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Way back in 2007, I wrote about what I called
the "holy grail" of book publishing: the blockbuster detector. Inspired by both
The Wisdom of Crowds and
Moneyball, I wondered about the possibility of a tool that could identify undervalued markets and help predict future sales.
2007, mind you, was the era before the Kindle and iPad even existed. These, of course, opened up a world of possibility, where you could assess on a granular level where people stop reading, and distinguish between books that people buy and books that people actually read.
So naturally, now that it's 2016, there's a company dedicated to helping publishers detect which books might be hits or duds
based on the reading habits of beta readers.
This is probably just the tip of the iceberg. Readers and writers, are you alarmed at the idea that your publisher could scale back your marketing budget if people stop reading past page 60 of your novel? Are you excited by the idea you could gain access to this type of data and help you revise?
What do you think?
It is 2016! Still no flying cars or hoverboards (
no, it's not), but um,
at least Crystal Pepsi is coming back? Bueller?
Anyway, as we move ever more squarely into the twenty-first century, it is that time of year where we make resolutions for how we will self-improve, conquer worlds, and burn off all those Crystal Pepsi calories.
Do you have a writing-related New Year's resolution?
I'm hoping to make more progress on my sloooooow going novel. And hopefully blog a bit more consistently. And look at Twitter a little more often.
What about you?
Art: The Sun by Edvard Munch
Here we are again.
I've been asking this question once a year since 2007, when the Kindle was an inelegant piece of plastic and the iPad was a glimmer in Steve Jobs' eye.
Will you ever buy mostly e-books? Do you already?
Poll below.
Caveats to preempt comments I have heard since 2007. Yes, not a scientific poll, yes, difficult to compare between years, yes, I know you want more poll options because no choice here precisely capture your nuanced opinion and buying habits. Choose the one that is closest enough to your perspective.
Looking forward to seeing what you think!
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There was an interesting kerfuffle recently as Amazon began transitioning some royalties over to pages read, as opposed to downloads. Will Oremus is one
who thinks it makes sense.
It got me thinking. How
should authors be paid?
What about all those used book sales that authors aren't compensated for? Library borrowings? Back to the patronage system?
Anyone got some creative ideas?
Art: Money to Burn by Victor Dubreuil
Is self-publishing on the ascent? Do people still want the imprimatur of a publisher?
Let's find out. This is the third annual poll. How do you plan to publish your work in progress? Are you a die-hard traditional or self-publisher? Will you consider one or the other depending on circumstances?
Poll below. Please
click here if you are reading via e-mail or a feed reader.
Create your own user feedback survey Art: Richard March Hoe's printing press from History of the Processes of Manufacture by A.H. Jocelyn
I've been wildly fortunate over the years to have met some of my very favorite authors and have befriended many others. Working in publishing and then going to conferences as a writer is often an exercise in "OMG OMG play it cool, play it cool" when your inner book geek is freaking out about meeting a rock star author.
What's your favorite experience meeting an author?
I have tons of such encounters to choose from, but I think I would have to go with having lunch with S.E. Hinton in Tulsa, Oklahoma and finding out (OMG OMG OMG OMG) that she read my blog. (
Here's the interview we did afterwards).
What about you?
Art: Officer and a Laughing Girl by Johannes Vermeer
By: Nathan Bransford,
on 3/11/2015
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You are visited by a genie. He offers you two choices.
One, your book will become a runaway commercial success and you will want for nothing. You will sell bazillions of copies, make bazillions of dollars, but even though it's popular, pretty much everyone thinks your book sucks.
Two, your book will not sell that well, but it will be remembered forever. You will win a major award and be widely regarded as a notable writer, but you will receive very little financial benefit and will have to continue to scramble to make ends meet.
What do you choose?
Art: Lais Corinthiaca by Hans Holbein the Younger
Much like athletes warming up for a big game, just about every writer I know has a routine to get them ready and focused to write.
What's yours?
Mine: I wake up relatively early on the weekend (7:30-8:00am), start up a pot of coffee, go outside to get a bagel or breakfast sandwich, come back, turn on soccer, answer emails, and then get myself started writing.
What about you?
Art: Été by Claude Monet
There was some good news in bookstoreland this week as beloved San Francisco science fiction and fantasy bookstore Borderlands announced that
they would be able to stay open at least another year thanks to a successful (and unique)
crowdfunding and sponsorship campaign. They had previously planned to close in part due to rising minimum wages in San Francisco.
Is this a harbinger of things to come for bookstores?
I've previously predicted that
local, independent bookstores would hang on longer than chains, much as indie record stores have persisted even as Virgin, Borders and Tower megastores bit the dust in the music world.
But it seems like even just relying on book sales may not be enough as e-books
continue their inexorable march.
What do you think? Can bookstores hang on, and is crowdfunding the answer? Or will bookstores be saved by another force? Or will they eventually be consigned to the past?
Art: Pariser Büchermarkt by Fritz Westendorp
Eighth! Annual! Poll!
I think we need a moment, guys. Eighth. Annual. Some of you probably voted in the first poll, or maybe you missed that one and voted in the second or third, but holy cow! Where did the time go?!
And where in the heck are the flying cars? It's 2014, we should be reading holograms in space or something.
Ahem. Meanwhile, there is a poll that YES WE KNOW is not scientific and is not directly applicable to previous years, but even though I say that every single year there will still be a commenter who insists on pointing out that this poll is not scientific and is not directly applicable to previous years. You may be the commenter who after eight years still insists on pointing this out, and I have to say I kind of begrudgingly love you.
Here are polls past, in case you are curious:
2007
2008 (technically the beginning of '09)
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
And here is this one. Vote if you dare! Oh, and yes, it's 2014 but you'll still need to click through to the actual post if you're reading this via e-mail or in a feed reader.
Writing can be tough. And that's even without those external obstacles that can get in the way of achieving writerly dreams.
What's the biggest obstacle you've overcome to be a writer?
Mine was failure to believe that I could actually be a creative person who could actually write a novel. I don't know what I thought a "creative person" was per se, but I did think it wasn't me. That is, until I got over that and decided instead to just go for it.
What about you?
Art: The Bullfight by Auguste-Francois Bonheur
By: Nathan Bransford,
on 8/27/2014
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This question comes from reader Puneet Agrawal, who is wondering about a seemingly simple and yet quite complicated and important question: How do you name your characters?
Where do you draw your inspiration? What's your process? Do they just come to you or do you spend time brainstorming? Do you draw upon any resources, like baby name books or census data?
I'm personally partial to naming important characters after
coffee drinks. What about you?
Art: The Gardener by Paul Cezanne
By: Nathan Bransford,
on 8/20/2014
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Over at io9, Esther Inglis-Arkell ranked
ten classic YA books she wished were turned into movies.
I wasn't actually familiar with those, but it definitely got me thinking. Which book do you wish were turned into a movie?
This is a tricky, tricky choice for me. On the one hand, classics like
The Great Gatsby and
Moby-Dick are difficult to transition to the screen, which gives me pause about picking something too literary. On the other hand, who knew that
The Godfather would have been so elevated in Francis Ford Coppola's hands?
It turns out that some of my initial choices are already in the works, including
Child 44, which is currently in production,
Spin by Robert Charles Wilson, which is rumored to be considered for a TV show, and
Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem, also in development.
Thus, I would have to go with
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon. What about you?
(And no, you're not allowed to answer "my own!")
Art: The Photographer Sescau by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
By: Nathan Bransford,
on 6/25/2014
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Something strange has been happening lately: not many of my friends are reading books.
It has happened gradually, almost imperceptibly, but the number of my friends who are reading is on the decline.
Some of this may be my age. Now that I'm approaching my mid thirties, a lot of my friends are in baby zone and are using their rare spare time to sleep.
But a lot of people I know have switched to reading more articles, they binge watch Netflix in their free time, and even smart thinking people don't feel the need to be catching up with the latest hot novel.
I have been optimistic about books for a long time. And I don't see reason to change my tune.
But sometimes... I wonder. With tablets and electronics everywhere, with the Internet evermore at our fingertips... will people still read books like they used to? Will our attention spans survive?
I hope they will. I love movies, I love video games, I love television, but nothing can compare to the emotional depth of reading a book.
No movie can give us the last page of
The Great Gatsby. No actual video game is as fun as
reading
Ready Player One. The TV version of
Game of Thrones is a lot of fun, but the longer it goes on the larger the books loom.
You know this. I know this. But are people going to keep reading?
What say you?
Art: A Favourite Author by Poul Friis Nybo
By: Nathan Bransford,
on 6/16/2014
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We've all been there.
Whether it's a heady ten page burst that we realize is terrible the next day or an agonizing decision to put a novel in the draw after years of work, every writer has to give up on some projects. The reasons vary, the amount of pain differs, but we all have to decide that enough is enough.
But how do you know when you've reached that point?
Or, as longtime reader Collin Myers puts it:
I just wonder, at what point do you have to kind of sit back and say, "This isn't going to work. It's not going to turn out the way you envisioned it."
Have you reached this point with a project? How did you know? Did you ever end up regretting turning back?
Art: Jeune homme à la fenêtre by Gustave Caillebotte
I'm probably in the minority on this one.
Sometimes writers talk about their characters as if they're real people. And I don't mean as in, "So and so did such and such," I mean, they talk about their characters as if they are people with their own agency that the author has little control over.
You'll hear things like, "I had big plans for what was going to happen, but then my character Suzy had other ideas!" or "Every time I sat down to write my novel, Suzy just made me take her to the craziest places."
On the one hand, I get it. It can be sort of strange to write a character whose internal logic you learn to obey. You might plan your novel ahead, but when you actually get down to writing it, you know your character's motivations so well you realize your previous plans don't make sense. It can feel like a character is gradually gaining control over your novel.
On the other hand, who is writing this novel?? Who are these characters that are outside of these writers' head and outside of their control?
Confession: it kiiiiiiiiiiiind of weirds me out.
Am I alone on this one or are there others out there like me?
Art: An Eunuch's Dream by Jean-Jules-Antoine Lecomte du Nouÿ
By: Nathan Bransford,
on 5/28/2014
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When my sister told me about the game
2048 I knew I was in trouble.
Most writers I know have an addictive personality. In order to be a writer you kind of have to. If you're the type of person who doesn't feel compulsively like you absolutely have to finish something you may not have the type of drive it takes to
I'm fortunate that I'm not prone to substance abuse, but I am very susceptible to games. When I start, I feel like I have to finish.
2048 is right up my alley in a really bad way. It is a mental puzzle, it's simple, it has an endless challenge. I lost a lot of time playing that game, and yes, the image above is a screenshot of my high score (*shakes fist at sister*).
Games are my biggest source for distraction. What's yours?
By: Nathan Bransford,
on 5/21/2014
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Writers can be a superstitious lot.
A coffee mug that confers special powers. An exacting but necessary pre-writing routine that must be adhered to before sitting down to write. A snack that is crucial for proper brain functioning.
What are your writing superstitions?
So. I'm curious if the times they are a-changing.
A year ago, I asked a simple question: how do you plan to publish your work-in-progress?
And now, inspired my
long-running poll about buying e-books, I'm asking agin. Do you think the times have changed? Are more people willing to go straight to self-publishing? Are people reconsidering the benefits of traditional publication?
We shall see. Poll below. If you're reading this on a feed reader or via e-mail, please click through to see it.
There are two types of readers and two types of readers only.
One type has several different books going. They might have one on their nightstand and one in their backpack, another stashed at work for lunchtime reading and who knows where else. I don't understand these people. They have a wild book love life.
Others, like me, cannot cheat on our current books. We are book monogamists, faithful to the book that currently has our attention even when we're apart and there are tempting new books in front of us.
Which type are you? Do you like having several books going or do you read one at a time?
Art: Interesting Story by Laura Muntz Lyall
By: Nathan Bransford,
on 4/23/2014
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Titles are tricky.
A great title can catapult a book, a bad title, well, the worst are probably just dull.
How did you think of the title of your WIP or last project?
My current WIP is untitled, but I named
Jacob Wonderbar after my favorite coffee drink at
Philz. Coffee wins again.
What about you?
Art: Don Quixote in the library by Adolf Schrödter
So. I'm embarking on a project to self-publish a
Guide to Writing a Novel.
What are the best resources for self-publishers? What are your favorite blogs, message boards, and books?
Art: The bookbinder by Anonymous
No writer lives in a vacuum. We all take inspiration from the people who have come before us. We are moved some of their best ideas, we all start through imitation before we graduate to originality, and it's important to recognize and honor the people who paved the way for your work.
This is an important process, and even as we mature as writers and as human beings we continue to be shaped by those around us and whose work inspires us, just as I've cribbed social media lessons from
Tahereh Mafi and
The Rejectionist even as they've become real-life friends.
I've asked before
who in your life most influenced you on the way but who are the writers who have shaped your work?
For me, it's Bill Watterson, Douglas Adams and Roald Dahl.
Art: Ein Maler bei der Arbeit by Paul Cézanne
Let's face it, there are some cool authors out there. Not only do they write awesome books, but they seem like they might be extremely fun to hang out with.
Which author do you most want to befriend?
I've been fortunate to actually become friendly with some writers I admire, but one author I would like to meet is China Miéville, in part because his books are amazing, in part
because of interviews like this.
China, if you're reading this, let's go bowling sometime!
What about you?
Art: "Gute Freunde" - Hermann Kern
Ta-Nehisi Coates recently featured an
interview with William Faulkner that naturally had an incredible array of quotable material, but which focused in part on the responsibility an author has to their art.
The meat:
The writer's only responsibility is to his art. He will be completely ruthless if he is a good one. He has a dream. It anguishes him so much he must get rid of it. He has no peace until then. Everything goes by the board: honor, pride, decency, security, happiness, all, to get the book written. If a writer has to rob his mother, he will not hesitate; the "Ode on a Grecian Urn" is worth any number of old ladies.
Faulkner comes from the kill, maim, dismember school of artistry, where the work is paramount and the lives that are affected are of secondary concern.
Easy to say. Not so much to do.
Many writers I know, especially memoirists or those who pull material from their real lives, grapple with the morality of affecting personal relationships in order to put forth their writing. When I heard him speak a few weeks back, Jonathan Franzen recounted how he hesitated using a thinly veiled version of his brother in
The Corrections.
How should a writer navigate this tricky path? Does the work of art ultimately reign supreme over the feelings of the people who may be hurt in the process of creating a book? What should an author be prepared to sacrifice? What do writers owe the other people in their lives?
Photograph of William Faulkner by Carl Van Vechten. Please see the Wikimedia Commons page for information on the Vechten estate's requests for reproducing his photographs.
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Guy Kawasaki's APE (Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur) is really good.
Currently going through the CreateSpace (Amazon) process to publish my book - pretty mainstream, but very easy - Alaniya Patton
I've gotten a lot of value from the Absolute Write forums. Also, the book "Self-Editing for Fiction Writers" changed the way I look at revision, and I consider it a must-read for all my writer friends.
I love Catherine Ryan Howard's Self-Printed
I spent some time:
- in the Writer's Cafe at KindleBoards
- considering Dean Wesley Smith's method (I don't agree with him 100%)
- watching what Deborah Geary was doing when Select came out.
Sometimes it gets a little militantly pro-self-publishing-anti-traddie, but I feel like that's calmed down a bit!
I would really like to see a chart comparing CreateSpace, Author House, and all the other self-publishing companies. It would be interesting to see what each could offer for the same manuscript.
If anyone learns of such a chart, I hope they'll post it. Otherwise, Nathan, I hope to find it in your book.
Couldn't get an agent? You?
anon-
I have an agent, I'm not considering a publisher for this project. Self-publishing all the way.
You might want to talk to this guy http://randykuckuck.com/index.php/sample-page/ or connect with him on linkedin. I've got a friend who is making a living as an independent book editor, Jim Thompsen. I can hook you up with him if you like. Of course there's writer.ly, but if you know about Guy and APE, you know about them. I self-published a novel using createspace and have three more up on kindle. Message me here if you want https://www.facebook.com/jeffwenker
The Digital Reader is a good site to follow for things like info on self-pub start-ups and digital publishing technology developments.
http://www.the-digital-reader.com/
Mark Levine is the guru of self-publishing. You should read his book first before you make any decisions: http://www.bookpublisherscompared.com/
Lurking here. If anyone can recommend a good nuts and bolts guide regarding ISBNs, formatting, making a publishing company, etc I'd be interested
The point of entry for anyone considering independent publishing should be TheCreativePenn.com. Luckily for the world, she chronicled her first year trying this, that and the other thing.
After that, the indie world is evolving so rapidly, that joining author's groups and engaging other authors slightly ahead of you and fairly parallel to you is the next step.
But the step everyone should take is having a reputable services firm. As a reviewer, I've been shocked by the awful results pouring out of AuthorHouse. I queried several authors from various outfits and found EditorialDepartment.com to be the one most respected by their featured authors and the most comprehensive in offerings (no financial consideration has ever been given to my by them, this is my opinion). There are others cropping up that I've not researched.
Peace, Seeley
I've found the best resources to be personal relationships with other authors.
Sue Quinn has posted a number of great articles on her website, and she's doen very well with her self-publishing efforts, so she has valid advice:
http://www.susankayequinn.com/p/for-writers.html
I have three eBooks on smashwords. I had to rely upon an Editor from formating to book cover to how to promote it. Paid 7$ on Facebook to "promote," "Paradise Montana," my original screenplay and was getting 15 "Likes" a day. they were all Fake profiles. FB Scamed me! let me get back at it...
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/251519
Joel Friedlander is a good resource - he's got some new templates available to help format in Word, and he's solid on basic marketing and using social media. http://www.thebookdesigner.com/ Joanne Penn is always coming up with something useful. http://www.thecreativepenn.com and there's a guy called Nathan Bransford you need to keep an eye on...
Thanks for the shout-out, Rick!
Livia - I have a whole series on formatting that should help get you started. Good luck! :)
TheCreativePenn.com is great, as mentioned above.
So is Lindsayburoker.com. I've learned a lot from her.
NovelPublicity.com has lots of great info/guest posts on their blog about indie pub.
And Duolit's Selfpublishingteam.com is fabulous. So is WiseInkBlog.com.
TheBookDesigner.com seems like an obvious one.
Lastly, Ashley Barron's Blog.ThePriyas.com has been helpful with info/experiences shared. She just launched a new site at IndieBookWeek.com.
Good luck with your WIP, Nathan.
I've recieved alot of help from Susan Kaye Quinn's blog.
JW Manus gives detailed advice and instructions on building e-books at her website "Ebooks = Real Books," including cross-platform problems and some fancy formatting instructions. An valuable website if you plan to build your own e-books. http://jwmanus.wordpress.com/
How to be a Writer in the E-Age...by Catherine Hyde & Anne R. Allen.
Anne R. Allen's blog is an excellent source of information for self-published writers and those who seek to be traditionally published. Although, the former pertains to you. Click Here to check out her site.
The Writer's Guide to ePublishing blog and The Creative Penn are great. Even though I'm going the traditional route for my upcoming book, I read those blogs daily.
I've very successfully used CreateSpace. It was very self explanatory, easy to make fixes, easy to design and order. I've been pleased with the quality of the product and wouldn't hesitate to use them again in the future.
Judy Berna
justonefoot.com
Susan Quinn is a great resource. I included her blog link when I commented last week, I think. Also The Indelibles is a blog of self-published authors and Susan is part of that group. There is a resource page on that blog. Here's the link: http://indeliblewriters.blogspot.com
In February, they had an online conference for 3 days. There's a website but I don't have the link. You could get it from Susan or by searching the Inelibles posts for February. Hope this helps.
Natalie's talking about IndieReCon - an online indie conference (Feb 2013) with a ton of up-to-the-minute info from leading indie authors.
Natalie - thanks for the nudge! I added a link to the Indelibles site.
My friend in publishing sent me this link. Been helpful. Some stuff I knew, some information I hadn’t thought about.
http://sarracannon.com/category/indie-writer-resources/
Robert Gryphon has an ever growing blog roll collecting exactly these kinds of resources: http://tunaforbernadette.tumblr.com/blogroll
anon...seriously, snarky and chicken? Geesh. Man up.
Best of luck on the venture. I have no clue how to self-publish, I will watch you and learn.
Sarra Cannon has a bestselling YA series. She's very sweet and I'd listen to anything she has to day. KindleBoards/ Writers Cafe has a butt load of info great for new indies. They can help you with about anything. The best part is that there are NYT and USA Today bestselling indies in there, freely sharing info and talking to everyone. Plus there are cool ppl in there like Sarra, Hugh H (Wool dude), Sara Fawkes (Anything He Wants Series), Bella Andre (Sullivans), and a bunch more. Here's the link: http://www.kboards.com/index.php/board,60.0.html Come by. Say hi.
Thanks for the mentions Stacey and Holly :) I have plans to put up a lot more info on my Indie Writer Resources, but for now I do have a screenshot walk-through for uploading to KDP and PubIt. There's also a guide to everything you need to know/decide before you're ready - ISBNs, blurbs, title, etc. Hope it helps anyone looking to selfpub. The guides are here.
I agree with Writer's Cafe on Kboards. I also get a lot of great info at WG2E, David Gaughran, and Susan Kaye Quinn's site listed above. Best of luck Nathan! Self-pub is AMAZING and such a great opportunity for authors today.
Guido Henkel has a comprehensive guide to ebook formatting on his blog. You might want to hire out that aspect, but I found it fascinating to learn enough about HTML coding to be able to produce my own ebooks for the kindle and the nook. You will also be indebted to the programmer who created Calibre in this endeavor. And Joe Konrath and somebody else have a great ebook on the subject. You have to wade through the rhetoric (because, of course, Konrath is a die-hard self-publisher and a little caustic) but there is a great deal of helpful information you can pull out of it, if you're so inclined.
Another vote for Joe Konrath, as with this recent post.
http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2013/02/how-to-sell-ebooks.html
Indies Unlimited (http://www.indiesunlimited.com) has great info and weekly tutorials on how to do various things related to self-publishing and social media. (Full disclosure: I also write for them.) I also read The Passive Guy, Konrath, Anne R. Allen, and Joel Friedlander. There's so much good material out there. It's a great time to be a self-publishing author.
There is not an easy way the first time you do it - if you want to produce a quality product.
Of course I assume you have had test readers and some editing/service advice at this point.
You have to do the research. Start with contacting printers in your neck-of-the-woods. They usually have binders that they work with quite often that they can recommend a few best ones for your project.
You might be able to cut costs by doing some of the layup yourself - ask your printer. They will tell you if there are more potential savings.
It is a learning curve, but it is probably worth it to go ahead and do this. At least you will value any services you contract for in the future.
Susan Kaye Quinn has great resources on her blog. Good luck! http://www.susankayequinn.com/p/for-writers.html
Susan Kaye Quinn is a definite good choice. You've been given her name so let me also add Maria Zannini. She put together a free guide call the Self-publishers Punch List. Very, Very helpful.
Maria's website might be helpful lol!
http://mariazannini.blogspot.com/
Lani Diane Rich and Alastair Stephens at StoryWonk.com. Great podcasts about the art and craft of writing as well as a lot of information about self-pubbing. Plus, they have formatting and editing services as well as cover design and blurb and tag line writing. Great, great resource! And they're a delightful fun couple.
I haven't used it myself, but www.selfpublishing.com seems like a site chock full of information and resources.
Check out Guido Henkel's guide to formatting your book for Kindle and Nook. I have a simplified guide on my blog (sophia-martin.blogspot.com), as well, but Guido's guide addresses things like adding images in, which mine does not.
Here's another one: WAEnet might have some good leads. It's a social network for writers, agents, and editors that launched more than a year ago and has been a great platform for learning and networking.
www.waenet.com
@ Livia - awesome! :D
I really like this list - there's folks I haven't heard of that I will definitely check out.
And - I have nothing new to add. Everyone has mentioned my recommendations, but I'll talk about my favorites.
A couple I'm sure you know:
I'll second Susan Quinn and Ann R Allen's blogs - both great.
I know you know about Konrath, at the Newbie's Guide to Publishing, of course. He just recently did a series of helpful posts about pricing and discoverability. He's got great ideas, and backs everything up with his own experience.
David Gaughran doesn't post alot, but when he does it's exceptional information. His site is called Let's Get Digital.
So, I assume you know about the Passive Voice, but just in case, it's my favorite.
I'm going to try and link the site correctly:
The Passive Voice.
Passive Guy does a daily round-up of important industry and self-publishing news. I can keep up with everything that's going on, just by checking in daily. He's a lawyer, and he also adds helpful commentary about lots of stuff. The tone of blog is definitely pro-indie/critical of Industry, but if that bothers you, ignore it and go for the information, same as with Konrath.
I think that Kristine Rusch's articles about the business of writing are brilliant and fascinating, and I agree with most of it (occasionally not all :). Here's her blog (if I linked correctly): Kris Writes
A couple people mentioned Joel Frielander above. He shares alot of good stuff about marketing, but he really shines around book covers and analyzing them. He also recently created some templates for inside the book - Chapter headings, etc., which he sells. His site is here:
The Book Designer
If you look at his sidebar on the right, there's a link to 36 self-publishing blogs he recommends for more self-publishing goodness. He admits this list needs to be updated (doesn't have the Passive Voice, a travesty) but it still has some very good blogs.
This is pretty cool. If I think of anything else, I'll come back. :)
I've used CreateSpace, an amazon company for seven books. Their guide will walk you through the process and the results are very good. Plus it only costs you ~$5.00 for a proof and the same for books. You can sell them through virtually every channel available for $25.00. Compared to "Self Publishing companies like iUniverse, it's the only way to go, as long as you feel comfortable doing everything yourself, including marketing.
Oh, I thought of a couple. I'm not going to link them, because I know you know them, Nathan. But if you're collecting a list, they are good potential people to be on there.
I haven't read them myself, but Mark Coker, founder of Smashwords, has books and articles that many find helpful - mostly about the nuts and bolts of self-publishing.
Bob Mayer is worth mentioning. I see him commenting on blogs alot - he has alot of info. He consults and has workshops....I don't honestly know if he belongs on this list - you might know better than I.
I wish Barry Eisler had a blog about this, but he doesn't. Nonetheless, I will mention him.
Draft2Digital is a new digital downloader similar to Smashwords, but it downloads to Amazon, and Smashwords does not, unless you're specially selected. The word on the street seems positive so far, but you always have to think about how much percentage you want to give up - that's with Smashwords too. You asked for blogs, etc., which this isn't, but what the heck, I'll throw this in.
Here's the url: https://www.draft2digital.com/
And just to show how wonderful Passive Voice is, here are just three of the upcoming posts for tomorrow:
11-Year-Old Raises $5,500+ on Kickstarter to Self-Publish
Apple CEO Tim Cook to Testify in eBook Anti-Trust Case
Top 10 Tips For Self-Publishing Print Books On Createspace
Okay, that's all I got for now. :)
I self-published on CreateSpace and did all the work myself, from margins to dropped capitals to alternating headers. I couldn't have done it without the absolutely amazing group of writers in the CreateSpace community, always willing to lend a hand and their expertise with anything that came up. I haven't maximized my use of GoodReads for my book, though I should, and have done most marketing through Facebook, Twitter and my blog. Something must have worked because my book, Looking Up, was just awarded the Grand Prize in the Writer's Digest annual self-published contest.
The Writer's Guide to ePublishing (WG2E)is a fantastic resource and their post tonight is a virtual encyclopedia of self-publishing information. http://bit.ly/ZJFxxs I think one could access information on nearly any publishing topic that one might have a question about.
I'm astonished that Mark Coker has received only one mention, and no link to his free Smashwords Style Guide.
Don't be fooled by the title. The content in here is full of best practices for formatting a manuscript for multiple platforms. Anyone familiar with (real) desktop publishing will know most of the tips in here, but even an old FrameMaker user like me (Frame 3.0 on Unix before Adobe acquired it) picked up some good tips.
Other than that, I'd say there's nothing more valuable than a helpful mentor, and I've found that most self-published authors who got help from someone are more than willing to pay it forward, including me.
So are you going to write this book or are we going to essentially it for you?
Nathan you are hands down my favourite agent cum writer and all- around helping hand for writers. You are one of only two blogs I subscribe to (the second one is very recent and not about writing). I believe you absolutely deserve your successes. But this surprises me.
This seems like 'hey, I, Nathan Bransford, well-known and respected name in publishing, am going to write a book all about how to self-publish as a guiding beacon of light so all of you out there might benefit from my wisdom'.
(cheers, applause, messages of support)
'Great! Thanks everyone! Right, so tell me what I need to know...'
Unknown-
]I'm actually writing a guide to writing a novel not a guide to self-publishing.
Wow, Unknown. I wonder if you realize how harsh and critical your post was.
And - in my opinion - unfairly so. Even if Nathan were compiling lists and information for an eventual book (and I think that would be cool), doing research and asking for community input is a well-respected and appropriate way to do that.
Nathan is representing himself as a learner here, and not as a 'guiding beacon of light'. And we can all benefit from the wisdom he collects. Self-publishing in this way is a terrific way for all writers to learn about self-publishing. I'm sure Nathan would discuss the process and give credit in his book.
You know, sometimes I find myself having unrealistic expectations of Nathan, which got set up back when he was my 'dream' agent and I sort of idealized him, but I've learned to check myself. He's just another writer trying to share his work, and as a fellow writer he is just as entitled to community support and understanding as any other. Asking him to meet some previous 'ideal' is unfair and unrealistic.
Anyway, I hope you'll think twice before you post something so hurtful again.
One of the best blogs is Steena Holmes' who has both self-published and traditionally published her books. http://www.steenaholmes.com/
Shameless self-promotion, is my own site, 224Pages. It's a design resource for authors who need book covers, author websites, book trailers and more. Too often authors patch together materials based on a book cover, but we focus on creating branded marketing materials for authors and their books. http://224pages.com
So, not a resource, but a great interview with Neal Pollack at A.V. Club about writing and failing and getting back up and it talks about self-publishing, as well. Not too mention the sometimes icky feeling of "branding".
http://www.avclub.com/articles/neal-pollack-on-rebounding-from-massive-hype-and-s,93689/
See this: http://thewritersguidetoepublishing.com/go-to-list-for-helpful-indie-rescources?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+TheWritersGuideToE-publishing+%28The+Writer%27s+Guide+to+E-Publishing+Feed%29
Sorry - here's a shortened URL.
http://tinyurl.com/cwnn5au
My first suspense is in the KDP Select program and free until Saturday. Great for name recognition for someone like me. You might not need this. But my book is now #2 in FREE Books in suspense. It goes into print and all digital in May.
Kindleboards was amazing. I did a lot more listening and learning than commenting but there was also a section called Book Bazaar where you could promote your book, and bump it up the list once a week.
Time consuming at first, but tons of information on how to go the self-publishing route.
I've been self-published for almost one year now. It’s been a wonderful experience! I have to admit I’ve all but disappeared from the Internet lately, as I work on writing a new novel; but I’m hoping to return to chatting with fellow writers on my favorite sites in the near future. Some of the most helpful resources for self-published writers I've found are:
Hugh Howey’s Blog The wildly successful Hugh Howey has a fantastic blog post today about how to succeed as a self-published author – some of the best advice I’ve seen anywhere about how the world of self-publishing really works and how to succeed as a self-published author.
David Gaughran’s Blog David was one of the first self-published writers in the new era of digital self-publishing to offer fantastic advice on self-publishing. His blog contains a wealth of information on this topic. Back when I was more active on the Internet, I was lucky enough to have my own post about self-publishing featured on David’s blog: Time Traveling Through the Past Decade of Publishing .
Anne R. Allen’s Blog I’ve found Anne’s blog to be very helpful.
Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s Blog Both traditionally published and self-published, the recipient of many awards and the only person to ever win both a Hugo award for editing and a Hugo award for fiction, Kristine provides a wealth of information about self-publishing on her blog.
Dean Wesley Smith’s Blog Both traditionally published and self-published, bestselling author Dean Wesley Smith has some very strong opinions on publishing. (He’s married to Kristine Kathryn Rusch and they run workshops together.)
The Passive Voice This blog covers a variety of topics on writing and self-publishing.
Joe Konrath’s Blog Having been both traditionally published and self-published, bestselling author Joe Konrath has some very strong opinions and lots of information about publishing.
And, of course, the Kindle Boards frequently have very helpful and informative discussions.
Oooops, sorry. I checked the first eBook I self-published on Kindle. That was almost two years ago, not almost one year ago. Time is flying by, I swear. :)
One of my all time favorite books on writing is 'A Story is a Promise' by Bill Johnson. storyispromise.com
He is an amazing teacher in person as well. I've taken a few classes from him at the Central Coast Writers Conference in San Luis Obispo, and had him edit some of my work.
Important concepts on establishing story questions and proceeding then to answer them. I refer to this continually in my own writing and use the concepts when editing the work of others.
If your book is going to include any discussion on publishing, I love Anne R. Allen's Blog annerallen.blogspot.com
Good luck in the writing of your book! Very exciting!
The KDP...Kindle Direct Publishing...is probably where you'll want to begin experimenting and reading. Whether we are fans of Amazon or not, like them or not, they are the place where more/most e-books are sold. Smashwords is another good source. I would bet you have the knowledge to do this on your own without too much help.
This next particular blog (No More Harvard Debt) helps a lot of people because the blog author self-published two excellent non-fic books about student debt and he's been featured in more than one place in mainstream media. He's a very nice person, too. So reading his blog posts about his venture into publishing his books might help. He's also very honest. http://nomoreharvarddebt.com/
And learn about formatting e-books. HTML is like learning a language, but it's not impossible and you're bright. You'll have no problems :)
Also...a lot of people don't like to be locked into exclusives, however, I found the three months that I was locked into the Kindle Lending program helped boost sales. It's an option not all want to take because you can't distribute anywhere else for three months. (My biggest worry was more about the retail web sites I love and support) But I found that it worked for me. I also believe in lending e-books. And three months is not all that long.
I am surprised three well-known people were not mentioned. I self-published my first book in 1989 and have had 750,000 copies of my books sold worldwide. These three people have been the most helpful.
1. Dan Poynter - Author of "The Self-Publishing Manual"
2. John Kremer - Author of "1001 Ways to Market Your Books"
3. Jane Friedman - One of the most astute people in the business today.
I cite Jane Friedman because of many reasons. Here is one:
In a recent article in "Writer's Digest" magazine, Jane posed this as one of the most important questions for people considering self-publishing their book:
"Do your readers prefer print or digital?"
Jane Friedman's question is so basic. Yet it is important and overlooked by most people (talk about clueless), including many so-called book experts who are nothing but impositors.
I read blogs and articles by people claiming to be book experts saying that ebooks are definitely the way to go without giving consideration to print books. (Anyone who says "print is dead" is either lying or brain dead.)
None of these so-called experts have ever posed this important question. This just shows that they are not even close to being as astute as Jane Friedman.
Ernie J. Zelinski
Internationall Best-Selling Author
"Helping Adverturous Souls Live Prosperous and Free"
Author of the Bestseller How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free
(Over 175,000 copies sold and published in 9 languages)
and the International Bestseller The Joy of Not Working
(Over 250,000 copies sold and published in 17 languages)
A couple of people have menioned Dave Gaughran's blog, but his blog isn't even the greatest thing he has done regarding self pub. He wrote a book called Let's Get Digital: How to Self Publish and Why You Should. On my phone so no link but you can search it on Amazon. Absolute best purchase I made when I was first starting out.
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I've read a couple of the posts on here, and I may duplicate what others have said but I believe in Create Space. First of all they have tons of resources for advertising and marketing. Also, a nobody can go on Create Space and have paper copy books available at all the top retailers web sites plus local retailer web sites. They present the books to wholesalers in a catalog for them to purchase books for their stores. Create Space you can completely customize your book and your price. You get a proof copy to see how it all looks and trust me, you'll want a proof copy as 12 point font is jumbo print on a create space page. As far as digital I'd go exclusively with Amazon Kindle for the first 90 days. They have a lot of benefits by choosing them exclusively. Smashwords is good for getting your digital copies to a bunch of different places but they are way to particular on formatting. Once you get the formatting down it makes getting to every possible digital book provider... if you can get the format right without going nuts
I second whoever said Writer's Cafe over at Kboards. There are threads on there about every facet of self-publishing from cover art to formatting, etc...And it's a fun place to hang out.
I feel like a mothing-in-law who can't wait to give unsolicited advice, but I'm curious about whether or not you're self-pubbing a digital book or a print book, or both. From my own experience I would recommend digital. But that's just opinion :)
Hi Nathan! Well, I see a few people have already told you hehe!
Mark Coker and Smashwords is great for eBooks because it does every format, and after this, I bet you can still upload it to the Kindle Store on Amazon, Nook Store for Barnes & Noble, and iBooks at Apple iBookstore (and others). He takes care of the ISBN number too. As noted in other comments earlier, his free eBooks are awesome! http://smashwords.com
I just love David Gaughran's book, Let's Get Digital, and he even has it in PDF format for free!
http://davidgaughran.wordpress.com/my-books/lets-get-digital/
So if you need some in print, I noticed Lulu's prices were getting higher. I was looking at http://CreateSpace.com since they also handle the ISBN issue but if I decided I didn't care about these on my printed ones, I might use http://blurb.com or another Print On Demand or similar service (I hadn't done my research fully in this area yet).
Looking forward to what you finally decide! :-)
I don't know much about self-pub myself, but my friend Laura VanArendonk Baugh has had a lot of success self-pubbing her nonfiction book about dog-training as well as a short fiction piece. I do know she established a small press to do her self-pubbing, and she had a great platform as a dog trainer. http://lauravanarendonkbaugh.com
I just saw a facebook update about self-publishing where the author was complaining about not making enough money, so I wanted to add one more thing.
Self-publishing is different for every single writer who does it. Don't get caught up in what anyone else says or writes about it either. Make it your own experience, and add your own style to it.
Nathan, I have gone off with plenty of blogs to research after reading all the comments. Thanks so much for asking the question.
I absolutely love the Kindle Template at http://www.ebooktemplates101.com
I've used it for quite a few books now and it works beautifully.