Freedom for Writers

This week we celebrated the Fourth of July, and over on the Facebook group we talked about how it's a great time to be a writer because independence is achievable. I wanted to expand on those tips and see what you would add.

1) Know your goals. Why do you want to write indie? What is motivating that decision? The same questions should be asked if you're pursuing traditional publishing. For me, I'm pursing indie for my books where I have received the rights back from the publisher. It's been a huge learning curve, but I know these are good books and there are readers who haven't discovered them. Indie publishing is a way to get them back out there, update them and more. I love traditional publishing, because I love the partnership aspects. I know they have a platform I don't have on my own. They have the team to help me with all the elements that are overwhelming to consider on my own. That's why I love being with the big houses.

2) The most important relationship is between reader and author. Regardless of how you publish, you have to think about how you will build that relationship. Part of it will be writing more, great books. Then there will be websites, social media, booksignings, etc. you will have to think deliberately about how you will build this relationship. It also requires you to know and listen to your reader. Involve them in the process. Help them acquire ownership of your books. How can you help them become your biggest advocates?

3) Hire an editor. This step is so often overlooked. If you are traditionally published, then you should have three rounds of editing: macro/story edit, line edit, and proofing. If you are indie, you need the same. Even though the book I have put up were edited at least three times, I still hired someone to proof each one. It's amazing what is caught each time. The quickest way to lose a reader is to have a poorly edited book. Don't skip this step. It is worth the expense to make the book is done well. As James Scott Bell says you're best marketing is the book the reader is currently reading.

4) Don't rush. Let's face it. We all get important. But let's not rush into print before we're ready. I have friends churning out 4-6 books a year. I can't do that with everything else going on in my world. Three is about my max; four if I'm writing two with Tricia Goyer. I know that's my pace, and I know this after writing 27 books. What's your pace? How fast can you write and still do a good job? Seriously stop and think about. How much time do you need to make sure you're going through the rounds of edits and putting out a great book? Is your first book really ready for the world to read?

What would you add?

Cara Putman

An award-winning author of more than twenty books, Cara is a lecturer on business and employment law to graduate students at Purdue University’s Krannert School of Management. Putman also practices law and is a second-generation homeschooling mom. She lives with her husband and four children in Indiana.

The Indie Road: The New Perspective

Okay, so you've decided to check this Indie thing out, or have firmly planted your foot on the road.

What now?

THE FIRST thing you need to do is grab this pretty pair of new glasses I have for you.

If you're a hybrid author, don't chuck your old glasses. You'll still need them.

But Indie glasses are important, because the view changes on this journey from what you're used to.

Write-a-book-edit-get-critiques-enter-contests-submittoagent-submittoeditor-pubboard-contract-editsomemore-PUBLISH --- that is basic traditional publishing sequence.

Indie looks similar, but oh-so different.

You still write a book.

You still edit it.

You can still get critiques, and you can still enter contests if you want, but this takes on a whole new look.

No longer are you polishing those first three chapters until they are spic-n-span shiny for an agent/editor.

You are editing every word of your novel for READERS. They are your 100% priority. (well, we are Christian authors, so I would argue that GOD is our 100% priority, but that doesn't mean you forget that your readers are your audience.)

But regardless, you are trying to attract readers, not an agent or editor. These edits and critiques are no longer going to "gatekeepers" (I'm careful with that word because it inspires lots of feelings on both sides of the fence!) So YOU are responsible for making sure they are "buy" worthy.

Yes, you can (and probably SHOULD) hire an editor. But you still have the final call. It's a big responsibility. Some are excited about this, because YOU have control over the content your readers get. Some are petrified that the responsibility now rests with them.

Regardless of your feelings on the matter, you need to understand this new perspective.

The other big perspective shift is publishing.

YOU are the publisher. Sure, you can outsource a lot of it. Find a cover designer, editor, formatter. Hire a marketing firm.

But whether you tackle it yourself or hire it out, it still is costly --either in time for learning/doing, money for hiring out, or money because you have no sales because you did it and stunk at it. Sorry, just being blunt here!

So understand this new job of yours as publisher. You are not just a writer.

The good news is -- you get perks for this new job. Like larger percentages of royalties (70% in most cases when you price your book $2.99 or more) You also can have control over your sales, have real-time data of how well sales are working, and no more fearing of a horrid cover that you hate. Nope, if you hate the cover, it's YOUR fault because YOU are the publisher now.

Another change is the timeline. Traditional publishing, you're used to a LOT of awaiting. Like in months/years.

You still wait in indie publishing. But mostly you're waiting on yourself. And the other waiting is like "days" verses months. You can set your own deadlines/timelines, which can be a pro or con.

Let's Chat.

What do you think? Does this new set of glasses make you grin or fill you with fear? Are you excited about the idea of being your own boss or no-so-much?

**UPDATE** I picked a winner for the drawing last month, and it is Kathy R! Kathy, please send me an email (krista at kristaphillips.com) to claim your prize!

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Krista is a follower of Jesus, a wife, a mother, and writes romantic comedy. Her latest book A Side of Love, released February 29, 2016.  She blogs about finding JOY in the journey of LIFE at http://www.kristaphillips.com. She is represented by Sarah Freese of Wordserve Literary.

The Indie Road: The Starting Line

Like a year or two ago, I did a mini-series on Indie publishing on The Writer's Alley.

I'm doing another one because:

a.) Things change FAST in the publishing world and probably 75% of the things I said are probably now obsolete.

b.) I've now published my 4th indie book and I think I was working on book #2 at the time. Needless to say, I learn a TON more with each book I publish. So when I get up to 10, I'll probably have to do a new series again, HA!

I've been having LOTS of chats with fellow authors about the "to-Indie-or-not-to-Indie" decision.

My posts won't help you make that decision. Because it is personal and the answer will be different for each author.

I know a LOT of traditional authors who still swear by trad. publishing and would never go indie.

I know a lot of trad. pubbed authors who do a little of both right now.

And I know a lot of indie authors who swear they wouldn't take a traditional publishing contract even if it came with a nice hefty advance with it. (most would rethink it when that number got into 6 or 7 digits, but I digress, I am pretty confident in saying that few if any of us are looking at that happening any time soon.)

So no, my posts will for the most part not focus on the decision.

But if you've said, "Okay, fine. Indie. Let's do this."

*crack knuckles*

This series is for you. This is also for you that are saying, "Okay, fine. Indie. I'm not completely opposed. Tell me more."

There is a TON of information out there. I'll attempt to point you to GREAT places to give it, and give some helpful tips I've learned along the way.

For now, let's chat about Indie.

Where are you at in the process? Are you still 100% traditional publishing bound? Are you interested in the whole indie process? Any questions you have? I'll be glad to answer or put on the list for future blog posts to address!

5 GREAT reasons to self-publish (plus... my own!)

We've already gone over a few not-so-brilliant reasons to choose self-publishing (not in and of themselves, anyway.)

So I thought I'd give some GREAT reasons to self-publish.

1.) FUN! This is quite a bit different than the "Just because..." reason on the not-so-brilliant reason. Maybe you just love to write, but publishing? Eh, that'd be cool, but really isn't a huge-huge goal of yours. Just icing on the cake. And it'd be fun to see your book on Amazon. You can epub a book pretty cheap these days. If the process sounds fun to you, you aren't in it for ( and don't really want) to make much of any money, just want to cross it off your bucket list, then ya know? More power to you! Don't stress, just have fun and enjoy it.

2.) FAMILY! Have a great memoir that you want your kids and grand kids to have to remember your legacy? Self-publishing is a GREAT option. Sure, you could print off that word document, but having it book bound and available to family and friends is pretty cool. EVERYONE has a story, and self-publishing is a great way to share it with the ones you love.

3.) FINANCIALLY-SOUND-CAREER MOVE for the traditionally published. I've seen more than one article out lately quoting statistics that state the hybrid author, one who self-pubs on top of traditionally publishing, is the one making the most money these days. This is the current state that I'm in right now... but I'll share more about MY story at the end.

4.) FISH ARE BITING but not getting hooked. You're a great writer. You might even have a great agent. Your book is excellent, and you've been to pub board a few times. But something about your book is not pushing you over the edge. Maybe it's a niche market that a publisher is nervous about taking the risk on. Maybe you write just a little edgier than some CBA publishers are willing to tackle. (I'm seeing that as less of an excuse these days, though.) This might be a good book to self-publish then.

5.) FAN-BASE: ACQUIRED! Do you already have a great platform as well as a great book? Do you love marketing? Does selling your books make you giddy with excitement? Do you have lots of technological talent? Do you have funds to invest into things like professional editing/cover design? Do you have time to devote to learning? Then you might totally want to go this whole publishing thing alone! GO FOR IT!

Me?

I always said I'd never self-publish.

- It didn't sound like fun.
- My story was not for my family (my family, for the most part, aren't really romance novel readers)
- I fished enough as a kid to know that when you get nibbles... if you're patient enough... the bite will come at some point.
- And I definitely don't have all the qualifications of #5!

My first novel was released in 2012. I was SO excited!

But what some know (but others might not know) is that during the previous 2 years, my life had been a big huge chaotic mess. I gave birth to daughter #4 in 2010. She was born with a severe heart defect and spent TEN months in the hospital, then was in and out of the hospital for the next year. During that time, I signed with an agent, contracted my first book, and then the next year, I released it.

I also had to let go of my day job as my daughter required full-time intensive care at home. She was on a feeding tube/oxygen and needed an unreal amount of therapy. She also came home on TWENTY different medications.

It wasn't an easy time. I struggled through the editing and marketing process of releasing that first book, as I was also struggling with trying to figure out how to be a nurse to my daughter, worrying about how to pay bills without a job (my husband had always been a stay-at-home-dad, but Annabelle's needs were beyond his ability.) And honestly? I deal with a lot of post-stress depression that I'm only recently "waking up" from.

Writing new stuff... well, I tried. I'd go in little spurts, but it was a struggle, both time wise and emotional wise.

So last year, things were starting to calm down a little. The biggest change is that my fuzzy, traumatized heart was beginning to mend.

I took a look at my writing career and was sad. That first book hadn't done as well as I'd wanted. And it was no wonder. It had a struggling author supporting it, and no follow-up books to help back-sell it either.

What was an author to do? I mean, the book hadn't been a total flop. People were asking when the next book was going to come out. Even if I did have something ready (and I almost did) it'd probably be a year to two years, even if I did immediately publish it.

So I talked to my agent at the time about the idea of self-pubbing a book, maybe a novella, to fill in the gap. She gave the idea a thumbs up, and even suggested I do more than one.

The more I prayed about it, the more excited and "right" it felt. So I started on the journey, doing researching and writing.

I'm almost there. I don't have an exact release date, but I hope to firm it up in the next week or two.

A Side of Faith will be the first book, a novella sequel to the first, Sandwich, With a Side of Romance.

The two that will follow will be A Side of Hope  and A Side of Love.

So, this was MY reasoning. A business move, and a way to bring books to my readers while I work on finishing my next full-length and attempting to start the process of pitching.

What about you? Have you ever thought about self-publishing? Are you approaching it as a business decision or a i-don't-know-what-else-to-do option?

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Krista is a follower of Jesus, a wife, a mother, and author of Sandwich, With a Side of Romance . She blogs about finding JOY in the journey of LIFE at http://www.kristaphillips.com.

Jumping off Bridges

"If your friends jumped off a bridge, would you do it too?"

You know, that whole "don't follow the crowd if the crowd is stupid" adage your mother gave you when growing up... and you may have spouted it to your own kids now.

And it's smart too. Kinda. Most of the time.

Here is the thing, though. Let's say... the bridge was on fire. And the only way to survive was to jump in the water. All your friends are jumping in...

Then the answer is, "Yes, Mom... I WOULD jump off that bridge."

And there may be those dare-devils out there that have a bungee-cord attached to them that do it for the thrill. Guess there are various opinions on the wiseness of such a sport!

What does bridge jumping have to do with writing, you ask?

Well... there are a lot of changes going on in the publishing industry lately. Self-pub, epub, small press, no advance, agent-or-no-agent.... lots of people have some very STRONG opinions one way or another.

Not to mention genre fads that come and go like vampires, epics, Amish romance and 50 shades crap *ahem*.

Do we follow the crowd, or do we pave our own path? Is doing something "different" the equivalent of saving ourselves or jumping off a bridge and going splat?

Honestly, I'm a firm believer that there are no right or wrong answers... not earthly answers anyway.

I don't believe just following a crowd (or in writing speak, "trends") is the way to go... for the very same reason your momma warned you against it. Following a crowd just means that you have a lot of company in whatever you are doing... not necessarily that you are doing the RIGHT thing.

But if the crowd is doing something, it's prudent to know about it and find out why. Is it something you want to follow? Is it where God is leading you? Is it SMART? Because knowledge is POWER in pretty much all facets of business, including the writing one.

Another fun note.... the most successful people are on the FRONT END of that crowd... but that involves a bit of risk. If you are a path paver... then you start down a path that is sparsely populated. YOU decide to jump off a bridge when no one else is. This involves a great deal of risk 'cause you might fall flat on your face.

Or you could jump right into your awesome destiny that God has for you.

In conclusion... there is no right or wrong answer. Sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow. Sometimes you run the opposite direction. But your path is just that, YOUR OWN... and you need to make smart decisions at each step.

One word of caution: Just because YOU chose a certain path, doesn't mean it is right for others. There seems to be a lot of criticism in ALL directions these days, and it makes me sad. Especially as Christians, let's lift each other up, not tear each other down.

Question: Would call yourself a path paver or a "follow the leader" bridge jumper? Or do you just cling the bridge with all your might?