Well, obviously I don't have a dedication in the traditional sense. I mean, I write every single day I work, but it's obviously in a legal context and most of the time is geared towards presenting an argument and/or manipulating a reader. In terms of the fiction I wrote, it was more a cathartic exercise that helped me download some mental thoughts, questions and expressions. So I'm not sitting here thinking "I want to be a writer". But what if I found out that I had a bit of talent at it?
Well, in that case, what are the ways to promote the finished product. I mean, anyone can publish a book through self-publishing. I could write 500 pages of complete garage and publish it tomorrow. So if I don't need an agent, how would I get the work out there? So they demand more and pay less because they don't have the work? That includes the big publishing houses?
Quite clearly more than one particular question. You said ask anything about writing, so I'm drawing on your experiences. If you're not experienced in relation to a particular question and don't have any advice, just say so.
Social media. Blog. Twitter. Facebook. LinkedIn. The lot. No, they demand more and pay less because, just like with American filmmaking, they've gotten greedy. They only want to invest in the sure thing, they won't gamble like they used to. The American novel today is the Michael Bay film of the printed page.
I've answered every one. I'm plenty experienced, your answers just come across as being particularly glib, and I really don't care for it.
See, now here's the thing. I genuinely don't read eBooks. I just don't like reading off a tablet. I much prefer a physical book. So people like me wouldn't be part of the target market. If you concentrate entirely on online promotion, how do you reach the physical book market? Wait to see if it's a success and then hope a publishing house comes in with a deal? So does this mean that approaches to agents and publishing houses is not something you can advise on?
Please explain how I am being glib. Every question I have asked you is relevant, on point and consistent with the thread topic.
That's where you're wrong. I've mentioned it before, but let me reiterate: for those who prefer physical, printed books, they will still exist through print-on-demand. Print-on-demand saves overhead, and it saves paper.
Statements like this: display an inherent bias against independently published work. As if the Twilight series or 50 Shades Of Grey was literature for the ages or something, just because they were corporate.
I have no bias. How could I? I've never published anything. I am saying that self publishing is easy, what I want to know about is generating interest. But fuck it, clearly you aren't interested in answering that, or perhaps don't have the requisite experience. You post a thread offering advice and then start insulting people instead of offering said advice. Why?
So what does that service do (without having to read the website)? Does it arrange for stocks to go to shops?
I answered that question in Post #35. And, no, independent publishing is not easy. Writing is the easy part, publishing is relatively uncomplicated -- it's marketing the work that takes perseverance and tenacity, and that's not easy.
I think you're reading into things. Imagine you just met Chup on the street and don't know him from Adam. Chup, I don't like reading on shiny screens, but I really like eink readers like the nook.
Marketing anything sucks unless it's already taken off, or unless you're good at it. I wish I didn't have to do it. What's the best way to get influencers to read your book?
Twitter and Facebook, and target it. If you're marketing it through Facebook, it helps loads to, in advance, be a member of groups who make the genre your story fits into their focus. If you're writing a horror novel, be a member of Facebook groups dedicated to horror fiction. Same thing on Twitter, with a slight modification -- know what's trending in your work's genre, know the hashtags to plug in, and build buzz on both platforms long before you launch your work. Tease 'em. Drop teases and hints. On either platform, plug in to the existing communities for the genre. Then, on launch day, immediately set up a limited-time promotional price for the book, just to generate sales volume for the first few days. Get that thing flying off the virtual shelf. Another point: do reviews for fellow writers, way before you launch your own thing. That way, when you launch your work, you'll have favors you can call in, and reviews -- depending on who's doing them -- can do you big favors in sales volume.
Which is exactly why I asked you for advice about promotion! When I said self publishing was easy, I meant the actually act of publishing. Not the marketing as well. What I'm saying is once it's online how do you go about getting the thing noticed?
I can. I won't. They've done a better job of describing their service than I can, and it's not as if you're going to sprain anything by opening a new tab in your browser and reading the description in their own words. Nobody's asking you to lift a hundred pounds and solve a Rubik's Cube, here. Just open a second browser tab and read. If you can't be bothered to do that trivial amount of work, I doubt you'll read my description, either.
Aggressive again. I'll go and have a look at the website, assuming it's applicable to the UK market. So I assume you haven't used this service?
And what I'm telling you is that the marketing is part of it. It is a holistic exercise, with the act of uploading the manuscript being just one component of the overall project. Marketing is an integral part of the larger act we're calling 'self-publishing'. It's not just getting your book onto a digital storefront. That's not nearly the end of things. And, once again, it's done through social media. Blogs. Twitter. Facebook. LinkedIn. Any and every online medium you can lay your fingertips to. Also -- as already mentioned -- get into the good graces of other writers. Review their work. Promote their work. Then, when you launch your work, they will (if they are decent human beings, and most writers are) they'll do the same for you.
Yes, I have. I still have the proof of Smokeless that they sent. Handsome book, excellent construction, excellent materials.
I'm asking you how you promote through those services. You don't think lawyers don't have to market? That the work just rolls in? You can reel of Twitter, Linkedin etc for pretty much any marketable service, but in order to get anything from it you have to stand out from the crowd and attract the attention of your target market. What I am asking you if for advice on getting the attention of a readership. I could post 30,000 messages on Twitter going on about my book. If nobody of the target audience reads in then what's the point? Now, I have no idea whether or not you have ever completed or published a fiction novel, since there is nothing on Amazon under you name and you won't detail your experience. But I do know you have put up the vaping book for sale. So what have you been doing to generate interest in that and, therefore, what would your tips be (assuming it's selling well) in that regard?
So how come it's not on shelves? I see on their front page that there is talk of paid services. So presumably you have to pay for the print run and shop stocks? So really, it's market direct access without an agent, but at a premium? What about an alternative like Kickstarter (who do deal with books, I checked). A way to get the funding?
Given how frequently people land at Wordforge because of his vaping-related threads, I imagine his blog has pretty decent traffic. And independently published niche journalism is certainly worth discussing.
Nonfiction is easier than fiction to generate interest in, particularly when it comes to Smokeless, because the majority of those who smoke want to quit. As far as how to market any particular work through social media, well... it would depend on the particular nature of the work being marketed. There isn't any 'one size fits all' answer to that question. A social media campaign that might work brilliantly for one novel would likely fall flat as warm beer for any other.
Those paid services are beta readers, professional editors, advance reviewers, and cover artists. It's print-on-demand, which means that to have the book printed costs the writer nothing up front, merely a percentage of the gross proceeds from sales. And yes, it is on shelves, for example at Barnes & Noble bookstores, which is one of their distribution channels.
