Professional Etiquette

I know this is ST's area of expertise--seriously, if you ever need the PERFECT appropriate outfit for any occasion, she's the Indie girl for you to ask--but I thought I'd take a minute to talk about etiquette. We all know the basics. Don't feed the trolls. Don't respond to negative reviews. Don't over publicize. But let's talk a little in depth.

Reviews:
We're writers. For the vast majority, that means we're also readers. But these aren't just authors any more, they are our colleagues. So you read a book and you don't like it. Do NOT leave a lengthy review detailing why you don't like it. Just check it off your list and move on. I don't even give stars if I can't give 3 or more. Because frankly, I don't want drama that comes with hurt feelings or fans who LOVE the authors I don't. Every book isn't for everybody--that's true when you get reviews as much as it is when you give. But let's all play nice in the sand box, ok?

Social Media Presence:
SOOOOO. We all have one. And that's great. It can be a lot of fun to connect with other authors and fans. And I get it--its your social media. You should be able to post whatever. But you can't. Can we just agree on that? I mean--you can but let's agree that it's a bad idea. Here's a few things I'd suggest you be aware of and avoid.
Politics: Unless you are writing a book about politicians, probably stay away from them. It's a hot topic and quickly devolves into fighting. And it's just not worth it.
Public rants: We all have bad days. We all have days where we want to curse and scream and flail like a five year old. But you are in a professional space here--and I promise that if you throw a public tantrum, people will remember. Your colleagues and peers, and readers. Don't be that girl.
Criticism: We are mostly Indies (And if we're not, we should maybe rename the blog...). We fight an uphill battle. For review and recognition, to be taken seriously, to sell. What we don't need to also fight is each other. So you didn't do a cover reveal. Or pre-release buzz. I might have opinions about that, I'll keep them to myself or have a private conversation. But publicly criticizing the way other people do or don't do things is tacky. And its hurtful, even when you don't intend that. We don't need to do that to each other.

DON'T. BE A DIVA.
No one wants to work with these people. The ones who think they're flawless and their words are amazing and that they can do no wrong. The ones who expect everything while giving nothing. They aren't fun--and they get a reputation for it. It's good to have confidence in yourself and your work. But do it with a dose of humility and the knowledge that you will never have it all down. There is always something more to learn. :)

Basically, friends, it comes down to this. You are a professional. For readers, agents, and other authors to treat you as such, you need to act like it. All. The. Time. So before you drop a status filled with random cursing or post a review about how unstructurally sound a book is--before you post about everything a publisher did or didn't do wrong--stop and think about it.

Keep it classy, y'all.

N~

The Post Where I Tell The Truth

We all know we support and love indie publishing--small press and self pub. And I want to be super clear before we get started:

I love my job. Writing is what I've always wanted to do and I get to and there is, in my opinion, NOTHING better than that.

But let's look at something we don't always consider: the unfortunate downsides of self publishing/small press.

 

-You are your own boss. And the job never ends.

I have been on deadline since March of last year. With one month off for major holidays--and I mentored in a contest and prepared a book for release the next month--I haven't had a deadline break in almost a year. I love deadlines--I work incredibly well under them. But the fact is, eventually they get exhausting. And even when you don't have a deadline, as a indie author, you always have something to do: emails to answer, a book to edit, expenses to track, social media, teasers--it's a never ending cycle. You are, essentially your own boss and that means you will always have something to do. If that isn't incredibly appealing? Not the job for you.

 

-This is not a get rich quick scheme.

 Publishing well takes money--I spend between 850-1500 per book. That is an initial investment and doesn't include mailing prizes, or events. When you think about each book making me just over two dollars a copy--do the math. Yes, you can make a steady income, but the fact is you don't go into publishing for money. Small press royalties are usually a lower percentage without the attractive high price point of you get with traditional. So the initial payout isn't a deterrent, but you still won't be making a ridiculous amount of money.

 

-Everyone is doing it.

So they are. But there is still a stigma attached to self-publishing and standing out in the ever crowded indie pond is becoming more difficult.

 

-Trends do matter.

 

So you don't have to have the approval of an editor to gamble. But when *you* gamble, it's with your money. Sometimes, the book you adore is not what the market demands and that, my friends, is a slightly heartbreaking choice to make. Because it isn't about what you love--not entirely. It's also a business decision. 

 

-It's all on you.

 Wild success. Crushing failure. The somewhat disconcerting mid list--whatever you do, the results are on you--especially true for self-publishers--because you don't have anyone BUT you making these decisions. That is at times exhilarating, and other times infuriating and daunting.

There are a lot of ways to spin self publishing to make it sound attractive and clearly, I like it. But these are some points bear considering. One last thought:

 

It is terrifying and thrilling and one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. I am exhausted and work constantly--even at family birthday parties--but I wouldn't change a second of it. <3

Publishing Choices, Part One: Small Presses

Writers today are lucky enough to have a lot of publishing options. Most people dream of making it to the Big Six, the huge and hugely famous publishing houses that have their books sold, paperback and hardcover, in every market in the world, from online venues to mega-bookstore chains to small indie stores to Walmart.

If you don’t make it to the Big Six, you still have options, and there’s been a lot of debate online recently about self-publishing versus small presses. The writers here at Indie Ignites have taken both paths, and I’ll let my self-pub sisters tell you about that option because they’ve done a remarkable job with it. I am in no position to speak about all small presses and all writers’ experiences with them -who is? - but I can tell you about my experience in the hopes that it helps any pre-published writers out there struggling with the decision.

WHY I WENT SMALL PRESS 

1.     My YA romance novella series, Snark and Circumstance, is the first work of fiction I’ve ever published. I knew very, very little about the publishing world beyond what most of us have read or seen in movies. I wasn’t even sure I had anything worth publishing (and had experienced enough rejection to doubt that I did).

2.      I knew even less about self-publishing, so little I wasn’t even sure it was a viable option.  Plus, I am a recent arrival rom the academic world to the fair shores of published fiction. I have published articles in the field of literary/cultural studies in academic journals and books, and I know that in the academic world, there is a version of self-publishing through what are known as “vanity presses” that you pay to publish your dissertation or book. The assumption made by most people is that you paid someone to publish it because no “real” publisher would take it. Snotty, I know, but at least in the academic world there is some truth to it. (Some.) So I come from a place that has long deemed self-publishing as self-indulgent, a path for someone who has not made the cut, so to speak.  But that’s just  the Ivory Tower – this perception is changing rapidly outside of it, as most of you know.

3.     If I had been more open to self-publishing, I was still clueless. And really busy. I barely fit in the little scraps of time I found to write the novel, and it took years today because I was parceling away stolen hours (minutes) like a squirrel hoarding nuts.  How was I going to produce a whole printed book with pages and a cover and binding and everything?

4.     I needed validation. Part of why I waited until later in life to publish than some of my sisters at Indie Ignites is because I was never really sure I could do it. It’s been a dream since I was a child, but that doesn’t mean I would actually get to be a writer. Lots of people have aspirations that they can’t live up to. I need someone in the publishing world to lay their anointed hand on my head and say, “You are a writer. You are allowed to be a writer.” So, in other words, I had my own psychological crap to deal with aside from writing.

5.     I wanted some feedback and a little help from an editor. I had polished and honed and edited and fixed the manuscript as well as I could, run it through critiques, and there were still some places that felt so shaky to me, like a condemned house that looks good from the outside but if you go in you see big holes in the floor with raccoons sticking out. (I needed, perhaps, someone to make me stop with bad metaphors like that one). I was a novice novelist and I knew it. I also knew that editors are not there to hold your hand or correct your grammar or spelling or turn your crap prose into gold. But they make suggestions, and I hoped for some.

6.     I got an offer. An editor at a small press called and actually sounded excited about the book. She said she had cancelled dinner plans the night the “full” (manuscript) came in because she wanted to keep reading it. She loved my characters. How could I not love her? (And I do). Some people cautioned that I should wait and see what else comes around, to use the fact that one person loved it to convince me that other people in the pub world would, too. But my editor’s enthusiasm won me over.

THE REALITY

Almost a year later, the book is out there, in parts, because the press decided to publish it as a series of e-novellas. It was an experiment that I agreed to and I have mixed feelings about it, but mine is a unique case, so I’ll just stick to the general small-press experience.

1.     If you think you will have a lot of editorial guidance, you might not.  I don't have as many revisions as I had thought I would.  My original editor is off my “team” and on to other projects and my new editor is overwhelmed with lots of projects. I’m not saying that this is a tragedy. I’ve learned to be more ruthless and critical with my writing (I hope) and that is probably a good thing.

2.     You will still have to do a lot of marketing and promotion yourself (which is true for even Big Six writers). My particular press loves social media and I had a great blog tour when the first installment came out. I learned to use Twitter -- and could learn to use it to market myself better, I am sure. I have a blog that I love and it actually has followers, but I should probably invest in a professional website, though it’s hard to tell if it’s “worth it” to do that if you’re not sure anyone out there is reading it. But through social media, I have met so many wonderful authors and have developed “virtual” friendships that I value as much as my in-person relationships. I may never meet the ladies here at Indie Ignites, for example, but their help and support and good humor has been invaluable to me. 

On the other hand, through my small press, I had an instant group of authors for support.  Through Google groups we share successes and learn who's been signed recently. Then you can follow them on Twitter and they'll follow you and you can help promote each other's stuff.

3.     You will not become JK Rowling overnight. I hope you already know this, but I thought I should say it. I never wanted that, myself. I just wanted to be able to call myself a writer and have people read (and like) my books. But I can’t quite my day job any time soon because

4.     You will not get rich. Probably not, though I hope I am wrong, and if I am in your case, feel free to send a charitable contribution to the Snarky Small Press Writer’s Circle and just make the check out to me. My first quarterly statement made me, well, sad. I wasn’t expecting to buy a yacht or anything. But I thought I would maybe make enough to buy TWO books with it.

5.     If your book is released solely in e-format, you will be limited in some things you can do with it. The most obvious one is book signings, though I hear there is new technology that allows Kindle/Nook autographs. My press encourages its writers to go to schools and libraries and I believe them when they say it’s the most effective way to sell books. But if you have an ebook, that’s hard to do. I can’t walk in with a box full of Snark (except metaphorically). I suppose I could bring in my laptop and have people line up for me to take them to the Amazon.com site as I say “Click here and here” and then “Now go home and look in your Kindle. Love you! Bye!” So I am working on that (I’m going to try to do a young writers’ workshop at local libraries). Also, conferences, which are another way to get to meet readers and sell some books, occasionally ban those of us who have only e-material either because we can’t bring that stack of books or because they have the same snort of snobbery about publishing that I mentioned exists in academia. And that is a bummer because I really want to go meet some writers/readers at these events but can’t afford to go just for my own fun.

6.     You won’t get to control much. (Again, true of nearly every writer everywhere). My release dates change all the time and while I got to say “yea” or “nay” to my first cover (based on the images they to me, not chosen) I had no say in the second cover (which people seem to like) and I can only assume that’s going to be true with the next two.

As I said at the top of this post, there are lots of options for writers these days and we’re lucky to be able to make these choices. Make your own decision an informed one. There are advantages and disadvantages to any route you choose.  Being able to call myself a “writer”, having a book out there, and being part of this community is a wonderful thing. People I don’t know and will never meet have said lovely things about me and my writing and the people I do know (even lots of the people I had lost touch with) have been proud and supportive.

But just don't take my word for it.  Here's ST Bende on her experiences with small press publishing:

Like Stephanie, I chose to go the small press route for my first series, the New Adult Norse mythologies of The Elsker Saga.  Stephanie summed up the small press experience brilliantly. Like any publication option, my choice had its pros and cons. But I chose to go that route for many of the same reasons Stephanie did. Namely, I wanted someone to hold my hand through my first publishing journey.

I’d never published fiction before -- in fact, I had no intention of publishing when I wrote the Elsker books. I wrote Kristia and Ull’s story in my journal, just for fun. One day I looked at my journal and realized I’d written several hundred pages of ‘fun’, and I wondered if anyone else would like my imaginary friends as much as I did. I queried agents and small presses, and ultimately landed a handful of small press offers. I chose one and crossed my fingers. A year later, the world could read my journal.

I came to the publishing table with very little experience -- I didn’t even know the writing-community existed. (Sin from my lips!) I wasn’t on Facebook, I’d barely heard of Twitter, and I knew maybe one person who had self-published a book. I wouldn’t have known where to begin if I’d wanted to self publish, and the entire thing seemed overwhelming and really, really scary. I wanted someone to guide me through the process, and a small press provides an editor, cover artist, and some degree of publicity. For a newbie, this was a very reassuring deal.

I’ve learned a lot in the past year, and forged amazing friendships with writers who have taken every conceivable publishing journey. The great thing about the writing community is the genuine desire of its members to help each other out. I wouldn’t be afraid to self publish a project now, because I know I have a veritable village to learn from.  And I’m writing my WIP with a completely open mind -- I’d love to see it go the full traditional Big Six route (don’t we all!), but if that doesn’t happen I’m open to going small press or self pubbing. Because I know I’ve got this amazing network of writer-friends behind me -- and those friendships are one of the best parts of any publication path. Don’t you think?

Look into your options and make the choice that’s right for you.

You can leave a comment or ask a question below to keep the conversation going. On Wednesday, Jaycee will tell you about her experiences self-publishing and on Friday, Nazarea will weigh in as someone who has an agent but is self-published. We'' keep you covered.

Happy writing, and publishing, whichever route you choose.

Firing Up the Indie Passion

Words. They're so important. They tell you what to do, how to do it, explain feelings, sights, and sounds. Words can be used in many different ways, in so many combinations it's unfathomable to the human mind. Life without words would... (See? That sentence would be so much better with a word at the end!)

We writers depend on words. We whip them around, smack 'em down, misuse them, and attempt to perfect them all the time. Words come and go and get deleted and revised continually throughout our careers. We celebrate them when they seem perfect (It's gold, I tell ya!"), claim our genius; then months later, go back and delete everything because it was absolutely horrible wasn't nearly as good as we thought it was. But do we stop? No. There's a desperation embedded into us that compels us to share our words with as many people as we can.

Which brings me to my point: Writing. Rejections. Moving on. Writing more. Rejections. Forms. And so on and so forth. This is what keeps our words from moving on and getting into the reader's hands. And, at the end of the day, that's ultimately what matters, right? Getting our words, our stories, our love of our characters and their predicaments and sadness and celebrations in front of the eyes of the world.

In reality, the writing + editing + queries = big publishing deal!!!!!!!  formula isn't so simple; nor is it always an option. A lot more steps are involved in the actual process: work and writing and research and more writing and revisions and edition and so on and so forth and... like I said...  after all of that... there's the very real possibility of rejections. Forms. Submissions out for months upon months resulting in... dead ends. 

Everyone has a limit as to when they decide they're done with that process. Some quit at 100 rejections; others at 200; some use the ol' I will keep sending queries until the only way they can get me to stop is to ask for a submission theory. (Side note: some never go that route at all and choose to go indie from the very beginning.) I'm not going to tell you my personal story today because I think this photo explains it better:

These are my agent/publisher stalker query folders from my first and second MSs. (There's a Coke can to the right of the stack to show you how tall it is--this isn't counting the files I saved online.) Pity Isn't An Option is actually the third MS I completed. The first two didn't go anywhere. I was devastated at first. You see, there's this stigma floating around that writers tend to latch onto. It says, "You don't matter unless a small group of people really high up there in publishing-land decide that you do". 

I'm going to let you in on a secret: That simply is not true.

Indie Ignites is here to shed light on this untrue rumor. We are here to inspire writers to be writers, and get their words into the reader's hands. We're also here to lift those of you stuck in the going nowhere process out of your ruts, dust you off, and send you on to the next part of your process. To keep that passion for writing ignited, to assure you it is okay to take the "indie" step.

We encourage you to submit to a smaller press. We accept you whether you have an agent or not. We support your choice to self-publish your book. We want to fire up that passion for indies everywhere and, hopefully, make that passion spread like... wildfire.

To those of you who are frustrated, who feel less like people and more like nobodys in your writerly process, or feel all alone, or aren't sure where to go, or still feel that pang of unworthiness when you tell someone you're indie published, we're here to tell you we've all been there--and you don't have to feel that way any longer. 

Hence the author interviews. The book reviews. Stories about our own personal journeys. We are here to bring indies together and spread the word that being indie doesn't make you "not as good", it only makes your journey a little different.

So, wherever you are in your journey, take that next step. Get beta readers, get to editing. Listen to your heart and submit to the places you feel you should; research publishers of all sizes (take your time) and let the pros and cons speak for themselves. They're your words, and the steps you take to get them to readers is your decision.

Know that we get where you've been, and are okay with where you are going. And, most importantly, no matter what you choose to do in the end, we're here to support you.

*****

Jessica resides with her husband of over fifteen years, three awesome daughters, and a plethora of pets in Central California, where fog, frost, triple-digit heat and various items of produce arrive bountifully, depending on the season. She loves owls, drinks coffee like a champ, and reads and writes (mostly) YA fiction. Pity Isn't An Option is her debut novel. 

Jessica would love to connect with you on her blog, Twitter, Facebook or Goodreads. You can also find her on Smashwords and Amazon.