Self-Publishing

[dizcrazee]

Spinning off from the Nook v. Kindle thread....

I'm thinking about doing some self-publishing next year, perhaps through Kindle Direct Publishing or B & N’s Nook. Over the past year, I have written a few short stories and a novella that I would like to "get out there" for people to read and hopefully enjoy, but I'm hesitant to go through the traditional publishing route or through a site like fictionpress. I'm not expecting to make any money or "be discovered", but I'd like for people to be able to read my work and avoid winding up in a bottomless slush pile or being plagiarized.

Anybody have thoughts or advice on self-publishing or publishing in general?

 

[Ginny Favers]

No matter what route you take to "published" the most important thing you need to remember is the one thing that the majority of people don't: TAKE YOUR TIME.

That means, don't write a first draft and stick it up on Amazon. That's the easy way to published, but since pretty much ANYONE can be published now, would you rather just do what anyone can do, or do it well? You don't want to be in a bottomless slush pile, but producing a piece of garbage that no one wants to read and sticking it up on Amazon is pretty much the same outcome.

So I recommend really revising your work and having critique partners look it over. Do not worry about plagiarism as that's something that rarely happens. Hire a copyeditor, and take the time to format it correctly.

The nice thing about traditional publication is that you usually get paid BEFORE your book comes out (advances), and that all the copyediting and formatting is done FOR you, without any expense to you, so you can concentrate on writing. I am a big advocate in having money flow TO the author, instead of the other way around, which is why I am hesitant to self-publish, since the number of authors who make money doing it is much smaller than the ones who lose money or just break even. If you're not in it for the money and just want to see your work in print, then no problem. But if you don't invest either a considerable amount of time in it, it's likely your book won't make it very far.

Good luck!

 

[dizcrazee]

Thanks so much for the advice, Ginny! I have three short stories and a short novella. I don't have a full-length novel yet, so I can't get a literary agent at this point - right?

I bought the "Writer's Market" and I have created a list of magazines and online publications that might be interested my work. Would you recommend that I submit my stories to these publications rather than self-publishing? From what I understand, these publications are dwindling and it is getting more and more difficult to have your work published.

I've been hanging on to my stories for a while and they are as polished as I can get them. In fact, I've probably proofed and edited them too much! I am a semi-retired community college instructor and although I've done some academic writing, I've secretly always wanted to write fiction. Now that I'm teaching part-time, I finally have the time to do it. My husband used to work in newspaper journalism, and he has helped me with the proofing and editing process. I believe they are ready to publish -I am just unsure as to how to best go about it. I think I'm having a bit of a confidence issue here as well...

Thanks again!

 

[yoopermom]

There's a subforum on kindleboards.com (writers cafe) that is full of people who are trying to do this, lots of good advice. Hope I'm allowed to link it...
http://www.kindleboards.com/index.php/board,60.0.html

Good luck to you!

Terri

 

[wiigirl]

There's a subforum on kindleboards.com (writers cafe) that is full of people who are trying to do this, lots of good advice. Hope I'm allowed to link it...
http://www.kindleboards.com/index.php/board,60.0.html

Good luck to you!

Terri

Awesome...thanks!

 

[dizcrazee]

Thank you, Terri! I have saved the site to my favorites and I will definitely be spending some time there as I try to make the journey from completely clueless to somewhat informed.

 

[Ginny Favers]

Thanks so much for the advice, Ginny! I have three short stories and a short novella. I don't have a full-length novel yet, so I can't get a literary agent at this point - right?

I bought the "Writer's Market" and I have created a list of magazines and online publications that might be interested my work. Would you recommend that I submit my stories to these publications rather than self-publishing? From what I understand, these publications are dwindling and it is getting more and more difficult to have your work published.

I've been hanging on to my stories for a while and they are as polished as I can get them. In fact, I've probably proofed and edited them too much! I am a semi-retired community college instructor and although I've done some academic writing, I've secretly always wanted to write fiction. Now that I'm teaching part-time, I finally have the time to do it. My husband used to work in newspaper journalism, and he has helped me with the proofing and editing process. I believe they are ready to publish -I am just unsure as to how to best go about it. I think I'm having a bit of a confidence issue here as well...

Thanks again!

As far as I know, literary agents only handle novels. At least mine does, because when I asked if I needed to use him to sell my stories, he said no.

I think that I would try to submit your stories to literary magazines, rather than putting them up in the slushy wilderness that is Amazon. It is a thrill and validation for you as a writer to have your work accepted! I know Kindle has a place for shorts, but it's so overcrowded nowadays with slushy junk that it's hard to stand out. I know I submitted a few stories long ago to publications that nominated into the Pushcart prize. That would be kind of cool to win and to be published in an anthology! Also, I know that Writer's Digest and other places do contests for short story writers. That's another avenue.

Of course, if you're not interested in recognition or validation and just want your family to read them, then Amazon is always an option. I consider it a last resort, but it is an option.

 

[dizcrazee]

Thank you again, Ginny. I do indeed want validation of my writing skills. I agree that getting published by a recognized literary journal or magazine would do that for me. I've had no feedback on my stories other than from my husband. He's very positive and supportive, but I'd like to know what the rest of the world thinks.

What do you think of this plan...

1. Submit my four pieces to the publications that I've selected from the Writer's Market.
2. Identify some suitable contests and submit them there as well.
3. Wait a couple of months for responses and research self-publishing options in the meantime.
4. If no publications are willing to publish them, assume that my stories suck a little, but publish them myself because they are my babies and I think they deserve to be read.
5. If I decide that self-publishing is not a good option, post them at a site like fictionpress.

 

[bevgray]

If you are serious about writing, my suggestion is that you check out several of the writers' forums. The writing world is changing and trade publishing is no longer the only game in town. A great deal depends now on the writer, what you want to get out of it, how much time you're willing to devote to it...these are all things you need to consider before you decide between trade publishing and self-publishing. The forums at "Absolutewrite.com" have a good mix of veterans and new writers, trade published and self published. The important thing is to find out as much information as you can so that you can follow the writing path that suits your nature. Each approach has its advantages and disadvantages.

I self publish but I've been a full-time technical writer/editor for over thirty years and I enjoy a lot of the process. Also, at my age, I'm quite happy writing what I want to write rather than worry about commercial appeal that might catch the eye of an agent or trade publisher.

One strategy you might consider is to take one of the stories and upload to Amazon Kindle and/or Smashwords. This may help you determine if your writing style/story concepts appeal to readers. At the same time, take one of the other stories and prepare it for submission to agents, magazines, and trade publishers. That way, you can try both processes. Just keep in mind that if you self-publish, you use up the first rights and most publishers won't be interested in that particular work. Quite a few mid-list authors do both.

Best of luck but don't rush into anything. There is a lot more to a story than just jotting down your thoughts. You're trying to communicate those thoughts to a reader, too, and it takes time to polish those ideas and words.

 

[Ginny Favers]

Thank you again, Ginny. I do indeed want validation of my writing skills. I agree that getting published by a recognized literary journal or magazine would do that for me. I've had no feedback on my stories other than from my husband. He's very positive and supportive, but I'd like to know what the rest of the world thinks.

What do you think of this plan...

1. Submit my four pieces to the publications that I've selected from the Writer's Market.
2. Identify some suitable contests and submit them there as well.
3. Wait a couple of months for responses and research self-publishing options in the meantime.
4. If no publications are willing to publish them, assume that my stories suck a little, but publish them myself because they are my babies and I think they deserve to be read.
5. If I decide that self-publishing is not a good option, post them at a site like fictionpress.

I think that's a good plan. Good luck!

 

[timmac]

Speaking from experience as something for an editor/formatter for a self-published title through Lulu, I can tell you that the technical setup and preparation is potentially a good portion of the total overall work; far more than I had expected.

Shameless plug (and no, I don't get any money for this):
http://www.amazon.com/Mouse-Of-Zen-J-B-Conway/dp/0557242703

 

[dizcrazee]

If you are serious about writing, my suggestion is that you check out several of the writers' forums. The writing world is changing and trade publishing is no longer the only game in town. A great deal depends now on the writer, what you want to get out of it, how much time you're willing to devote to it...these are all things you need to consider before you decide between trade publishing and self-publishing. The forums at "Absolutewrite.com" have a good mix of veterans and new writers, trade published and self published. The important thing is to find out as much information as you can so that you can follow the writing path that suits your nature. Each approach has its advantages and disadvantages.

I self publish but I've been a full-time technical writer/editor for over thirty years and I enjoy a lot of the process. Also, at my age, I'm quite happy writing what I want to write rather than worry about commercial appeal that might catch the eye of an agent or trade publisher.

One strategy you might consider is to take one of the stories and upload to Amazon Kindle and/or Smashwords. This may help you determine if your writing style/story concepts appeal to readers. At the same time, take one of the other stories and prepare it for submission to agents, magazines, and trade publishers. That way, you can try both processes. Just keep in mind that if you self-publish, you use up the first rights and most publishers won't be interested in that particular work. Quite a few mid-list authors do both.

Best of luck but don't rush into anything. There is a lot more to a story than just jotting down your thoughts. You're trying to communicate those thoughts to a reader, too, and it takes time to polish those ideas and words.

Thank you so much for sharing your very helpful insights and knowledge! I like your idea about trying both options and I'll definitely check out that website.

To timmac....what a creative idea you had - Disney poetry! Congratulations on your book and thanks for sharing the link.

 

[timmac]

To timmac....what a creative idea you had - Disney poetry! Congratulations on your book and thanks for sharing the link.

To be clear, though, I didn't do the writing, so I can't take credit for that. I did layout/alignment/editing and a touch of proofreading. Nonetheless, I figured my experiences with those aspects of self-publication might still be useful to share.

 

[Myothername]

My husband is a writer also and we are trying to market his novel to agents right now. It is tough. Lots of rejections, a few saying it is good but just not their genre, that kind of thing. www.twothebook.com is the site for the book.

He has written lots of short stories and has had more luck getting those published. He is thinking of starting a blog on a totally different story than the novel or the short stories but I think it will get him a little more attention because it is a timely subject and can be lots of fun. I am his unpaid assistant and I have told him I won't do anymore research on the blog thing until he has at least 3 installments written.

 

[dizcrazee]

My husband is a writer also and we are trying to market his novel to agents right now. It is tough. Lots of rejections, a few saying it is good but just not their genre, that kind of thing. www.twothebook.com is the site for the book.

He has written lots of short stories and has had more luck getting those published. He is thinking of starting a blog on a totally different story than the novel or the short stories but I think it will get him a little more attention because it is a timely subject and can be lots of fun. I am his unpaid assistant and I have told him I won't do anymore research on the blog thing until he has at least 3 installments written.

Great website - thanks for the link! The book sounds very interesting. I like the idea of using a college dorm setting. By the way...this is so weird...get ready....I also graduated from USM in the 1980's. I'm originally from southwest MS, close to the LA line.

The stories I have written so far are "darkly ironic humor" things. When I started this writing journey at the beginning of 2012, I thought I would be writing sort of light southern humor stuff because those were the ideas that I had, but as I got into the process, my writing got darker and darker, and I started exploring aspects of life that are painful or just uncomfortable and awkward. Basically, I try to make my reader (well, so far just my hubby) feel, and be entertained by, my characters' embarrassment and discomfort and then zap him with a big lightning bolt of psychological insight in the end. Mwaahaha!

Good luck with the book!

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

I have been self- publishing for over a year now. It is very easy to self publish a book, but even easier to self pub a book and lose money. Luckily being in the publishing business now and then I knew that. I haven’t lost money but I am not raking it in either.
GF is right, do not rush something out. I rushed my first book out and almost killed it. It’s been over a year and I still update with edits. And I can see the readers appreciating the effort. Be prepared to give away your books and seek out bloggers. This is getting harder as the bloggers are being bombarded often by crap. Convince them yours is not crap. Do not expect every person who reads to write a review. Do not expect every hundredth person to read to write a review. Maybe about every 300th if I had to guess.
Happily in self pubbing size doesn’t matter. Well at least in novella and bigger. In fact I see more and more serializing their works.
Firstly they do it so they can give away or sell the first dirt cheap. Also Ebooks are getiing cheaper and cheaper so writers feel like they should not put the work in if the most they are going to get is 7.99.
That said short stories are hard to sell and to get reviews. My second book is three short stories, but they were written to together. Three one on one confrontations at different stages in life and the people have noted they intertwine. I don mot think alone people would have reacted the way they are.
There are some great sights to get feedback from self pubbers. Goodreads has been very helpful in getting fair reviews and feedback. There is a community site on KDP(Amaazon self pubbing) site. Some really good info, but also sometimes some of the writers are upset. It is hard cause many are finding it tough to get readers, I feel there pain, but not having invested much I try to stay patient.

 

[dizcrazee]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and observations, Cogswell!

I joined a critique group this morning. I think that will be a good place for me to start. That way, I can get more feedback on what I have written before I try to get published.

My new year's resolution for 2013 will be to get these four stories published in some form. Thanks to everyone that responded for helping me to get motivated to do this.

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

I would not worry about plagarism of something self published.
I do not know anything about critique groups and would feel less comfortable about showing stuff to some unless I rresearched them.
Not to say there are not many great ones out there, but someone else might have better idea how to protect yourself. I never used them and usaully had work protected before I showed to people.
It only cost 35 bucks to register work with LOC Online.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions etc.

 

[dizcrazee]

Good point, Cogswell -thanks again. I gave them my least favorite story to critique, so it won't be that big of a loss if someone tries to steal it. I'm hanging on to the best ones like they are the golden ticket and I'm running out of the candy store with them.

But at least by getting a critique on something, maybe I can find out if my overall writing style has any appeal to anyone besides my hubby.

 

[Myothername]

Great website - thanks for the link! The book sounds very interesting. I like the idea of using a college dorm setting. By the way...this is so weird...get ready....I also graduated from USM in the 1980's. I'm originally from southwest MS, close to the LA line.

The stories I have written so far are "darkly ironic humor" things. When I started this writing journey at the beginning of 2012, I thought I would be writing sort of light southern humor stuff because those were the ideas that I had, but as I got into the process, my writing got darker and darker, and I started exploring aspects of life that are painful or just uncomfortable and awkward. Basically, I try to make my reader (well, so far just my hubby) feel, and be entertained by, my characters' embarrassment and discomfort and then zap him with a big lightning bolt of psychological insight in the end. Mwaahaha!

Good luck with the book!

We live in Hattiesburg and my husband graduated from USM in 1984. I am from Hattiesburg as well.