Mr. Bezos, I know you’re a busy man, so if it’s true that you read all the emails directed to this account, I’ll keep it brief. I recently read an open letter written by Douglas Preston that encourages readers and writers to email you to let you know what they think about the hardball negotiating… Continue reading A Letter to Mr. Bezos
Tag: indie publishing
Z is for Slaying the Zombie Memes of Publishing
Being an indie writer is awesome. Without a doubt, self-publishing is one of the best decisions I have ever made, and has enabled me to build exactly the kind of writing career I have always wanted. So it frustrates me to no end when people in the publishing industry try to discourage new writers from… Continue reading Z is for Slaying the Zombie Memes of Publishing
Y is for Yog’s Law
Anyone who was trying to break into publishing before the ebook revolution should be familiar with Yog’s law, which states: Money should always flow toward the writer. The purpose of the law was to keep new writers from falling into one of the many writing scams. Places that charged writers to publish were almost all… Continue reading Y is for Yog’s Law
X is for Expectations
What sort of expectations should or shouldn’t you have when you start self-publishing? What is plausible, and what is unrealistic? Honestly, it’s probably a good idea to go into it with expectations that are fairly low. Most books don’t sell more than a handful of copies, and there’s no way to tell what will and… Continue reading X is for Expectations
U is for Uncertainty
There’s a lot of uncertainty that comes with being a working writer. I’m caught up in the middle of it right now as I get ready to launch a new series, and it’s enough to drive me crazy. First of all, I’m not sure whether this new series, Sons of the Starfarers, will do well… Continue reading U is for Uncertainty
T is for Thousand True Fans
How many fans does an independent artist/creator need in order to make a living? That’s the question that sparked the idea of the Thousand True Fans. As the original blog article mentioned, the basic idea is that a creator, such as an artist, musician, photographer, craftsperson, performer, animator, designer, videomaker, or author – in other… Continue reading T is for Thousand True Fans
S is for Success
What are the markers for success when you’re an indie author? How do you know when you’ve “made it,” whatever that’s supposed to mean? The implications of this question are more far-reaching than you might think. Just this last week, I visited with Howard Tayler (of the awesome webcomic Schlock Mercenary) up at Salt Lake… Continue reading S is for Success
R is for Reviews
Reviews are for readers, not for writers. That’s my cardinal rule. I know that some readers love interacting with authors on their books’ review pages, and I know that some indies try to make it a point to respond to every review, but I’ve seen that sort of thing blow up so many times that… Continue reading R is for Reviews
Q is for Quitting the Day Job (or never having one to begin with)
Writing is one of those gigs where everyone expects you to have a day job, since common wisdom says that writers don’t make money. In traditional publishing, that may be generally true, but self-publishing is an entirely different game. It isn’t necessarily easy to make a living as an indie writer, but it is possible–much… Continue reading Q is for Quitting the Day Job (or never having one to begin with)
P is for Pricing
One of the most contentious issues among indie writers is how to price our books. With self-publishing, the decision is left up to the author, which can lead to some wacky rationales for pricing. Here are just a few of them: My book is worth more than a cup of coffee. This is clearly a… Continue reading P is for Pricing