BLAZING A TRAIL Interviews: Michael A. Stackpole

To celebrate its launch, BLAZING A TRAIL: Your Self Publishing Journey is FREE in Kindle format today!

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Mike Stackpole was one of the first authors to recognize the opportunities digital publishing had to offer. Here is the interview he gave for BLAZING A TRAIL:  Your Self Publishing Journey.

Michael A. Stackpole is a bestselling author of many traditionally published novels and a successful self-publisher. His most recent Indie release is MYSTERIOUS WAYS. His website is  http://www.stormwolf.com

Tell us a little about your background and publishing history.

I’m an eight times New York Times Bestselling author with over 45 books published. I’ve independently published a handful of originals (collections or novels) as well as a number of novels which had been traditionally published, but had no ebook rights attached. I’ve also participated in a number of Indie anthology projects, like FIVE BY, with Kevin J. Anderson, B. V. Larson, Loren Coleman, and Aaron Allston. That project was conceived of and executed as an Indie project.

If you published with a traditional publisher before self-publishing, do you think having a following helped your Indie sales? Why or why not?

There is no denying that having been previously published is very helpful. Any books sale involves a “trust me” factor. By having had work out before, readers already know what I can do. Also, as readers transition from paper books to ebooks, they look for authors they know and trust. Having a name—and a book on a shelf—is a convenient starting place. After all, if they decide to get my latest for their eReader, and do a search, all my titles show up. This way they find the traditionally published ebooks, as well as my Indie work. Search Engines do not discriminate in that way.

What led to your decision to self-publish?

Two main factors: First, money. I like getting a larger share of the pie. Second, I had work which no one else wanted to bring out in any format, simply because they couldn’t see how to make money off it. I could. So I decided to bring the books out.

How long have you been self-publishing?

I was the first author to have fiction available in the iTunes App store, and I had several stories available before that in a format that worked on iPhones and iPods. My self-published work began, however, back in April, 2003 with The Secrets, my how-to-write newsletter. So, at least ten years.  If you want to take my gaming work into account, where I was writing, editing, and publishing through Flying Buffalo, Inc, then we kick it back to 1979, but who’s counting?

What were your goals when you began, and how have they changed since then? How do you measure success?

Great question. My goals were poorly thought out and really require constant revision because of the way the marketplace and Indie publishing changes. The basic goal was to make money, and that continues. Marketing is a secondary goal, and that’s the slippery one. That takes a lot of work where the results are very hard to quantify when it comes to success. You can’t put five hours in one day and see $1,000 show up tomorrow. Or, if you can, tell me how. Twitter is a great example. I send out stories every day and then see things retweeted up to a week later. Clearly it is working, and announcing a new book will generate sales, no doubt, but getting it to build requires a lot of effort and constantly embracing new strategies.

Did you do a lot of the production process yourself, or did you hire people to do it for you? Were you satisfied with the outcome?

I do a lot myself because a) I am cheap and b) I’m coming from the gaming industry where I did all of that stuff in the past anyway. Graphics, which I really can’t do, I hire out or barter for. Ditto editing. I rely on the kindness of friends for proofreading. (They seem to think that getting to see an advanced copy is payment somehow.) I’m very satisfied with the outcome, but, again, I developed those skills a long time ago. If I was just trying to learn it all now, I know the learning curve would be steep in parts. Still, the cost/benefit analysis would push me on to do it.

How have you spread the word about your work?

Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, blogging, conventions. I did a limited run of CDs with one book on it and then did readings at conventions. I had a really good sell-through after the readings. Interviews and developing a list of reviewers to whom work can be sent is also important. I will do more on developing that list this year.

What has been the most effective thing you have done to promote your books? What has been the least effective?

To me, marketing efforts are really tough to quantify when it comes to results. For example, I had really good results last year when I did a giveaway via Amazon. Gave a boatload of books away and had really good follow-up sales. One of my publishers tried the same trick with one of my books, had exactly the opposite result: gave away tons, had no following sales. I think the real key is to build up a captive audience and use them as the foundation of what you’re doing. Also, enlisting bloggers through free review copies is key. Less because they have dedicated readers than anything is a chance for folks to be reminded the work is out there.

How did your Indie sales evolve? What should a new Indie author expect?

Yes, sales do evolve. They ebb and flow. Frankly, we are too new to this whole market to be identifying all the variables in play, much less identifying one (price, for example) which is the “magic bullet.” Price competition is stupid, to my mind, since it’s never really been part of the way folks buy books. Plus, since anyone can get a free sample and decide to read more based on that, how can you price your book below free? Better to learn how to write the front part of a book to hook readers than to worry about what the price of your book will be.

In terms of  new Indie authors, they need to think endurance, not sprint. Stay in the game. Turning out more work is actually marketing and very effective marketing. Sales will build eventually. Figure out two or three marketing methods with which you are comfortable, master them, and use them mercilessly. (Sample chapters are your best friend.) Don’t feel you have to do all the stuff everyone else tells you to do. Job one is write. Better to sell three copies of  ten titles than thirty copies of one title simply because with ten titles, it’s easier for a reader to discover you.

What influenced your decision to price your books as you did?

I price them at what I think is fair and below what traditional publishers charge. In my case, it’s simple, $1 per 10,000 words, capped around $6 (depending on the book and any special/deluxe features). So, if the book is a monster, you get a bargain. I’m also turning out more compact novels, running around 50,000-60,000 words (the pre-1987 length for SF/F—current length for crime fiction and [category] romances). This means I can do more to have more work out there for more readers.

What are your top tips for new Indie authors? What do you wish you had known before you started?

Be market aware and keep writing. The saddest authors are the ones that flog the hell out of a single book. Why? Because by the time they’ve sold a copy to everyone who could conceivably buy it, they don’t have anything new to offer. Careers are made from continuing sales, not one-offs. You always want to have something new for the reader to find, and to include sample chapters in the back of earlier book, complete with links to buy.

Any other thoughts you’d like to share?

Read the blogs, follow twitter feeds (@mikestackpole), and do what you must to keep up with trends, but take everything with a grain of salt. Sure, the predictions I started making about all this five years ago have come true, but that’s less because of truth of my vision, than the persistence of it. While folks waited to see what the future would become, I was out there telling them how it would be. They went along with me and my vision simply because it was easier than thinking for themselves (and risking being wrong compared to me—tongue in cheek here).

Most of all, keep writing. The fact that you must market does not excuse you from writing. More material means more sales. Every new person is a chance to buy your whole backlist. Don’t disappoint them by not having one. Also, think about new ways to tell stories and use them. Make the medium work for you.

BLAZING A TRAIL Interviews: Kris Tualla

Kris Tualla is one of the people who showed me that succeeding at self-publishing was possible. She shared her insights with me for BLAZING A TRAIL:  Your Self Publishing Journey, and in celebration of its release, I’m sharing what she had to say here.

Kris Tualla is the author of the historical romance Hansen series, the Discreet Gentleman series, and two books on self-publishing. Her most recent Indie release is LEAVING NORWAY and FINDING SOVEREIGNTY (Story and sequel released together in December 2012.) Her website is http://www.kristualla.com/

Tell us a little about your background and publishing history.

I started writing in 2006 on a whim and completed my first 100,000-word manuscript in ten weeks. I was hooked! I kept writing and learning, pitching and querying. I signed with an agent in 2009 and had full manuscripts requested by Big 6 publishers.

What led to your decision to self-publish?

After two solid years of either “we can’t sell Norway” or absolute silence from the publishers who had my manuscripts, I decided to take them back and self-publish.

 

How long have you been self-publishing?

Since September 2010.

What were your goals when you began, and how have they changed since then? How do you measure success?

My goal was to sell books and make money. That has not changed. Success, to me, is making more than a traditionally published author.

Did you do a lot of the production process yourself, or did you hire people to do it for you? Were you satisfied with the outcome?

I did it myself, except for editing and proofing, which REQUIRE multiple sets of outside “eyes.”

How have you spread the word about your work?

Appearances anywhere and anytime, Facebook, price manipulation online, and  promo CDs sent across the country to events.

What has been the most effective thing you have done to promote your books? What has been the least effective?

Most = price manipulation. Least = Advertising.

What influenced your decision to price your books as you did?

I started with the 99-cent lead-in and $2.99 follow-up, but now those price points have become warnings that the books aren’t any good. I raised them all to $5.99.

What are your top tips for new Indie authors? What do you wish you had known before you started?

#1 is MAKE SURE you have a good product as judged by publishing professionals!

#2 is to remember our books have no “shelf life,” so any book could hit big at any time.

#3 is to write another book.

Any other thoughts you’d like to share?

Just because you CAN doesn’t mean you SHOULD. Far too many self-pubbed authors publish prematurely out of ignorance and put out a crappy product. Game over before it’s begun.

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BLAZING A TRAIL: Your Self Publishing Journey is now available in Kindle format and will be FREE March 19 – 21. If you decide to download a copy, please return after you’ve read it and leave a review. Thanks!

BLAZING A TRAIL Interviews: Thomas Watson

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

To promote the release of BLAZING A TRAIL: Your Self Publishing Journey I’m sharing some of the interviews with Indie authors that are in the book. From my perspective, knowing how self publishing has worked for a variety of people who have written different kinds of books is much more valuable than knowing how it worked for just one or two outliers. Today’s interview is with Tom Watson.

Thomas Watson is the author of THE LUCK OF HAN’ANGA and FOUNDERS’ EFFECT, the first two books in The War of the Second Iteration series. His website is http://underdesertstars.wordpress.com .

Tell us a little about your background and publishing history.

I was a freelance writer from the late 1970s through the early 1990s. I wrote fiction as well as articles and essays, but had no luck selling novels or short stories during that time. While that was going on, I worked a variety of retail jobs to make ends meet, read a lot of science fiction, and was involved in science fiction fandom in the Phoenix area. It was a rewarding, but not always easy, way of life. In the mid ‘90s, burned out by constant financial struggles, and a persistent lack of success with fiction, I went back to school and finished a degree process set aside many years before. By 2000 I’d pretty much stopped writing, and shortly after actually admitted that I’d given up. The possibilities presented by modern forms of self-published revived my interest in writing for publication in late 2010.

What led to your decision to self-publish?

The rejection letters I received from fiction editors in the ’80s weren’t always form letters, simply signed and sent. On the contrary, I received enough encouragement to believe that I would sooner or later be published, yet it never happened. I eventually, after trying for twenty years or so, gave it up and moved on to other things. I was never happy about that. The modern form of self-publishing made possible by the digital age provided options that motivated me to try again. The results so far have kept me motivated.

How long have you been self-publishing?

Not very long, at the time of this writing. My first book, a short memoir about star gazing, MR. OLCOTT’S SKIES, was released in March of 2012.  THE LUCK OF HAN’ANGA followed in June.

What were your goals when you began, and how have they changed since then? How do you measure success?

The only goal I had in the beginning was to master the process of producing and publishing a book. Beyond that, I’ve avoided setting arbitrary goals or specific milestones and don’t worry much with how I might measure success. To my mind, it’s simply too soon for that. Something I learned the hard way in my first attempt at writing for a living is that expectations raised by a writer are seldom realized and rarely unfold quickly if they are realized. The discouragement that sometimes follows unrealized expectations can suck the creative impulses right out of you. So for now, I’m concentrating on the work of getting the next book out there and will then redirect a bit more of my energy toward self-promotion.

Did you do a lot of the production process yourself, or did you hire people to do it for you? Were you satisfied with the outcome?

Because of financial constraints, the only production related work I’ve paid for was some formatting early on. I’ve since learned to do all of that for myself. I haven’t done this on my own, however. Several people have played the role of beta readers for me, providing critical evaluations and much needed reality checks. Believe me when I say I am grateful for both, and that my books would not be anywhere near as readable as they are without that input. I am also fortunate enough to be married to someone who is not only an excellent proof reader, but also is not at all shy about telling me when something I’ve written just doesn’t work. My biggest production challenge has been cover art. I’ve managed to work that out on my own, so far. I have been quite pleased by the results and have seen no complaints so far regarding production values.

How have you spread the word about your work?

I’ve actually made only limited efforts to actively promote my work. I use Twitter as a quick and dirty promotional tool and keep people up to date using Facebook and a weblog. I have promotional “threads” running on the Kindle Boards, Shelfari, and Goodreads. Being focused on getting books out there, I have not really explored the possibilities of self-promotion. When the second book of the series is out, I’ll shift my focus a bit toward such matters.

What has been the most effective thing you have done to promote your books? What has been the least effective?

Two things have worked especially well for me, so far. First was a giveaway I ran on Goodreads. Five signed copies of The Luck of Han’anga were made available. Before the event ran its course, more than 250 people had added the book to their “Want to Read” lists. The second is a short story I wrote, set in the Second Iteration universe, which is available for free. More than three hundred people downloaded it in a month, with only Twitter and Facebook to announce its availability. Several readers of the short story have since purchased the novel. As for least effective, the weblog might fit that characterization, but a bit unfairly, as I neglect the blog in favor of using my writing time to work on books.

How did your Indie sales evolve? What should a new Indie author expect?

Sales have so far not evolved in any meaningful way. The books haven’t been out there long enough, and I’ve spent too little time promoting them. With only a few months of availability, this is hardly a surprise. As for expectations, I’d tell someone just launching right now to have absolutely NO expectations of any kind whatsoever regarding sales. There’s too much luck involved in this business, no matter which tricks you are inclined to try. People out there hustling and “gaming” the system for the most part don’t seem to be doing much better than those who focus on the writing. So, save your strength for the keyboard!

What influenced your decision to price your books as you did?

A great many things, from numerous blog pieces to discussions online. In the end, though, I looked at the prices of a large number of books in my genre, independently published, and took a rough average. That matched the range presented by blogs and discussion groups, and so I picked a price from the middle of that range.

What are your top tips for new Indie authors? What do you wish you had known before you started?

I wish I’d known a little earlier that independent publishing had changed so dramatically, in the digital age. I’d have started writing again sooner! As for tips, don’t sweat formatting. You do need to make the effort to get it right, but it isn’t nearly as difficult or complicated as some people would have you believe!

Any other thoughts you’d like to share?

Patient Indie authors are fond of saying that this is a marathon, not a sprint. They are right.

BLAZING A TRAIL Interviews: Roxy Rogers

Another of the authors that agreed to be interviewed for BLAZING A TRAIL: Your Self Publishing Journey is Roxy Rogers.

Rogers’ most recent publication is GABRIEL’S RELEASE, the prequel to the Angels Descending series, and PAYBACK, the first of 16 novelettes in her HEROES series. Her website is  www.RoxyRogers.com

Tell us a little about your background and publishing history.

I began writing for newspapers while still in high school and then wrote for the IT industry before focusing my efforts on erotic romance and starting my own publishing company. I began releasing short stories as an Indie in 2011 and have a series of novelettes and a novel in progress.

If you published with a traditional publisher before self-publishing, do you think having a following helped your Indie sales? Why or why not?

Not significantly. My erotica with Cleis Press has contributed to some cross-over interest for my romance, but the demographics for each type of story are different enough that I would say the effect on sales is marginal. It also might be too early to tell since I have more romance for sale than erotica.

What led to your decision to self-publish?

I’d already been thinking about publishing independently when I sold a piece of short erotica to a New York publisher for an anthology they released in 2012 (GOING DOWN: ORAL SEX STORIES). This was the final push I needed that convinced me I was ready not only as a writer, but allowed me to really embrace the idea of having full editorial control of my product.

How long have you been self-publishing?

Since 2011.

What were your goals when you began, and how have they changed since then? How do you measure success?

When I started, I had three main goals:

1. Produce the most professional erotic romance stories that I could
2. Focus on the emerging eBook market. (I believe digital is the future of fiction and I am highly committed to reducing the waste and environmental toxins that the traditional publishing models create, particularly in the areas of paper pulping and carbon impact from the 40% returns model currently used.)
3. Retain editorial control of my stories from conception to final sale  and in the process, learn the best way to create a product I’m proud of, and in a way that generates sales but also ensures happy readers. Happy customers are repeat customers.

My goals have remained the same, but I’ve added more detailed goals, mostly around distributing internationally, increasing my output, and time-relevant goals for obtaining financial autonomy.

Measuring success as a new Indie is based on process rather than sales for me, at least for now.  Financial measurements are important as future goals, but regular sales are more important. When I am earning my main living from the sale of eBooks, my measurements will focus on finances and demographics. The way I measure success now is based on continuous forward movement toward my long-term goals, knowing that regular sales, no matter their size in each distribution channel, are proof that I’ve been successful in meeting my early quality goals: providing the most professional stories I can using a process that works for me. Every writer’s work improves the longer they practice their craft, so focusing attention on my writing, and on creating as many products in the market as possible helps me move closer to attaining success in all areas. In all things, including measurement, I’m thinking long-term rather than short-term. In retirement, my body of work will be my passive income stream, allowing me to travel and write on a more flexible schedule. That’s a very important end goal for me. If I can also afford Nanomeds when they become available and live long enough to write the 300+ stories I have clamoring to be written, I’ll be thrilled.

Did you do a lot of the production process yourself, or did you hire people to do it for you? Were you satisfied with the outcome?

I’ve mostly hired vendors, although I did experiment with various parts of the process to understand how it’s done and to help me better manage the talent required to do each task at the quality level I want to achieve. Vendors can be difficult, and the market is filled with unprofessional vendors who have talent but little or no business sense. Having managed vendors in my IT career, I was prepared to go through several in each production area until I found the right mix of talent and professionalism. I can’t stress enough how important it is not to settle on vendors who don’t give you what you asked for at the quality level or schedule agreed upon. If I want my readers to have professional quality products, I have to demand quality and professionalism from my vendors. I work full-time in addition to my publishing career, so it was more economical for me to outsource the editing, formatting, and cover art. I did perform the formatting and partial edits on one of my eBooks, and even though the formatting was the easier of the two tasks, I’m still convinced that my time is better spent writing than performing most production tasks myself.

How have you spread the word about your work?

I have a professionally created web site, a blog, and I’m on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads. I have also made appearances at conferences and public events. While I don’t spend much time promoting my work through my blog (in fact I often go several months between entries), I do think it helps with the general buzz about my work.

What has been the most effective thing you have done to promote your books? What has been the least effective?

Having a presence in many virtual places increases the number of search engine hits received when someone searches on my name, and it does move the occurrences of my name higher up in Google search results. While I don’t think that has been responsible for sales, I believe sales result from a certain level of saturation in the market. Search results are just one part of that saturation. I’ve seen my best sales periods when I was receiving new reviews on Amazon while simultaneously advertising my books once weekly on Twitter and Facebook, using a one-line comment and a link. I have not used my blog for promotions yet, but I am planning to do that several times in the coming year. While it’s difficult to measure whether the social net blasts or the reviews on Amazon were primarily responsible for the sales or not, I believe both my reviews and my Twitter/Facebook blasts had an effect. It could have been a combination of factors. I also think that publishing erotica in an anthology was helpful to my romance as it gave me the opportunity to reach a demographic that would not normally be focusing their attention on romance, again adding to the saturation factor.

How did your Indie sales evolve? What should a new Indie author expect?

My sales have been somewhat regular and enough to pay for utility bills. However, considering all of my eBooks are short stories or novelettes, that’s actually very good. I begin at a price point of $.99, so my products are not typical in that most authors begin with full length novels at a higher price point. I find that all my sales have experienced what I would call the bell curve effect. They’ve been seasonally affected, and they drop and plateau after peaking around the holidays. My best sales periods have been from November – April. My assumption is that the high of that sales curve result from readers buying for the holidays  and also buying more books after receiving a new ereader as a gift. I also notice that sales change depending upon what’s taking place in the market. As more Indie publishers enter the market, my sales drop off when I’m not releasing a new book. I’ve found that making sure you have something releasing regularly seems to be the best way to keep overall sales up.

What influenced your decision to price your books as you did?

At first, the length of my work dictated the price, such as charging $.99 for a short story or novelette. However, as the market environment changes and I have more publications out, I’ll be changing my prices to reflect quality and value perception.

What are your top tips for new Indie authors? What do you wish you had known before you started?

Do it now. Don’t wait! Don’t let rejection from traditional publishers convince you that your work isn’t ready. Their business models are antiquated. and they’re not a good yard stick to use in measuring whether you are ready. Once I started publishing, I couldn’t believe how much easier it was than I had imagined and how much happier I was about having control over the entire process. If you are a person who hates the idea of managing details or vendors, then it might not be for you. It was the perfect fit for me, and I wish I had started at least a year before I did. Remember that this whole production business is a balancing act. You are wearing many hats, even if you outsource most of the production work. Another thing to keep in mind is that the industry is in constant flux right now. You’ll need to be constantly adjusting your business model for that, so stay as fluid in your approach as you can and expect change to occur on a regular basis.

Any other thoughts you’d like to share?

Don’t expect to get rich overnight. For a tiny few this will occur, but for the rest of us, publishing is a long-term commitment, but it offers long-term rewards. Be patient with yourself, with the process, and above all, write the best books you can. As the saying goes, “Cream rises.” And you will too if you’re committed to professional quality and to your craft.

BLAZING A TRAIL Interviews: Jennifer Roberson

As the release date for BLAZING A TRAIL: Your Self Publishing Journey grows closer, I’m sharing some of the author interviews that appear in the book. Today’s interview is with Jennifer Roberson.

Jennifer Roberson is the author of several traditionally published historical novels and many fantasy novels, including her SWORD DANCER series. Her most recent Indie release is SMOKETREE, a romantic suspense. Her website is www.jennifer-roberson.com.

Tell us a little about your background and publishing history.

I have been traditionally published since 1984, primarily in the fantasy genre, but have also written historicals and a few titles in other genre.

If you published with a traditional publisher before self-publishing, do you think having a following helped your Indie sales? Why or why not?

To a certain point, yes, but not significantly so.   I think this might be different if the Indie titles were in my primary genre, fantasy, but they are early stand-alone novels in three different genres: a western, historical romance, and romantic suspense.  Unfortunately these were the only three novels not encumbered by e-rights clauses.  My fantasy and historical publishers—DAW Books, and Kensington—have contracts including e-rights clauses, so I have no control over those titles, and few of them are yet available as e-books.  I do think that as readers discover my titles are available in e-book format, they will also discover the early works that are Indie books and sales may improve.

What led to your decision to self-publish?

The three early books would never be reissued by their publishers.  I wanted to make those titles available, too—and make some money, also!

How long have you been self-publishing?

Since spring of 2012.  I’m a baby in the Indie industry.

What were your goals when you began, and how have they changed since then? How do you measure success?

My original goal was to make the three titles available and to make some additional money.  While some tradpubbed authors are still doing quite well, sales are down across the board.  Those of us not in the rarefied air of Rowling, etc. are looking to maximize our income in a decimated industry.

There are components to success, and not all people weigh these components the same way.  Book sales/downloads leading to income is probably #1 for a large percentage of writers, particularly those who would like to write full-time.  But reader enthusiasm, good reviews, and an author’s satisfaction with the work itself—in any order—are also very important elements.

Did you do a lot of the production process yourself, or did you hire people to do it for you? Were you satisfied with the outcome?

I hired Elizabeth Campbell of Anti-Matter E-Press (http://antimatterepress.wordpress.com/ ) and worked very closely with her throughout the cover design process.  It has been a very enjoyable partnership.

How have you spread the word about your work?

I post the covers and blurbs on my Facebook page once a month.

What has been the most effective thing you have done to promote your books? What has been the least effective?

My books lack enough reviews to make the e-book lists, so I’ve relied on FB posts.  Each time I do this, there is a modest uptick in sales.

How did your Indie sales evolve? What should a new Indie author expect?

As readers are discovering my Indie titles when looking for my tradpubbed books online, sales are beginning to increase, but I believe sales of these titles will always be somewhat hampered by being stand-alone novels in three different genre.  I did expect better sales of my historical romance, “The Irishman,” because the romance genre remains strong, but I am not known as a romance author and readers don’t look for this from me.

As with tradpubbed books, new authors must realize that while some break out with very strong sales, the majority do not.  It’s important to keep in mind that this is a cumulative industry, regardless of format.  With each subsequent book, sales should improve somewhat—unless, of course, readers just don’t like the first one!  Indie authors have more control over promoting their books than tradpubbed authors, so that’s an advantage.  But Indie authors should not expect immediate success.  Except in a few cases, that just isn’t going to happen.  And it’s exactly the same in tradpub.

What influenced your decision to price your books as you did?

These were old novels, shorter novels, and not in my primary genre.  Also, two of the genres—western and romantic suspense—are not as popular as, say “regular” romance, and I knew these would reach a more limited market.  I priced the historical romance $1 higher, but $4.99 is still about right, I think.

What are your top tips for new Indie authors? What do you wish you had known before you started?

Top Tip: Publish a series.  Stand-alone novels do not sell as well.  This is true in tradpub, too. Sales build as each subsequent title is published, and you’ll begin to sell more of the first volume, also.

I wish I’d worked harder to promote my novels, but I am so accustomed to having no input on my tradpubbed novels that I didn’t take advantage of the Indie marketing tools.

Any other thoughts you’d like to share?

I have heard that some Indie authors are becoming resentful of tradpubbed authors who go the Indie route, either with a backlist that is out of print or new books written specifically for Indie publishing.  But Indie authors have many advantages.  Tradpubbed authors receive perhaps 8% of the cover price on paperbacks, and 10% on hardcovers.  Indie authors make significantly more money per download.  Tradpubbed authors who don’t sell well are dropped by their publishers.  Indie authors act as their own publishers, and they’ll never drop their titles.  Brick-and-mortar bookstores keep midlist titles on the shelves for 1-2 weeks before stripping paperbacks and returning hardcovers.  Indie titles are available forever.  So while it is true that popular tradpubbed authors enjoy the marketing machine of traditional houses, longevity in book availability is firmly in the corner of Indie authors.

BLAZING A TRAIL Interviews: Caroline Mickelson

The release of BLAZING A TRAIL: Your Self Publishing Journey is fast approaching. To celebrate I’m sharing some of the interviews included in the appendix. Today’s interview is of Caroline Mickleson.

Caroline Mickelson is the author of multiple titles, including FROM MANGIA TO MURDER the first novel in the Sophia Mancini mystery series. Her website is www.carolinemickelson.com

Tell us a little about your background and publishing history. 

I’ve always loved to write, and reading has always been a source of great joy for me. I’ve been published in magazine length non-fiction, but my fiction has been strictly Indie published.

What led to your decision to self-publish? 

The decision to follow this path wasn’t motivated by a lightning bolt or any other divine inspiration that this was “it.”  In fact, I cannot think of any other decision I’ve made in my adult life that I’ve taken more care and time in making. Prior to being ready to become my own publisher, I believed that self-publishing was an admission that my writing wasn’t good enough. I knew I was ready to go down this road when I realized that my core belief had changed because I believed that self-publishing was my way of saying I was good enough.

How long have you been self-publishing? 

I’m just reaching the one year mark. I have to say that every day I become more excited about the possibilities and options available to Indie authors. After only a year, it’s hard to remember exactly what I was so concerned about prior to jumping in. I’m not completely adverse to the idea of a hybrid career, but I’d be completely satisfied and quite happy with a long Indie career.

What were your goals when you began, and how have they changed since then? How do you measure success?

Initially my first goals were to just “do it,” namely to take the first steps towards bringing my book to a market where readers could find it. After the first few sales, I began to see the possibilities and set more goals – chief among them, become the best writer I can be because – wow! – people were actually going to read my books. Amazing!

Did you do a lot of the production process yourself, or did you hire people to do it for you? Were you satisfied with the outcome? 

Initially I hired everything out, from editing to cover design to formatting. I still plan on having a freelance editor read all of my novel-length books, and I plan on hiring top-notch cover artists for the book covers. I was very resistant to learning to format e-book and print books myself, but I’m now planning to learn how to do it myself so I can make changes more easily (and affordably). The beauty of being my own publisher is that I can make these decisions project-by-project, and I love that flexibility. I wasn’t satisfied with the first two book covers for my debut mystery, despite the fact that the first two cover artists I contacted were very talented. They just weren’t the right ones for this project and “okay” wasn’t good enough. I wanted fabulous—why settle for less?

How have you spread the word about your work?

This has been the most challenging part of being my own publisher. Not difficult per se, not impossible, not even frustrating…but challenging. I’ve tried Kindle Select, a bit of social media, and a few book blog tours. It’s difficult to measure what works or to what degree it works, but there’s no need to know right up front. I’d highly recommend networking in person or online with other Indie authors to learn what has worked for them.

What has been the most effective thing you have done to promote your books? What has been the least effective? 

I don’t know, quite honestly. Kindle Select worked great for a novella I wrote, but not nearly so well for my mystery. There are so many variable factors that I can’t control or even identify, that I can’t say. I remind myself often that promotion isn’t paint-by-the-numbers, and that is okay. There’s no shelf life for my books or threat they’ll be pulled off the shelf and destroyed, so I will keep learning how to get the word out. I did purchase two ads that I didn’t think were effective at all, so, at this point in my journey, I won’t be advertising until I have more books.

How did your Indie sales evolve? What should a new Indie author expect? 

My sales have grown slowly but steadily. While the slowly part isn’t thrilling, the steadily has been encouraging. I would highly recommend that new Indie authors have high hopes and amazing dreams for their sales and success. I’d also caution them to mind their expectations though as these can become quicksand. This journey varies from day to day, book to book, and author to author. Flexibility and a pioneer spirit are highly recommended! Expect to learn, to grow, and to have high and lows along the way.

What influenced your decision to price your books as you did?

I have a bit of a split personality when it comes to pricing because I can make an argument for pricing at either end of the spectrum. I do know there isn’t one right way to price a book; it varies from book to book and project to project. I had great success with a Christmas novella at .99 cents, but I tried that price point with other titles and saw no increase in sales. How does pricing affect discoverability? I don’t know. I do know that it’s easy to change prices and experiment, so I do.

What are your top tips for new Indie authors? What do you wish you had known before you started?

Top tip – keep writing! New books will help increase your visibility and income as well. I’d also recommend networking with other Indie writers as you continue to write. I wouldn’t recommend letting your writing take a back seat to promotion; that’s the only trap I suggest you watch out for.

Any other thoughts you’d like to share? 

I wish you much success with your writing and publishing journey. I know the opportunity to Indie publish has brought me a renewed joy in my writing, and I wish the same for you!

My Self-Publishing Journey: Do Public Appearances Work?

I have several opportunities to speak in public this year and I’ve accepted a few. First, I’m talking with other romance writers on a panel at Tucson’s Himmel branch library on February 9th. Then a month later I’ll be speaking twice at the Tucson Festival of Books. I’ll be talking again in November at TusCon, Tucson’s local science-fiction convention.

I also have several other conventions available for me to attend to network with readers and other authors. There’s the Romantic Times Convention, the Romance Writers of America national conference, and Jimmy Thomas’s Romance Novel Convention. 

All of these events will be a lot of fun to attend. But which of them will do my career the most good?

J.A. Konrath (a suspence/thriller author successful in both traditional and indie publishing) busted his butt to promote his first seven traditionally published books. He traveled all over the country doing signings and personal appearances. Now that his indie career is well established he’s not doing that anymore.  Author Dean Wesley Smith and his author wife Kristine Kathryn Rusch  believe that writing is a better use of their time than promoting–but they still go to the occasional science-fiction convention.  I’m still in the very early stages of my career, still building word of mouth about my books and going to conferences is a fun way to break out of the solitary existence of writing. But is attending conventions the best use of my time and money?

I think for most authors it comes down to the budget. Does the event require travel and an overnight stay? If so, how much does transportation and lodging cost? Is the benefit worth the expense? For many authors who are looking for a traditional publishing contract, the larger conferences give them a chance to talk to editors. There is a direct benefit. For indie authors the reward is less immediate. You may sell some books at the convention, but probably not enough to cover your expenses. The rewards are less obvious: connections and friendships that will enrich your life in unexpected ways. New readers who may not have heard of you otherwise. It may be only a few, but they may be bloggers who eagerly share the news about an author they just met.

These benefits can’t be measured on a balance sheet. But as business people, we do still have to keep track of the money. How do we decide to spend it? Which event is worth interrupting our writing schedule to attend?

Share with me how you choose.

One Year of Indie Publishing

This month marks my one year anniversary as an indie publisher. LIGHTBRINGER:  A Celestial Affairs Novel was the first of four self-published titles I’ve released since last October. It has been a busy year, and while I’m usually focused on the next goal I’ve set for myself, this seems like a good time to look back and see what I’ve learned and how well I met my goals.

In terms of sales, I didn’t really have any specific goals. I had no idea what an unknown author like myself could expect. I had read about a few phenomenal success stories, but I figured they were from the far right edge of the bell curve. I hoped that I would join them there, but I didn’t really believe I would. Not in this first year, anyway. My minimum was that I wanted to break even within a year.

LIGHTBRINGER started slow, selling only about 12 copies a month for the first five months. I wasn’t doing a lot of promotion other than blogging and facebook (and not much of the latter).  At this rate of sales I figured that it would take me 2 1/2 years to break even. I was a little depressed. Even the holiday bump only increased my sales to 22 in December, and half of that was because I’d introduced a second title, WITH HEART TO HEAR. But I’d only been at this for a little over two months. Way too soon to get discouraged.

Then I decided to try Kindle Select and use the free promotion after a friend reported significant success with it. Amazon was already changing its algorithms by then, but I still experienced a 650% jump in sales to a little over 80/month. A few months later when I found more sites to notify about my free promos, sales jumped again by 250%. By this time I’d published a third title, DANGEROUS TALENTS.

Overall, in this first year I’ve sold just under 1000 copies of my self-published books (and given away over 35,000). That doesn’t sound like much, but sales are trending upward. I’ve achieved my minimal goal, breaking even on my investment. And I’ve achieved something else that is worth more than money to me: empowerment. I am happy doing what I’m doing. It’s challenging to balance production with promotion. I firmly believe that getting more great books out is the single best way to improve my sales. Beyond that, it’s a challenge trying to determine what works and what doesn’t, and what I’m willing to spend my time on to improve my books’ performance in the marketplace.

Here are five things I’ve learned this year, in no particular order:

1. Expect to learn as you go. You can’t know it all before you begin.
2. Be nimble and willing to experiment. Indie publishing is shifting rapidly. Vendors and distributors keep changing their ways of doing business, while new promotional opportunities seem to arise daily.
3. Keep writing. You never know which book will be the one that catches on. The more books you have out there, the more opportunities readers have to find you.
4. Think hard about where you invest your time. There will never be enough of it to do everything you want to do. It’s a finite resource. However you spend it, make sure what you do is either productive or fun.
5. Listen to others, then make up your own mind. It’s your career.

For next year? At minimum I expect to triple my sales. But my goal is to sell ten thousand copies. I’ll let you know how it goes.

 

Every Indie Knows . . .

When I plan what to write about here, I sometimes catch myself thinking, “Everybody knows that. I don’t want to beat a dead horse.” But not everybody is in the same place in their career development, and not everybody has read earlier posts, so at the risk of repeating myself, I’m going to mention a few things again.

Get Rich Quick and Easy–NOT!

The decision to bypass traditional publishers and go Indie is sometimes regarded as a quick way to make money. It takes so much less time to get a book in front of a reader with digital publishing than it does going the traditional route, it’s easy to see how beginners might fall into the trap of thinking this. In my experience, however, and in the experience of the Indie authors I know personally, this is not the case. It takes time to build an audience, and unless you already have a following from some other public life or as a traditionally published author, don’t expect to sell hundreds or thousands of books in the first few weeks, or even months. The authors who do well as Indies have multiple books out there. Don’t expect your first book to take off like a rocket. Keep writing.

It also takes a lot of work. See below.

YOUR BOOK NEEDS EDITING

I’ve seen some good books that went though multiple rounds of beta readers so I won’t say categorically that a book must have professional editing to succeed. But good golly, it sure helps. Yes, it will push back your break even point but I think your long term career will benefit because the book will be that much better. Second only to word of mouth, readers say the reputation of the author is what persuades them to buy. Build your reputation by putting out a quality product.

I just finished “Not Magic Enough,” a novella by Valerie Douglas that is meant to be an ambassador for the author’s other romantic fantasy books. The author’s voice is absolutely perfect, but as an ad for her other books this offering is weak because of the poor editing. (Despite that, check it out. Douglas’s voice is beautiful.)

My advice: Don’t rush your finished story out the door. Get a pro editor, or if you can’t afford it, do multiple rounds of beta readers. Even so, typos will still slip though, but consider what your work will look like if you don’t do this.  You don’t want readers to miss the forest of your story for the trees of typos.

GET A GOOD COVER

Some authors have the skill to design beautiful and effective covers, or they have a loved one who can do it for them, but most of us don’t. Human’s are visual creatures. We respond to visual cues. We need to use this to sell our work. If we don’t, our competitors will, and they’ll make the sale that could have been ours.

FORMATTING

I’d rather be writing than cleaning up Word’s weird style artifacts, but formatting can be done at home. If you decide to do this yourself, make use of the great resources out there to learn how to do it well. Me, I hire it out. There are folks out there charging very reasonable prices for quick, clean work. You do not want a reader to stop reading your story (and leave a bad review) because the font changes every other paragraph, or the question marks are replaced by hieroglyphics.

SO OBVIOUS IT DOESN’T NEED TO BE MENTIONED, BUT I WILL ANYWAY

Write a great story with engaging characters. ‘Nuff said.

My Self-Publishing Journey: To Boldly Go–

Yesterday I had lunch with three fantastic women: Kathleen Kirkwood, Caroline Mickelson, and Tara Simone; all authors who are also taking their own self-publishing journeys. And while we can’t say that we are going where no one has gone before, we are still explorers in a mostly undiscovered landscape. A landscape that is changing so rapidly that our efforts to map it may only be useful for a short time.

The landscape may be mostly undiscovered and changing, but there’s no lack of advice out there about the best route to take. Some of it is better, some not as much. We met to compare notes, and share insight and experience.

What we discovered yesterday is that despite the fact that we write in diverse genres (historical romance, cozy mystery, erotica, and paranormal romance), we mostly see eye to eye on what is important. We discussed a variety of topics yesterday, including pricing, editing, covers, and branding. We compared opinions on the best use of our time and the benefits of using social media for marketing.

Two things we agreed on unanimously was that 1) having a supportive group to compare notes with was priceless, and 2) the freedom and control granted by self-publishing is well worth any extra effort it requires. We are all so much happier with where we are now than when we were on the tradpub treadmill getting nowhere. We all had doubts going in. A couple of us worried about being seen as “giving up” or “not good enough to make it in traditional publishing,” but now that we’re here we have no regrets.

It really is an exciting time to be a writer!