Have you given up on getting an agent?
If you're getting it printed yourself, how are you doing it?
Using a local printing company? Using Lightning Source? Going Print On Demand?
So much has changed, just in the years that I've been writing. For example, I've been writing my
newsletter, Doing It Write, for 14 years now. When I began, no one had heard of
e-books. They hadn't come into being. If you wanted your book published, you
queried agents and checked your mail constantly to see if any had responded. (A
lot of us still do that today.)
But we're into a new
era of publishing. More and more authors are "doing it themselves".
This is especially true when it comes to e-books. A lot of authors do their own
e-books because it's fairly easy to do.
Even putting your
book into print is not all that difficult to do anymore. Admittedly, it takes
time and the formatting can be a bit arduous.
If you do it
yourself, either in e-form or print, then you also have to do the promoting. Writers
who have agents and publishers also find that the bulk of the promoting is on
their shoulders, too.
We're now in a new
era of publishing. Some of us are adapting and participating. Some are kicking
and screaming. Either way, we're now in a new world of publishing.
Publishing is not static. It's a world that is still changing.
The writing is now the easy part. The actual format and publishing is not difficult. The marketing is killer - trying to rise above the piles of good books. I have trouble even asking friends if they want to buy my book, and then ask again for a review. It's not for the faint of heart or for those trying to make a living at it.
ReplyDeleteI learn something new everyday about publishing and promoting. It's exciting and a little overhwhelming.
ReplyDeleteI still haven't wanted to tackle Lightning Source. Createspace is so easy I'm sticking with it for print - especially now that they have an agreement for expanded distribution with Ingram and NACSCORP.
ReplyDeleteI'm signed up for Do It Write but just realized I haven't seen a recent newsletter. Did I get dropped from the email list?
I publish my books through Create Space, and Kindle and Smashwords for e-books. I wasn't overly impressed with the agents I met and after a year, I decided to go it alone. I haven't been disappointed. Let's face it you have to do all your own promoting anyway and also have to deal with waiting a year or two before your work is published. I do take printed books with me for book signings but I would say 98% of my income comes from e-books.
ReplyDeleteAnn