Last week, I posted on the myth that self-publishing is easy. Since today is a smushy, romantic kind of day (and it’s supposed to be sunny in London! Joy!), I thought I’d be a bit optimistic and discuss how, with time and experience, self-publishing does become easier.
I’ve only been published for just over a year — both traditionally and independently — so by anyone’s standards, I’m a relative newcomer to the game. However, in that year, I have managed to sell over 50,000 ebooks – the majority by self-publishing (I added them all up yesterday, and I was amazed!) Small peanuts to some, but through that process, I’ve learned a lot. And the experiences and plans I put in place along the way have helped make self-publishing easier.
In the spirit of the WG2E, I thought I’d share them with you.
Building a Readership. The more books you have out, the more readers you’ll hopefully have and the faster your books will sell straight from the get-go. Capitalise on this by having a newsletter, and by including a hyperlink in the back of your novels to encourage readers to sign-up so you can reach them with news directly.
Ignore the ‘Failures’ and Move on. Not every book will sell at the same rate or level of success. Some might not sell at all! If you’ve done everything you can humanly think of to kick-start your work, move on. This is so, so hard to do if you only have one book out, but the more books you publish, the easier it becomes. Also, the book that’s not selling now may become a bestseller in a year. . . you just never know.
Stop Obsessing Over Sales Figures. Again, this is another thing that gets easier to do the more books you have out. I tend to check my figures in the morning, and that’s that. Books also have ‘cycles’ – one book may be performing well, while another may be on its way down, so I try not to get too upset and angsty if sales are on the decline for a particular title.
Have a Good Team in Place. Over time, you’ll realise who you need to help you produce a good quality product, and you’ll discover who those key players are. I have a great group of beta readers, a cover designer, and a copy editor I’ve found invaluable time and again.
Walk Away From the Bad Reviews. When my first novel got a bad review, it very nearly slayed me. I walked around for days, quoting lines from it ad nauseum (just ask my husband!). The more books you have out, the easier it is to become philosophical about the whole thing. You can’t please everyone. They still sting, but negative reviews don’t have the bite they used to.
Get Comfortable with the Process. From formatting to blurb writing to tagging, self-publishing sometimes seems like it’s all about the details. The more books you self-publish, the more familiar you become with the ins and outs of getting novels out there on your own.
Over to you: What have you found becomes easier with time and experience? What do you hope will get easier?
Yeah, I’d agree that it definitely gets easier. A big part of this is learning from mistakes, but also learning that as your own publisher, it’s not that hard to correct most mistakes.
I’ve also learned to relax, not feel like I have to self-promote constantly, not stress over one day’s sales (there are up-days and down-days), and not worry about other people doing things differently.
And yes to the comment about not knowing when something might take off. I’m just now experiencing great success with my first book. It never did more than “okay”. I had been thinking about changing the cover, changing the blurb… I was so worried that I’d done something wrong–or people were too polite to tell me the book just sucked. Then *boom* it just took off and people started buying it.
It *does* get easier!
And congrats on your success. That’s a stunning number of sales in one year!
India, you’re so right about learning from your mistakes. When you’re first starting out with anything, it’s a sharp learning curve… and self-publishing is no different! Congrats on the new-found success for one of your novels.
Talli, I do hope that you have a sunny day there:) I just love all of your advice! Since I’m set to indie pub at the end of next month- for the very first time- I found your tips helpful and comforting as well
Thank you, Lois. Glad you found it helpful, and best of luck for the end of next month. I can’t wait to hear how it goes.
Congrats on the sales figures, Talli! And once again, great advice. Time and experience really do help you deal with all the negatives and the positives of self-pubbing. And increasing your virtual bookshelf with more titles is one sure way to increase sales and build your brand *slopes off to start writing*
Hi Sibel – thanks! And you’re right about building your virtual bookshelf. It can help with drawing in more readers and letting you relax a bit if one book isn’t performing as well. Happy writing!
Talli your sales figures are amazing! Thank you for sharing these hints and tips.
Thank you, Rebecca! You’re very welcome.
Congrats on the sales, Talli! That is just so awesome. Since I’ve yet to publish my first novel and am worried to death about all the little details, it’s good to know the whole process gets easier. Thanks for that!
Thanks, Rhonda. And yes, it does indeed get easier.
How amazing you’ve sold 50k in books in a year. Congratulations! I’ve heard people say not to read the reviews. I bet it’s really hard to ignore them.
Thanks, Theresa. In the beginning, I found it impossible not to read reviews. I admit I still find it rather impossible not to read them, but they affect me less now, thank goodness.
Hi,
Hee hee, philosophical outlook has always been the name of the game for moi and I’ve always been a bit of a gambler. Hence I got financially involved in a publishing company some years back. It was new. It was innovative. It was the first ever UK e-book publisher but the UK wasn’t ready for it, yet it did well Stateside. It’s still going under another name and different ownership.
So why have I gone the self-pub route? It’s certainly not because I was turned down umpteen times by big-named publishers. I confess I had a few rejections from small fry pubs in the last two years, and I didn’t mind. I can honestly say I was not that worried whether they picked me up or not. When I say “small fry” I mean those whose editing skills are as iffy as mine and, that in reality they’re floating on a sea of wannabe writers whom purchase their books in hope of becoming one of their writers!!!
I chose freedom because I’d been published before (conventional sense) so I have no burning issues to become a best-selling writer! Stardom ain’t that great: you’re not your own boss you’re a commodity. I do have a publishing contract Stateside right now, but not sure why!? It happened.
But as I said I’m a gambler at heart: you win some you lose some. The freedom aspect of self-pubbing is the choice factor and it’s a two-way stretch. One can publish what one wants, a reader can choose to buy or not. There are no subbing delays, no reader panels as opposed to editorial team to get past before a yay or nay is passed by small fry publishers. Reader panels = weak editorial input = open to buddy abuse = substandard output. Might as well self-pub, then… That’s what I don’t understand about some writers, is the way in which they judge a publisher’s skill factor. It’s as though they only see the publisher name and don’t scrutinise the text within their novels = do I write that badly or do I write better than this? Would you want to be with a sub-standard publisher? Also, many e-book/paperback publishers are back-room/office jobbies with remote self-professed editors or reader panels strewn across the ether. Few are office block publishers with their own editorial departments on site, and anyone, literally anyone can set up an e-book publishing enterprise!!
A great tip for self-pubbers: don’t watch your sales figures daily, check ‘em three days before end of month: a conventional author receives a royalty cheque either every three-months or six monthly. Don’t watch you rankings daily, only look when someone e-mails you and says WOW you’ve hit such and such and it’s mind-blowing! That way you’ll stay sane and get on with writing instead of procrastinating on blogs.
best
F
Good for you Francine! Some interesting and very valid points you make here, too.
That’s a great tip about not being obsessed with sales figures and not checking them every day. As India said, some days are good and some are bad – looking at monthly trends is best.
With anything, publishing is a bit of a gamble. You never know what’s going to work and what’s not! Thanks for the thoughtful comment.
Great post as ever, Talli. Congratulations on the mind-boggling figures too! Agree with you on every point you make, and I’m learning to walk away from those negative reviews too (and to train hubby not to point them out to me as I am deliberately not looking myself!) Having the readership is the thing as you wisely point out. How many people ‘Love’ one’s books but never feel moved to go and comment on it? They just buy the next one. Hyperlink idea is a good one too – I love your posts, they always feel positive and upbeat and not only on Valentines day…
ps How can I get rid of the grumpy green triangle and put my own pic up here?
I’ve had family and friends point me in the direction of negative reviews too, Giselle – why, I don’t know!
Glad you enjoyed the post. Oh, to get rid of the grumpy green thing, go to Gravatar.com and register.
Talli, wow to the sales figures. I think formatting will be easier for me next time, now that I know what to do and how long it takes to do. I also have a team I can rely on. A cover designer and an editor, whom I’m still learning from. I think also that as time goes on, and the more books I have done, writing them and knowing what not write will get easier. I hope so, anyway.
Giselle: there must be somewhere that says sign up for a Gravatar. Find it and sign up for it, then you should get your own image up there.
Definitely, Julie. Although each book is different and has its own challenges, the process of self-publishing definitely becomes easier the more times you do it. Thank goodness!
Thank Julie and Talli!
It does get easier over time because you practice with each previous book. My fourth book, Centauri Midnight only had to be loaded twice, the second time to correct typos. But the first one had to be reloaded 4 times, 3 of those because I didn’t load it right to begin with. Forgot the cover was loaded separate (using mobi pocket creator). Anyway. I’ve gotten it down to a science. Now it only takes me minutes not hours to load a book.
Exactly, Cynthia! Like anything, the more times you do it and with more practice, the easier it gets. Glad to hear it’s becoming less time-consuming for you, too.
You totally nailed this, Talli!
What a brilliant post and all of it so very-very true!!!
For me, definitely the negative review part rang a huge bell. I don’t even read ‘em anymore! I honestly don’t! I’ve learned from all my readers that most of them don’t read reviews at all!!! They look at the cover and price first, then read the description, and if it’s something they think sounds like what they like to read, they try it. Especially if they’ve already tried one of your books for Free and enjoyed it.
And that’s exactly what’s become easier for me over time…
I’m learning how and where to “find” readers!!!
Nothin’ beats that Ridin’ The Free-way – the “first one is on me” magic of treating readers to one of your books for Free. Then, it’s all about hangin’ with your readers and getting to know them, letting them get to know you…that’s what makes ‘em start “sneezing” about u and building the buzz about you and your books!
Great-great post, my friend!!!
Thank you, DeeDee I’m glad to hear you’re becoming more resilient to negative reviews, too — although I think something is testing my resolve today because I just got one about 30 mins ago, ha! )
Talli I am reading Build a Man now – okay it will take me ages because that’s me but don’t doubt it will get a stonking good review when I’ve finished (judging by what I’ve read so far) . So there!
Hi Tali! Thanks for this post. With only one book under my belt, sometimes it’s tough to see this business paying the bills. While your example, and those of the rest of the WG2E authors is certainly inspiring, more importantly to me, it is a map that shows the route route from writer, to published author, to successful author (meaning making an actual living by writing).
One of my old bosses used to say that “if something has been done before, it is probably possible”. Now that I am my own boss, for better or worse
, it is up to me to take what you have shown is “probably possible” and turn it into a career. So thank for the post, thanks for the tips, and thanks for the encouraging reminder that our hard work will pay off! Cheers!
Hi Greg! With one book, it can certainly be difficult to pay the bills, and it’s so easy to obsess about it. The more books you have out there, the easier it is to relax a bit if one isn’t doing do great. Glad you found the post encouraging.
Those sales are great! Thanks for the advice!
Thanks, Stacey, and you’re very welcome.
And huge WooHooo’s all-around, Talli, for your first 50,000 Sales!
U Go, Girl!!!
Thank you, DeeDee! I hadn’t done a tally for a while, and I had to admit I was pretty shocked when I saw the final figure!
50,000 is no small peanuts, sister. That’s amazing! Congratulations.
I remember telling my kids, “Life doesn’t get any easier. You just get better at it.” The same is true for indie-publishing. I’m much less stresssed putting out my third book than I was my first. The process is getting more streamlined and I’ve learned a few shortcuts along the way. My production costs are less and I’ve learned to stop and smell the roses (celebrate my successes) no matter how big or small.
As for easier, I’d say that’s a relative term:-)
Thanks, PJ! And oh, that’s sooo true. Perhaps it’s not easy, but I’m just more used to the process. It’s never easy when it comes to writing and the publishing world.
PJ I like that saying : ) – I am going to nick it and tell it to my own kids!
Great post! Although my sales are no where near anything mentioned above I have seen an increase with my latest release – even if it is not in the thousands or tens of thousands. . .
Thanks, Jamie! Nothing happens quickly unless you’re a very lucky person! I think the key is to keep writing and getting out those books.
You’re absolutely right – keep writing. . .
Thank you for such a great post and for the encouragement! I hope the sun is shining for you in the UK!
Thanks, Tamara! Well, it came out for a split of a second…
Good morning, Talli!
Today is an odd day for me. It feels like a chapter is finished in my writing career. Yesterday, I sent the last signed ebook to the 150 readers who requested them (and signed up for my newsletter to register for one). The response has been incredible, it is a promotion I will run again with each book.
My debut novel is officially earned out, so that means everything else coming in is a cherry on top. It will be advertised in March, go free one last time in April when STONE comes out. But I finally feel like it’s “all grown up” and it’s time to focus on my next child. The outlining process for STONE was MUCH easier than the numerous incarnations I went through with Cancelled. Even the writing process is easier, as I know I can grind it out when I need to.
Thanks for the post. Yes, I agree, it does get easier with time, like most things.
Congrats on the success of your debut novel. Yay! I know what you mean, though… there’s a time when you feel you have to let go and just move on.
I have aspiring authors asking me all the time how they should get started, what they need to do to self publish, etc. I think I’ll save the link to this post and pass it along to them. Lots of really good information.
I did my first book with a small press and found I had to do all of the marketing for it. So I decided to learn the self-publishing business for myself. It was a steep learning curve, but very exciting. I’m on my third book now, releasing in 2 weeks, and I can’t believe how much I have learned over the last year and half since my first book.
Thanks for a great post, Talli, and Happy Valentine’s Day!
Debra, that was part of the reason why I decided to go out on my own – I was doing most the marketing, anyway! It is a steep learning curve, but super exciting too. Happy Valentine’s Day!
I am the newest of newbies to self publishing and feeling more than a little overwhelmed. Thank you for this wonderful advice.
You’re welcome, Judith. Glad it helped.
Your successful year really encourages me to keep going. Thanks for sharing Talli!
Thank you, Elle!
Fingers crossed for us both this year.
Great advice, and so true.
I find the whole publishing thing gets easier, but for me the pressure of writing is getting harder. Since my first two books became successful I feel under enormous pressure to produce for my readers, which I’m finding makes me procrastinate. I’m now terrified of letting my readers down and fingers freeze over the keyboard. When I was an unknown and no one had any expectations of me it was much easier.
I find that I only check my sales a couple of times a month, usually in the middle and at the end of the month.
I very rarely check my reviews anymore. I read a post on Goodreads where the writer said that after you’ve garnered a certain amount of reviews does it really make a difference how many more you get? She made the point that she only reads a few of the good ones and the odd bad one, just to see what people didn’t like. She said it usually turned out that the bad reviews were on trivial things that wouldn’t bother her anyway. I have to say my review reading habits are exactly the same when I’m picking a book. If the cover intices me, the blurb piques my interest and the majority of readers leave favorable reviews I’ll give the book a go no matter what the bad reviews say.
Congrats on the sales figures, those are awesome
Alison, I hear you. The writing most definitely does not get easier – if anything, it gets harder. I’m like you – I feel the pressure of not wanting to let down my readers, and sometimes I freeze and I have to force myself to keep going. Times like that, I remind myself how lucky I am to have readers, and that all I can do is my best.
50,000 in one year? Wow. That’s amazing. Did you make the same amount? Or more?
Thanks, Tyler. And, er… less, because most of my sales were at the 99p/ 99 cent price point.
Great Post! And congrats on the huge numbers.
That is so true about the negative reviews. In the past with my trad book, I learned this lesson. You can’t go back and change what someone didn’t like. So it’s just an exercise in futility.
And things do get easier with each book. Obsessing over sales and figures is just another futile effort that keeps me procrastinating and away from writing. From my first sp book to the one I’m working on now, I’ve learned so much, from the editing process, finding an editor you can trust, to cover art, to formatting. And keeping in mind that you still have to be writing the next one. It’s a learning curve, but everyone in this group has taught me so much.
You guys rock.
Thank you, Nana! And you’re so right – it’s such a learning curve when you step out on your own. I’m glad this site has helped! And definitely trying not to get too obsessed over sales figures is important, because it can stop you from writing.
talli, i have my newsletter sign-up that wordpress provides, plus rss feeds, for my blog, which features anything new i publish or promote
but i keep feeling it might be good to have a dedicated newsletter, just for my ebooks
do you think this might be over-kill, and become too much info for those signed up for both, and thus actually hurt one or the other, or are there over-riding reasons to still have a dedicated ebook info newsletter?
also, i do have a dedicated ebooks info page on m blog, though i don’t think it gets much traffic, even with a tab at the top of my page for it
and
if you “do” think i should have a dedicated newsletter for my ebooks, is there a program you can recommend, that i can use on my wordpress site? it’s a dot com, not a dot org, so that means “some” things i can’t do on m site (advertise, etc)
thanks so much, enjoyed your article, obviously
take care,
adan
Adan, can you check the stats on your individual pages at your blog? I’ve been pleasantly surprised to see in my stats that my Books pages gets the most consistent views on a daily basis. If you haven’t checked your stats, you might getting more off that tab/page than you think.
stacey thank you for the suggestion, i do happen to check it more now
but naw, not that much hits to it
what i’ve done recently, is in the right side column, which appears on each page, including the opening pg, is create a series of image widgets i can move around etc, which feature any of the works i want, whether a new release or promo or calendar-sensitive work (ie, valentines etc)
i also suspect, deep in my keep-digging-poking-around curiosity of a mind
that i’m simply “liking” the idea of a separate email sign up for my ebooks, and just really don’t need one
my regular blog email newsletter list is growing, my rss feed #’s, when i can see them, seem bigger, and each page visit has a not-in-your-face-but-easily-visible reminder of my ebooks
maybe i should just go back to my next work
thank you again stacey, that was a very nice & helpful suggestion from you, happy valentines day
Also, to answer the second part of your question… I think a tab is a great idea! If people want to know more, then all the information is right there.
And I apologise right now for any typos or incoherent advice. I’m drinking pink champagne at the moment….
please have a sip for me too
today’s also my wife’s birthday, and we’re celebrating with a rare eat-out-during-the week breakfast, and, doing seafood by the waterfront (burlington vt) tonight
i learned one thing long ago, birthday, valentines, two events
oh, and saw your other answer, and yea, i think the platform, the tabbed “my ebooks” page, and the current rss feed + newsletter seem to let people know
as if it’s not all over twitter and fb, when i have something anyways
thanks talli, have a great valentines!
Adan, I think it depends… if your platform helps drive your ebook sales, then I’d keep them together and use your contacts to help.
Adan, I use mailchimp for my newsletter and it works really well. You can provide people with a link, share the newsletter on twitter (or just via email to subscribers, your choice), and it’s free if you have a small number (I believe under 5000) subscribers.
I have a question about blurbs and reviews. What’s the standard for an indie looking to gain reviews from reputable sources and short blurbs for the back cover? I know about Kirkus already.
I think the best thing to do is to look for other books in your genre. Who review them? What book bloggers, for example? Then approach them with the understanding that they may not have the time (if they’re authors) or the inclination (if they’re book bloggers). There are loads of book bloggers for any genre – have a look around and follows their blogs.
You can also try LibraryThing and giveaways as a way to get unbiased reviews from regular folk.
Sorry for the typos… I blame the champagne.
Ignore the ‘Failures’ and Move on.
Blimey! Did you nick that from my blog? haha. Wonderful post and so true. Very hard to not obsess with sales and figures, but one has to let go at one point and just knuckle down with another book.
I have the problem with two non-selling books at the moment, so I drew a line under the series and decided to not continue with it and instead concentrate on my new WIP.
Keep going, girl, I think you’re doing great. By the way, I do get quite a few visitors from your blog
Thanks, Stella! I’m glad you get some visits from my blog to yours. I was over there the other day and you had a great post on getting rid of ‘shes’ and starting each sentence the same way. Really great advice!
I just put out my 2nd self-published book and I realized how much easier formatting and uploading was now that I knew I could do it. The first book took all day. The second one the length of the Super Bowl. I even stopped from time to time to watch the nifty commercials.
That’s fantastic, Jill! It really does get easier — even when you’re watching the Super Bowl!
From here on in, I take no responsibility for any typos. It’s Valentine’s, I’m drinking pink champagne, and getting little bit squiffy!
Oh one of these days I may hit the heady heights of publication – I hope I can remember all this!
Building a team is key to success.
Not obsessing over sales is definitely something I need to work on. I’ve only published the one book though, and it’s only been out for a couple months. Right now, I’m still in that check-every-hour stage. Well, not literally every hour, but four or five times a day, anyway.
This is filled with wisdom! Thank you for sharing and I’m looking forward to the day when I have multiple titles self-pubbed!! In the meantime, I’ll try to keep my head about me, and keep some perspective. Thanks!
Talli – you’re awesome! That’s for your words of wisdom.