Tag: self-publishing

My Journey to Self-Publishing by Cindy Keen Reynders

Author Cindy Keen Reynders

[This is a golden oldie—it ran on Indies Unlimited back in October 2011.]

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 The publisher decided to pass on it, so I wound up with an unpublished manuscript and plenty of readers asking for more installments.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 by Cindy Keen Reynders”

Whose Truth will win?

Truth.

This is the moment of truth. So let’s deal in truth. You have chosen to become an indie author. Not often do I listen to the rhetoric or the naysayers out there in the publishing world, but it is time to listen to them, because for them, it is the TRUTH … because only then can we DECIDE—and then DISPLAY, just who we are.

Let’s lay it all on the table today. The complaints we hear about indie authors and their work come from all corners. Continue reading “Whose Truth will win?”

Ed’s Casual Friday: Seize the moment.

Carpe occasio.

There are a lot of good moments as a writer, stretched out over the course of writing (and hopefully, selling) a book. Maybe a line of description that you write which surprises you. Maybe something a character “says” that you could swear they did say, while your presence as a writer above the page or in front of the screen was just that: A presence. Like you watched it happen, without doing it yourself. Continue reading “Ed’s Casual Friday: Seize the moment.”

Muse and the Marketplace – by Jen Smith

Richard Nash

I recently attended the Muse and the Marketplace literary conference in Boston. My hope was to learn more about the publishing industry, rub shoulders with some agents, and meet more fellow authors. The event was beyond my expectations and I learned a ton. The agents however, were a bit beyond reach. People actually paid $140 for an agent to read the first 40 pages of their manuscript and give them feedback. That blew my mind along with the agents’ attitude that they were still the gatekeepers of publishing. We Indie authors know different. But this article isn’t about agents; it’s about Richard Nash, the main speaker at the conference.

Richard Nash is a leader and forward thinker in the fast changing world of publishing. He ran Soft Skull Publishing for several years than sold it to start Red Lemonade and is currently working on a new project called Small Demons. Despite his business suit and professional demeanor he was still quite quirky, which I liked. I just don’t relate to anything that resembles normalcy.

First he started with a look back in history at a time when there were no publishers and anyone who could write was guaranteed a good living as a scribe. A contrast to today’s world where there are so many struggling authors. The number of books has increased significantly over the last few years due to self publishing but the number of readers has not. Simple economics will tell you that when the supply goes up and the demand remains the same the price will come down, hence the free and 99 cent eBook. Continue reading “Muse and the Marketplace – by Jen Smith”