(And what does it take, anyway?)
Recently, I was asked what skills an author needs to successfully self-publish. Three things came to mind:
1. Dedication to the writing craft.
2. The ability to do promotion without pestering people.
3. Nerves of steel.
First and foremost — self-published or not — we’re writers. It’s very easy to lose sight of that in the flurry of everything else that needs to be done, and I’m constantly reminding myself that I am author first and a businessperson second. That’s why I always make sure I accomplish my writing goals for the day before diving into emails, writing columns, etc. Without writing the books, there’s nothing to promote.
With the ability to publish within 24 hours, it’s very easy to rush something through the writing mill. Attention to detail and craft becomes even more critical.
Few would argue that social media isn’t important, but I’m constantly stunned by how many people I see using it badly. I’m preaching to the converted here, but building relationships is the right way to get people interested in your book. Bombarding them with DMs on Twitter including Amazon links, posting buy links on people’s Facebook page as soon as you’ve become friends, etc, is not. Good social networking doesn’t alienate people.
And the nerves of steel? This business of total control is a nerve-wracking thing! There’s only yourself to blame if things go pear-shaped, and it’s hard not to obsess over sales figures and rankings.
What three things do you think an author needs to successfully self-publish?
Good question and I like your choices too. I’d say:
1. Dedication to craft.
2. A long term realistic vision
3. Flexibility
flexibility covering learning social media and promoting without spamming!
Hi Laura! Yes, flexibility — definitely! Thanks for dropping by.
Flexibility–yes! To deal with all the constant changes to technology and the social media platforms we use (ahem, Facebook).
Very interesting. I don’t think I can better your choices, but:
1. The quality of the writing always comes first.
2. The book must be able to hold its own on the shelf with traditionally-published books, so the whole package must be good.
3. Social media sites are only a part of the promotion effort, and should be used sensitively.
That’s a great point about having the whole package, if we want to hold our own against traditionally published books. I think people tend to neglect the blurb sometimes, or other critical elements that influence buying decisions.
Fantastic post, Talli.
I agree with your three points too, they are all essential.
Thanks, Rebecca!
I agree with writing quality being essential.
And a marketing/promotion plan is important. There are some self published authors who promote day and night. I ignore those specific people at this point.
Theresa, I ignore them, too. But I’m seeing more and more and more… and I’m getting increasingly more grumpy about it!
This is fabulous, Talli, and I’m LMAO about the picture you have with it!!!
Let’s see…my three things would be:
1. Great books for great prices
2. Genuine connections with readers…in other words, relationships that are built and maintained daily and are the real deal
3. A Going for the Gusto kinda drive (where you’re not afraid to buck the system and do things a wee bit differently than everyone else)
Love the pic too…Fifty Shades of Grey anyone?? Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
I think you hit three of the majors, maybe I’d add:
1. Unwavering commitment
2. Marketing savvy
3. A good book
Always love a good WG2E post.
Ah yes, my next post will be ‘Fifty Shades of Balls’. Or not.
Oh, oops! I just responded to DD’s thinking she said ‘unwavering commitment’!
Okay, to respond to DD’s post, then… I love the gusto! It’s hard to keep up the enthusiasm sometimes and try something different, but we learn by doing.
Hehe! Glad you liked the photo, DD! It made me giggle.
Unwavering commitment… yes. I think many writers give up too easily, and it’s even easier to give up if you’re self-published, because there’s no big team behind you.
Good post – right on the money and the photo! As they say in the advertisement, “priceless”!
Thank you, Nancy!
Great post Talli : )
I’d go with
1. A great, vivid imagination which doesn’t bow to peer pressure or the industry = originality. Stick to your vision, defend your ideas. Do them justice. You had that idea for a reason.
2. Tenacity – you are going to need it in bucket loads as most of all you need to keep going and see your work through, that could be easy or tougher than you can possibly imagine.
3. Humility – know when to accept and ask for help and do it with grace. We all hit brick walls and writing can be lonely. No (wo)man is an island. Humility also means remembering not to be self-serving. It shouldn’t be just me, me, me when you are a writer. Don’t be selfish : ) Give back! Share knowledge, promote other writers that cross your path if you respect their efforts. Build a community and be sincere, celebrate other people’s achievements when they occur.
Hi Yasmin!
Great points, and I love the one about humility. Yes – sometimes we just can’t do it all on our own! And it is important to give back, too. I’ve had so many people help me along the way and I try my best to do the same.
My turn, my turn….
1.) No fear in learning new things.
The biggest problem I see stopping any author from going the self-published route is a reluctance to learn new skills, especially technical ones.
2.) Discipline to set your own deadlines and stick with them.
I’m struggling here. I have a very hard time writing right now with my almost 3-year-old underfoot. I wrote Cancelled when she was 18 months old until just after she turned 2. She was less destructive then and happy to play at Mommy’s feet while she typed. Now? I can’t take my eyes off her for a second without her getting hurt, a large crash, or the oven burners getting turned on.
3.) Belief in your writing to find its audience.
Self-doubt is formidable. But you have to believe that even if your book isn’t the next great American novel, it’s OK. This will carry you through when you get a 1-star review. You can remember not everyone is going to love your book, and for those who do love it, well, you wrote it for them. Need more confidence? There is no Nobel Prize this year for fiction…. man, I’d hate to be the author of one of those three books up for consideration!
Fantastic points, Elizabeth! Self-doubt is such a killer, but you’re absolutely right: you need to have belief in yourself and you writing. And self-disciple is critical! When there’s no one cracking the whip… well, it can be difficult.
Hi Elizabeth!
Mine is almost two and I can’t seem to take an eye off of her for a second either without her tormenting the dog. Doing mommy duty while trying to hit a deadline is a real challenge. But I’m sure you’re doing great!
I really admire you, ladies.
Fantastic post! (And I’m giggling too about the picture.)
Those nerves, er, balls of steel are important not just for getting in, but staying in for the long haul. It’s far too easy to quit on a bad sales day or let a bad review kick you to the curb. On the other hand, there’s nothing like a great sales day or a fan emailing you to tell you how much they love your work! It’s a rollercoaster and keeping your eye on the distant horizon is the only way to get there.
There’s nothing better than someone emailing to say how they much they enjoyed reading your work, is there? It definitely gets you through the bad days.
Talli, this point hit home: “First and foremost — self-published or not — we’re writers. It’s very easy to lose sight of that in the flurry of everything else that needs to be done, and I’m constantly reminding myself that I am author first and a businessperson second. “
It’s something I keep telling myself, Lois!
I’d say:
Courage, tenacity, and an open mind.
Yes. An open mind is so important. We need to be able to accept changes in this fast-paced industry.
Hi,
Excellent choices, but for all the buzz about chat & friendship first before promotion is kind of like a red rag to a bull for most authors! After all, what’s the point of posting on social media if not to advertise oneself and one’s books? I’m happy to see direct links to books at Amazon etc., and to see book cover images, book trailer links on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites: not every five minutes, not every day, but once or twice a week is okay with me. I’ve come across great books on Twitter, books I wouldn’t have otherwise come across if I spent days on Amazon trawling the archives.
As it stands you can chat all day on social media sites, post inconsequential coffee-break comments on Twitter, and make friends (acquaintances) and not sell a book to any one of them, except those whom feel obliged to support one! I’m a great believer in books sell themselves long-term on own merit to people who read books within your chosen genre. After all, when browsing a book store particular book covers will catch the eye, yet the blurb may cause us to put it back on the shelf, or the first few pages draw forth a yawn! Where we wouldn’t purchase a book that is of little interest to us in a book store, unfortunately blog tours, blogsplashes etc., create peer pressure and a sense of loyalty often forces people to buy a book that doesn’t really appeal to them. I’ve not indulged in any one of those practises as means of promotion, nor have I begged friends for reviews nor given away free copies to up review status and profile. However, I do post the odd Twitter/Facebook promo feature. Maybe I’m doing things all wrong, but sales of historical novels seem to sell themselves in a steady flow niche market, thank God.
In any case there are sites catering for free promotion of books, and I think it’s vital for authors to reach beyond closed circles of fellow writers otherwise every book gets caught up in a round-robin network.
best
F
I agree that using social media to build relationships doesn’t necessarily equate to selling books – not at all! But I DO know that I have sold books to people I’ve met on Twitter and FB… even Pinterest! And those people really helped me when it came time to launch my debut novel a couple years ago. Good books will sell themselves – usually – especially on Amazon with its algorithms. But social relationships can help!
The in thing on Twitter appears to be respond to a thank you for following me, with a reply of, you are welcome and here’s where you can buy my book link. I think it is rude and a poor marketing technique. I like to promote those who are friendly and not pushy.
Nerves of steel are definitely required! Great post.
Manners and a dose of subtlety count for everything!
Fab post, Talli!
I agree with your three choices. I also love what D.D. and Yasmin said.
I think the only thing I might add is for us to remember to step back once in a while and remind ourselves that what we’re doing isn’t easy and to once in a while give ourselves a little ‘poor baby’ hug to help get us through the rough stuff.
Thank you!
And yes, and I agree about the ‘poor baby’ hug, every now and then when I metaphorically beat myself over the head with a tray for not having got my shit together by my own deadlines, my friend Rose is pretty good at telling me to cut myself a little slack : )
That’s a great point, Alicia. I’m often quite hard on myself and sometimes could do with a little me-sympathy!
I think your initial three qualities are the essentials but I’m worried about how good books and authors could become lost in the ever-increasing noise of social networking, as more and more people join in to try and market their product. There’s been a definite shift in Twitter especially over the two years I’ve been on it and there now seem to be more and more authors coming online, simply with a view to selling or bombarding you on any and every network you meet them on. Selling online has got more aggressive but it’s usually those who shout the loudest who have the least to make a noise about. So, I think I’d like people to have faith in their product(s) but also to be approachable without being too in-your-face and aggressive.
And, it also helps if people aren’t negative, whether it’s about their own experiences with the traditional publishing route, or a bad review, or whatever. I get that everyone has to blow off steam every so often – I do it myself – but the authors and writers who are frequently down on everything really don’t make me want to read their books.
I think it’s also good if authors look at other ways to market and promote themselves and their books, and not all of these need to happen online. Social networking to market your book(s) is only one facet of a writer’s promotional toolkit but some authors seem to think that it makes everything else, like visits to book clubs or local bookshops, redundant. I don’t believe that should be the case.
Kath, I’m with you. It’s getting a bit insane on Twitter – yesterday, I was asked to RT something THREE TIMES by the same person! Did I RT it? No. I might have if he’d given me a chance after asking the first time!
However, I do think that it is possible for books to sell well with a minimum of social media. Amazon algorithms are really helpful in pushing books forward on their own merit (and through the strength of customer purchases). And you’re absolutely right that there are many other ways to promote books in the real world!
Great post. To me point 2 on promotion without pestering people is the $64,000 question. Speaking with a consumer/reader hat on, I’m aware in my own attitudes to book promotion there’s a fine line between the appealing and the off-pissing. I’m new to Twitter and don’t yet follow that many people, but am already on the verge of being overwhelmed by all the self-publishing plugs (often re-tweets). I almost always ignore them, and of the ones I’ve looked at, have as yet only bought one book. Because it was (a) by someone who seems a great person (on Twitter) and (b) actually good. And this despite the fact it was short stories, which I don’t normally even go for. Not sure what that says about how to target self-publishing promotion but I dread having to do it myself!
Sue, it is so hard to know where to draw the line — even when it comes to helping others. I’d love to RT everything I can, but I’m also conscious of my followers both on my blog and on Twitter, and I don’t want to annoy them, either! Sigh.
“Nerves” of steel. Got it. Great post, Talli!
Yes. Nerves. That’s what those steel balls represent, of course! Thanks, David.
I’ve really enjoyed reading everyone’s comments especially about social media. It’s really weird seeing the way it’s being used morph and evolve through your very eyes. I think where maybe some authors are going wrong is not adding value to the end user with their tweet. This is partly what I meant also about my point on humility.
I think tweets should entertain rather than solely ingratiate in a dull way. If you make your tweet relevant to your audience and give them some pleasure, they’re more likely to take an interest in you and what you are about.
It’s Yasmin speaking with her Marketing hat on here lol, but for all the writers here, please take that point on board : )
Thank you, Marketing Hat Yasmin! A really valid point there.
Absolutely right, Talli! This is so true: “First and foremost — self-published or not — we’re writers. It’s very easy to lose sight of that in the flurry of everything else that needs to be done, and I’m constantly reminding myself that I am author first and a businessperson second. That’s why I always make sure I accomplish my writing goals for the day before diving into emails, writing columns, etc. Without writing the books, there’s nothing to promote.”
I think it’s easy to forget this at times.
It certainly is! Thanks for dropping by, Sibel!
Great post and useful comments. I’d add: A strong business sense and an ability to look at the bottom line. I’m seeing so many self-pubbed writers spending thousands on prepping a book, then many thousands more on promotion, and then selling books cheaply. It’s very hard to make money that way unless you already have a following and a huge inventory.
Very true, Anne. Yes, business sense is critical if you’re going to go it alone! I think enthusiasm can often take over, but we need to think with our heads, too.
Awesome post and I love your blog.
1- I think persistence is key. Persistence to push through to the end of a writing project and persistence in embracing social media and using it to connect.
2- Put youself out there as a legitimate writer.
3- Write often–like everyday–like at the red light, in a traffic jam, on the toilet…
(Okay, that was probably a bit much for a fist post, but you know what I mean, right?)