Perceptions of Self-Publishing, Part 2

In opening orientation for the Florida Christian Writer’s Conference, the speaker asked the first time conferees to verbalize our conference goals. I turned to the lady next to me and said, “I want to learn if agents and editors consider self-published books and how they view self-publishing in general.”

Last time, we talked about an agent’s take on self-publishing. Today, let’s talk about what some editors had to say.

Of the four editors who met with me, only one said that her publishing house would not pick up self-published books. The fun side-note to this story is that she liked my books well enough to ask her editor-in-chief if they could make an exception by repackaging my books. Turns out, the answer was no, but in any event, the experience provided a booster shot to my confidence level.

The other three editors didn’t care if my books were self-published. Their interest seemed to lie in the following areas:

·       My pitch: Was it well-crafted? Did it meet their genre and audience needs?

·       My presentation: Was I prepared and had I done my homework on their publishing house? How did I “market” myself?

Meeting with editors and agents is like interviewing. Yes, they are interested in your qualifications and experience. But beyond that, they are interested in you as a person and if you are a good fit for their team.

If you’re a self-published author wondering if a publishing house might be interested in your book, the answer is maybe. Some publishers see self-publishing as competition and will not acquire self-published books.

Others will consider self-published works if what you have to offer matches what they need.

Perceptions of Self-Publishing, Part 1

Do agents represent self-published authors? Do publishing houses consider self-published works?

These are the questions I posed in my post earlier this month. In the next two posts, I’d like to share with you some personal insights and viewpoints I encountered at the Florida Christian Writer’s Conference, held at the beautiful Lake Yale Conference Center.

In attendance were sixteen acquisition editors from well-known Christian publishing houses and six agents. I had the opportunity to talk with four editors and one agent about my Wings of the Dawn new adult suspense series.

First, though, let me tell you a little about these remarkable people:

·       They are some of the most gracious listeners you will find.

·       Even if your work is not a good fit for them, they will still offer helpful critiques and advice.

·       They are genuinely interested in new writers and authors; many of them taught continuing classes and workshops to help prepare writers for appointments and to provide tips on how to improve their craft.

 

An agent’s view on self-publishing

When I asked an agent if she would consider representing a self-published book, her response was to ask me how many copies I had sold. As she explained, that is the first question a publishing house would ask her if she were to market a self-published book.

Naturally, I asked how many copies she would want to see. Her answer was 5,000 for print and 10,000 for eBooks.

Now if you’re a self-published author who has managed to sell that many books, I applaud you. But if you’re like the rest of us flesh and blood writers who juggle jobs, family lives and a writing career, you’re doing well to sell a couple hundred books.

I later learned that the emphasis on sales figures and a tangible platform are more important for non-fiction writers than for fiction. Regardless, though, you need to give your market appeal and audience serious thought.

Does this mean that if you haven’t sold a couple thousand books you should throw in the towel?

Absolutely not.

Again, we’re just looking at some views on self-publishing. This is one of them.

Remember that an agent’s job is to be a writer’s mouthpiece to publishers. An agent only acquires writers whose works fit the genres he represents and meet the needs of the publishing houses with whom he has developed relationships. Just because an agent turns you down doesn’t mean your work is worthless; it simply might not be the right fit for them.

After speaking with this agent, I had a new respect for agents and what they do. These individuals know the publishing business inside and out, so listen to what they have to say. You will probably learn something.

I did.

In fact, this agent’s advice helped me fine-tune my pitch to speak with two editors, both of whom requested my proposal. Come back next time, and see what they had to say.

FCWC Recognizes Wings of the Dawn

Saturday night was the FCWC (Florida Christian Writer’s Conference) awards banquet. Much to my delight, the directors announced that first place for the mystery/suspense/thriller fiction category went to Captive Beneath the Bahamian Sky, the first book in my Wings of the Dawn series.

To participate in the writing contest, fiction writers submitted a one paragraph description of their novel plus the first 2,000 words. (The contest was open to self-published works, allowing me to submit my first book for consideration.) Depending on the number of submissions, the directors awarded first, second and/or third place. In the mystery/suspense/thriller category, three writers received recognition.

Like a sponge, I soaked up everything I could from the conference, speakers and workshops. Is a conference worth the investment? Without question, the answer is absolutely!

Over the next several weeks, I’ll share with you what I learned at this conference – including the insights I gleamed into the market role and perceptions of self-publishing. Do publishing houses consider self-published works? Do agents represent self-published authors?

Check back soon.

First Writer's Conference: Goals and Thoughts

I’m excited to be attending my first writer’s conference this year. The Florida Christian Writer’s Conference starts February 27 and runs through March 3.

As I start planning for it, I just want to share a couple “first time attendee” goals of mine.

·         Be as prepared as you can, but don’t stress about it.

·         Contribute as appropriate, but focus more on listening.

·         Have an open mind and a desire to learn.

·         Enjoy the experience!

As a self-published author, I am also especially curious to see how Christian publishers, agents and authors view self-published authors and their works.

·         Do they respect the entrepreneur spirit and personal discipline of self-published authors?

·         Do they discredit self-published works as second class?

·         Do they want to discover well-written self-published works?

·         Do they welcome or resent self-publishing?

Stay tuned! The writer’s conference experience has been described to me as “drinking out of a hose,” so I know I will be overwhelmed (in a good way) with information which I look forward to sharing with you.

Have you been to a writer’s conference before? What advice would you give first time attendees?

 

CreateSpace Kindle Conversion Service

As of November 16th, my print sequel Wings of the Dawn, Book 2 became available on Amazon, and less than a month later, is now available as an e-book, published through Kindle Direct Publishing.

Amazon's CreateSpace makes converting your print book to an e-book easy. For a conversion fee of $69 (very reasonable compared to the hundreds of dollars other self-publishing companies want to charge for the same service), CreateSpace handles the file conversion and uploading of your book to the Kindle Direct Publishing site. (Authors, please note that you must first set up the account and then complete the "rights and pricing" portion before you can publish.)

The "learning curve" for me was familiarizing myself with some e-book basics, since I actually do not own a Kindle, and sorting through Amazon's two royalty options - 35% and 70%. (The 70% option is somewhat of a no-brainer, but conditions do apply.) If you're an author and would like to learn more, here are some helpful links:

• Amazon's Sales and Royalties FAQ page
• Amazon's List Price Requirements page

I also learned some new terminology, namely, DRM or Digital Rights Management. Amazon gives authors the option to enable DRM or not. If you opt to enable DRM, you prevent the sharing of your e-book. If you do not enable DRM, users can share or send your book to their friends for viewing.

For more information, check out this helpful article called Amazon add optional DRM for Kindle publishers which does a nice job summarizing this option.

From what I have read, the conversion process can also work the other direction. In other words, if you start with an e-book through Kindle Direct Publishing, you can then create a print book with CreateSpace.

Have you converted your e-book to a print book, and if so, do you think it's easier to start with an e-book or with a print book? I welcome your feedback.

Marketing Gone Bananas

I like to watch for clever new marketing techniques, and this week, I spotted one in the fruit bowl in my kitchen.

One of the bananas had a sticker that read: I Heart Lunch Boxes. I doubt that sticker would influence anyone's buying decision, but what it does create is memorability. It's not something I expected to see, and therefore it grabbed my attention. I think marketers call that generating visibility for your brand.

Think of a commercial that's stuck in your head. Why did you remember it? Usually, it has a catching tune or something that makes you laugh - oftentimes unrelated to what the commercial is trying to sell.

Have you seen the Pampers "Beautiful Mornings" commercial? I would never have thought it possible to make a diaper commercial attractive or cute, and yet, I think Pampers has succeeded with this one - combining adorable babies with the song "I Feel Pretty" from West Side Story.

And then there's the holiday season that puts on a dazzling display of marketing techniques - targeting audiences of all ages.

What lessons can self-published authors learn from all this? I think the short answer is to get creative with how you promote your book and maybe focus less on thrusting your book in front of readers and more with raising visibility and awareness for your message.

What are some "outside the box" methods you've used to market your book? Did they work and why?

New Release: Wings of the Dawn, Book 2

I'm thrilled to announce the second book in my Wings of the Dawn Series, Secrets Beyond Lake Winona's Shore.

It's immediately available through CreateSpace on my page. Look for it on Amazon in the next few days. I'll share a press release with more information in the near future.

I don't believe in resting on laurels, but I'd like to reflect for just a moment. Ecclesiastes 7:8 says:

"Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit."

One of my professors in college used to challenge us as students to "finish well." After all, anyone can start strong, but finishing takes perseverence and hard work.

"...and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit."

To be patient is to endure in spite of weariness, to press on in spite of setbacks. Yes, I am proud of my book, but not vain (or at least, I hope not). Actually, I can rather relate to Anne Bradstreet in her poem "The Author to Her Book," which begins this way:

"Thou ill-formed offspring of my feeble brain..."

And yet, it is my desire that God take my writing, even if it is but the "ill-formed offspring of my feeble brain," and use it in such a way that would bring glory to Him and enjoyment to those who read it.

 

Self-Publishing: A Growing Trend

I follow Sally Stuart’s Christian Writers' Marketplace blog, which recently posted about triple-digit growth in self-publishing since 2007.

Check out the full article here.

Two initial thoughts crossed my mind as I saw the statistics.

Go Self-Publishing!

Cleary, more people are breaking away from traditional publishing options and doing it themselves. (Interestingly, CreateSpace claimed the top spot for self-published print media at 58,412 titles in 2011.)

I found these statistics encouraging. More and more, I am becoming a fan of people brave enough to break away from “the way we’ve always done things” into being more independent and personally responsible for pursuing their dreams. Traditional publishing houses have made themselves virtually inaccessible to upstarting authors, using screening services to find book proposals they find interesting.

Granted, these services, such as Christian Manuscript Submissions and the Writer’s Edge, can be helpful in providing advice and exposure to aspiring authors (and a select few do have their books discovered through these services). Before self-publishing my first book, I submitted a proposal to Writer’s Edge and did not find the exercise a waste of my time.

However, that’s not my point. My point is that statistics like these show people have discovered that they can get published on their own – instead of waiting and hoping that the traditional publishing community will take notice of their work.

More Competition

I believe competition is healthy and necessary in any field. It helps screen out the poor performers and forces thought-leaders to work harder to stand out from the crowd.

Therein also lies the challenge of self-publishing. You may have something brilliant to say, but how do you differentiate yourself when hundreds, if not thousands, of people are shouting to get noticed?

I don’t pretend to have the answer to that question, but I think Chris Guillebeau (The Art of Non-Conformity) is right when he says that you must first clearly identify your cause and your intended audience – and then give them a reason to care and a reward for caring.

How we accomplish that is for each one of us to decide.

Amazon's CreateSpace: A Flexible Self-Publishing Solution

When I self-published Wings of the Dawn Book 1, I worked with Xulon Press, a Christian Self-Publishing Company. If you're considering self-publishing for the first time, I would recommend including Xulon in your list of publishing options. Xulon provides clearly defined services (based on your budget and expectations) and structures the process for you from beginning to end.

As I finalized my second book, I considered publishing with Xulon again but decided to try something different. With the experience of my first book in my back pocket, I wanted to see if I could self-publish at a reduced cost and with greater flexibility.

By flexibility, I mean more control – and ultimately, more responsibility – for my interior and cover design. With Xulon, I purchased their plan, shared some design ideas, and their graphic artists created my cover for me. Granted, I've received some great feedback on my first cover but knew that my second was going to require a great deal more customization.

A friend of mine is a graphic artist, and the two of us worked together to make my cover vision a reality. Yes, there is a story behind my second book’s cover, which I’ll share with you another time.

I heard about Amazon’s CreateSpace publishing services through a Facebook friend and started researching it in detail after she shared her positive experience.  CreateSpace offers a variety of self-publishing options (which at first can seem overwhelming but ultimately lets you pick and choose exactly what you want).

For example, CreateSpace offers the following options for self-publishing books. (Note that they also have resources for musicians and other artists as well.)

·         Publishing Solutions (packaged plans)

·         Editing (if you need professional proofreading services)

·         Layout & Design (for interior and cover services)

·         Marketing

The Layout & Design option essentially lets you create your own custom plan, which is what I wanted. For my interior, I selected the Author’s Advantage Book Interior, which involved uploading my manuscript and selecting basic formatting preferences. Then, with the help of my graphic artist, I submitted my cover PDF.

Last weekend, I uploaded some edits and as of today, am waiting to receive my second hard copy proof in the mail. Once approved, Wings of the Dawn Book 2, Secrets Beyond Lake Winona’s Shore will become available on Amazon.com (likely later this month or next).

What about you? Have you self-published in the past, and if so, what programs have you used? Or, if you’re looking to self-publish for the first time, what is most important to you as you look for the right program?

Book 2: Coming Soon!

I apologize in advance for neglecting my blog.

But I do have a good excuse, well, as good an excuse as any. The second book in my Wings of the Dawn series, Secrets Beyond Lake Winona's Shore, is in the final proofing stage; and if all goes as planned, will be available for sale on amazon.com either later this month or early next.

For the last several weeks, I have spent most of my spare time proofreading and proofreading and proofreading.

But that's not what readers care about, so I'll get off my "I've been working really hard" soapbox.

What is book 2 about?

Abby has just ended her summer internship with her detective Uncle Rick Benton - the job that got off to such a rough start in book 1. She's looking ahead to her freshman year of college when her brothers and their friends Matt and Andrew Baxter surprise Abby and the Marshall sisters with plans for a week's vacation on Lake Winona in the lakes region of New Hampshire.

Yet she no sooner arrives in New Hampshire than her uncle leaves her an unsettling voicemail, and Abby is torn between telling the truth about his suspicions to her brothers and friends - and not wanting to worry them.

She stumbles upon a mysterious old letter and suddenly finds herself face to face with her nemesis Neil DeWitt, entangled in a mystery surrounding a Cold War diary, a missing dossier and a kidnapped treasure hunter.

Can Abby solve the scrambled clues before time runs out? Beyond that, can she find the courage to confront her dilemmas and begin to forgive the one who has wronged her? What weighs in the balance is worth more than even the secrets that lie somewhere beyond Lake Winona's shore.

How did I go about self-publishing book 2?

We'll talk about that in another post.

Will Self-Publishing Compete with or Complement Traditional Publishing?

I ask myself this question after reading a variety of articles on the future of self-publishing. The statistics show that it isn’t something traditional publishers can ignore any more. Publishers Weekly shows that in 2009, 76% of newly released books were self-published.

Self-publishing has certainly come a long way. An article from the Wall Street Journal made this observation: “Much as blogs have bitten into the news business and YouTube has challenged television, digital self-publishing is creating a powerful new niche in books that’s threatening the traditional industry. Once derided as 'vanity' titles by the publishing establishments, self-published books suddenly are able to thrive by circumventing the establishment.”

But is self-publishing really a “threat” to traditional publishing? In a Wall Street Journal poll, the majority at 49% said that it is a “big threat” – probably due in large to the increasing popularity of digital books and electronic devices that lend themselves well to accessing self-published works.

Yet there also appear to be ways in which the two poles are trying to connect.

HarperCollins launched a writing community called Authonomy.com. In their FAQ page, they explain their purpose is “to find new, talented writers we can sign up for our traditional book publishing programmes.” The community invites unpublished and self-published writers to participate.

There’s a novel idea.

Yet a community like this does run the risk of becoming a popularity contest with writers vying to reach the editor’s desk. Author Carla Acheson warns of some potential problems users could encounter with the community in her post Is Authonomy just a Con-omy?

Will traditional publishing and self-publishing camps continue to compete or find ways to work together? Will traditional publishers get creative and discover fresh talent from the pool of self-published authors? Will self-published authors start to view themselves as independent of traditional publishing or look to publishing houses to one day pick up their works?

I don’t know the answers to those questions, but one impression my research left me is that digital publishing is going to play an ever increasing role in how books go to market.

Would you agree?

Perhaps digital publishing will be the tool that brings self-published works a larger readership and the attention of the traditional publishing establishment.

Time will tell.