Tag: traditional to indie

How I Went from Traditionally Published Author to Indie Author (With the Scars to Show for It)

eileen goudgeGuest Post
by Eileen Goudge

The term “traditionally published” took some getting used to when I first began hearing it. Back when my first novel, Garden of Lies, came out in 1986, there were two kinds of writers: published and unpublished. Those who were self-published didn’t count.

The digital revolution changed all that. In today’s world, not only is there no stigma to self-publishing, there’s valor in it. And money to be made. Statistics from two recent surveys on self-publishing show that indie authors dominate eBook bestseller lists by a whopping 54%. That’s more than all the traditionally published authors from the major houses combined! That said, I had to be dragged into the new reality even though my indicator lights were blinking, warning me I was in danger of being crushed by the old ways. My reluctance was understandable. Like an adult child living at home, I was spoiled. For my fifteen women’s fiction titles that were traditionally published, I’d had other people doing the work of bringing each book to the marketplace. I didn’t need to concern myself with pesky details such as editing, cover design, distribution, marketing strategy, and promotion. Continue reading “How I Went from Traditionally Published Author to Indie Author (With the Scars to Show for It)”

Ten Reasons Why I am Self-Publishing (Part 2) by Jordan Dane

Author Jordan Dane

I hope you saved room for a nice juicy steak. Part two of my post will cover the meaty reasons why I am self-publishing and building my virtual shelf. Point #6 deals with publishing industry contractual terms—something I didn’t know before I sold, but am dealing with now years later. Don’t get me started on Rights Reversion language. Oh, wait. That’s exactly where we’ll start. (If you missed Part One, you can read it here.)

6.) Control of Your Book Rights –Subsidiary Rights, Foreign Rights, and Reversion Rights. Retaining control of your digital rights (for e-books) and not have them tied up for years after your book is released is a HUGE benefit. The current contract language for e-books is lumped in with print book definitions. Makes no sense that digital books would have ANYTHING to do with print books, but most publishing contracts have these definitions lumped together in one clause or another (ie. “out of print” definitions and rights reversion language). Some of you may not know this or realize the impact until you try and get your backlist rights back, only to realize your house can keep rolling their rights to your work for years. This can be a nightmare. This is a HUGE reason for an author to self-publish, or at the very least, push to define e-books separately and not link the contractual terms to that of print book definitions. Why can’t e-book rights be limited to 2-3 years and stop? Why must an author ask for permission for rights that should automatically revert back to them and undergo a lengthy process over another 12-18 months where their digital rights are tied to royalty statements and definitions of books in print? Foreign rights can be lucrative too if your agent works this angle and shops them aggressively. Who knows? Maybe you both can shop those foreign rights on your next trip to France. Road trip! Continue reading “Ten Reasons Why I am Self-Publishing (Part 2) by Jordan Dane”

Ten Reasons Why I am Self-Publishing (Part 1) by Jordan Dane

Author Jordan Dane

I’ve been living my dream to write since 2006 when I sold in auction to HarperCollins. Lightning struck me square between the eyes and I liked it. I sold three books that Harper planned to release back to back in 2008 and while I waited for my debut launch, I sold three more books to them. Yep, six books sold without one being on a shelf. Now I have my Sweet Justice adult thriller series for HarperCollins and I also write Young Adult fiction for Harlequin Teen. My HUNTED series will be coming out 2012-2013.

I’m sharing these choice tidbits for three reasons. One—I like seeing it in print. Two—I like reading it in print. (I’m still pinching myself that this really happened at all.) And three—I want to share why I recently turned down an offer from another Big 6 house in favor of self-publishing. I’ve taken a very big leap into a new abyss, but with my accounting and marketing background from my former career in the energy industry, I couldn’t let my ego keep making business decisions for me. Not when I had choices.

The publishing industry isn’t like it used to be. But as I stand on the precipice of a brave new world, I wanted to share my reasons to self-publish. It’s an exciting time for authors, whether you are traditionally published or not. Continue reading “Ten Reasons Why I am Self-Publishing (Part 1) by Jordan Dane”

In the E-reader era…

I saw this article in my local newspaper – http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/13/business/in-e-reader-age-of-writers-cramp-a-book-a-year-is-slacking.html – borrowed from the New York Times – and I just shook my head. I feel for the writers who commented, really I do. The notion of having to write a novel a year? That’s tough. (Just look at James Patterson. Oh… bad example.)

It’s also an artificial construct. In other words, a lie.

I admire all the writers mentioned, and I do feel bad for them if they feel they have to write 2000 words a day 7 days a week. That’s a lot of words. 730,000 to be precise.  That’s the equivalent of two epic fantasies and a few novels. So, I feel bad.

After all, it’s partly my fault, and the fault of a friend of mine. She writes at least three series for a mid-level publisher and puts out the equivalent of two books a month, much less a year. Her erotic novels put her on the USA Today bestseller list.

Of course, I do have to point out that the one novel a year concept is a creation of the publisher, not the writer. Continue reading “In the E-reader era…”