I have poked my nose out of the cocoon a little bit. I successfully submitted to a (now defunct) small publisher a few years ago and had three short pieces published. It was a huge confidence booster. Someone thought my writing good enough to release into the wild and I could say 'I'm a published author'.
I didn't expect, and didn't get, many sales and that's ok. I had only submitted to force myself to actually finish (I'm yet to write anything longer than 30k) and to actually submit something. Acceptance was a surprise and a bonus.
Back then I knew nothing about marketing and that is a subject that I've had to add to my learning curve, particularly as I took the plunge into the world of self-publishing. After getting the rights back to my published works I didn't want them to languish in a folder on my computer so I'm slowly putting them back out into the world. But uploading your file to Amazon is the easy part. Without marketing it just sits there, unknown and unnoticed. Getting it noticed takes up valuable writing time, and that's after all the time you've spent finding out/working out what you need to do, and how to do it successfully. Phew !
I'm so lucky to be surrounded by so many generous writers who openly and willingly share their own
While self-publishing is now accepted and respected by readers and the industry, it is still a dream to be accepted by a well-known mainstream publisher and the ultimate would be to see a book - no, books! - with my name on them on shelves in bookstores. A step towards that will be pitching to editors at the upcoming Romance Writers of Australia conference in a few weeks (cross your fingers for me!).
But until then, I'm concentrating on my current WIPs (yeah, I can never just write one story at a time). A vampire romance for an upcoming box-set in February, and Book 1 of a steamy contemporary series (which I'm pitching at conference).
One
thing this emerging writer struggles with is procrastination, and
writing this blog has been a delightful diversion - but the empty page
(and my Parisian vampire) call.
Until these stories see the light of day, catch up with the current re-release
of my steamy contemporary Christmas story :
When Holly James,
restaurant manager and temporary Christmas elf, is stranded with Ryland Maxwell
and his young daughter she's confronted with two things she's worked hard to
avoid - a man who arouses her body and her heart -
and a family.
Since his wife died, Ry has kept his amorous adventures away from home and his daughter. Until he kisses their unexpected guest under the mistletoe.
Since his wife died, Ry has kept his amorous adventures away from home and his daughter. Until he kisses their unexpected guest under the mistletoe.
Available at Amazon (or free to read on Kindle Unlimited)
Keep up with Andra's writing news at andraashe.com
Being a linear writer, I am always amazed that anyone can work on/write on more than one story at a time. And you speak The Truth about the importance of "marketing." Whether books are only up on Amazon or on multiple platforms, without some marketing they do just sit there.
ReplyDeleteHolding positive thoughts for your pitching the series at RW Australia. Do let us know how it goes. And if you have a day and time for your pitch appointment, let the Genre-istas know through our Google Group so we can root for you wherever we are!
I love your butterfly analogy, Andra! Best of luck pitching at the big conference. It sounds like you have a sound plan for success.
ReplyDeleteOoh, a stranded in a snowstorm story - sounds yummy!
ReplyDeleteI hear you on the marketing malarkey. Newsletters, blog tours, 'ads for authors', etc. make me think I'd rather write the dreaded synopsis! I never thought I'd say that, hehe.
Mega good luck at the editor pitch!!
Andra,
ReplyDeleteLoved the butterfly Analogy! I must agree with you on the marketing, it is daunting, but an evil necessity for sales! Best of luck at the RWA Australia conference!
Beautiful cover and the story sounds wonderful. Good luck with your pitches.
ReplyDeleteRegarding marketing, it is a necessity whether you are indie or published traditionally. Marketing provided by publishers is minimal and tends to be directly related to the advance for your book. Most publishers do some ARC sends and sign you up for a blog tour and that's it. As for books in bookstores, that is not a guarantee with either method unless you are a huge bestseller and maybe not even then depending on the genre and number of sales you have.
The publishing world has changed and the focus, no matter what the Big 5 say, is on digital. Having been both trad published and now indie, I can say that the best thing you can do is write more books. Get at least three ready to go--whether that's pitching or putting out indie. And do them in series--whether closely related or loosly related.
The second best thing you can do is begin building a platform and a brand for what you love to write. This means a website, a presence on FB and Twitter, at the minimum. These will serve you no matter which career path you choose or end up in.
So as not to feel overwhelmed, do this marketing/branding stuff just a little at a time while writing the next book. None of it comes quickly or easily. But for those who persevere and continue to learn it does happen eventually.
Good Luck, don't give up!