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What Publishing Your Work Can Teach You

8/19/2014

8 Comments

 
Since publishing my first WORK EVER I wanted to talk about what I have learned in the last few days-but first things first.

-Please subscribe to my newsletter. If you do, I will send you a FREE COPY of my short story, "Cruel," within 24 hours after subscribing.

-Please REVIEW my short story on Amazon with your thoughts. I am also in the process of uploading it to Nook and iBooks (Smashwords' formatting requests were just too confusing), and will have it listed on Goodreads to review as well. I plan to write a blog post about the more technical side of things once I have figured it out myself.

A quick overview of this video, and what publishing your first work can teach you.

1) I did not expect to make money with this short story; that was not my goal. What I realized however is just HOW MUCH competition there is for getting a readership. When I watched my e-book vacillate between a ranking of 200,000 and 250,000, it was a harsh reality that the same thing will happen with my steampunk novel UNLESS:

2) I do a serious marketing campaign. Blog tour, cover reveal, releasing chapters, sending ARC's to book bloggers and writers, pre-order buttons for the book, the works. I don't mind doing it, but I am realizing now JUST HOW ESSENTIAL it is if you want to be successful straight out of the gate.

3) Any money I make won't be received for at least two months. Maybe longer. I learned this fun little kernel of information from my Twitter friend, Drew Hayes. Check him out; he likes to drink alcohol and wear ties (inside joke-the tie part; everyone knows he's a lush). This was that much more of a realization that making money as a writer is a long-term, slow process.

4) I may put the novel on hold to write and release numerous romance/erotica short stories. This is to increase my backlist, and I have also heard that this is one of the best e-book genres to write for currently. I also really enjoy writing in it. So it would be a matter of cranking out a considerable number of high quality short stories within the next few weeks/months that can reach a wider audience and make money.

5) Kickstarter/Patreon. I am considering starting one of these fundraisers to get support with my writing, though I know nothing about them. Two of my idols and fellow self-publishers, S.C. Barrus and Ksenia Anske, recommend them.  

So there you have it; what I've learned since self-publishing my first piece. Please subscribe to my newsletter for your free copy of "Cruel," or go check it out on Amazon/iBooks/Nook/Goodreads!

Until next time, keep writing and keep dreaming!
**My apologies for the poor sound/video quality. I am borrowing this computer since mine crapped out on me-just another reason I need money. Argh.
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8 Comments
Rebekah Martin link
8/19/2014 11:18:06 pm

I learned a lot of that stuff the hard way when I first self-published. I think in two years, I made about $50 (which went straight into my checking account without my knowledge, so I spent it instead of saving it for something). I've decided that when I publish my next book(s) and short stories, I want to set up another checking account JUST for writing. I think it might show me a bit more of what I've made, and if I stick it into a savings account, maybe I can accrue a little interest.
The Amazon rankings were HEARTBREAKING to my inexperienced self, and I've since learned to ignore it until I learn more marketing skills. Short stories are a great way to get your name out there. Can't wait to read Cruel! :-)
I do think having a big group of experienced writers is a great thing to have, though, and chick lit author, Samantha Stroh Bailey invited me to the Facebook group "Chick Lit Goddesses." You don't HAVE to write chick lit, you just have to be a chick. I have a friend who writes graphic novels who joined the group, and they love her.

Reply
Ashley R. Carlson link
8/20/2014 01:05:15 am

Hi Rebekah!

Thanks for stopping by. That is such an interesting point to make, about receiving payment. I optioned for the check in the mail (at least I think so, because I never gave them my bank info) so that I will have a good idea of what I have made on my e-book. With "Cruel" I'm not even really worried about that; more of just experimenting with uploading and also getting reviews, etc. Thank you for the tip about the Facebook group! I have actually been trying to join more groups on Facebook geared toward writers because most of my friends right now are from high school! Ha. I can't wait to see your revised novel when it's released. Also, let me know if you'd be interested in getting interviewed for my self-published author series! I'd love to do that. Take care!

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Rebekah Martin link
8/20/2014 09:17:07 am

Sure. That'd be awesome. :-)

J.Sander link
8/20/2014 08:20:43 am

Signed up for the newsletter (of course) looking forward to reading Cruel!! You are definitely an inspiration to me :)

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Ashley R. Carlson link
8/21/2014 03:27:15 am

Hi J.!

Thank you so much for the kind words; you just made my whole week. So glad I might be helping to inspire you in any way. :) I hope you enjoy Cruel, it should be in your inbox currently! Take care.

Reply
Anja
8/23/2014 01:08:35 pm

Hi Ashley, thanks so much for sharing your insights on your first venture into self-publishing. It does seem daunting to be up against so many other works. Publishing the short story before your actual novel was probably a reality check not just for you, but for many other aspiring authors, who will watch this video. I just finished reading Cruel, by the way. It was different from what I expected from the blurb, but in a good way (genre-wise). The plot was engaging and I liked your writing, it was fast-paced and clear. The only issue I had with the story was that it was so short. I mean, it felt that the plot was too complex to be squeezed into 10k words, I would have liked it if some of the themes had been developed more in depth (e.g. the battle of minds was really cool). It didn't allow me enough time to get really invested in the characters, either. But that's just me complaining that water is wet, I guess, and is one reason I usually don't read short stories. But I'm sure there are readers out there who do. And publishing in the romance genre will definitely be a good strategy from everything I've heard so far. Good luck!

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Ashley R. Carlson link
8/25/2014 04:06:02 am

Hi Anja,

Firstly, THANK YOU FOR READING CRUEL. Thank you so much, I really appreciate your thoughts.

Curious, what DID the blurb come off like, genre-wise? I'd love to know how others are interpreting it, since it's hard when we see things in our head so clearly to know the impressions of others. So glad you liked the premise and the themes, and I totally understand what you mean regarding short stories. I could have absolutely turned Cruel into a full-length novel, and if it hadn't been something I started dabbling in a few months ago when I began trying to write as a career, I probably would've done so. It was great practice in the whole process of: first draft-not re-reading until it's finished; then second draft; then sending to beta readers for thoughts; designing a cover; uploading to Amazon.

I would definitely recommend it to anyone wanting to get their "feet wet" regarding the self-pubbing industry, since for me at the time, writing and publishing an entire book was so incredibly daunting (still is, but not so much!). Anyway, thanks again and I love hearing from you!

Reply
Anja
8/27/2014 11:08:14 pm

You are very welcome! Well, it seems kind of stupid to me now, but my first impression from the blurb and also the cover was of something related to the Horror genre, you know, really scary :). Probably because of the words 'hellish' and 'demons', which are in the first sentences. Reading it again now it seems obvious that it is more of a fantasy story, and, though exciting, it wasn't scary in the way Horror is for me.

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