Some of you may remember when the kindle first came out, and I blogged about the end of physical books as we know it. Well, thankfully, the hardcover isn't going anywhere soon, BUT new opportunities have opened up for the aspiring author as far as e-publishing goes.
I'm sure by now everyone's heard of Amanda Hocking, the 26 year old author who self published her YA Trylle Trilogy on Amazon, sold 450,000 e-copies, and just signed a $2 million book deal with Random House. This definitely got me thinking--she may be a stand out, but what is the downside to publishing your own e-books? IS there a downside?
The publishing industry is rapidly changing with the new impulse-buy-ability of e-books. Now, self publishing doesn't have to be a dirty word. A writer's options are no longer limited to either a traditional publishing contract, or paying a vanity press to print books that will never see the light of day.
The e-book train is moving down the tracks, not just for the one-off success stories like Amanda Hocking, but some established authors are opting for self publishing when it comes to their e-releases, because they take control of the profits. When authors are already doing their own promotional work, suddenly releasing an e-book starts to make sense.
For those of you who read my blog before I took my break, you know I am not a pie-in-the-sky type person, but rather a work hard, practical person. E-publishing my book that isn't a popular genre right now is speaking to my logical side (high fantasy hasn't been sellable for awhile in lieu of more contemporary fantasy, even though it has its niche).
After a lot of research and debate, I've decided to self-publish Legacy of the Empress as an e-book. I see it as gambling on myself--I don't pay anything out of pocket, and I stick to the same marketing plan as if I had a physical book coming out. I'd always planned to do the legwork myself, so putting my own book out there seems like an ideal plan :). I believe in this book whole heartedly, so why not put it out there?
So there you have it: I have an artist cooking up a fantastic cover for me right now, and I'm getting ready to launch this mofo. More info to come!
What are your thoughts? How do you look at e-publishing versus traditional publishing? Have you ever impulse bought a low-priced e-book?
12 comments:
I know of another author doing this and its a neat idea, one that I might do down the road, but right now isn't for me. I want to try my next book the traditional way and if I don't get any bites then I will try the E-way. So maybe this time next year I will be doing something or other with the book I'm currently writing. I will follow your progress and am interested in the results.
Sometimes if you want something done you just have to do it yourself. I wish you all the luck in the world. Look forward to all updates on your progress.
I hang my head....I am guilty of impluse low priced e-books for my Kindle. :)
Good Luck! I hope you have a lot of success! :)
John: I'll definitely post step-by-step on how it's going so the info will be out there for others thinking about doing this :). It's an experiment, for sure!
Ann: Me, too! I have spent more money thinking "oh, this book is only $.99..." It's terrible ;).
Amanda: Thank you! My hopes are that I can have a successful debut for a first timer. We'll see how it goes!
I think self publishing is a viable choice for writers who write niche fiction, like you do, and I wish you tons and tons of luck!!!!
BUT, if you're going to self-publish, I think you'd be doing yourself and readers a disservice if you do not invest in in-depth editing with a professional editor. Writers are not capable of seeing every flaw in their own work.
Because of self-publishing, writers are able to get their stories out there...stories that may never have seen the light of day, and that's fantastic. But if the story is awkwardly paced or plotted, or riddled with grammar mistakes, readers will not be very forgiving.
Again, I wish you nothing but the best!! :)
Hi, Stephanie!
I totally agree about the editing :). I want to give this every chance it's got. Poorly edited books are a dead giveaway that the writer jumped the gun.
I think cover art is important as well. I have some money I was saving for a nice pair of boots that I've decided to spend on art and editing--very much worth it :).
Very cool, Becca! Can't wait to see how it all works out.
And, yeah, I impulse buy low-priced e-books all the time. And not-so-low-priced ones too. ;)
Good luck! If I can help, please let me know. :)
Aw, thanks, dude! :) It will be a really interesting journey.
It's something I've looked into several times over the years. Just recently I decided to go ahead and publish my picture books as ebooks. And it's something I'll keep in mind for my novels down the road.
Can't wait to get a copy of your book! Very exciting :D
That's so awesome, Michelle!! Also, great to see/read you again! ;)
Man, I can't believe I missed this Tuesday, but that is some awesome news, Becca! I feel like I don't have the discipline to self-pub. I can barely fudge together a halfway decent blog post once a week these days.
So kudos to you for taking the plunge! I'd love to read again if you want an eye, and I'd REALLY love to see what you're working on for cover art!!
I have definitely bought low-priced ebooks without even looking to see if they are self-pubbed or traditional if the cover and premise and sample appealed to me, so I think that in this age, being self-pubbed is starting to lose its stigma. Especially since customers are usually pretty savvy about what they like and what they don't like.
I definitely see a huge market for epic fantasy since houses are so loathe to take it on these days, even in the wake of books like Cashore's, and the new Game of Thrones series WHICH IS ON HBO NOW, for goodness sake.
So I wish you the best of luck! And remember, word of mouth really does wonders!
OMG! You reminded me that Game of Thrones is finally here.... SQUEEEEE.
I am a *huge* fan of George R. R. Martin, and have been dying from anticipation for what feels like forever.
Thank you for your offer of help :). I feel like the editing is finally done, but I'll definitely be showing you guys the cover art as soon as it's ready.
Thanks for all the support!
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