What’s So Special About Indie?
Now that virtually every person with a keyboard and Internet connection is a published author, what’s so special about you?
Let’s face it, how many of us roll our eyes when yet another “new author” adds us as a friend on social media, and then blasts a “Buy my book” link over and over? Being an indie author was special in 2008. Today, it is not only something not worth declaring, but is probably something you shouldn’t even mention. It’s not special. It’s exceedingly common.
I’ve been a big proponent of always staying ahead of the crowd. Actually, it’s probably more accurate to say it’s best to be totally oblivious of the crowd. That’s why I’ve been fascinated by the social-media discussions here at WG2E. Because conventional wisdom tends to be conventional, and convention in writing is to fail.
You can say there are exceptions to the rules, but look at some of the conventional wisdom I keep hearing quoted in social media as the Indie Gospel:
John Locke broke through via successful blogging.
That’s absolute crap! He hasn’t blogged since June 22, and someone like J.A. Konrath gets more post comments in an hour than Locke does in a month. John Locke got lucky with some Amazon algorithms, and to that, you can attribute probably 950,000 of his sales. If you think differently, and if you follow the blueprint in his guidebook and expect to sell a million books, please let me know if you make it. Locke’s genius can’t be reproduced, nor can his timing, situation, and luck.
Amanda Hocking broke through via successful blogging.
That’s absolute crap! Those of us hanging out on Kindleboards last year saw her explosion—it was luck. She had maybe 200 people following her blog at the time, and she herself seemed as surprised as anyone. You don’t parlay 200 followers into a seven-figure book contract through spontaneous strategy. It was timing, Amazon algorithms, and luck. True, passionate book bloggers helped fuel the success, but without the feeding by Amazon algorithms, none of it happens. None.
J.A. Konrath broke through with successful blogging.
That’s absolute crap! Joe himself admits his blog doesn’t sell books. He uses it to educate writers, partly because he wants to be “right” about the indie era. Sure, you couldn’t read an ebook article in 2010 without the author invoking Joe’s name, and that certainly didn’t hurt, but Joe rarely shows up on Twitter and Facebook. And he’s the first to admit he got lucky.
You have to be on Twitter and Facebook!
That’s absolute crap! He doesn’t get talked about much because he doesn’t get up on the indie platform, but J.R. Rain just may be the most successful indie author on the planet. He doesn’t blog at all and maintains only a token presence on Twitter and Facebook. All he does is write the next book, and he’s ridden his Vampire for Hire series into a dedicated fan base. I collaborate with him, and when I tell him all my promotional plans, he just says, “Wow, you put a lot more thought into all this than I do.” I would trade all of my plans for only a fraction of his sales. All he does is write books and get lucky.
You have to blog, Tweet, Facebook, Google+, network, advertise, and cross-promote!
That’s absolute crap! Indeed, it seems the reverse is true. The busiest and noisiest don’t seem to be successful. Maybe it’s the “indie noise” has finally made everyone deaf or maybe those writers don’t trust their books to carry themselves, or expend all their energy climbing a wall they could easily go around. Maybe they don’t have a real personality to pitch, or a message to convey, or a reason to write. (Money is a laughable reason to write, even as easy as the money is these days compared to every other era in history.)
So, what’s special about these four guys?
If it wasn’t luck built on Amazon algorithms (nothing sells like sales), how come none of these authors broke out in every market at once, as one would expect from a brilliant promotional campaign? No, they hit big on Amazon, got in the news and the buzz, and then built in the other markets. I’m not here to say you should gear all your indie energy into gaming the algorithms, because they are constantly changing, and the future will not be like the past. Instead, look at the factors behind the luck.
These guys tell their stories and stick to their vision. They are prolific writers, so they have lots of books out, and are increasing their odds of getting lucky. Talent is just another kind of luck, after all. They are special and stick with what is special. They aren’t out there divining the crowd, or tapping the conventional wisdom, or shouting over the indie noise.
I’m more interested in my philosophical, spiritual, and sociological messages than I am my book sales. The journey for faith in my early supernatural and fantasy tales are giving way to a more aggressive and challenging search for purpose in my thriller fiction. That’s my specialty, my world view, and I’ve been lucky to find readers around the world. Yes, lucky.
Writers become special by being special. So don’t worry about how somebody else made it. Consider yourself special, and then be special.
Beats six hours a day on Twitter, doesn’t it?
———
Scott Nicholson is author of The Indie Journey, available at Amazon, BN, and Smashwords. He’s published more than 20 books, including Liquid Fear and The Skull Ring. Sign up for his free monthly newsletter at scottsinnercircle-subscribe@yahoogroups.com to get the personal touch, or follow hauntedcomputer on Facebook or Twitter if you want the random touch. Or go to http://www.hauntedcomputer.com and buy all his books so he won’t have to give advice anymore.
This post is like a healthy tonic. Message received: I need to get off the internet and get back to writing.
Thanks Scott!
Spot on, Scott!
Numerous factors come into play to take a book into the top of the charts, but mostly luck and the algorithms.
That said, unless you make that initial effort to find the early customers that wll get you moving, then the algos are not going to touch you. First time authors need to get themselves known and need to get those initial sales by whatever means they can. They need to make their own luck.
No-one can be sure exactly what criteria the algorithms follow, but it seems clear that they seize on books that have momentum of their own, and accelerate that momentum.
Established authors, especially those with a backlist and a core customer base, therefore have the advantage, and stand more chance of benefiting. New writers need to work that much hard to get lift-off.
But everyone needs to see the top chart positions as something to fondly dream of, not something to aim for and fret over. If you get there it’s a big bonus, no question. For the few weeks it lasts. Then it’s back to reality.
“Writers become special by being special. So don’t worry about how somebody else made it. Consider yourself special, and then be special.” – Wise words from Scott Nicholson. Be yourself!
Mark, it is good to have that platform and initial push to launch. That’s really all I do–I launch and then use my down time to slowly build ground for the next, instead of pushing pushing pushing all the time. And I try to find ways to bring friends and readers into the launch in ways that get them involved and invested. It’s more fun that way!
Great points, David, Mark and Scott!
Here’s some superfab scoop from several really terrific quants who are helping me understand the Amazon Algorithms on the Kindle Board Thread I started on this very topic:
http://www.kindleboards.com/index.php/topic,54858.0.html
All the social networking is so much fun, but at the end of the day if you aren’t writing that next novel/novella/poem what have you, then you won’t be a success. Next year I have six shorts and three novels coming out. JUST recently I “trimmed the fat” off of my day. Unfortunately some of the fat was the unnecessary social medias that I was bellied up to. Thanks for the reminder, Scott!
I luuuvvved this post, Scott, and here’s why…
I took it to mean that – besides all of our writing – our social media efforts are truly about being being genuine and getting to know our readers and paying it forward to the world.
It’s not doing you, your career or the world any good to just pop up fifteen times a day on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, blogs/grogs, or anywhere else, if your content isn’t genuine.
Here’s what I mean by that:
Every morning I’m on Facebook bright and early telling all my peeps good mornin’ and toastin’ y’all with my first cup of coffee. We cheer each other back – sometimes, you toast us too, Scott. We wish each other great days. Put pictures up of our latest coffee mugs. Discover all new kinds of coffee and tell each other where to find ‘em. Some days I get more comments on that than anything else. I look forward to that part of each day, and I think my readers do too. It’s a way to spread good cheer each morning.
That’s genuine, pay it forward kinda positive energy being shared via social media.
Or maybe we just like coffee…heh
There’s always that… “heh” right backatchya…LOL!!!
Hey, guys, yes, I didn’t mean don’t “waste” time on social media–it’s fun and connects us with one another. So it’s not a waste unless that’s all you do, unless that’s all you want to do. It’s not a necessity by any means. My intent is more to encourage people to find out what makes their books worthwhile. Their value in the world.
I read an article yesterday about a plan to tax currency and futures traders, because they add no ‘social value” with their work, and that’s the first time I understood what I find immoral about the money changers–they add nothing to anyone’s lives. All they do is take.
So find where you give!
Scott, you’re saying what I’ve been quietly thinking. My DH doesn’t tweet, blog, FB, comment yet his two books—they’re non-fiction by the way—continue to sell. Not by the millions but surely, steadily, day after day. One is about the Beatles, Stones, & other celebs he worked with. The other is about his army days or, as I call it, CATCH-22 with radiation.
They’ve each been on 3 AMZN bestseller lists regularly.
ALWAYS ON SUNDAY: http://amzn.to/i6gnUw
THE ATOMIC TIMES: http://amzn.to/egJ4sz
Ooopsie…just realized 2 links get me into moderation limbo. So here’s the post sans links:
Scott, you’re saying what I’ve been quietly thinking. My DH doesn’t tweet, blog, FB, comment yet his two books—they’re non-fiction by the way—continue to sell. Not by the millions but surely, steadily, day after day. One is about the Beatles, Stones, & other celebs he worked with. The other is about his army days or, as I call it, CATCH-22 with radiation.
They’ve each been on 3 AMZN bestseller lists regularly. One is THE ATOMIC TIMES; the other is ALWAYS ON SUNDAY.
Nonfiction pretty much sells itself on subject–oddly enough, nonfiction now has a huge competitive advantage. In the old days, you had to make people aware of your book, and then send them into the car and the store. Now, it’s a few phrases in a search engine and CLICK. Indie nonfiction writers truly do have an advantage because there’s usually not “competition” in the way that fiction writers have it, where readers much choose between tens of thousands of offerings.
This is a great point, Scott!
Thanks to search engines, whatever your non-fiction niche is, bingo (or Bing…LOL)…peeps can find you then one-click-buy!!!
For example, Google Muse Therapy and you’ll see a ton regarding my Muse Therapy non-fiction, on-writing book…okay…yes, you also see the infertility and erectile dysfunction drugs and treatments too…
Esattamente! Write three novels and presto… after seven years you get lucky and are discovered “overnight.” Or you are discovered by the “algorythms,” the new Furies… Hmmm, only two to go!
It might really be that simple. Every overnight success I know took at least 10 years…
Funny you say that, Scott…
That’s the title of my next non-fiction on-writing book:
10 years and 24 Hours to Indie Epub Success
Hello. Chorus: Hi. I’m Elizabeth Ann West, and I am a social networking addict.
I have experienced the wonderful sides of social networking. I’ve made great author friends who I am now working with and that wouldn’t have happened if I had not reached out, like D.D. says: “in a genuine manner.” I’ve done the obligatory “my book is available” tweets, but it doesn’t seem to bring one sale. Guest posts and interviews do, reviews, not so much (though they add legitimacy to the Amazon listing when they are copied there).
I’ve also been sucked into the dark side. Spending hour upon hour checking my email, posting replies, Tweeting, checking facebook, just wishing for SOMETHING to happen. I alway feel immensely guilty after that. And it’s one of my habits I’m looking to break with this round of ROW80.
I do have a blog and I enjoy writing to it a few times per week. My “special” voice there is a newbie author. I have many “I screwed this up, this didn’t work, I was wrong” posts
But it seems like that is resonating with other authors and helped get my name out there.
Thanks Scott! I needed this post this morning to help reinforce my plan to cut back on twitter-stalking.
Elizabeth, I think it’s a mistake to focus your personal blog on appealing to handful of authors in similar situations–unless that is the thrust of the blog, such as this one at WG2E. Writers aren’t really an audience. True, it’s fun to commiserate and share notes and triumphs, but that’s more for the “club,” hangouts like this one. That’s why I say, do not call yourself an “indie author.”
I’ve seen people put in their Twitter bio, “Just another indie author trying to make it.” Huh? That basically embraces failure! Don’t be “just another” anything! Personally, I aim for spectacular failure– I’d rather fail big than be mediocre. I see a blog more like a living room, a place to serve tea and cookies, and kick around ideas. While I do talk about publishing ideas, it’s usually against the wider evolution. But actually right now I am interested in #OccupyWallStreet, because I feel a deep discontent in this country.
I have a separate blog on my reader site which is the web address I use in my ebooks
I have special stuff there just for my readers. 
I separated them because I don’t think the audiences overlap. I like my writing blog and it’s ideas, and my reader blog is more about me as a person/author and information for my readers.
THANK GOD someone said it! You’re so right. I know very successful indie authors who don’t tweet, blog and have virtually no internet presence… but their novels sell loads. I think a lot of it down to timing, luck, price, and yes, those algorithms. Having a product quality is a definite plus too, of course. But saying that you need to spend hours on the Internet? Nope.
Hi Talli. I do social media because I want to, not because someone tells me I must. There are times to use it for promo, like a book launch, but I like it more for the dissemination of ideas. Literary quality is overrated–there are some poorly written books selling bucketloads, but many readers don’t care about literary quality–they want a good story. If you look at the books people talk about, it’s about how the story affected them, not the writing.
I completely agree.
I think writers want to believe Twitter, etc. made these authors successful because it is something that can be replicated. Luck (including benefiting from Amazon’s current algorithms) can’t.
And you know what else? This formula (Luck, Perseverance and Talent) is the same formula that has always made books/authors successful. It isn’t just an indie thing.
What most people don’t want to believe is what a HUGE part luck has in the mix. You just have to have the other two so you will be there and ready when the luck part hits.
Lori
p.s. My best selling title right now is a book I published under a pen name and has received basically zero promotional support (outside of a fab new cover) from me.
I agree, Lori. I had a Top 100 book in German and I can’t speak a word of it besides Gesundheit.
I’ve come to believe we like to impose our egos on events and judge them by our concept of control. The “lucky” authors feel better about themselves by thinking it was their talent and smart marketing that did the trick. Those who haven’t succeeded yet like to believe there is some big system walling them out, or some secret to which they are not privy.
Now, you can help your luck, surely, through hard work and perseverance. Indeed, the only difference I can see is that those who have succeeded are the ones who didn’t quit–they kept spinning the roulette wheel until they got lucky.
What you said, right here, Scott:
“Indeed, the only difference I can see is that those who have succeeded are the ones who didn’t quit–they kept spinning the roulette wheel until they got lucky.”
I totally believe we can create our own luck but working our asses off and continuing to, as you say, “spin the roulette wheel”.
I believe in sweet, sweet serendipity.
And none of our stars can align if we’re not continuing to toss ‘em up into the sky.
Now how’s this for a sweet, sweet serendipity anecdote:
I just got an email from the VP of Marketing for Vook Books TV who wants to interview me on how I’ve used Amazon to build a successful publishing career.
How superfab fun is that?! And waaay cool extra visibility…
I can’t wait to see “how” he found me…maybe an Amazon Algorithm thing…maybe WG2E…who knows…it’s just awesome sauce news however it happened!!!
congratulations, have fun, DD!
Anne Tyler is my favorite author and I own every book she’s ever written; I’m ASAP at the bookstore and pay the full hardcover price. I know she lives in Baltimore and that’s about it. I have no idea if she has a blog (I doubt it) or a website or a facebook page, etc. (I can’t imagine her Twittering) — and it has never crossed my mind to find out. Other than an occasional book signing, as a long time reader (not yet writer) I had no inclination to fraternize with the author of a novel I liked. If we chatted by chance at a bar one night, I’d consider that I’d had an interesting conversation and tell everybody about it, but the need to cyber-stalk the author of the book I read or am considering buying has never been in the equation. All my “reader” friends feel the same way. If they read one book and love it, the author could publish a book once every ten years, and they’d find his new release.
On the other hand, my “writer” friends bond with other writers on the blogs et al. because they have the same boss, not because they read or buy their colleagues’ books. (Although some of them do buy … at least one book.) I love the WG2E site, but I rarely post because by the time I get to it, I’d simply be repeating what’s already been posted. And nobody likes a rehash. I might be the odd man out here, the dunce of social networking.
Great post, Scott.
Thanks, CCC. Lots of authors “made it” before the Internet!
I think balance is key.
Every Indie book I’ve bought so far I have found through a blog. Otherwise I would never have known about the author. So putting your name out there so readers know you exist is vital.
But as an author, if I spend so much time on the Net I don’t get my writing done I’m shooting myself in the foot.
And, five zillion tweets/blogs of a book that does not sound interesting or by an author I do not like will not make me buy the book.
Alicia, I see some authors who do nothing but Tweet their book link over and over–I don’t like to “unfollow” people but I can’t see how that helps. Perhaps the author doesn’t realize they are simply reaching the same audience over and over. I disagree with half of what my buddy Joe Konrath says, but I do agree with his line about advertising. “Don’t do it unless it work on you.”
Thank you for telling it like it is, Scott.
Nah, PJ, I just pitch my personal view as a universal truth, like everyone else on the planet!
Thanks for this blog post, Scott. I was starting to feel guilty that I don’t tweet and FB enough, but you have given me permission to make that okay. I am seeing that making my writing time sacrosanct is more important. I guess I better run, now, and get back to it!
No need to feel guilty. There’s also a saying, “How you spend your days is how you spend your life.” When mine is over, I don’t think I would have wished I’d sent out more Tweets!
The longer I’m in this indie game, the more convinced I am that LUCK is key. Unfortunately, that’s something we have no control over. It’d be really depressing if I wasn’t so busy working on the next book!
Jennette, you can control the things that feed luck–persistence, commitment, and, a biggie to me, faith! Writers often don’t talk about faith or purpose. I don’t ask God for more book sales, I thank God for the readers I’ve been fortunate to meet. And I trust God to guide me in the use of any benefits I get from writing. That’s an idea I explore in The Indie Journey–ultimately, what difference does it make whether you sell a million books or not if you squander it?
Great dose of vitamins. The other aspect of doing too much social media for the wrong reasons is that it makes you feel like you aren’t a successful writer when numbers (sales) don’t change.
And that’s crap.
We all think our books are great and expect that the sales figures will go through the roof. Everyone wants to be the next discovered author, but like you said it is luck and timing. We can do things like change price and covers, and that part I like about being Indie. But to expect to change the huge publishing world without a ton of really good books, is folly. I’m not good at the tweaking, either.
I like the simplicity of working on the books, the craft of writing. And having faith the rest will follow, with a little help from my friends…
Hooray, Sharon! I love to do big crazy promo events like my 90-day Kindle Giveaway Blog Tour and my recent Be Nicholson’s Agent event, but I realized I’d written about four novels’ worth of blog posts in the past two years. While the events made me visible, I’d rather have those four novels today than the extra sales that resulted.
A well written piece. First, you write. Then you promote. You promote on Main Street, in the press, to the community of interest to your subject and a little presence on the Web. It is not the be all and end all. I bristle at the term “Indie.” I am an author of soon to be six titles, all damn good. I chose to self publish because of the crap and the barriers. It was a great choice and I’m way ahead of the averages. If you keep writing, your books will feed on one another and be far greater than their sum. Thanks.
Thanks for dropping by, Arlington, and sharing that story. “Indie” was interesting a year ago, but really, no one outside the publishing industry and the handful of Amazon forum anti-indie zealots even care. All readers want is a good book at a good price. They don’t care how it was published, or how much the author gets, or what the political ramifications are.
Just look at how the Square Press covers the self-publishing era–as a lottery story. That’s the only way they feel they can present it so the average person can understand it. “So-and-so self-published and made a million dollars!” I always hated writing lottery stories as a reporter–it was like we were celebrating these gamblers who just got lucky, as if they’d done something special, when all they did was scratch a goddamned ticket. And we never wrote about how many tickets they bought that didn’t win.
I always find it intriguing that folks want to find out “how” someone acheived success (or, at least, their idea of success) and expect to follow a blueprint to find the same success. Life simply doesn’t work that way, whether it’s because of an algorithm, talent level, life circumstances, or just plain old luck. I think we should focus on the things we can control and be in a position to respond when the things we can’t control line up for us. Spending all our time keeping up with the Joneses it tiring, not to mention demoralizing.
-Neal
Hey Neal, glad you dropped by. That’s why my guide The Indie Journey aims to teach people to find their own success instead of measure it or define it by others.
Scott, this was really great to hear today. I’ve felt like I’m reaching for the brass ring and my arm is too short. I like doing some social media because writing is lonely. Facebook and Twitter are my rewards for getting the words in. I changed my blog recently to give back. I’m trying to do Blog the Book days to let readers know when I’ve found a great book and Blog the Writer days for letting them know about a great writer I know. Mondays are still my day on the blog and I haven’t quite found my niche there yet. But, I’m working on it.
Only do what’s comfortable. That’s my motto. I am not comfortable being a pitchman so I don’t have to do it. Keep blogging about the things that interest you and you will find like-minded people.
Scott,
I think both can be done (writing and the time spent on social media) if you commit to time limits. I think you do need both…both will play a role in your success. There are many views on the subject. Thanks for sharing yours.
Definitely. I consider marketing a part of running a successful writing business. I just don’t think social media should be the primary marketing. Few businesses rely solely on social media, so why should writing be any different? Good luck with the writing!
Thanks for the real skinny on our indie icons. Sobering facts. I’m going to be blogging on this subject next Sunday, so I hope it’s OK if I quote you on this.
But I do believe it’s about balance, as Alicia Street says. I wouldn’t know any indie authors but the iconic ones without meeting them in the blogosphere. Knowing an author really influences whether I buy her book or not. But note I say *knowing* not *being spammed by*.
Quote away. I agree, people are more likely to buy books from people they like. I can think of several big names who will never get a penny or a minute from me…
Scott, thanks for the reminder.
“We live in a creative universe. Let us, then, create.” Herman Melville.
And then the whale ate him…
Scott, you made my day. I’m terrible about twitter and facebook, and view it as a necessary evil. All I want to do is the write a book I’m proud of, and know I loved every moment of it. It is a spiritual thing in many ways. I look forward to my characters, and the story. I hope others do, but to get it up and out, and know I did my best is the most important thing. If it sells well, I’ll be happy. If it doesn’t? Well, I’ll do better next time…Kiana said it all, ‘Let us create.”
I gave up on tradi publishing, because I didn’t want to live a life on a treadmill, running from deadline to another. I love indie because it really is freedom to write what I want, when I want too, and how….
Why would you do something you think is evil? You don’t HAVE to do anything. Better to be happy than to sell a million books.
Thanks for giving me “permission” not to stew about the fact I don’t tweet, am pretty hopeless at blogging and rarely post on facebook. Phew! I’ve been beating myself up about it for too long. So I’ll just keep with the odd post here and there. My books are doing well, so you’re right, it really can’t be to do with social networking, coz all my followers find me after they’ve read the books and saw my website on the back page.
Duh! Why didn’t I think of that before ?!?!?
No one really knows what works, despite all the people out there trying to sell you secrets. Here’s something I strive to remember–I find The Secret a loathsome, self-indulgent book that primarily encourages people to plot to get wealthy (whether at someone else’s expense or not.” That book sold millions of copies.
But did we get millions of millionaires and successful people? No, we got the worst recession of our generation. Selfishness will never build true success.
I loved this, Scott. You shoot from the hip, and I find it refreshing.
well, don’t listen to me, because my advice is to never take advice! Trust your gut.
Great post! I am trying not to make my tweets only about my books (and now I have other authors I publish that I want to promote as well), but it’s hard to have too much interesting to say when you don’t spend a lot of time on twitter. I have nearly 400 followers, so their tweets scroll by at a rate impossible to follow and read.
I read your book and enjoyed it, Scott. There is a lot of important, thoughtful material in there.
Writing good books and then writing more seems to be the only way.
Here’s a question: How many fellow writers buy/read John Locke, Joe Konrath, David Gaughran because they think it will rub off on them?
I read Amanda Hocking’s earliest book to see what the fuss was all about — and it must have been after she cleaned up the errors a bit. Not a sophisticated story, but definitely one that resonated with young adults and hit the market at precisely the right time… and then was followed by about 15 more in the same vein. Luck and volume.
I’ve only read Locke’s “Million” book. His novels might be brilliant but I find the covers a turn-off. Somebody read one for me and tell me how it is.
I read Konrath’s blog faithfully, though he’s so prolific I can barely keep up. I haven’t bought a book, but I should.
I’ve read Gaughran’s non-fiction and one story collection, and enjoyed them both. Waiting for his big novel…
So it’s not cool to call ourselves indie authors, eh? I thought it was a badge of honor, like indie films. Better, more creative, more nervy…
Thanks for your post today!
Well, it’s hard to speak for reader taste. It’s a peculiar animal. Even publishers, with their several hundred years’ worth of experience, are still shooting craps. Although the bestseller list is largely predetermined, based entirely on the amount of the advance, we don’t know what resonates with readers until the echo hits. But I will say the “young adult” market is mostly a middle-aged women market. That’s why YA doesn’t split off into genres. The publishers know it’s a gold mine and just lumping it altogether means people will try more books (oddly, they splintered all the other genres and it ended up hurting instead of helping in the long run.)
We all discover books in different ways–I think writers do read books to try to understand the appeal. I wasted a few hours of my life on a Janet Evanovich novel and formula James Patterson, and I didn’t learn anything except there’s a large audience that cares nothing for literary quality or challenging ideas–they want a pleasant diversion and escape. So there’s something for everyone. John Locke is entertaining, but he probably won’t be winning any national book awards. Konrath writes with black humor and intensity, but I know people who hate his work. I haven’t read David’s fiction but because of his clarity and personality, I would try it–the thing is these people have identifiable brands. They ARE their brands, and that is really the simple goal of social media.
thank you for this.
You’re welcome, Diana.
The best promotion is a good book. Better promotion is more good books. Schtick can help in some cases or a unique angle– I give Locke great credit for selling over a million but I’ve outsold Locke’s million .99 eBooks in terms of money earned in just the last three months alone with my over 300,000 ebooks in July and August and September sold at prices mostly between $2.99 and $4.99 (yes I have two titles at .99 as hooks). I’ve done that because I have twenty years of backlist that I’ve been uploading steadily. You can’t invent that in a couple of days, weeks or months.
I blog a lot at Write It Forward as an author advocate, but honestly am tired of giving away advice for free to publishers and agents and other industry professionals. Most don’t get it and my two years learning curve in indie publishing was difficult. Jen and I will be running an online workshop on it starting in November, and I’m looking forward to the feedback from writers.
Also, and I’ll be blogging on this shortly, I don’t think the indie movement is sustainable. We’ve already seen all the authors quoted in this blog jump ship to a form of traditional publishing, correct? Ever wonder why? It’s more than they just can’t do all the work. I’m still 100% indie, but I’m a realist and making plans to take my business to the next level.
Congratulations, Bob, many are aware of your inventiveness and success. I think some will make it in indie, and others will make it in trad. Some will take that trad deal and watch their careers die as they lose all control and get swept up by larger forces. others will leave trad and find success in indie. I fully believe there’s plenty of opportunity here, and the same number of writers will earn a living, but half of them will be “new.” That means some of the established people will vanish. Obviously you won’t be one of them who vanishes.
Money is just one of the many measures of success–you can certainly be “successful” as an indie with 100 book sales if those 100 people do something remarkable in the world because of your words. I just don’t think numbers alone measure what is happening, but unfortunately that’s become the de facto center of the indie world. Whoever dies with the most book sales or money is not the winner. Whoever writes our indie “Civil Disobedience” or “Common Sense” may well be the one who is remembered in 50 or 100 years.
I don’t blame you for not educating the competition–but only a handful of publishers and agents are going to adapt quickly enough to survive anyway. Most authors are already smarter than the Old Guard. Incidentally JR Rain turned down conventional deals, JA Konrath only does a book a year with Thomas & Mercer and five or six as indie, and John Locke only signed for paper rights. Even Amanda Hocking is still self-pubbing on the side. Although I signed with Thomas & Mercer for two books, my foundation is and will remain indie for the forseeable future. I don’t think any author who has tasted the sweet fruit of indie is ever going to willingly give up that right completely.
One thing you are right about–we all need to be prepared for drastic change, because that’s the definition of this era.
I think you win an internet. Thanks for this post, from all of us writers who need an anti-social network. I keep myself away from social networks because I would spend too much time on them, and probably end up embarrassing myself.