Lol, it didn't end where I thought it was going either, but I'll tell you, it's motivated me to put a big push on writing for this year. I slacked off a little the end of last year waiting on announcements (re: the movie deal), but since that's moving slower than I imagined, it's stupid to waste my writing time.tensen said:It definitely didn't end where I thought it was going.
Self-publishing's a lot of work and, yes, most people won't have the work ethic to make it work. They won't do enough. They won't put in the hours and dedication needed to make it work.[...] percent of nothing is -- let me do the math here -- nothing into nothing, carry the nothing -- still nothing.
I agree.Dustin Metzger said:The answer I always give whenever this topic comes up is actually a quote from the character Jayne Cobb from Firefly:
Self-publishing's a lot of work and, yes, most people won't have the work ethic to make it work. They won't do enough. They won't put in the hours and dedication needed to make it work.
But how is that any different than going the traditional write->agent->publisher->fans route? The way I see things, and the way I explain to my wife and parents when they ask, is that it isn't. So I only make <= $500 doing it myself once I actually publish. If that's the case... I very likely would have made $0 if I'd gone traditional. The way I see it if I can so much as buy a lunch with the proceeds from self-publishing instead of a "learn what didn't work and submit again" lesson I'll call it a success.
If my readers don't like my work that's one thing, but I'll never have Stephen King's railroad spike of publisher rejection letters. If I had that prospect to look forward too I'd stick to being middle management and fanfiction, I've no interest in it.
I don't have to get rich or be able to afford a yacht to consider myself a success.Hudson Owen said:To me, the relevant questions are: Who is your audience? What should you do if a year later you are not on the yacht? You don't need to quit writhing at that point; as long as Amazon offers a page rent free, your books will still remain online. Meanwhile, you put your energy behind something else to make up for the slack in low revenue book sales. Maybe, someday, your life will change and give you the story that will sell.
For those that don't know, Bella Andre comes to the Writers' Cafe, and she was writing for years traditionally (Elllora's Cave?, and others) before she started self publishing. She was one of Amazon's first self-published million dollar earners, etc. And that all would have been before the yacht fortune cookie.Hudson Owen said:To me, the relevant questions are: Who is your audience? What should you do if a year later you are not on the yacht? You don't need to quit writhing at that point; as long as Amazon offers a page rent free, your books will still remain online. Meanwhile, you put your energy behind something else to make up for the slack in low revenue book sales. Maybe, someday, your life will change and give you the story that will sell.
If you want it, you have to work for it. Period.Bella described the grueling schedule that allowed her to publish a book about every three months. She offered strategies and suggestions, illustrating specific points with examples.
Exactly. Most of us will never make millions. That doesn't mean we aren't a success.LisaGraceBooks said:For those that don't know, Bella Andre comes to the Writers' Cafe, and she was writing for years traditionally (Elllora's Cave?, and others) before she started self publishing. She was one of Amazon's first self-published million dollar earners, etc. And that all would have been before the yacht fortune cookie.
She keeps writing, sticks to her schedule, and is building a large fan base. Work and striving to be a better writer can breed all kinds of success. Of course, we hold the Outliers up as examples, but we know there are tons of self-publishers making an extra 5k to 50K a year that will never grab the notice of many people outside their fan base. THIS IS SUCCESS. They've just earned as much as they would have from most publishing houses, but the beauty is instead of the book being pulled off the shelves, or not promoted at all, they can repeat that the next year.
Aw, screw that. I want the EASY millions.JanneCO said:If you want it, you have to work for it. Period.
I know it's unofficial policy never to offer a discouraging word when someone asks what should I do after years of struggle and sales in dribbles. My point is, you need Plan B. You can say, heroically, failure is not an option. The fact is, many more writers don't own the yacht or ever ride aboard it. If you're drowning, you need help. And that might include taking two steps back from writing and reassessing your goals and strengths before continuing on the path you've been on. You don't want to drown, period, if you've ever watched a swimmer go under.LisaGraceBooks said:For those that don't know, Bella Andre comes to the Writers' Cafe, and she was writing for years traditionally (Elllora's Cave?, and others) before she started self publishing. She was one of Amazon's first self-published million dollar earners, etc. And that all would have been before the yacht fortune cookie.
She keeps writing, sticks to her schedule, and is building a large fan base. Work and striving to be a better writer can breed all kinds of success. Of course, we hold the Outliers up as examples, but we know there are tons of self-publishers making an extra 5k to 50K a year that will never grab the notice of many people outside their fan base. THIS IS SUCCESS. They've just earned as much as they would have from most publishing houses, but the beauty is instead of the book being pulled off the shelves, or not promoted at all, they can repeat that the next year.
You'd be surprised at how many people think making millions is easy.vrabinec said:Aw, screw that. I want the EASY millions.
Yes, but the point for many of us is that we have no desire to own or even ride on a yacht. That doesn't equate to drowning but to different desires. Sure I have a Plan B if my books every stop selling at the level I need, which is laughably short of a yacht, but my Plan B is safely filed away, and unless things change drastically in the next few years, will stay there.Hudson Owen said:My point is, you need Plan B. You can say, heroically, failure is not an option. The fact is, many more writers don't own the yacht or ever ride aboard it. If you're drowning, you need help.
Yes, people making minimum wage don't want to read about authors making minimum wage.ellenoc said:Stories of yacht-buying success or depressing lack of success are interesting. Those of us in the middle aren't.
