I came across two insightful blogs this week that reflect
different thoughts on ebook publishing. Both blogs are quite candid and well
worth reading. The first by Jeff Bennington discusses the lies many
self-publishers believe about publishing. As an indie author, he’s the first to
admit he bought into the lies until he learned otherwise.
The first lie is the belief that one's book will become a
bestseller, especially if it’s critiqued, editing, and promoted sufficiently.
Jeff admits that he couldn’t see the flaws in his first book and has now taken it out of circulation.
The second lie is that writing and editing are the hard
parts. The hardest part about writing is selling one’s work. He talks about the
frustration many indie authors feel after working hard to blog, tweet, and
promote their books all over the place. The fact is that with hundreds of
thousands of ebooks out there, probably millions now, gaining even a little
attention is a major feat. Yet, many believe they can become part
of that elite group who earn enough money to pay the bills, buy a house,
whatever. In many ways, putting your book in the virtual world, is a lottery, folks,
and while you can improve your odds by writing a wonderful, well edited book
with a fantastic cover, there is no guarantee you’ll sell lots of copies. Jeff
also offers cures to these misguided beliefs, which you can read at http://thewritingbomb.blogspot.ca/2012/05/common-lies-self-published-authors.html
The second blog by Lindsay
Buroker discusses what it takes to become a full-time indie author. Although Lindsay ’s
sales have been pretty good, and she considers herself on the right track,
she’s the first to caution against anyone quitting their day job. But she does
offer some strategies, such as writing not only books but novellas and short
stories. Taking a page from Dean Wesley Smith’s beliefs, she also believes that
the more work you have out there, the more exposure, and therefore the more
sales potential.
She also believes in giving away free books. When she
released her third book in a series, she gave away the first and noticed a jump
in sales for books two, three, and four. She also wrote that she tried the blog
tours, paid advertising, and guest posts, but none of them were nearly as
successful as having a free book in major stores. I guess that’s why I see so
many free book offers over recent months. The bottom line is to go with what
works for you. There is more interesting stuff on her blog which you can find
at http://www.lindsayburoker.com/ebook-writing/what-does-it-take-to-become-a-full-time-indie-author/
I’d love to hear about your success stories with ebook
publishing. What works for you? What doesn’t? For me, Twitter as been quite
successful in spreading the word about giveaways and has helped spread attention about my books,
although the verdict’s still out with respect to sales.
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