Beem Weeks's Blog - Posts Tagged "self-publishing"
Finding A Publisher
Okay. So now after many months--or even years--of researching, plotting, outlining, and writing, the novel that had been rattling around inside your head is finally finished, established on paper or an e-file, and ready for an audience. What now? Well, there are about a million online publishers who are willing and able to take your money, throw your hard work onto paperback, hardcover, or ebook format for Amazon and Barnes and Noble to offer to the world, making you a published author. Yes, folks, it's that easy. The world we live in today makes anybody with a dream a player in this writing game.
But before you throw your money at just anybody, take a few moments to consider who it is you're willing to pay for this honor. There are questions you should always ask. Do they offer professional editing? Is the quality of the book (paper, binding, cover art) going to be something I'll be proud to show my loved ones or will it just be an embarrassment to me? Believe me, these are legitimate issues to consider when choosing to self-publish your hard work. Nothing says garbage like pages coming loose while a reader thumbs through a new book. It happens, though.
Why is professional editing an important option? Even the very best writers are prone to errors in punctuation, spelling, word usage. Editors clear these items from the final product. They scour your manuscript for any little slip that takes away from the quality of your work.
There are far too many publishers who are willing to just take your money and put your story on the market, as is. Problems arise (for the author) after two or three reviews focus on these mistakes rather than touting the actual story. I won't buy a book or ebook once I've read such reviews. And neither would any serious reader. Let's face it, there are thousands of books arriving monthly. We can afford to be picky.
When I went searching for a publisher for my novel Jazz Baby, I knew what I wanted and what I didn't want. What I didn't want was some company taking my money and putting my work on the market, warts and all, to be ridiculed for errors, lack of plot, or any number of things that can kill a book. It happens. I review books on GoodReads. Many books I've started, only to put down and never finish, suffer from these maladies. I won't embarrass the authors by publishing a review slagging the work--or lack thereof. But I won't recommend the book, either.
I discovered The Fresh Ink Group while searching for a publisher. Actually, a good friend pointed me in their direction. He'd been publishing through iUniverse, became disillusioned with their lack of personal interest with the authors paying good money for their services, and decided to look elsewhere. The Fresh Ink Group proved to be a fantastic fit. Here is why: They won't just take your money and dump error-filled work into the already-crowded marketplace. The Fresh Ink Group offers a free manuscript evaluation. This means they'll carefully comb through your manuscript and give you honest and respectful feedback. If it's not ready for an audience, they'll tell you the truth. You can then take it to another publisher who just wants to make a few bucks. But if your work is ready for readers to devour, the team at The Fresh Ink Group will devote their time and energy to making your finished product something you are proud to share with the world.
They offer professional editing, design, marketing, and publishing in all major print and ebook formats. Audiobooks are coming soon.
The Fresh Ink team takes personal interest in the authors they work with. Best of all, The Fresh Ink Group offers a 75% author royalty rate. Authors maintain complete ownership of their fully copyrighted work. And the author has final say in every aspect of the process. Don't like the cover design? Just say so. Don't care for the suggested tweak of the second sentence in chapter four? It remains untouched.
If you want your book published, it's an easy thing to do. If you want your best work to shine, take your time and research the self-publishing market. I am thrilled with the work The Fresh Ink Group has done for me. If there's an issue, a problem of some sort, a question that needs asking, I can pick up the phone and call and have an answer in no time. I've never had to jump through hoops of fire to get their attention.
If you're looking to publish, check out The Fresh Ink Group at http://www.publishing.freshinkgroup.com
They'll take care of you.
But before you throw your money at just anybody, take a few moments to consider who it is you're willing to pay for this honor. There are questions you should always ask. Do they offer professional editing? Is the quality of the book (paper, binding, cover art) going to be something I'll be proud to show my loved ones or will it just be an embarrassment to me? Believe me, these are legitimate issues to consider when choosing to self-publish your hard work. Nothing says garbage like pages coming loose while a reader thumbs through a new book. It happens, though.
Why is professional editing an important option? Even the very best writers are prone to errors in punctuation, spelling, word usage. Editors clear these items from the final product. They scour your manuscript for any little slip that takes away from the quality of your work.
There are far too many publishers who are willing to just take your money and put your story on the market, as is. Problems arise (for the author) after two or three reviews focus on these mistakes rather than touting the actual story. I won't buy a book or ebook once I've read such reviews. And neither would any serious reader. Let's face it, there are thousands of books arriving monthly. We can afford to be picky.
When I went searching for a publisher for my novel Jazz Baby, I knew what I wanted and what I didn't want. What I didn't want was some company taking my money and putting my work on the market, warts and all, to be ridiculed for errors, lack of plot, or any number of things that can kill a book. It happens. I review books on GoodReads. Many books I've started, only to put down and never finish, suffer from these maladies. I won't embarrass the authors by publishing a review slagging the work--or lack thereof. But I won't recommend the book, either.
I discovered The Fresh Ink Group while searching for a publisher. Actually, a good friend pointed me in their direction. He'd been publishing through iUniverse, became disillusioned with their lack of personal interest with the authors paying good money for their services, and decided to look elsewhere. The Fresh Ink Group proved to be a fantastic fit. Here is why: They won't just take your money and dump error-filled work into the already-crowded marketplace. The Fresh Ink Group offers a free manuscript evaluation. This means they'll carefully comb through your manuscript and give you honest and respectful feedback. If it's not ready for an audience, they'll tell you the truth. You can then take it to another publisher who just wants to make a few bucks. But if your work is ready for readers to devour, the team at The Fresh Ink Group will devote their time and energy to making your finished product something you are proud to share with the world.
They offer professional editing, design, marketing, and publishing in all major print and ebook formats. Audiobooks are coming soon.
The Fresh Ink team takes personal interest in the authors they work with. Best of all, The Fresh Ink Group offers a 75% author royalty rate. Authors maintain complete ownership of their fully copyrighted work. And the author has final say in every aspect of the process. Don't like the cover design? Just say so. Don't care for the suggested tweak of the second sentence in chapter four? It remains untouched.
If you want your book published, it's an easy thing to do. If you want your best work to shine, take your time and research the self-publishing market. I am thrilled with the work The Fresh Ink Group has done for me. If there's an issue, a problem of some sort, a question that needs asking, I can pick up the phone and call and have an answer in no time. I've never had to jump through hoops of fire to get their attention.
If you're looking to publish, check out The Fresh Ink Group at http://www.publishing.freshinkgroup.com
They'll take care of you.
Is Your Work Ready For An Audience?
So you've finished your book or short story or latest blog post. You think it's ready for that audience you're slowly building. You submit the book to Smashwords, upload the short story on Koobug.com, or post your blog piece on your GoodReads page. All done, you think. But then, after a few days, you go back and re-read your work, or, worse yet, you receive notice from others who have been reading this hard-fought creation that there exists within the text an error or two. Maybe it's something as simple as a typo. We're all guilty of that from time to time. Perhaps it's a misspelled word. It could also be a more serious issue, a thing like, oh, I don't know, a sentence that really doesn't make much sense.
This sort of mistake happens often enough to warrant mention. Misplaced commas, missing commas, bad punctuation; these errors seem to find their way into published works sold all across the world through Amazon, Smashwords, or any of the myriad publishing outlets available to us authors.
Just how do these missteps make it into published works? Shouldn't they be cleaned up before they get to the intended audience? Of course they should. That's where editing and proofreading come into play.
Editors are there to clean up typos, poorly constructed sentences, missing or wrongly-added punctuation, and other errors an author might not fully comprehend. Proofreaders are those second and third sets of eyes needed to comb through the work as a reader, checking for errors, making sure the story flows without too many hiccups that drag an otherwise great piece into the dark and murky depths of mediocrity.
Most self-publishers pay the extra sum for these services. Others, filled with all the confidence of master wordsmiths, opt out of such frivolous wastes of money. And you can usually tell which is which by the finished product.
I'm not bashing; I'm just saying, is all. And that doesn't mean the story itself is awful, either. But try to hold on to readers who know those sentences are constructed poorly, or that there's a difference between which and witch, or the proper usage for words like your and you're, or there, their, and they're. Yes, there are plenty of published writers who lack comprehension in even these rudimentary rules of the craft. And we, as readers, become aware that certain writers lack this understanding because they chose to decline the editor option in the publishing package they purchased for the release their work to the world--warts and all.
I understand financial issues may prevent adding those extra expenditures. If that's the case, don't fret; you surely know people that love to read. Use these readers as your proofreaders. But be sure to pick those with a discerning eye for detail, a knowledge of proper English, and an understanding of punctuation. You wouldn't appoint Great Uncle Seamus to translate the Dead Sea Scrolls with his third grade education, would you? After all, the only things on the line are your work, your name, and your reputation.
And just for the record: there were a couple of typos that made it into my novel Jazz Baby. This happened despite a professional edit and a pair of proofreaders.
Here are a few indie novels that pretty much have it right:
Bridge Ices Before Road by Sienna Rose.
http://www.amazon.com/Bridge-Ices-Bef...
The Assassin Princess by Blake Rivers.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Assassin-Pr...
What Sara Saw by Stephen Geez.
http://www.amazon.com/What-Sara-Saw-e...
Papala Skies by Stephen Geez.
http://www.amazon.com/Papala-Skies-St...
Each of these books can be purchased on Amazon. I recommend all four.
This sort of mistake happens often enough to warrant mention. Misplaced commas, missing commas, bad punctuation; these errors seem to find their way into published works sold all across the world through Amazon, Smashwords, or any of the myriad publishing outlets available to us authors.
Just how do these missteps make it into published works? Shouldn't they be cleaned up before they get to the intended audience? Of course they should. That's where editing and proofreading come into play.
Editors are there to clean up typos, poorly constructed sentences, missing or wrongly-added punctuation, and other errors an author might not fully comprehend. Proofreaders are those second and third sets of eyes needed to comb through the work as a reader, checking for errors, making sure the story flows without too many hiccups that drag an otherwise great piece into the dark and murky depths of mediocrity.
Most self-publishers pay the extra sum for these services. Others, filled with all the confidence of master wordsmiths, opt out of such frivolous wastes of money. And you can usually tell which is which by the finished product.
I'm not bashing; I'm just saying, is all. And that doesn't mean the story itself is awful, either. But try to hold on to readers who know those sentences are constructed poorly, or that there's a difference between which and witch, or the proper usage for words like your and you're, or there, their, and they're. Yes, there are plenty of published writers who lack comprehension in even these rudimentary rules of the craft. And we, as readers, become aware that certain writers lack this understanding because they chose to decline the editor option in the publishing package they purchased for the release their work to the world--warts and all.
I understand financial issues may prevent adding those extra expenditures. If that's the case, don't fret; you surely know people that love to read. Use these readers as your proofreaders. But be sure to pick those with a discerning eye for detail, a knowledge of proper English, and an understanding of punctuation. You wouldn't appoint Great Uncle Seamus to translate the Dead Sea Scrolls with his third grade education, would you? After all, the only things on the line are your work, your name, and your reputation.
And just for the record: there were a couple of typos that made it into my novel Jazz Baby. This happened despite a professional edit and a pair of proofreaders.
Here are a few indie novels that pretty much have it right:
Bridge Ices Before Road by Sienna Rose.
http://www.amazon.com/Bridge-Ices-Bef...
The Assassin Princess by Blake Rivers.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Assassin-Pr...
What Sara Saw by Stephen Geez.
http://www.amazon.com/What-Sara-Saw-e...
Papala Skies by Stephen Geez.
http://www.amazon.com/Papala-Skies-St...
Each of these books can be purchased on Amazon. I recommend all four.
Encouraging Indie Authors
We see it in the news from time to time. A fellow indie author strikes it big, with sales entering the six figure realm. We read the numbers and find ourselves renewed with vigor, certain that we, too, can achieve these same heights of publishing glory.
Then, six months later, reality sets in and we’re still mired in the no-sales or low-sales blues!
What can we learn from those who have achieved the success that we all crave so much for ourselves? More to the point: What aren’t we doing that these others have discovered?
I recently read one such article in my local newspaper. The story highlighted indie author Mara Jacobs, who, after ten years of treading the path toward traditional publishing, with little success, opted to for the self-publisher route. Mara’s case is all too familiar to many of us in the indie world. But that’s where all similarities to the majority of indie authors end.
Mara Jacobs is a bona fide New York Times bestseller. I don’t mean she found her name or book attached to some obscure list; Jacobs’s first three e-books sold enough copies to allow her to quit her very lucrative job at a local company in order to write full time. She also purchased a second home in Las Vegas. One of her e-books has nearly a million downloads.
Another indie author, named Rick Murcer, is enjoying similar success, seeing his novel Carribbean Moon and others in his mystery series top 800,000 in sales.
In all fairness to the rest of us self-published authors, these two cases are far from typical. A survey by Digital Book World discovered that less than 1 percent of indie authors earned more than $200,000. The typical income tended toward $5000. Nineteen percent of self-pubbers reported no income at all.
The fact is, most of us struggle where sales are concerned. As indie authors, we are afforded greater control of our work. We have the last word on pretty much every aspect of our work, from start to finish. But this also means we’re usually the sole marketing arm for the project. If we lack social media skills, our ship may sink in lonely waters.
So again I ask: What aren’t we doing that these successful authors have done? I couldn’t tell you. Neither author shared any marketing info in the article. Yet, we can still take comfort in knowing that the indie way is gaining ground and respect among the traditional publishers. We’re no longer the silly little step-child with delusions of grandeur. These few and abnormal peaks of indie success should offer the rest of us hope for our own work.
I write for fun and out of need. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t love the opportunity to do this for a living. A comfortable living! That day may come. Though I might find myself in fits of frustration from time to time, I am not discouraged. Any one of us could easily become the next a sales anomaly. To settle for any lesser ideas about what is truly possible is to short-change ourselves and our industry.
Let’s continue to push forward in our endeavors as published authors. Where we’ve stumbled upon that certain trail of bread crumbs leading to a few extra sales, let’s share this information with our fellow indie writers. One person can’t carry the torch; this is a group effort.
Then, six months later, reality sets in and we’re still mired in the no-sales or low-sales blues!
What can we learn from those who have achieved the success that we all crave so much for ourselves? More to the point: What aren’t we doing that these others have discovered?
I recently read one such article in my local newspaper. The story highlighted indie author Mara Jacobs, who, after ten years of treading the path toward traditional publishing, with little success, opted to for the self-publisher route. Mara’s case is all too familiar to many of us in the indie world. But that’s where all similarities to the majority of indie authors end.
Mara Jacobs is a bona fide New York Times bestseller. I don’t mean she found her name or book attached to some obscure list; Jacobs’s first three e-books sold enough copies to allow her to quit her very lucrative job at a local company in order to write full time. She also purchased a second home in Las Vegas. One of her e-books has nearly a million downloads.
Another indie author, named Rick Murcer, is enjoying similar success, seeing his novel Carribbean Moon and others in his mystery series top 800,000 in sales.
In all fairness to the rest of us self-published authors, these two cases are far from typical. A survey by Digital Book World discovered that less than 1 percent of indie authors earned more than $200,000. The typical income tended toward $5000. Nineteen percent of self-pubbers reported no income at all.
The fact is, most of us struggle where sales are concerned. As indie authors, we are afforded greater control of our work. We have the last word on pretty much every aspect of our work, from start to finish. But this also means we’re usually the sole marketing arm for the project. If we lack social media skills, our ship may sink in lonely waters.
So again I ask: What aren’t we doing that these successful authors have done? I couldn’t tell you. Neither author shared any marketing info in the article. Yet, we can still take comfort in knowing that the indie way is gaining ground and respect among the traditional publishers. We’re no longer the silly little step-child with delusions of grandeur. These few and abnormal peaks of indie success should offer the rest of us hope for our own work.
I write for fun and out of need. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t love the opportunity to do this for a living. A comfortable living! That day may come. Though I might find myself in fits of frustration from time to time, I am not discouraged. Any one of us could easily become the next a sales anomaly. To settle for any lesser ideas about what is truly possible is to short-change ourselves and our industry.
Let’s continue to push forward in our endeavors as published authors. Where we’ve stumbled upon that certain trail of bread crumbs leading to a few extra sales, let’s share this information with our fellow indie writers. One person can’t carry the torch; this is a group effort.
