Thursday, May 21, 2015

GET STARTED RIGHT


I keep thinking the debates on “self vs. traditional publishing” are over, but I still see a lot of new writers making horrible mistakes.
Instead of realizing that:
--It’s not really a “versus”: you can do both, do neither, do the whole thing smart or stupid. The important thing is to get out there and get readers, hopefully without losing your pants doing so.
--Money up front is a dangerous gamble. This is one of the obvious problems with “vanity publishing”—paying somebody money you hope to get back on sales (unlikely) instead of a press that invests in your work and takes profit from your later sales. But the same thinking goes for laying out thousands of dollars for editing or artwork or formatting, having been convinced that it will “sell your book” and you’ll get the money back in sales. (Slim chance.)
--You have to follow up. You have to promote your book. Nobody else is going to do it for you unless they charge you money up front for the least worthwhile author “service”.
--Buying into all the “rules” left over from traditional publishing and not applicable to what you will be doing—selling ebooks off amazon and other eTailers. There are no back cover blurbs (or back covers), no advance copies, no store browsers, no interior design.

If you are still new to what lies past finishing your manuscript, let me suggest that you take a look at this fun, possibly helpful, “revolutionary” free ebook.

If you have figured out that you want to go commando indie, this guide to bridging the gap between MS and reader base might be a big help.
Read Linton's interesting bio on his website: http://linrobinson.com/
Linton Robinson
Lin's Amazonpage

2 comments:

  1. I've been reading Lin Robinson since 2011 when I self-published my first eBook. Lin has helped me more than probably anyone else as far as understanding the publishing process and the myriad of things involved in marketing. Lin tells it like it is and gives expert advice that you won't get from any other source.
    Since 2011 my first eBook has sold over 40,000 copies and my newest ebook is a #1 best seller in three countries and multiple categories right now. Something that I'm doing is working....all I'm saying is that when Lin Robinson writes anything about books or publishing.....I READ IT....a couple of times!!!

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  2. His suggestions are straight to the point.

    ReplyDelete