Mmmmm...Cinnamon Rolls...
Sorry, I have nothing to add, just love cinnamon rolls. *G*
Sam
small bookstores
Just a quick note. I would think small bookstores would be a great resource as well as libraries perhap. When the book world often seems to be getting so mega-corporate, I would imagine that some smaller or independent bookstores need to do something different to compete against the bigger chains sort of like there are contrarians in the stock market.
Merri
Small bookstores
Merri - I live in a large metro area. There are few independent bookstores left. The closest one is 8 miles away. It is a tiny store and the owner stocks primarily NY Times best sellers. When she first opened, she carried one of my titles but after they sold out, she didn't reorder. She told me that the only way to pay the rent is to sell the big names. She stocks some non-fiction by local authors but is reluctant to take a chance on new fiction writers.
I have much better luck in gift and novelty stores. A local gift retailer had me in for signings twice a year until she closed the store. We always did very well.
changing book world
The book world seems to change so fast. I used to live in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC area. There were lots of independent bookstores and they seemed to thrive because the area is full of universities and small colleges. The area seems to attract readers who wanted more than the bestseller lists. I can see online that some of the stores are still thriving but they have gone online as well.
I should tell folks how I started reading romance. I had never even read romance until a few years ago when I was 45 or 46. A close friend of mine owns a small romance only bookstore. Romance is her passion. I just loved hearing her talk about the genre so I decided to read some. Now I read lots and lots of romance. She started out as a used bookstore (I know used bookstores are horrible for authors but there is an odd twist to the story) but she got fed up with the used book market because its rise has devalued the price of books. She is turning her store from used to mostly new books. The pace of the publishing world has gotten so fast that life is sometimes better for some booksellers, at least for her, to wait out the breakneak speed of the bigger corporate bookstores. Of course, being a small bookstore nowadays necessitates being online almost. On the otherhand, Amazon recently bought out a company that handles a lot of the websites of small independent booksellers so I am sure there will be some other way emerging to maintain independence. However, I just wanted to use that as one strange but personal example how new book sales can be driven by people talking about books and also how fluid things seem to be. At least in her case, she has found that being a contrarian has been the way to go. Like what you both describe as authors, she is happy to have more control but it takes a lot of energy and creativity and marketing to function. She has to change as the market changes. I was thinking bookstores like hers might exist in your genres. Finding them is the difficult thing.
Merri
Linda--Fascinating post.
Linda--Fascinating post. What a great fit for people who are writing books that don't fit into one of the established publishing niches. But that promotion bugaboo...as a person who hates self promotion, I think that would be rough. I like to write. Selling is definitely not my forte. Thanks so much for stopping by--I learned some things today :)
Jeannie
Selling vs. writing
Jeannie - Thanks for your kind words. Selling can be a problem for us creative types, I agree. At a recent author fest, a writer told me that he has to make a certain number of appearances. That and other marketing requirements are written into his contract. Shades of the future?
Linda
Sounds like you've found the
Sounds like you've found the perfect way to balance your schedule.
Balance
Estella - It's perfect when I stick to it. LOL. It works most of the time.
Linda
never even having heard of
never even having heard of self-publishing I find this very interesting. Talk about lots of extra hard work involved but I imagine the reward of seeing the finished product is great. Good for you!!
Welcome Linda
I have never heard of self publishing before, but it sounds like it is working out for you and that is great news. I say if it works for you go for it.I am not a writer, but do love to read.
Thank you and Winner Announced
Thanks to everyone for a great discussion. Paisley/Merri will receive the free copy of Defective Goods. Merri - Please contact me through my Web site so I get it to you.
Thanks for sharing and thanks for reading.
Linda Mickey
thanks!
Thanks! I love mysteries! Emailed you through the website. Merri