I need direction for my writing.

randyannie · Aug 24, 2005

I've come to the conclusion, that writing novels with the idea of submiting them the traditional way, is not going to work for me. My name is Randy and I'm a stay-at-home dad for 3 children. Even if my books turned out to be a masterpieces, I would not want to leave my family to do marketing stuff, book tours and signings etc.

I'd started on a novel and had written about 20,000 words when it hit me that I would have to get into the publicity end of it if I really wanted to make my novel a bestseller via traditional book publishing channels. Well . . . I really don't care to do that - so I'm not going to.

That brings me to the crux of the matter, it seems that the only two avenues I have left are POD and E-Books which require considerably less away-from-home marketing.

So, I guess I'm going to try and learn as much as I can about the newer modes of publishing and see what happens. I lost my bearings when I came to the realization that I'd been working like heck on a novel that wasn't going to go out the way I wanted it to originally. I should have known about the business end of the industry since my bachelor's degree is in marketing, but I was too gung ho, trying to hurry up and write my novel so I could be the next John Grisham or Stephen King. In the end, I'm glad I realized what these fellas had to do to get where they are and I respect them for that . . . it's just not for me. But writing is.

I guess I'll try to get some good books on "The World of E-Books" or "The Complete Idiot's Guide to POD" and see what I can learn there. If anyone has any advice, tips or insight into this new path I'm taking, I'm all ears. And, I do apologize if I've come off negative . . . I guess I just needed to vent and get it out. Thanks you guys and gals for being a sounding board, and I promise to be more upbeat on my next post.

Oh and by the way I'm new here, but I'm really just a happy laid back guy.

Thanks for taking the time to read this novella of a post.

Warm regards, Randy Woodson

rowriter · Aug 24, 2005

Hi Randy!

I've only been on AW a short time but have really benefitted from it. I hope you will too.

Anyway, I wouldn't go thinking that just because you don't want to do big tours, etc. that you can't submit your manuscript the "traditional" way...I wouldn't let that discourage you, I'm sure there are lots of published authors who don't tour - they just don't get as many sales...but I'm sure they got more sales with the marketing help of their publisher than they ever would through POD or e-book publishing.

I think you're putting the cart before the horse a little, maybe...if I thought about doing signings and tours, I'd be too nervous to write at all!

Those are just my thoughts...I'm sure someone more knowledgeable will come by and tell you something completely different.

Ella · Aug 24, 2005

Hey Randy.

I'm going to rain on your parade.
Large book tours and extensive marketing efforts can all be a part of publishing, but usually only if your book is a hit. Not to say that it isn't, of course, or to be discouraging. I don't know many authors that live off their royalties, and even fewer have big tours planned or paid for. Most have one or two jobs and writing & promo is the love affair with their craft.

Now, congratulations on realizing that your book IS like another baby! You can't just spew it out, then leave it lying there all alone. It does need tender care and a lot of attention to thrive and grow.

Your real children are growing, and as time goes on, will need less of your devoted time. Do you have one hour a day to yourself? This time you are currently devoting to writing, can you later devote to marketing?

Self publishing can work very well, for the right person, usually an author with a track record. Why do you want to publish your book? So ten people can read it? Email it to them. Do you want 100 people to read it? Print them copies. Do you want more than 1000 to read it? How are you going to reach those 1000 people with only your own marketing efforts? Do you have the money to spend on the marketing to reach 1000 people, without the help of a publisher?

I don't need to ask you WHY you are writing, but you need to ask yourself what you want to do with it. You could write that novel and leave it in a drawer until the kids are grown. You could write that novel, proof it, spend a year or so submitting it, spend up to another year in edits and proofing, waiting for publication. Nothing happens over night.

Garpy · Aug 25, 2005

I agree with the above two posters.

You might as well send to a traditional publisher. If you find that the you're having to spend a night or two away fro home, every now and then, that means the book's turning out to be a great success. On those occasional nights away surely something could be sorted out for the kids...Mum or Dad? Wife/partner? can mind them?

Also, think about this....if you're experiencing that kind of success, then that's money you can save for their college funds much later on. They'll thank you for that.

POD/self publishing I believe is a hard game that requires you to do A LOT more running around for very little reward.

gp101 · Aug 25, 2005

You'll have to self-market a whole lot more if you self-publish. Despite what self-pub companies claim, most won't help you a bit in promoting your book, nor will they edit it. Forget your excuse not to go the traditional route with publishing. At least they'll (usually) make sure you put out the best book you can. And most new authors don't have publicity tours planned for them. You will need to take maybe one weekend a month to visit bookstores on your own dime to make nice with the people who will potentially sell your books. You can do at least one weekend a month, can't you?

maestrowork · Aug 25, 2005

If you're an unknown author, chances are you won't be doing any book tours. I think it's naive for a new author to think they will be on the road for 4 months promoting their books.

You can do book signings in your local area, and surely you can do that even if you're a stay-at-home, single parent. And if you have a spouse, I am sure you can sling away for a few hours to do signings at a local book store.

None of the other marketing stuff requires you to get on the road. You can do interviews on the phone, at your local radio stations, etc. A lot of authors don't get heavily involved in the marketing side if they don't want to... that's the beauty of traditional publishing (at least with the big houses) -- they have publicity staff.

If publicity is what's stopping you from going after traditional publisher and considering ebooks or POD, then you really have to reexamine why you want your book published at all. Vanity? And if you think marketing would be easier with ebooks and POD, then think again. Without support from the POD companies, how do you think you can market and sell your books, from your home? In fact, you will have to DO even more marketing because you're not going to have a publicity department doing things for you.

Mistook · Aug 25, 2005

POD is nothing but a clever conspiracy by the commercial publishers to keep the bad writing in their slush piles to a minimum. :Ssh:

Ella · Aug 25, 2005

Mistook said:
POD is nothing but a clever conspiracy by the commercial publishers to keep the bad writing in their slush piles to a minimum.

ROFLMAOCGU!

James D. Macdonald · Aug 25, 2005

Signings? Tours? You can go with a real publisher and not worry about that nonsense. It's the self-published guys who are doing all that, and on their own dime, too.

When my first book came out I was a sailor, active duty, deployed.

With a commercial publisher they'll have a publicist assigned to your book. If you self-publish, the publicist is you.

Don't throw your book away. Submit it to real publishers, and while you're waiting to hear, write another book.

jackie106 · Aug 25, 2005

Frankly, I think the book tour is overrated. I buy a new book nearly every week and I have only attended only ONE book signing in my entire life. It was for a class and the professor made me go.

I don't really care if the author comes to my hometown for a reading. If I like the book, I buy it. If I don't like the book, it stays on the shelf. Period.

Don't worry about the book tour until you have a publishing contract and a release date. Trust your wife/partner enough to believe that you can work out a way to go on the tour if it is necessary.

Read Stephen King's On Writing. If I remember correctly, he didn't do any promotion for Carrie until it became a big hit.

Jackie

Ella · Aug 25, 2005

Since working more in the field of writing & publishing, I've made it a point to attend more functions when they happen locally. Recently I went with a friend to a reading by an author I hadn't heard of, enjoyed myself, and bought the hardcover book at the end of the night. If all writers were more supportive of other writers, all writers would be doing MUCH better.
:TheWave:

jackie106 · Aug 25, 2005

I think it's great that you enjoy book signings, but not everyone has the time (or the desire) to attend those events.

I read and buy a lot of books. Just because I don't go to readings does not mean that I am not supportive of authors.

Jackie

Kasey Mackenzie · Aug 26, 2005

Ella said:
Since working more in the field of writing & publishing, I've made it a point to attend more functions when they happen locally. Recently I went with a friend to a reading by an author I hadn't heard of, enjoyed myself, and bought the hardcover book at the end of the night. If all writers were more supportive of other writers, all writers would be doing MUCH better.

No offense, but the best way I know to support other writers is by going out to my local bookstore and buying their books, even if that means waiting for the bookstore to order them. Also by recommending those I really enjoy on my website/blog and linking to their websites. Finally, passing along recommendations to people by word-of-mouth is another way in which I support other writers. I believe these are all viable ways of supporting my fellow writers.

Lenora Rose · Aug 27, 2005

I thought we were supporting *this* writer (Randy Woodson), here and now, by encouraging him to finish his book, edit it, and send it out to traditional publishers.

Randyannie: If you're looking into the business and marketing end of publishing, then as you look further, you'll start seeing that the advice here is true; not everyone ends up on book tour. Few new authors do, and some fairly big name authors spend a lot more time at home writing the next book and being with their family. Most of the marketing is done by the marketing branch of the publishing company.

It's been said that an author's own efforts account for a miniscule percentage of book sales. While your publisher will say they want you to be available for promotion, they'll also understand entirely if you say, "I can't travel a lot, but if there's anything I can do from my home ..."

And these days, a polite, intelligent, noticeable internet presence, can do a lot of the same things done by, say, touring conventions and doing book signings.

victoriastrauss · Aug 27, 2005

If you go "e" or POD, you're all but guaranteed to sell way less than if you go with a commercial publisher (there's no such thing as a "traditional" publisher) and do nothing--zero, zilch, nada--in the way of self-promotion. E-books are popular with a certain audience, but that audience is small. POD has no viable means of distribution, so it's very hard to get books into readers' hands. Most e- and POD books sell only a few hundred copies, even with strenuous author self-promotion. A commercially-published book, by contrast, will sell thousands of copies without any help at all from the author, just by virtue of the publisher's own marketing and distribution efforts.

There's plenty of promotional stuff that can be done from home, including building a website and doing online and radio interviews.

- Victoria

Aconite · Aug 27, 2005

Randy, one author of my personal acquaintance has 17 books out with St Martin's Press, and has been nominated for the Edgar Award twice. IOW, she has a recognizable name and a substantial fan base. AFAIK, her publicity work has consisted mostly of going to whatever mystery bookstores are in the area of the few conventions per year she happens to attend and doing talks and signings there. That's about it--and that's for an established author. It's highly unlkely a newbie would be expected to go on extended book tours.

pepperlandgirl · Aug 27, 2005

I published my first three books through an e-publisher--and that count will probably be up to 5 by the end of the year. My first book, so far, as only sold about 60 copies. I'm pretty ok with this because it's an erotica historical romance that I wrote for a lark. My greatest aspiration was "Sex in a barn." I don't know what the sales figures will be with the other books, as they haven't been released yet.

Am I sad about my sales figures? No. Am I surprised? No. Do I plan to use epublishers for the rest of my life? Of course not. I've submitted novels to "traditional publishers" and agents (the wait is killing me!), and I have several more planned. But could you be happy with so few sales and so little return on your novel?

Like I said, I don't have any regrets, but I would warn anybody to consider it very carefully before submitting to e-publishers.

Danger Jane · Aug 28, 2005

Unless you're amazing (I can't say; I haven't read your work...lol), you probably won't be forced to give up a lot of time to book tours and such. Maybe local book signings, though. Give traditional publishing a chance; it could work regardless.

I would stay away from POD.

I need direction for my writing.

randyannie

rowriter

Bibliophile

Ella

Garpy

keyboard monkey

gp101

maestrowork

Fear the Death Ray

Mistook

Neverending WIP

Ella

James D. Macdonald

Your Genial Uncle

jackie106

Ella

jackie106

Kasey Mackenzie

One Hit Wonder?

Lenora Rose

Renaissance Vixen

victoriastrauss

Writer Beware Goddess

Aconite

pepperlandgirl

American Aquarium Drinker

Danger Jane