To Hell with it; going Kindle

Are you just going kindle with the first? The profits are good, but you have to pay for ad stuff yourself. It is a decent way to go from what I know...I don't know much about it. LOL

One book won't kill you. You have several though, don't you?

Use a pen name... otherwise it ruins your shot at being a debut author with a future agent.

That's, um, an idea, but can't they still trace him?


I don't know that it ruins your shot necessarily. It can lower your advance when your agent goes to negotiate that with a publisher for your big book. They base that on any previous sales and that includes e-book. They'll look up pen names I imagine. I'd think that if you tried to hide a pen name it might cause a legal issue.

However I know authors who have been published with small presses or e-pubs who have gone on to make larger book deals or gotten agents.

It does not kill your chance with all agents.

How far from done is the other book?

Well, best wishes with it. Keep us posted.

Why don't you post on here about doing a serial thing? I think a few people have done that to generate blog traffic and it's kind of fun. You can make a few bucks, but it isn't like publishing a BOOK, so it may not count towards publishing credits.

Ask here, and you'll get hits. I know I saw someone talking about it just a few weeks ago.

It might work for you since you just started your blog up.

If not, you can always just do a chapter a month on a certain date on the blog. It would be a cool thing for your followers to expect. I think general readers might enjoy that, and you wouldn't have to worry about coming up with an entry. PLUS, many agents like to see that you do regular postings.

lots of authors offer shorts on their blogs anyway. I mean, you don't make money that way, but advertising, man...that's worth a lot.

If it's a decent story, I'll post a link if you do that. I don't have any traffic yet, but it may get there.

Who knows?

Splendad said:

I'm going Kindle, selling cheap. First novel was not my best, but is a fun read. Will this go into my book about e-pub mistakes? Let's see, let's see...

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A great deal depends. Are you self-pubbing your work for Kindle? That's entirely different than being published through a publisher. Many of the small publishers are coming out with the Kindle edition first, pub later. Even some of the larger houses - Dorchester being a prime example - are coming out with the ebooks first, print as a possiblity later. Harlequin had enough success with their e-books that they created an entire new division, Carina Press, that is doing all ebooks.

CheyElizabeth said:

Use a pen name... otherwise it ruins your shot at being a debut author with a future agent.

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Well, actually, no it doesn't.

johnnysannie said:

Well, actually, no it doesn't.

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Really? I was under the impression that you can't be a debut author if you've already debuted with another book?

Chey Elizabeth, you won't have that "debut" before your name, but other than that you can still get an agent. It can affect your advance, but a good agent can handle that. Like everything else, the thing that matters most is whether or not you have a good book.


Splendad, try running a search both here and on google on "serialized novel" and see what crops up. I think people charge for installments. It's a really cool concept that has been around for a long, long time. They used to do it in newspapers. I think even before that you could buy then in small booklets. It might be perfect for your book.

They are a fun marketing tool to generate publicity buzz and readership. I think it is a great thing to do in the time leading up to a book release personally. If I had a novel laying around I would totally go for it.

Check it out!

Also, don't be afraid to try some of the e-publishers. I know MANY of our authors here have been incredibly happy with Evernight specifically. They can't say enough good things about them. There are some e-pub agents and agencies out there as well as editors to try. You might find a spot for it with those.

That could make you more moolah than just going it on your own. If you have a good book in the works I would consider that first simply because of how it affects things in the future. E-pubbing is sweet because it moves a little faster than traditional publishers. Your book would be out faster. Several of them cut out the agent entirely, and I think it makes them a bit more daring in what they accept.

In my opinion, that's awesome for readers, because a better range of books is getting out there! Agents tend to take safe bets. Your book may find a home, make some money that is a fairly nice sum, and be enough not to laugh at when you're wheeling and dealing with the big six publisher in...say...six months, man.

Who knows?

amyashley said:

Chey Elizabeth, you won't have that "debut" before your name, but other than that you can still get an agent. It can affect your advance, but a good agent can handle that. Like everything else, the thing that matters most is whether or not you have a good book.

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Right, yeah that's what I meant. Of course you can still get an agent, but OP made it seem like he wants a great book as a 'debut', meaning I figured he also wants the debut status in his name.

I would just be sad because I'm not going to get a star on Hollywood Boulevard. That totally sucks. I mean, after ALL THIS WORK.

CheyElizabeth said:

Really? I was under the impression that you can't be a debut author if you've already debuted with another book?

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Apparently if you write different genres, you can be a debut author more than once.

LOL.

That means I can debut.... TWENTY TIMES! Oh wow, I better get writing.

Splendad said:

I'd like to learn more about the serial thing; does anybody else have input on this?

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amyashley said:

Splendad, try running a search both here and on google on "serialized novel" and see what crops up.

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I do the serial thing. KAT AND MOUSE: GUNS FOR HIRE. Link's in my sig.

What would you like to know about the serial thing?

Wait! THERE'S NO DEEP MEANING IN BUBBLE WRAP?

OMG.

This is just awful.

Ace, The Kat and Mouse thing is really Kool.

amyashley said:

They are a fun marketing tool to generate publicity buzz and readership. I think it is a great thing to do in the time leading up to a book release personally. If I had a novel laying around I would totally go for it.

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Amy, thanks for pointing this thread out to me. That's exactly it. I do have a novella laying around. Because it started life as the first act to my now completely revised novel, it's a great intro to the characters in the completed novel I hope to eventually sell. And it's a complete story in it's own right.

I don't want to charge people to read the serialized novella, though. I'm a follower of marketing guru Seth Godin and a big believer in giving stuff away. He has given away many of his excellent non-fic marketing books as e-books and yet most of them (even those he gave away) are now bestsellers. I know the "rules" are different for fic and nonfic, but I like his approach. It seems using the prequel novella might work.

If not, it might just be a fun way to share my writing.

Click on Ace's link. His stuff is cool.


I really think it's a good way to generate buzz since the publishing process takes so much time. When you have a book coming out, or if you have something in the works you *know* will get there soon, I think it's a good way to offer something on a regular schedule.

The key is to GET READERS THERE.

Janet Reid recently rec'd Get Known Before The Book Deal (I hope that's the right name) I've read it and it's pretty decent. It has good advice for blogging and website presence. I think it is important to remember your audience and keep them in mind as you offer content.

I've been seeing a LOT of authors with "writing" blogs lately. A writign blog is really going to only generate traffic from your peers. If you want readers you need to offer content that is entertaining to the readers.

Get the novel out, then get to other blogs they ARE reading, plus a few that you like, ask them to advertise you or guest blog you, get word out. I think if you can get them hooked on the book in the beginning you can have it.

I THINK I kinda know who you are and you already have a readership, but this post may be for Splendad and whoever else reads it too. LOL

Splendad said:

I guess I'm asking what the goal is; are you essentially publishing an ongoing soap opera of sorts? I can think of lots of reasons to write (and I actually used to have a serial e-mail thing going out called, "Wally's World," about a Forrest Gump-like character who found deep meaning in things such as bubble wrap and sock monkeys)... just for fun? To develop an audience to then try to sell to? I guess one questioned I have never been able to answer, yet, in my little author mode is, "How loyal is a loyal reader/follower of an author's work?" Cuz the Universe changes when the dollar sign pops up. Forgive ramble; been chopping wood all day... tired, sore, need tune-up.

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I am essentially publishing an ongoing soap opera of sorts. My own text-only webseries. A TV show in prose.

I'm writing it primarily because I have stories about a pair of characters that I want to tell. Not quite novel-length; they didn't seem to stretch that long. But definitely in the short-story-possible-novelette-maybe-novella length. Each one building off the previous. Standalone single episodes but connected to tell a longer story. Like a TV show.

Have I developed an audience? I think so. Site stats show at least 150-180 visits per month. I get folks writing to say they're enjoying the "show" (or leaving comments on the site).

Am I planning to monetize?

Well....Season One did just finish.

And you know what happens to TV shows nowadays that finish Season One and continue to Season Two and higher...