Comments on: Will an Agent Recommend Self-Pub?

By: preschool teacher salary

preschool teacher salary — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 16:49:31 +0000

Awesome blog! Do you have any recommendations for aspiring writers? I’m hoping to start my own blog soon but I’m a little lost on everything. Would you propose starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many options out there that I’m totally confused .. Any ideas? Thank you!

By: Dental Marketing

Dental Marketing — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:12:16 +0000

That was a great read, keep up the good blogging 🙂

By: Christopher Bunn

Christopher Bunn — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 00:30:41 +0000

Interesting thread. Obviously, everyone brings the unique specifics of their own circumstances to the table. Trad publishing might be the way to go for some, indie publishing might be the way for others. Still others might keep a foot in both camps.

I went with indie/self-publishing in November 2010 after a lengthy time spent analyzing the traditional industry in relation to my genre (epic fantasy). What pushed me over the edge was reading Joe Konrath’s blog, as well as spending some time on the Kindleboards. I ended up publishing through Amazon’s KDP, as well as B&N, and Apple/Kobo/Diesel/Sony via Smashwords. As of today, I’ve sold a little over 40,000 ebooks. I’m certainly pleased with the results, but you have to understand that there a great many indie writers who are consistently selling in much higher numbers (and I’m not talking about the Konrath/Hocking superstars).

Amazon has irrevocably altered the publishing landscape. I would urge any writer who has automatically dismissed the self-pub route to reconsider. It very well might not be for you, but it is worth your time to research the option.

Best wishes and luck (though, I’m not sure if I believe in luck) to everyone…

By: Michael Mayo

Michael Mayo — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 04:01:08 +0000

I’ll introduce myself and throw in two bits about self-publishing: I’ve never been happier. Publishers have become like the major film studios – they’re happy to take you if you’re a celeb, otherwise they’ll pay and promote you little in return for taking all your rights if they bother to take you at all. Instead of wasting my time with them, I self-pubbed “The Adventures of Alex Walker,” through LightningSource, who handled getting the book up on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and have made wonderful friends in the animal charities I’ve promoted it to. I understand the desire to have a “Real” publisher, but they’re hubris-riddled, dying shadows of their former selves. Publish yourself, make a name for yourself, then I promise you they come and you’ll be in a better position to make the deal you want…

By: Going For Self-Publishing: Marketing Tips! | Three Fires

Going For Self-Publishing: Marketing Tips! | Three Fires — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 09:38:55 +0000

[…] in mind the promoting a book is some factor that would require patience, persistence and enthusiasm.Self-publishing a book is some factor that demands balance in all aspects. It demands great promotio…st self-published authors would have to work with a limited spending spending […]

By: Alan Kurland

Alan Kurland — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:59:24 +0000

In reply to Maria A W. Maria, not to be harsh but I hope your proofread your manuscript before you send it out, unlike your comment, (Bin). Take care and good luck!

By: Karen A. Wyle

Karen A. Wyle — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:46:31 +0000

In reply to Rachelle Gardner.

You’re right — I was oversimplifying. However, if one is trying to preserve or build a relationship with a publisher, or hoping to work with any publisher on future books, the performance of the physical book in bookstores during those 90 days will be crucial, will it not? I’d also wonder whether a publisher would continue to put in any promotional effort on behalf of a book that didn’t perform well — in either format — early on.

By: Rachelle Gardner

Rachelle Gardner — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:11:43 +0000

In reply to Karen A. Wyle. Karen, to say that a self-published book has a longer shelf life than a traditionally published one is incorrect. A digital book has a longer shelf life than a print book. Traditionally published books are available in both print and digital formats. Long after the print book is no longer available in the bookstore, the e-version is still available.

By: terri patrick

terri patrick — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 03:09:43 +0000

In reply to Cherry Odelberg.

Yes, thanks, and it’s not for me. 😀 If I ever write another memoir it will be years from now.

I prefer to use what I know for fiction. It’s a control thing and I can orchestrate a happily ever after and write “The End.”

By: Joseph Baran

Joseph Baran — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 02:08:57 +0000

In reply to CG Blake. All dreams require a lot of work. But we all know that by now.

By: Cherry Odelberg

Cherry Odelberg — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 02:00:47 +0000

In reply to terri patrick. Ah, Terri, I love your comment - Memoirs are such a one shot deal, anyway:) Haven't you heard of fictional autobiography?

By: Cherry Odelberg

Cherry Odelberg — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 01:55:19 +0000

I paid to have my children’s book, The Pancake Cat, independently published because I wanted to see it through to the end; to complete what I had begun; do what I said I would do. Also, because I wanted to have professional looking copies of my work with which to gift family members.
I was not expecting huge success and could not afford to buy or store 500-1000 copies, so print on demand was an attractive option for me in 2009 and my book remains available today.
Another reason I decided to publish independently with this book, was to try out the emerging self-publishing and print on demand practices. My heart has always been to write women’s fiction or literary fiction, so using a children’s chapter book to test the self-publishing waters seemed a sensible experiment-a bit like writing for periodicals for experience and to get one’s name out there.

The conversation generated by this post has been enjoyable (for the most part) and helpful. I found myself reaching for the nonexistent “like” button after reading the comments. Thanks for providing this forum – almost as good as a panel discussion at a writer’s seminar.

By: Cherry Odelberg

Cherry Odelberg — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 01:43:42 +0000

In reply to CG Blake. I could not agree more strongly.

By: CG Blake

CG Blake — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 01:28:56 +0000

Self-publishing is a viable option for any talented writer who cannot break through due to the genre in which they write, publishing trends or just plain lack of success. However, the author must be prepared to work, work, work–and that’s just on the marketing side.