I was stuck on a hamster wheel.
I am off that wheel as an indie author.
I will be successful.
After four years of waffling and wondering 'what if,' I finally made the decision to go indie. I self-released my first novella, Kept, in November of 2008. So many people think self-publishers 'failed' at traditional publishing. But that's like saying I failed at becoming an ice skater. Or a prima ballerina. Those weren't really life goals I was going for.
This isn't to say that I never had a dream of being NY pubbed. I did. But then I learned more about it. The more I learned, the less appealing it became. I can't say I really made much of an effort. I think if I had, I'd be talking about my “first sale” right now. But I'm instead talking about how much I love being indie.
NY was unappealing but not just because of long odds. Indies eat long odds for breakfast. I'm not scared of that. It was because there was so much outside my control in the traditional system of publishing. Things which could stand in my way of success.
If I'm going to fail, I'm going to do it based on my choices, not based on a stupid title or cover someone in the marketing department okay'd. Originally the idea was to release a free/low cost novella in order to build platform so I wouldn't be screwed later with a trad publisher and little time to sell on shelves.
As I got into it I loved it so much that now I'm not interested in a NY publisher. I like what I'm doing.
My dreams transformed from being about being “accepted” by a “real publisher” to succeeding as an indie and building my own readership. My emotional state went from depressed and anxious to excited and happy... energized by what I'm doing and the possibilities.
I'm especially excited by the opportunities starting to open up in ebooks. Kept has sold almost 6,000 copies on Kindle, 1,000 of which happened this month. (So the build has been slow but I'm just starting to see some real fruit from my efforts.) Kept has reached as high as 209 in the overall Kindle store and Claimed, the second novella, has reached 444. (Out of 500,000 books.)
So far the biggest obstacle has been the naysaying and stigma. However, anything worth doing is going to be controversial to someone. And the more I start to succeed, the less I care what people who would rather let their words rot away in a drawer think about me. It often strikes me as either vanity or fear of rejection from “real readers.”
Who cares if I have a “real publisher?” I have real readers. And the readers are the only thing that matters. Commercial publishing has obscured and twisted the original goal of publication to begin with. To be read. To be heard. And hopefully to make money from it so you can afford to keep doing it.
A new challenge I'm facing is having to get cover art for my novella anthology, Blood Lust, redesigned because of a mistake on my part. But it's a learning experience. I'll get the redesign and carry on. I'm also in the process of preparing a podcast of Blood Lust and will soon be doing rewrites for the next book.
If you're interested in checking me out, Kept, Claimed, and Mated (The novellas in Blood Lust) are all available in ebook on Smashwords.com and Amazon Kindle for 99 cents. Though Kept can also be picked up free from my site in PDF: http://zoewinters.wordpress.com/kept/
I don't consider myself to have reached the pinnacle by any stretch, but I have started to do well enough that I'm looking less and less like a crazy person for what I've been saying about indie authorship for the past year and a half now. And crazy can only get you so far.
Zoe Winters
Crazy is part of your appeal darling. :D
ReplyDeleteAnd you're absolutely right. It IS about being heard, being read and making enough money to KEEP doing it. The whole concept of having to KEEP the day job even if I'm traditionally published by New York is not at all appealing. I want to WRITE. I don't want to do some sucky job I hate AND write. So I'm following in your footsteps!
You're doing great:-). And it seems to me the more good indie books sell well, the more the "stigma" will fall away. I'm glad yours are selling so well!
ReplyDeleteZoe. I have Mated and Claimed in my reading queue at this moment. I am glad I came across your work on twitter.
ReplyDeleteThank you for guest blogging for us here.
LOL Kait, thanks! (I forgot to come back and check for replies, so sorry about that, guys!)You joined me on the dark side. But it's fun on the dark side!
ReplyDelete@Ellen, thanks! I agree! We need more good indie books, enough so that readers will start to think: "okay, there really are some gems in here.)
@AnnMarie I'm glad you came across me too! Thanks so much for having me. I hope you enjoy Claimed and Mated.
Your car could be stolen if you don't keep this in mind!
ReplyDeleteConsider that your car was taken! When you visit the police, they inquire about a particular "VIN search"
A VIN decoder: What is it?
Similar to a passport, the "VIN decoder" allows you to find out the date of the car's birth and the identity of its "parent"( manufacturing plant). You can also figure out:
1.The type of engine
2.Model of a vehicle
3.The limitations of the DMV
4.The number of drivers in this vehicle
The location of the car will be visible to you, and keeping in mind the code ensures your safety. The code can be examined in the online database. The VIN is situated on various parts of the car to make it harder for thieves to steal, such as the first person's seat on the floor, the frame (often in trucks and SUVs), the spar, and other areas.
What happens if the VIN is harmed on purpose?
There are numerous circumstances that can result in VIN damage, but failing to have one will have unpleasant repercussions because it is illegal to intentionally harm a VIN in order to avoid going to jail or the police. You could receive a fine of up to 80,000 rubles and spend two years in jail. You might be stopped on the road by a teacher.
Conclusion.
The VIN decoder may help to save your car from theft. But where can you check the car reality? This is why we exist– VIN decoders!