tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post5647996122717698214..comments2023-09-29T05:32:04.308-07:00Comments on StrangePegs: What Hope Do We Have? (an Indie Life post)Andrew Leonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-82098513632209014532013-05-13T11:43:40.945-07:002013-05-13T11:43:40.945-07:00Kristen: See, for them, I don't think it's...Kristen: See, for them, I don't think it's working "smarter;" it's just... greed. Sure, it's "smart" to hook onto something like 50 Shades and make pocketfuls of free cash, but it's not something that's going to help them in the long run.Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-15374229491131668632013-05-12T15:42:55.863-07:002013-05-12T15:42:55.863-07:00So true! I think the publishers do what they need ...So true! I think the publishers do what they need to do for the least amount of money. When it doesn't look like they will get what they want, they're outta there. I do think they put in the required "work," however, when they find a piece that allows them to "work smarter, not harder," as in, some sort of "hook."Kristenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08827651632884248765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-711428914322539342013-05-11T14:54:49.483-07:002013-05-11T14:54:49.483-07:00Briane: I like that last bit. It's like that p...Briane: I like that last bit. It's like that part of the beginning of Men in Black.Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-18082524503894730442013-05-10T19:03:27.346-07:002013-05-10T19:03:27.346-07:00I am on a Kindle so this will be short. I contribu...I am on a Kindle so this will be short. I contributed an essay to a book coming out in the fall on this topic. If you like to write, write. And if you are a writer, read other writers. Comment on their posts. Review their books (and buy them.) Tell everyone you know about everyone you know.<br /><br />I write because I like to tell stories. It's nice to make a bit of money doing it. But I have many times in my life given up the promise of more money in exchange for the certainty of enjoying what I am doing, and as a result I am happy, if not rich.<br /><br /><br />Writing to get published -- doing anything solely for the money it brings in-- is like looking up at the night sky solely for navigation: you may get where you are headed, but you will miss all the beauty and wonder of the journey.<br />Brianehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01616494058636881575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-25810551444598348212013-05-09T19:57:24.808-07:002013-05-09T19:57:24.808-07:00Maurice: It is... a wide, open world.Maurice: It is... a wide, open world.Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-33243747674444782552013-05-09T18:35:12.971-07:002013-05-09T18:35:12.971-07:00Great points Andrew. It's a whole new world fo...Great points Andrew. It's a whole new world for authors these days.Maurice Mitchellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15338165486757095191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-89940944479528011462013-05-09T10:10:35.125-07:002013-05-09T10:10:35.125-07:00Shannon: She does have a new publisher for her nex...Shannon: She does have a new publisher for her next novel, which is actually a sequel to Doc.<br /><br />I haven't seen Hemlock Grove, yet.<br /><br />Sarah Mc: It's a great book. <br /><br />Stephen: It would have to be a pretty spectacular offer from a publisher to get me to sign on with one.<br /><br />ABftS: Can I borrow your networking and marketing skills?<br /><br />J.R.: Yeah, I really don't understand it. I know it's about the validation of having them say "you're good enough," but I still don't understand it.<br /><br />Lauren: Well, yeah, if the big houses were still offering those services, it would make sense, but they're really not offering those services to first-timers anymore, so what's the point?<br /><br />Carrie-Anne: Some of my favorite books would never have been published, which I've talked about before. Some of them (The Hobbit) were barely published as it is.Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-55444756423825315712013-05-09T09:15:22.143-07:002013-05-09T09:15:22.143-07:00It seems like a lot of traditional publishers and ...It seems like a lot of traditional publishers and agents these days are out of touch with what the public wants to read, and with how many writers feel about the process of writing. I've decided on indie or e-publishing rather than try to find an agent and then wait like 10 years to be deemed "worthy" of publishing one of my superlong books, after already sitting on so many manuscripts for over a decade.<br /><br />There are so many classic books that would've had a hard time finding a publisher these days, because they were outside of too many genre lines, didn't stay in one age-based category the entire story, or were longer or shorter than some supposed "word count" standard.Carrie-Annehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05810154378449825641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-50002562677873337652013-05-09T07:55:25.569-07:002013-05-09T07:55:25.569-07:00Traditional publishing is an important option for ...Traditional publishing is an important option for those who want to have someone else do all the hard work (cover art, editing, formatting, etc). But more and more those things are being pushed back on the author anyway.<br /><br />Authors are being asked to do their own research for stock photos, hire their own editors, do their own marketing. If you're going to spend 500 hours for a 5% share, why not spend that 500 hours for yourself?<br /><br />Elizabeth, movie rights are part of marketing. I know several very successful indie authors who have made movie sales. The fact just isn't screamed from the housetops.Laurenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04137538450232783883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-89832756042843412262013-05-09T07:51:32.719-07:002013-05-09T07:51:32.719-07:00Great post, Andrew. I've been surprised to see...Great post, Andrew. I've been surprised to see writer friends continue to cling to the dream of being escorted through that shiny gateway that is BIG publishing…and in the meantime, they could be making money with great books they already have written. GREAT books. I don't understand the waiting if you have a GREAT book. Really.J.R. Pearse Nelsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00163199989017556255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-76994048622328225172013-05-09T05:47:33.039-07:002013-05-09T05:47:33.039-07:00I don't think we have to tell you our feelings...I don't think we have to tell you our feelings regarding Random House. <br /><br />It's just nice to know that we're selling more books now with our blog and our networking and our marketing skills than we ever would have if we had signed with Random House without yet having any of those tools. A Beer for the Showerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17029139745335325356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-85950625613900411082013-05-09T05:44:12.047-07:002013-05-09T05:44:12.047-07:00I've learned to embrace the Indie lifestyle. I...I've learned to embrace the Indie lifestyle. It has worked for me. If a Big House publisher picks me up then great! But I can go it alone and still be successful.Stephen Tremphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10387553613827257304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-54449117619386682542013-05-09T04:59:34.060-07:002013-05-09T04:59:34.060-07:00Great post.
I think I'm going to have to che...Great post. <br /><br />I think I'm going to have to check out The Sparrow. It sounds interesting. <br /><br />Anne: Here's a list of over 170 authors who have sold over 50,000 self published ebooks as of a year ago. It would probably be significantly longer if it were updated for this year:<br /><br />http://selfpublishingsuccessstories.blogspot.com/Sarah McCabehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10985261436020635823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-43062204697968459692013-05-08T23:40:00.091-07:002013-05-08T23:40:00.091-07:00Man, scary, and crappy that they did that to her. ...Man, scary, and crappy that they did that to her. Hopefully, she continues to find success on her own.<br /><br />Also, when you posted about how to be a werewolf, I hadn't heard of drinking the water out of the footprint before. I've now seen that a second time on the Netflix original show Hemlock Grove. Good stuff!<br /><br />Shannon at <a href="http://thewarriormuse.com/" rel="nofollow">The Warrior Muse</a>Shannon Lawrencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00934641808195675935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-8262149018622703972013-05-08T22:35:57.238-07:002013-05-08T22:35:57.238-07:00shelly: Thanks!
Jennifer: (It's "Hear, h...shelly: Thanks!<br /><br />Jennifer: (It's "Hear, hear!" As in "Hear what I have to say.")<br /><br />I get the making money part, so I would understand dropping authors that aren't pulling a profit, assuming the publisher has done its job of marketing the book (a big assumption); however, dropping a profitable author because she isn't bringing in enough money is just ridiculous.Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-34211060182533553402013-05-08T18:38:46.955-07:002013-05-08T18:38:46.955-07:00Here, here! (Or is it hear, hear? Now I'm just...Here, here! (Or is it hear, hear? Now I'm just confusing myself.)<br /><br />I have to agree that it's word of mouth that sells books, and since publishers don't even bother marketing most of their authors, the authors might as well cut out the publisher and keep all the money they earned.<br /><br />Publishing is a business and I don't fault the publishers for trying to make money, I simply think their methods are no longer advantageous for most authors. Maybe publishers will adapt and maybe they won't, but I've grown rather fond of being indie, anyway. I don't think I could easily give up the control I have now. I mean, just hand over my book and have no control over what it's titled, what the cover is, or how it's marketed? No, thank you. Jennifer Recchiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10014278070823880063noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-3341914349737147632013-05-08T17:59:03.615-07:002013-05-08T17:59:03.615-07:00You are so right. Good post!
Hugs and chocolate,
...You are so right. Good post!<br /><br />Hugs and chocolate,<br />Shellyshellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09596621767297173021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-21076886107150130382013-05-08T15:53:01.675-07:002013-05-08T15:53:01.675-07:00J.L.: Yeah, it used to be a feather in a publisher...J.L.: Yeah, it used to be a feather in a publisher's hat to have award-winning authors even if they weren't mega-sellers. They don't care about that stuff anymore.<br /><br />Cherie: Exactly. If they're going to make me do the work anyway, why should they profit from that?<br /><br />Sheena: Small publishers are spotty at best. There may be good ones out there, but most of them are just trying to cash-in in the same way as the big publishers.<br /><br />Jo: If she's out pushing herself getting herself known, it's unlikely that she's going to sell well.<br /><br />Elizabeth: Yeah, actually, I would have, because I heard about her word of mouth and have never seen her books in B&N or anywhere like that.<br />And I get that traditional publishers may be the right direction for some people, BUT... well, there are too many buts. My point is that you can't actually trust a big publisher to keep you even if you're making money for them. If you can't trust your publisher to stand by you, what good are they?Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-41404258649474838232013-05-08T14:57:34.845-07:002013-05-08T14:57:34.845-07:00I wish to be a voice of mild dissent here. My ques...I wish to be a voice of mild dissent here. My question is, would you have heard of Russell at all if Random House hadn't published her? Would HBO have taken her work up for a series? Is there any precedent for television to be made from an indie book? <br /><br />It is early days for indie publishing yet. I am sure that movie rights and tv series are coming down the pipe for indie writers. I just don't think a 100% indie route is ideal for everybody, nor is it necessary for anybody. We can all choose to mix and match, or not. <br /><br />But <a href="http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2013/04/09/indie-first-what-is-best-in-publishing/" rel="nofollow">Chuck Wendig, who published both traditionally and independently, makes this argument much better than I do</a>.Elizabeth Twisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03133959633383307056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-82243860719760467572013-05-08T14:34:35.911-07:002013-05-08T14:34:35.911-07:00I have an author friend who's books I love, he...I have an author friend who's books I love, her name is Glenda Larke and she is Australian, she has published three trilogies and a singleton, but she had the devil's own job finding a publisher this time because her last book "didn't sell well" maybe because the publishers didn't push it well. Her books are great but I guess she is like Russel in that she doesn't get pushed by her publisher.<br /><br /><a href="http://henderson-jo.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">JO ON FOOD, MY TRAVELS AND A SCENT OF CHOCOLATE</a>Johttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14087140585742801854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-57298515578760846342013-05-08T11:59:52.190-07:002013-05-08T11:59:52.190-07:00Sad that traditional publishers treat their authou...Sad that traditional publishers treat their authours this way but writers need to be vigilant and do research. Also sometimes a small publisher is better than a big one.Sheena-kay Grahamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17712661419116636671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-63727790691091332572013-05-08T11:42:34.145-07:002013-05-08T11:42:34.145-07:00Yeah, most people are fairly shocked when they hea...Yeah, most people are fairly shocked when they hear big publishers don't market most of their books. I've heard a similar story about an S&S author, but she wasn't content to let their lack of marketing efforts affect her book. She took it upon herself to market her book and has succeeded in selling half a million copies. So in the end, if you're going to do 99% of the marketing, then you might as well opt for another way to publish.Cherie Reichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16663147386014122939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-15178259970542508672013-05-08T11:30:52.561-07:002013-05-08T11:30:52.561-07:00Excellent post and a wake-up call for those of us ...Excellent post and a wake-up call for those of us who hope for that too-good-to-be-true book deal. Sad that writers work that hard only to be thrown aside because they're not selling millions of books. <br /><br />It saddened me the day I woke up to the fact that no matter how well-written a book, no publisher is going to buy it if they think it won't be a mega-selling crowd pleaser. J.L. Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05666634455836834179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-32103780759740905222013-05-08T10:36:51.975-07:002013-05-08T10:36:51.975-07:00Jean: My biggest issue is that the treatment is ju...Jean: My biggest issue is that the treatment is just wrong. It's the kind of behavior I would scold my kids for if they did that to a friend.<br /><br />Misha: They do want risk free. But, even more than that, they want authors to pay them for the privilege of being published.<br /><br />Alyssia: You know, I really don't understand why so many people remain obsessed with traditional publishing. I get the validation thing, but still...<br /><br />Alex: You might actually get less.<br /><br />Tina: Now, if only so many e-books didn't cost more than their physical counterparts!<br /><br />PT: That's true.<br /><br />Anne: Last stats I saw showed that the indie authors were making more per year than traditionally published authors. On average. <br /><br />As Sarah says, Russell's books are completely character-centric and character driven. It's all about exploring them with some of the best writing I've ever read.<br /><br />Michael: I'm not really sure what you mean by that unless you mean that traditional publishing doesn't mean anything for authors.Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-31017577884355966182013-05-08T09:58:34.163-07:002013-05-08T09:58:34.163-07:00Great reflective post on what traditional publishi...Great reflective post on what traditional publishing means for authors.Michael Offutt, Phantom Readerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10557969104886174930noreply@blogger.com