Comments on: Planning ahead http://chocolateandvodka.com/2009/03/14/planning-ahead/ bubbling enthusiasm for $arbitrary_topic Tue, 01 May 2012 11:18:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Suw http://chocolateandvodka.com/2009/03/14/planning-ahead/comment-page-1/#comment-28169 Suw Mon, 16 Mar 2009 21:57:17 +0000 http://chocolateandvodka.com/2009/03/14/planning-ahead/#comment-28169 I think there's a difference between "claiming one is successful" as a self-published author and thus expecting to automatically get an agent/publisher, and demonstrating saleability. I could turn round today and claim to be a "successful author" and it would be an easily-debunked fiction - only a fool would say that without having the proof to back it up. Equally, only a fool would claim to be a successful self-published author unless they actually were, and can prove it. If I self-publish and do as I am often wont, which is engage in a bit of radical transparency, then anyone will be able to see how many downloads I have, how many sales. Then people, publishers and agents alike, can make up their own mind not just about whether or not they think I'm successful, but whether or not they like my work because that will be online, free for all to read at will. That's not claiming anything - it's experimenting with new tools and seeing what happens. The way I see it, publishing is a business, and if a publisher has a choice between two authors, equally as good, where one has an established fan-base and has demonstrated saleability and the other has not, I suspect that the one who has done the market development work on their own would have the edge. Just like the music industry now expects bands to have figured out their own image, have developed a fan base through gigging, have a web presence, etc., so I suspect publishers are going to start looking the entire packages. Authors have to be willing to do all the promotional and marketing work that goes alongside writing, and self-publishing can give an person a lot of insight and practice at that. Any publisher who dismissed an author because they have self-published, rather than because of the quality of their work, is not the kind of publisher I'd want to work with. Indeed, any publisher worth my time is going to be supportive of Creative Commons and of experimentation, so they're going to see this sort of a venture as a plus, not a minus. (And I know these people exist, because they publish friends of mine.) Of course, I may never find a traditional publisher who likes my style. That's more than possible, and it makes self-publishing now even more important. In five years' time, what will I regret not doing? I think there’s a difference between “claiming one is successful” as a self-published author and thus expecting to automatically get an agent/publisher, and demonstrating saleability. I could turn round today and claim to be a “successful author” and it would be an easily-debunked fiction – only a fool would say that without having the proof to back it up. Equally, only a fool would claim to be a successful self-published author unless they actually were, and can prove it.

If I self-publish and do as I am often wont, which is engage in a bit of radical transparency, then anyone will be able to see how many downloads I have, how many sales. Then people, publishers and agents alike, can make up their own mind not just about whether or not they think I’m successful, but whether or not they like my work because that will be online, free for all to read at will. That’s not claiming anything – it’s experimenting with new tools and seeing what happens.

The way I see it, publishing is a business, and if a publisher has a choice between two authors, equally as good, where one has an established fan-base and has demonstrated saleability and the other has not, I suspect that the one who has done the market development work on their own would have the edge. Just like the music industry now expects bands to have figured out their own image, have developed a fan base through gigging, have a web presence, etc., so I suspect publishers are going to start looking the entire packages. Authors have to be willing to do all the promotional and marketing work that goes alongside writing, and self-publishing can give an person a lot of insight and practice at that.

Any publisher who dismissed an author because they have self-published, rather than because of the quality of their work, is not the kind of publisher I’d want to work with. Indeed, any publisher worth my time is going to be supportive of Creative Commons and of experimentation, so they’re going to see this sort of a venture as a plus, not a minus. (And I know these people exist, because they publish friends of mine.)

Of course, I may never find a traditional publisher who likes my style. That’s more than possible, and it makes self-publishing now even more important. In five years’ time, what will I regret not doing?

]]> By: Cheryl http://chocolateandvodka.com/2009/03/14/planning-ahead/comment-page-1/#comment-28167 Cheryl Mon, 16 Mar 2009 20:27:34 +0000 http://chocolateandvodka.com/2009/03/14/planning-ahead/#comment-28167 Careful about that. Claiming to be a successful self-published author is a very fast way into the trash bin when looking for an agent or publisher. That's not your fault, it is just that so many people claim to be "successful" self-published authors that no one takes the claim seriously. What will sell your writing is the quality of your writing and your ideas. Practice will make both of those better, but unless you seriously hit the big time self-published sales won't impress people. Careful about that. Claiming to be a successful self-published author is a very fast way into the trash bin when looking for an agent or publisher. That’s not your fault, it is just that so many people claim to be “successful” self-published authors that no one takes the claim seriously. What will sell your writing is the quality of your writing and your ideas. Practice will make both of those better, but unless you seriously hit the big time self-published sales won’t impress people.

]]> By: Suw http://chocolateandvodka.com/2009/03/14/planning-ahead/comment-page-1/#comment-28142 Suw Sun, 15 Mar 2009 10:16:37 +0000 http://chocolateandvodka.com/2009/03/14/planning-ahead/#comment-28142 Noirin, a friend of mine used Lulu to get a draft of his book printed so I could read it, and the quality was lovely. Equally, I've seen Blurb books too, and they were very nice. Like you, though, I have struggled with BookSmart, but I'm not sure that it would be any easier doing it in Word! Maybe it's time for me to dust off my InDesign skills. Cheryl, good to hear that the novella is alive and well in science fiction and fantasty. I'm not sure yet what genre my story falls into. Maybe I should just start a new "ailuromagical" category. ;) But the competitive nature of publishing is a good reason to go it alone for the first few novellas - it's no skin off my nose if I don't sell many copies, but if I do, then it creates a market for my work. If I do two or three novellas like this, I hope it would make me more attractive as an author, because I'll be able to prove (I hope!) that I'm saleable. Noirin, a friend of mine used Lulu to get a draft of his book printed so I could read it, and the quality was lovely. Equally, I’ve seen Blurb books too, and they were very nice. Like you, though, I have struggled with BookSmart, but I’m not sure that it would be any easier doing it in Word! Maybe it’s time for me to dust off my InDesign skills.

Cheryl, good to hear that the novella is alive and well in science fiction and fantasty. I’m not sure yet what genre my story falls into. Maybe I should just start a new “ailuromagical” category. ;) But the competitive nature of publishing is a good reason to go it alone for the first few novellas – it’s no skin off my nose if I don’t sell many copies, but if I do, then it creates a market for my work. If I do two or three novellas like this, I hope it would make me more attractive as an author, because I’ll be able to prove (I hope!) that I’m saleable.

]]> By: Cheryl http://chocolateandvodka.com/2009/03/14/planning-ahead/comment-page-1/#comment-28134 Cheryl Sat, 14 Mar 2009 22:35:26 +0000 http://chocolateandvodka.com/2009/03/14/planning-ahead/#comment-28134 The marketability of novellas depends very much on what you have written. There are still quite a lot of novellas being published in science fiction and fantasy. However, the market is fiercely competitive and getting more so with the deteriorating economy. The marketability of novellas depends very much on what you have written. There are still quite a lot of novellas being published in science fiction and fantasy. However, the market is fiercely competitive and getting more so with the deteriorating economy.

]]> By: Noirin Shirley http://chocolateandvodka.com/2009/03/14/planning-ahead/comment-page-1/#comment-28131 Noirin Shirley Sat, 14 Mar 2009 20:14:14 +0000 http://chocolateandvodka.com/2009/03/14/planning-ahead/#comment-28131 I've bought other people's stuff from Lulu in the past, and the quality was excellent. I printed a (photo) book with Blurb, and it came out fine, but it was just such a pain to put together. It seemed a bit more expensive than some of the other photo-book options, but I thought the BookSmart thing was going to make life easier, and would therefore be worth it. I wouldn't do that again :-) I’ve bought other people’s stuff from Lulu in the past, and the quality was excellent.

I printed a (photo) book with Blurb, and it came out fine, but it was just such a pain to put together. It seemed a bit more expensive than some of the other photo-book options, but I thought the BookSmart thing was going to make life easier, and would therefore be worth it. I wouldn’t do that again :-)

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