Purgatory's Pit of Doom

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kellion92

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Interesting midlist discussion. "Interesting" as in the midlist writers are living in interesting times.

But honestly, I think small-press and self-published are the minor leagues. You can skip right to the pros, or you can work your way up. But once you're in the big leagues, nobody looks at your minor league stats.

Of course, that could be wishful thinking.
 
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SteveCordero

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{{{DVI}}}

{{{Red}}} I loved LW, BTW. Wonderfully quirky characters

I think we need an oversized sofa right now because we're all under it right now.
 

soulcascade

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Red do you really regret your decision? Not to sound all morbid but there are no guarantees of getting published with a mid/big house. One could theoretically wait around forever for a deal from them...

ACK on the midlist getting slaughtered :( Not surprising but still disheartening. Who opts that we forget the couch, band together and just dig a massive, never ending hole? Maybe we can place a tarp over it hummmm
 

Red-Green

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It depends on the day. Today is a regret day. Mostly because I can see just how fucking hard it is to get anywhere with a small press. You know, the days you go and look and you have all of 4 reviews on Am@zon and 3 are people you know. And you think, I don't have a large enough family or circle of friends to really make a go of publishing with a small press or whatever. Who knows? Tomorrow perhaps I won't regret it.
 

K. Taylor

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I get more ratings/reviews on Goodreads than sales sites. Taken a full year to have 20 reviews on the novel on Amzn. Takes time. All you can do is write another book.
 

triceretops

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It depends on the day. Today is a regret day. Mostly because I can see just how fucking hard it is to get anywhere with a small press. You know, the days you go and look and you have all of 4 reviews on Am@zon and 3 are people you know. And you think, I don't have a large enough family or circle of friends to really make a go of publishing with a small press or whatever. Who knows? Tomorrow perhaps I won't regret it.

Oh, can I identify with THIS! It got so bad at one point that I resorted to following the self e-publishing threads and stole all their promo marketing ideas. I put them into use, and happy to say that things took a dramatic upward turn. Terribly difficult to do, hamstrung by the limitations of a small press and everything that goes with it--or, actually, everything they lack, like distribution and store placement. Still, there isn't a day that goes by where I'm not shamelessly flogging the frickin book all over the cyber universe, just to maintain decent rank and sales numbers.
 

Amarie

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It depends on the day. Today is a regret day. Mostly because I can see just how fucking hard it is to get anywhere with a small press. You know, the days you go and look and you have all of 4 reviews on Am@zon and 3 are people you know. And you think, I don't have a large enough family or circle of friends to really make a go of publishing with a small press or whatever. Who knows? Tomorrow perhaps I won't regret it.

I only have 6 reviews for both ws and the gargoyle book. Some of the ws ones are through people I connected with on twitter plus I do giveaways on goodreads. I think I've done 3 each for the three books, running them for a couple of months at a time. Posting stuff on my blogs unrelated to writing has drawn people there who have gone on to buy the books
 
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Snappy

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Who opts that we forget the couch, band together and just dig a massive, never ending hole? Maybe we can place a tarp over it hummmm

digg-in-smiley.gif
 

silver76

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It depends on the day. Today is a regret day. Mostly because I can see just how fucking hard it is to get anywhere with a small press. You know, the days you go and look and you have all of 4 reviews on Am@zon and 3 are people you know. And you think, I don't have a large enough family or circle of friends to really make a go of publishing with a small press or whatever. Who knows? Tomorrow perhaps I won't regret it.
Today is a regret day for me too. :(. I've been so down lately, I need my own couch...
 
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triceretops

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Posting stuff on my blogs unrelated to writing has drawn people there who have gone on to buy the books

Hmmm...I'm about ready to steal again. I never thought of switching up the main focus of my blog to explore another subject or gab about something else. Damn it. Move over writing, here comes bigfoot and UFOs.

Uh, maybe...
 

kellion92

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I'm not surprised most readers review on Goodreads, because if they are like me, they are keeping track of the books they read. Even so, although I add all books I read to my list, I only review one in 10 or so.

Out of curiosity, I just looked up a big-six book in Red's genre that has been out about about 1 1/2 years, and it has 17 reviews on Amazon.
 

kellion92

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Wow, regret from published writers big and small! Silver, your book looks like it's doing really well. It's reaching people and some readers really get it.

Amarie is turning into the queen of the slow build with her state lists! You may earn out yet!

And Tri's efforts are working! I'm definitely going to act self-published when my book is out -- might as well, because everyone will think I am anyway!

OK, that's as much cheer as I can spread while being mauled by hellhounds.

ETA: I just got a very helpful rejection on a PB from a Big Six editor who had previously given me a very helpful rejection on another PB, and she said to "feel free to keep sending her texts." I think I need to write a book specifically for her -- this is more encouragement than my agent ever gave me.
 

K. Taylor

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I've noticed blog comments/traffic come from Thursday 13 posts. You make a list of 13 things under any topic. Words. Pictures. Whatever.

People usually find it interesting and learn a bit about you.

Memes I commonly see:
Man Candy Monday
Tuesday Teasers
Writer Wednesday
Thursday 13
Flash Fiction Friday
Saturday Snippets
Six Sentence Sunday
 

Amarie

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Posting stuff on my blogs unrelated to writing has drawn people there who have gone on to buy the books

Hmmm...I'm about ready to steal again. I never thought of switching up the main focus of my blog to explore another subject or gab about something else. Damn it. Move over writing, here comes bTigfoot and UFOs.

Uh, maybe...

Go for it!

Red, is your book in your local indie bookstores? Everywhere I travel I go in and introduce myself. It's awkward, but sometimes it works. I'd love to walk into an indie someday to find they already have one of my books. :)
 

Teriann

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ETA: I just got a very helpful rejection on a PB from a Big Six editor who had previously given me a very helpful rejection on another PB, and she said to "feel free to keep sending her texts." I think I need to write a book specifically for her -- this is more encouragement than my agent ever gave me.

This is beyond awesome, Kell.

I think in the old days this was how it happened. An editor took a liking to manuscripts sent by a new writer, and cultivated the writer.

I think for idealistic editors, the fantasy is to discover and nurture a new writer.
 

silver76

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Thanks kell and steve and everyone.
The book is doing fine...for a contemporary- and maybe that's the rub, but I couldn't write anything but. However, the feeling in my gut when its not selling well one day, or it gets a shitty rating or review is pretty, damn awful. Here's a post I wrote that explains how I feel right now on adventures in children's publishing- um yeah :(http://childrenspublishing.blogspot.com/2012/05/lisa-burstein-on-writing-naked.html
 

Catwoman

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I get more ratings/reviews on Goodreads than sales sites. Taken a full year to have 20 reviews on the novel on Amzn. Takes time. All you can do is write another book.

THIS. Which also ties in to what Teri always says...it's a slow build. Look at where you want your career to be 10 years from now.

Today is a regret day for me too. :(. However, I know I wouldn't have had a snowballs chance with a large press, so I guess I take what I can get. I've been so down lately, I need my own couch...

I am actually quite surprised that Ent@ngl3d has their books in stores. That is huge for a company that is as new as they are, isn't it?


I just found out from my press that I won't get a release date for 6 months after my final galleys! Here I was thinking, Oh wow, it'll be out during summer, which is groovy since it's a beach read. I. am. so. naive.
 

silver76

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oh yes Cat it's great that Entangl3d's books are in stores and they are aweosome have no regrets about going with them- just regrets about the whole publishing dealio. My self-esteem is too fragile for it, I think.
(((cat))) sorry about release date.
 

Red-Green

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Posting stuff on my blogs unrelated to writing has drawn people there who have gone on to buy the books

Hmmm...I'm about ready to steal again. I never thought of switching up the main focus of my blog to explore another subject or gab about something else. Damn it. Move over writing, here comes bigfoot and UFOs.

Uh, maybe...

It's kinda true. After all, I have triple the number of followers on my private weird blog as I do on my writerly blog.

Out of curiosity, I just looked up a big-six book in Red's genre that has been out about about 1 1/2 years, and it has 17 reviews on Amazon.

Well, maybe all that says is that my genre is doomed. :D

ETA: I just got a very helpful rejection on a PB from a Big Six editor who had previously given me a very helpful rejection on another PB, and she said to "feel free to keep sending her texts." I think I need to write a book specifically for her -- this is more encouragement than my agent ever gave me.

WOOT!! Oh, shite, here come the hellhounds.

Go for it!

Red, is your book in your local indie bookstores? Everywhere I travel I go in and introduce myself. It's awkward, but sometimes it works. I'd love to walk into an indie someday to find they already have one of my books. :)

I am not sure I am even capable of this. I am such a frigging recluse. I get tongue-tied when the clerk at the local book store asks me if I need help.

I think, too, that different genres of books work differently. Like you're seeing with your books, I think MG books have a slower build, because they so often have to filter through adults to get to their readers. Adult contemp ... not so much.
 
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