Taking on the Establishment: by Special Guest, Author Renee Pawlish

Author Renee Pawlish

The Establishment

Has anyone heard of Cesar Chavez? And what does he have to do with writing and publishing? Tell you what, I’ll get back to that in a minute.

There has been discussion of late about the major writing organizations and whether or not they accept independent (indie) authors. I decided to investigate this a bit, and here’s what I found out.

The following organizations do not accept self-published authors: Continue reading “Taking on the Establishment: by Special Guest, Author Renee Pawlish”

Pricing Your Work – by Special Guest Author, Anastasia V. Pergakis

Author Anastasia Pergakis

How do you know if your book is priced correctly to move the maximum amount of copies? For some this might take some time and a little experimentation. One of the best things about being an indie author is we can set our price – and change it when we like.

How can you tell?

Authors, like J.A. Konrath as one example, are willing to share their numbers on their blogs. In one post J.A. Konrath did in June of 2009, listed the numbers for his books, and came to the following conclusions:

“1. Publisher releases vastly outsell author releases. This seems obvious, but a publisher can buddy-up with Amazon and get primo placement. Authors can’t do this on their own.

2. Price matters. All of my ebooks (even the poetry one) are on the genre bestseller lists, outselling name-brand authors. I’m sure this is because of price.

3. Being active on the Kindle forums, in newsletters, and on Amazon, may do more for sales than your cover, your description, your reviews, or even your writing. The key is to make people aware of your books. The more awareness there is, the more you’ll sell.

Once you’re on a bestseller list, that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. People browse the lists, see your book, buy your book, you stay on the lists.

4. Novels outsell short stories. It’s like this in print as well, but my numbers confirm it.

5. No one buys poetry. Even outrageously funny poetry.

6. My technothrillers are doing much better than my medical thriller and my crime novel. Is this because more Kindle owners like technothrillers? It seems so.” Continue reading “Pricing Your Work – by Special Guest Author, Anastasia V. Pergakis”

My Journey to Self-Publishing: Special Guest, Author Cindy Keen Reynders

Author Cindy Keen Reynders

After I sold my books, “The Saucy Lucy Murders” and “Paws-itively Guilty,” I wrote a third book in the lighthearted murder-mystery series titled, “A Killer Slice.” The publisher decided to pass on it, so I wound up with an unpublished manuscript and plenty of readers asking for more installments. For months I queried traditional publishers and agents to see if I could get anyone interested in working with me, but they all turned me down. Some politely; some not so politely, but that’s the way it goes. This is a time-worn scenario—there are lots of writers in the world who can tell the same story.

Sorry to say, I moped for a while. Friends and family put up with my awful moods. Shame on me for whining, but I couldn’t help myself. After much soul-searching, I decided to self-publish “A Killer Slice.” At some point in time, I think all writers consider self-publishing, and I’m no different. Since I already had an audience, I hoped that would increase my chances for success. I didn’t jump into it overnight, however. I took a couple of years to consider many different options including iUniverse and Lulu. I talked with people who’d done it already, read blogs about indie publishing and absorbed as much as I could. I wanted to make certain that before I plopped down hard-earned dollars, I’d found a legitimate publishing house. I wanted to feel confident they would produce the best book and provide the widest distribution. Continue reading “My Journey to Self-Publishing: Special Guest, Author Cindy Keen Reynders”

Book Signings R Fun! A Post by Special Guest, Author Nicole Storey

Author Nicole Storey

“How did you go about setting up the book signing?” “Weren’t you nervous?” “What would you have done if no one had shown up?” These are the common questions I have been asked since my book signing event. The answer to the second question; YES, I was as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs! However, I also want people to read my book. Let’s face it, even in today’s time; many people just don’t love the internet as much as we do. Heck, even if they are the type that spend 23 hours a day on the net, there is still a huge chance that they will never come across my Facebook page, website, or blog. I had to find another way to advertise; a more personal way. To answer the third question; if no one had shown up, I would have come back home with a box full of books, but at least I would have the satisfaction of knowing that I tried. Continue reading “Book Signings R Fun! A Post by Special Guest, Author Nicole Storey”