Hello again. Today I was bragging about the fact that Shadows of the Realm (SOTR) was still in the top 100 for teenage literature fiction books on Amazon after two weeks up there. Even though it’s liable to drop out at any moment, today was good because I was sitting ahead of one of the Twilight books and one of the Gossip Girl books—it just proves dragons still have some clout. After I tweeted it out, I had a comment from another indie author who wanted to know how I had made it this far. I’ve been meaning to write about my experience for a while, and that was a good reminder. So here’s some of what I’ve learned. I hope it helps someone, somewhere, especially when you feel like giving up—believe me, you’re not the first and won’t be the last.
Self-publishing is a tough business—you have to be self-motivated, persistent and thick-skinned, as well as media savvy, hard-working and willing to learn. I still have days (and I’m sure there are more to come) when I seriously question the sanity of what I’m doing. Publishing is one of the most competitive fields to be in and I don’t think anyone has worked out what makes one book a best-seller over another. And I won’t lie: seeing books you perceive to be not as polished as your own, selling much better than yours, is disheartening. But don’t get me wrong—I don’t begrudge others’ success, but wonder “how come I’m not successful too.” Other thoughts you’re liable to have are: “Why bother, no one is ever going to buy my book,” or “Out of all the books out there, why would someone choose mine?” The secret is: you are never going to be able to answer those questions, so don’t even try. Your biggest weapons are persistence and hard work. And as an indie author you are also battling the perception that indie authors are unprofessional. This perception exists because unfortunately many are :(.
I started my self-publishing journey in October 2011 when I arrived on Twitter knowing absolutely zilch about marketing and social media. I always thought Twitter was for those wanting to follow the latest reality celebrity moron (OK don’t hit me; they’re not all morons) and to be honest, I really don’t give a crap about what famous people I will never meet are doing. After working out how to tweet and follow people, I was off and running (I’m technically challenged so if I can do it, anyone can). And boy was I surprised.
I only followed writers, and what an amazing and wonderful bunch of people I met. This was my first smart (and lucky) decision. The good friends you make on Twitter are the ones who will encourage you when you’re having those I feel like giving up days. They are the ones who will help you when you are wondering about how to upload your book to Amazon and Smashwords, and they are the ones who will put up their hands when you need someone to beta read your book or tweet your book sale (I just want to take a moment to thank all those who help me every day; without you I would not have done as well as I have, and when I’m not doing well you make me laugh).
Facebook and Google plus are also great ways to connect with writers. There are loads of writers’ groups you can join that will answer your questions, and I find writers are generally a fun lot of people to interact with (it’s true—we are all crazy).
So after being on Twitter for a couple of months, one of the amazing Tweeps I met (Peter Hobbs) asked if I had a blog. Of course I didn’t have a blog. “WTH is a blog?” I asked, and when I found out I thought, “Well who in the hell wants to read what I have to say?” Luckily for me, it turns out some people (I haven’t confirmed numbers but I’m pretty sure it’s more than one) actually find me amusing and/or informative. Other people’s blogs are also a source of valuable information about writing and self-publishing. Go visit them because what you learn will help (it helped me).
I hope you’re taking notes. Get on social media and do a blog—it not only gives you a support network, but this is where you build respect for your work and your brand (in other words, you). The next thing you need to do, if you haven’t already, is learn your craft. Not everyone can afford to study full-time but in case you haven’t already figured it out, it’s rare for anyone to be born with the ability of a literary genius. I found that out after the first draft of my book was rejected by publishers all over the world (how embarrassing; I can picture them laughing while reading the first paragraph). And here I was thinking I was going to sell millions without even trying. Thank God I realised I had a lot to learn and I enrolled in a creative writing degree. You can, at the very least, join a critique group or find a cheap, basic online course to do. Having said that, there are unedited, poorly written, self-published books that sell well, but for the sake of your own pride, and the reputation of indie authors, please aim to write well.
Hmm, I’m waffling a bit so I’ll hurry up. I improved my writing, employed an editor and went through my book three more times (that made it a total of eight) to proofread and make sure I had banished as many redundant words and passive language as I could. I paid a professional artist to do the cover, and I still get comments from people who love it.
Because I did all this, when I paid for a mail-out to announce my recent book sale to fantasy readers, it resulted in me selling four times as many books in two weeks as I had in the first eight months of my book’s public life. When the readers saw the cover and blurb it was enticing, then when they clicked on the link to Amazon there were a lot of good reviews for them to read, plus the book reads well in the sample because I went about it in a professional way (I am by no means suggesting it is the best writing you will ever read, but it doesn’t have typos or grammar and punctuation errors in every sentence). My support network also helped by announcing the sale on their blogs and tweeting and facebooking it.
The sales of my book to date and the Amazon rankings I’ve achieved in the last two weeks might be the best I ever do, but they wouldn’t have happened without hours each day promoting myself and helping others by giving feedback on their work or just encouraging them when they feel like giving up. When you go three weeks without one sale it can have you ready to pull your book off the internet and going to get a job where you ask “Would you like fries with that?”, but don’t. If, like me, you love writing, you will never be able to give it up. Just surround yourself with good people who understand what you’re going through and be patient and persistent. If it was easy, everyone would be a best-seller, right ;).
And take heart—apparently it takes between two and three years to build your platform to the point where you achieve consistent sales, and the more books you have out the better. It’s a steep learning curve being an indie author, but when you do have some success, it’s satisfying because you did it through your own hard work and because of the support from your friends. I can honestly say I’ve learnt more in the last two years than I ever have, and I’ve met incredible people I admire. I still have a way to go but I’m more determined than ever. I hope this post has given someone some kind of information they can use, if not, it was good writing practice for me ;). And feel free to contact me if you have any questions (I don’t know everything, but I’ll answer what I can and point you towards others more knowledgable than myself if I can’t). Happy writing!
You know, this helps in more ways than one. Now to relight the candle and see how much of the void can be burned.
Yay! If you ever need encouragement just let me know :).
Very informative and encouraging, Dionne. Writers need to hear these things because publishing is definitely tough and taking the easy road isn’t really the best idea (ie- not editing or studying the craft). I think I went through my book at least thirty times before I was willing to put it out there and I spent loads on the cover. I’m hoping it makes a difference, but I’m also realistic. All we can do is the very best we can. Whether we become super successful or not, if we do that, we can be proud of our accomplishments.
I agree, Susan. And kudos to you for putting in so much work, if only more indie authors were like you :).
Thanks, Dionne 🙂
Great blog post, Dionne. I think it helps a lot of writers to realise that once the writing, editing, cover design and upload is completed, there is still an uphill battle to face to actually make consistent sales. Sometimes it is tempting to give up, but self-publishing is a ‘long haul’ business, and for the majority of writers, keeping focused and keeping trying is the only way to go.
I hope 2013 is your best year ever!
Thanks so much Sally! From your comment I take it you’re an author, so I wish you an awesome year for your books too!
‘might be the best I ever do,’ – I don’t believe that. You created desire for the sequel with your first book, not only in the hanging storyline but by the great characters. I, for one, will be rushing to buy your next one!
Great blog piece, very thought provoking for those of us still establishing!
I will also be adding to the amazon reviews soon – promise (just not today as little one is sick!).
Thanks Miranda! No pressure for the review, I’m just glad you read it and thanks for visiting me here 🙂 I hope your little one gets better soon!
very beautiful and encouraging post. I really enjoy your openess and straight forwardness. Thank you for sharing and letting us writers know never to give up as we need to stick together. hugs and smiles for your awesome next book keep smiling.
Thanks John. Yes, keep writing and hugs and smiles to you too!
It’s always nice to hear how other writers in the field approach the self-publishing mountain. Remember last April, Dionne? You, and several other peeps we know were trying to figure out the best way to go about it. I was following in your huge footsteps. May your guidance continue. Thank you too for the great post. Always thoughtful and fun.
Thanks Justin. You are one of those who has helped me and your keen eye for editing and your friendship has been invaluable. I’m so glad to have met you :).
Reblogged this on Self-Publish 101.
It is important to know that although self-publishing is now cheaper than ever, it has never been harder. With hundreds of thousand of books being released each year, it is difficult to be noticed, let alone purchased.
But kudos on your work because it is important to know that a publisher is a completely different person, that uses different skill sets than an author.
Congratulations for persevering and making your way!
Many congratulations Dionne on your success so far – and on a very positive and encouraging blog. I particularly appreciate your emphasis on the importance of producing high quality books with a properly professional feel. We need to shake off the reputation for poor quality. Indie authors rock!
Thanks so much Juliet! Yes we do rock. Indie authors unite! lol
Thanks so much for posting this! I’ve been at one of those down points where I’m questioning if self-publishing really was the smartest idea. It’s only been a year, and I only have one novella out. I’m wondering if putting out the sequel will help, and just keep on marketing my stuff and connecting to others. Of course, there’s the writing quality to consider.
I really do love that cover, by the way. 🙂
Hi Elisa. I’m so glad you visited :). I have those down points quite often and that’s when it’s important to message your online friends and they will always be there to encourage you because they know what you’re going through. Having a sequel will help as I know many readers won’t pick up the first book until they know more are out. And thanks for the cover love ;).
Very insightful! Thanks!
Thanks Lauren. My pleasure 🙂
You did a great job and took advantage of EVERY day of those two weeks. You did it all perfect and this is NOT the best, for when the new book hits WOOHOOOO!!!! We need Dragontinis now! (bikini’s with pretty dragons all over them)
I really appreciate these insights. Very helpful as I am considering this path for my next book.
If you do self-publish, good luck Geoff. It’s challenging but rewarding :).
Good info Dionne. Every little bit of advice can help 🙂
Thanks Michelle 🙂 Although, I’m sure you can tell me a thing or two lol.
Hello and thanks for a great post. I spent a long time blogging and in the world of social media prior to publishing Cut Limbo on Amazon. Getting ‘out there’ isn’t easy even if you are already well connected on social media and I’ve had 90,000 visits to my blog! I appreciate your comments though. I do appreciate that my genre (crime thriller satire) isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but that’s what I love to write (and read) so I’m not changing that! My goal is to write more, I’ve got a couple of sequels (in mind) and I’m longing to get started but until things pick up I’ll stick with the day job, the kids just love to eat regularly. Thanks for the post! Best regards Peter
Hi Peter, nice to see you here. I agree: write what you love, if the passion isn’t in it why bother? I have kids that have to eat regularly too but I’m lucky enough to earn my living from editing until, you know, my book sells millions (which it will, I”m sure ;)).
Thanks for sharing your self-publishing journey. It was really interesting to find out how it all works. And I’m glad to hear your book is selling well. Congrats!
Thanks so much :). There’s certainly been ups and downs but the ups are more frequent than the downs, thank goodness.