Tonight starts The Indelibles new weely #indiechat
Tonight we will have an open forum to answer all your questions about indie books, indie presses, self publishing and marketing.
This chat is NOT just about self-pubbing. It is for anyone interested in marketing online, looking at small independent presses for publishing (as opposed to the big 6), self publishing or if you are looking for good indie books.
It will be on Tuesdays on Twitter at 9PM EST using the #indiechat hashtag.
Come with questions and if we don't have answers we will make them up! Cool huh?
Sometimes using tweetchat.com is easier. You can sign in with your twitter at http://tweetchat.com/
Hope to see you all there!
Tuesday, March 06, 2012
Friday, March 02, 2012
Marketing Round Up
1) I am looking for an un-paid internship for my marketing company! on the publishing side - I need someone to help me set up blog tours, blog guest posts, prepare book mailings, set up social media platforms, get mailings together, and more. (like *pinInterest, wattpad and tumblr) It may also encompass some a little for my marketing business, code calling etc.
It will be about 5 hours a week and can be remote with weekly phone call meetings.
I can offer a marketing/writing business reference (so if you want to get into publishing or marketing it would be good) and would also provide unlimited advice about marketing, the industry, self pubbing, and writing). If you are in school, I'm happy to talk to a professor about credit. I will need commitment through April - August so it should not interfere with school.
I was going to go to a local college/high school but wanted to give some writers/bloggers a chance to learn the book marketing process and some new social media.
Email me your resume at shelli@srjohannes.com if interested. I can also send a formal job description.
2) Yes, new blog design - I'm playing around so bear with me. The purple was starting to bug me :) What do you think - too boring?
3) The Indelibles are doing a weekly #indiechat, starting next Tuesday night at 9pm EST. It will be on Twitter using hashtag #indiechat. We will talk all things indie: indie books, indie presses, self publishing, ebooks and marketing. This is not just a self publishing forum as there is much more to indie publishing than that. It can encompass any genre really but it will mainly focus on MG/YA.
Marketing Round Up
My marketing round up is starting again.I can't promise it will always be on Fridays - but I think it's good to get this blog back to helping other people in marketing.
Because let's face it - the topic of me and my books will get old real fast. :)
So here are some great articles I ran across this week -
A Blog that Matters
Joining an Online Group
PinInterest - The hottest new site
6 secrets to writing a killer author bio
Book Covers - are they important in the digital age?
Create a blog that matters
ebook pricing? how to price for readers
10 things to never do on Social Media
As always on these posts - I will take any questions you have about marketing books :)
So what's your question?
Thursday, March 01, 2012
Not all is equal in publishing
So a few things have come up over the last few months that have got me thinking and I wanted to open a dialogue about it.
Traditional authors and indie author book are not held or measured against the same standard.
Even though traditional authors have the SAME problems as indie authors, the standard is different.
It happens to ALL of us.
Traditional authors and indie author book are not held or measured against the same standard.
Even though traditional authors have the SAME problems as indie authors, the standard is different.
Here is reality:
1) all books have typos.
2) not all covers are great
3) not all books are as short as they should be
4) not all people love the MC
5) not all love interests float your boat
6) All books can be too long.
7) All stories can drag.
8) All covers can stink. All love triangles can be boring. Sequels can be disappointing.
It happens to ALL of us.
But if an indie author suddenly has a few typos, it's b/c they weren't good enough for publishing. It's b/c they must have done it alone and not gotten any input from anyone because they were in such a rush. It must be because they decided to *whisper* self publish. And let me say - even when authors pay for copyediting - there are still typos. *sigh* and it sucks b/c it is expensive.
Even if I haven't run into some stigma as much as others - it exists - big time. And it's hard to watch friends deal with it when they have fabulous books. And it's frustrating to run into myself.
Books bought in traditional publishing automatically get an A in readers mind just b/c they got bought by a publisher. Most indie authors start out with an F and have to prove they are credible - one reader at a time. But it's not just readers, it's peers - the people you admire and respect. The organizations that support writers. The reviewers, to indies, the doors are closed.
I understand why it's at that point but it doesn't make it fair (whaaaaa!)
I understand why it's at that point but it doesn't make it fair (whaaaaa!)
That is why I say if you decide to indie pub - do it right?
The more quality work, the easier to break the stigma. Don't scrimp, don't cut corners. It's not worth it in the end. You already have to prove yourself so why make it even harder. Don't get your brother to sketch a cover and don't get your mom to line edit. the odds are against you and you should do everything you can to put out the best you can. 80% of indie books sell under 100 copies. That is a lot to overcome.
The more quality work, the easier to break the stigma. Don't scrimp, don't cut corners. It's not worth it in the end. You already have to prove yourself so why make it even harder. Don't get your brother to sketch a cover and don't get your mom to line edit. the odds are against you and you should do everything you can to put out the best you can. 80% of indie books sell under 100 copies. That is a lot to overcome.
This is why indie authors are much more open online about sales or awards or milestones - it is the only way to get away form the auto F grade and move up.
Now, I will admit, in general the quality of indie pubbing is questionable. There are tons of crappy books out there in the indie world and some wonderful books in traditional pubbing.
But there are tons of crappy traditional books and there are tons of great indie books.
Maybe it's time to judge a book by its writing...as opposed to its publishing process or path.
Being an indie author is hard. Getting past the stigma of indie pubbing is the most difficult part of this whole publishing process - for me. It makes me sad and I struggle with the double standard. The doubt. Sometimes no matter what I do - it still feels like it come up short.
Sometimes it feels like when I was back in high school - when the popular crowd wore Jordache (yes Im aging myself!) and I could only wear Lee Jeans. Even though they looked the same...because the label was different, somehow I wasn't good enough. I even remember sewing different tags in my jeans - yes I did that. :)
Labels didn't matter then and they shouldn't matter now - but they do and that's just a reality. And being someone who likes to treat everyone equally and who hates to hurt people's feelings or make them feel less - i wish it was different.
What do you think? Is there a stigma? And is there a way around it?
What do you think? Is there a stigma? And is there a way around it?
Friday, February 24, 2012
Indie View: Amy Lignor, author of Until Next Time
Today, Amy Lignor stops by to talk about her journey with her publisher, Tribute Books, and her new book, Until Next Time.
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Believe it or not, my writing journey began at the age of twelve when my parents, sister and I went on vacation to Cape Cod and stayed with friends of my mom’s. This was one of those vacations where Folsom Prison would’ve seemed like paradise. The little ladies we stayed with had a house where, once their cat went “nightsie,” all lights, talking, TV - everything had to stop - so as not to disturb the kitty. These ladies would take us into town (driving three miles an hour the whole way, and blaring their horn at pedestrians in the crosswalk), while my sister and I were locked in the back of the station wagon with faces pressed up against the glass. Drivers going by must’ve thought we were puppies going to get fixed, considering the looks of pure desperation we had on our faces. Because TV was unavailable, I began to write. It was a fairly large book for a kid called, My Life: A Comedy and a Tragedy.
In my freshman year of high school, a writing assignment came along from our history teacher about Nicholas & Alexandra. I was the only one who wrote about Rasputin (who actually appears in one of my Tallent & Lowery adventure novels). The teacher loved it and told me to become a writer. She was so cute. Four-foot-two, hair that hung to the floor and a voice that was louder than Lady Ga Ga stuck in a blender.
I went on to write my first YA novel (Mind Made), after I brought a stunning little girl into the world named Shelby. One day we went to the ‘grand opening’ of an Inn located in my very small hometown. I picked up a coffee table book and pages began to fall out of it. Seeing as how this place looked like it would charge guests a million dollars to stay there, I figured I’d just destroyed some priceless work of art. When I reached down to pick up one of the photographs, it was of a girl standing outside the Inn back in the early 1900’s. The tagline read, The Connecticut Home for Imbeciles, and she was leaning against a road sign that read, ‘Dip.’ That girl looked up at me with eyes that literally said “Run!” and very soon after, my daughter and I fled.
I went back to my historical routes and delved into a subject that hadn’t been touched on before concerning a woman by the name of Paulita Maxwell who was said to have been the mother of Billy the Kid’s son. I moved to New Mexico to research the project and my book, Heart of a Legend, was born.
I love putting puzzles together from history with my Tallent & Lowery series. With the first book, 13, I had to find a way to link the NYPL with Jack the Ripper, Loch Ness, and the King Arthur legend - which was a whole lot of fun.
When my father was taken away from us far too soon I began thinking about angels, and what life was like ‘up there’ versus down here. Would an angel/warrior ‘team’ be able to survive humanity, fight for them, and stay together all at the same time? The Angel Chronicles answers that question.
So, in the end, I guess I owe my writing to a cat who had to go “nightsie.”
Here is some more information about Amy and her book:
- The Angel Chronicles web site
- The Angel Chronicles Facebook
- Until Next Time GoodReads page:
- Amy Lignor's Facebook:
- Amy Lignor's Twitter
- Amy Lignor's Website
- Amy Lignor's Blog
- Amy Lignor's GoodReads
- Tribute Books Facebook
- Tribute Books Twitter
- Tribute Books Blog Tours Facebook
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