tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982837118358902227.post3997309169687638432..comments2023-07-14T06:17:49.677-04:00Comments on The Daring Novelist: Indie Publishing - We Live in Exciting TimesThe Daring Novelisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676188266569869059noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982837118358902227.post-48121976663770614192015-01-28T18:09:02.979-05:002015-01-28T18:09:02.979-05:00Susan: I suspect horse people understand the conce...Susan: I suspect horse people understand the concept of the professional who isn't in the for the money (and the amateur who is a dedicated champion) better than anyone else.The Daring Novelisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01676188266569869059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982837118358902227.post-56039915240674129322015-01-28T14:06:35.300-05:002015-01-28T14:06:35.300-05:00Bless you, Camille, the clarity of your vision and...Bless you, Camille, the clarity of your vision and the horse you rode in on!Susan Schreyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11902407971890082541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982837118358902227.post-30697817627767175112015-01-10T08:48:53.231-05:002015-01-10T08:48:53.231-05:00It's true. I don't have any debt, which do...It's true. I don't have any debt, which does offer a huge amount of freedom, and I do have a job outside of writing -- it just doesn't pay very well! I'll get there, however long it takes me. ("There" being some sort of house with a large garden and enough time to write and to read and to walk the dogs on the beach -- and to have the dog.) Victoria Scribenshttp://roseandphoenix.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982837118358902227.post-23858066334831011692015-01-09T16:28:14.734-05:002015-01-09T16:28:14.734-05:00Sometimes the wrong map is the right map -- it get...Sometimes the wrong map is the right map -- it gets you to places you never realized were there.<br /><br />And marathon walking is a great metaphor for this business.<br /><br />As far as making a living, there are so many paths to that. Taking care of your financial life -- outside of writing -- is an important one. Having savings and no debt offers you great flexibility. (But sometimes those savings come FROM the writing!)The Daring Novelisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01676188266569869059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982837118358902227.post-35355661559868554282015-01-09T14:34:22.098-05:002015-01-09T14:34:22.098-05:00I really enjoyed this post. I've been trying t...I really enjoyed this post. I've been trying to put together a proper business plan this year, and deciding how ambitious I want to be in it. At heart I'm an amateur, and I keep looking at what seems necessary and sighing, because I am just not obsessive enough. <br /><br />I walked down the length of England in 2013. When I was in Northumberland, with bad blisters and a long way to go, and people asked me where I was going, I felt utterly foolish--almost mortified--in saying "The English Channel." Yet ... one foot in front of another, and a number of major digressions, and though I never was one of the serious walkers with their 30-mile days striding across the Pennines, I did get all the way to Bournemouth. <br /><br />I'm there at the beginning with my writing. I'm not in the planning stage--I've embarked, with my bag on my back and a route roughly mapped, and a few places I want to see and expect to stay. Limping, unfit, unsure, and with probably the wrong map (as I was the first few days) ... but it's a grand journey ahead. And I know I can get there if I just don't stop. <br /><br />Though it would certainly be nice to be making enough money from my writing to live off of ... by this summer would be even nicer ...Victoria Scribenshttp://roseandphoenix.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982837118358902227.post-51691932162788549092015-01-05T17:37:19.091-05:002015-01-05T17:37:19.091-05:00Jean: Yes, I think hybrid (i.e. writers who are op...Jean: Yes, I think hybrid (i.e. writers who are open to both indie and traditional publishing) is going to be the norm, but it is going to take some adjustments in terms on the contracts.<br /><br />Wrtitersedge: thanks.<br /><br />Maggie: Yep, I learned long ago that real security is about lots of small income streams. Sometimes cashing in on a boom can give you money to invest in something else, but the boom itself is just (to mix a metaphor) money under the bridge.The Daring Novelisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01676188266569869059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982837118358902227.post-68835892072837252032015-01-05T13:55:23.158-05:002015-01-05T13:55:23.158-05:00This is a well thought out post. I particularly li...This is a well thought out post. I particularly liked your analysis of the boom and bust cycles and how everyone finds a trend and follows it, thus breaking it. <br /><br />I am one of those previously traditional publishers (1998-2007) who moved to indie publishing in 2011 (fairly early). However, I did not engage in many of the this-is-the-way-to-get-rich schemes because I never believed they were sustainable and I wanted to know what kind of income I could count on every year. I may have missed out on some boom opportunities. However, because I didn't spend time on chasing that, I did get more books written and took time to learn the business.<br /><br />I am not a bestselling author, nor do I make a six figure income. However, given this is my fifth year in business and I now have 15 titles, soon to become 20 in 2015, I am making enough to cover my bills and building my inventory. I write because I love to write. I may get rich one day, but it is not a necessity for me to keep writing.<br /><br />Demand for my titles is not something I can control. The titles I love the most often have the lowest readership and the ones I think won't gain a readership do. But I believe in the long-tail and it is proving to be a consistent income for me. What I can control is writing the books and stories I love to write--the kinds of stories I love to read. When someone else also loves them, it is always a joy to me and eventually that love is shared with others and it finds an audience. It is slow, but it is enough to keep me writing the next book.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982837118358902227.post-46709996141119377732015-01-05T11:30:08.934-05:002015-01-05T11:30:08.934-05:00Just shared this on Twitter. I've maintained f...Just shared this on Twitter. I've maintained for a long time now that books (and, by extension, all story-telling) will never go away; the only thing that changes is the medium. Indie publishers get that more than anyone else, I think. Yes, exciting times indeed!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982837118358902227.post-56944645244239397742015-01-04T21:31:02.482-05:002015-01-04T21:31:02.482-05:00Great post, says it like it really is. I'm one...Great post, says it like it really is. I'm one of the new wave. Started writing two years ago and I'm actually making a living now. I pinch myself most days for fear I'm dreaming. I self-published, did well on Amazon and attracted the attention of an agent in the UK and an editor with a major publishing house in the States. Both asked if I would write something current ie. war story. I'm working on one but it won't be ready for a couple of years because I'm carrying on with what has satisfied the people who have supported me so far. To me, the important thing is connecting with readers, not agents or publishers, but if they offered to take care of the printed versions' distribution I'd be happy enough, that can be a pain. The digital rights I would hold onto.Jean Reinhardthttp://jeanreinhardt.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982837118358902227.post-19237505422692300192015-01-04T21:17:06.285-05:002015-01-04T21:17:06.285-05:00Autumn; yes! We are the kittens! And we have fun n...Autumn; yes! We are the kittens! And we have fun no matter what!<br /><br />Wyndes and Ed: funny, but after I write this, I found I had "Old Man River" playing in my head -- we just keep rollin'.<br /><br />And yeah, I do think that a lot of this is about taking the Johnny Appleseed approach rather than the gold rush approach. The Daring Novelisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01676188266569869059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982837118358902227.post-75420058465227759372015-01-04T20:40:00.435-05:002015-01-04T20:40:00.435-05:00Really well said. I take away from this that those...Really well said. I take away from this that those of us who are writers, and not striving to be entrepreneurs, even though we do strive to be businesslike in our muddleheaded ways, will go on as we have, finding readers slowly (or not) but always writing. And, thanks to disruptive technology, finding it easier to publishe.Traveling Edhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07984526145327699352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982837118358902227.post-79602016465026536802015-01-04T19:48:14.675-05:002015-01-04T19:48:14.675-05:00Loved this! I'm one of the amateurs, although ...Loved this! I'm one of the amateurs, although I suppose technically I turned professional last January when I decided to take the whole thing more seriously and filed for a business name. And bought a domain name and a website and then went back to puttering along, in my low-key sort of way, often thinking that I ought to be doing stuff. <br /><br />And I intended, too, really, sometime next week, whenever I finished the story I was writing or the recipe I was experimenting with or found time between walking the dogs and going to yoga. So now it's a year later and apparently it was a terrible year for a lot of people? But in my low-key, puttering way, I earned 5x as much money in 2014 as I did in 2013 and that feels pretty good for a brand-new business. <br /><br />All the doomsayers have given me pause, but I want to imagine that while they were mining for gold, I was planting an orange grove. My way takes longer, it's slower, and it can be just as risky -- one bad frost can ruin a year. But it's long-term & renewable and aiming at a future, not a quick win.Sarah Wyndehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02208314684112329427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982837118358902227.post-64685873988277875772015-01-04T19:42:04.213-05:002015-01-04T19:42:04.213-05:00Wonderful post! I love being a popcorn kitten!Wonderful post! I love being a popcorn kitten!Autumn Macarthurhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15376992769171145754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982837118358902227.post-61549934744308637882015-01-04T17:42:52.303-05:002015-01-04T17:42:52.303-05:00Paticia: glad to have you as a reader. I don't...Paticia: glad to have you as a reader. I don't post as much as I used to, but I hope to get back to more useful posting this year.<br /><br />Melissa: yes, basically. But I think what's happening is a little more than that. I think that the internet unleashed the story lovers, and we are on the rise. But it's a tide and it is long term. The gold rush was a blip on the continuum.The Daring Novelisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01676188266569869059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982837118358902227.post-21862586588901181322015-01-04T16:50:39.857-05:002015-01-04T16:50:39.857-05:00Camille, I love the way you think. Thanks for your...Camille, I love the way you think. Thanks for your analysis. If I understand you right, you're saying the gold rush is over, but the story-lovers remain, and that's a good thing.Melissa Yi/Yuan-Inneshttp://www.melissayuaninnes.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982837118358902227.post-25521577053341038602015-01-04T16:05:41.278-05:002015-01-04T16:05:41.278-05:00So glad I found this blog!!! So glad I found this blog!!! Patricia Prestonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04538067779006621088noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982837118358902227.post-21217940797950218752015-01-04T16:02:14.735-05:002015-01-04T16:02:14.735-05:00Lynn, you know, you remind me of a book that was p...Lynn, you know, you remind me of a book that was published a decade or so ago, called "The Millionaire Next Door."<br /><br />It was a study of millionaires, and how most of them are nothing like what we expect. They tend to be exactly the sort of people wannabe millionaires disdain.The Daring Novelisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01676188266569869059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982837118358902227.post-65624709830270294392015-01-04T14:17:20.276-05:002015-01-04T14:17:20.276-05:00I always find something to take away from your com...I always find something to take away from your comments across the internet! I really liked this post.<br /><br />I've been making a living with indie publishing for several years now. A modest living, but 2015 will be my 3rd full year where writing is my only job. I've felt a lot of the pressure to join the "professional" writers and start studying markets and pricing and promotion and, you know, just be a professional. I don't want to, though (I've never wanted to) and it's taken me a while to get to the place where I'm comfortable ignoring these people and accept that what I'm already doing is working for me, that I don't have to be the kind of professional so many other writers think I should be if I publish my work. Thanks for this post. :)Lynnhttp://perpetualized.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982837118358902227.post-66771394059653824142015-01-03T19:39:44.032-05:002015-01-03T19:39:44.032-05:00Oh yeah.
But, you know, those people disappear pr...Oh yeah.<br /><br />But, you know, those people disappear pretty quickly. A new generation is ever with us, but never for long.<br /><br />They are the "summer soldiers."The Daring Novelisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01676188266569869059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982837118358902227.post-20185322491284994612015-01-03T19:11:51.104-05:002015-01-03T19:11:51.104-05:00Great post! A breath of fresh air from the "i...Great post! A breath of fresh air from the "if you aren't making millions of dollars you're lazy" crowd in certain other places.Victorianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982837118358902227.post-49232773735069279062015-01-03T11:06:14.801-05:002015-01-03T11:06:14.801-05:00Yes...
And one of the things I meant to say, and ...Yes...<br /><br />And one of the things I meant to say, and discarded, is that I was a professional, but that was just out of necessity.<br /><br />Now, I just am.The Daring Novelisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01676188266569869059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982837118358902227.post-52288560328764324602015-01-03T08:16:12.608-05:002015-01-03T08:16:12.608-05:00Excellent post, Camille!
I'm one of the pocket...Excellent post, Camille!<br />I'm one of the pocket-change writers you mention, steadily plodding on with my novels, working on storylines and characters in the gaps between day job and chores, producing a couple of novels a year that I'm proud of, trying to learn to write better stories while I build a body of work.<br />Without indie publishing I wouldn't have made the progress I have. And your analysis helps.<br />Have a great 2015. Happy writing!<br />Cheers<br />LeeLee McAulayhttp://leemcaulay.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.com