The Business of Being Indie — Part 3

Some Things I’ve Learned

I published my first 4 books in November 2014 and followed up with 2 more in December 2014.

Quite honestly, I had no idea what I was doing. And I shamefacedly admit that I believed in the magic wand. That just by putting my books up on Amazon I would make piles of money, and in a couple years could buy my Rolls-Royce.

Then reality hit a couple, three months later when the sales fell off to nothing.

The School Of Hard Knocks taught me once again there isn’t a magic wand. TANSTAAFL. There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch. For a moment there, I forgot and believed in free lunches.

But not anymore. Reality is a Harsh Mistress, to paraphrase Heinlein.

Today I’m sharing with you some things I’ve learned over the years. I’m naturally skeptical. But I, too, have been suckered by those promising me that their snake oil works where all the others have failed.

So here is a list, in no particular order, of things I’ve learned.

1. The Self-Publishing world of today is very much like the pulp fiction magazine world of yesteryear. Study the writers and publishers from back then, apply what you learn, and the study will pay dividends. There is nothing new under the sun.

2. Fiction readers, for the most part, want entertainment. Scare them. Make them cry. Make them feel good. Give them an exciting adventure. If you can do that, you’ll have an audience.

3. Your story doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be good enough. The vast majority of readers aren’t looking for The Great American Novel, they merely want to be entertained. They just want to have fun.

4. If you want fast money from your pen or keyboard, write non-fiction. Something in the self-help area. Non-fiction is the second largest book market after romance.

5. If you want fast money writing fiction, write only in the most popular genres. Right now these are romance, thrillers, and urban fantasy.

6. Start your mailing list before you publish your first book.

7. Pick one or two social media platforms and build a following before you publish your first book. And that goes for setting up your website, too.

8. Your book cover is advertising copy. (And foolish me thought it was about the book!) It must tell the potential reader what genre your book is in. So don’t be original. Be a copycat.

9. Your book’s blurb is advertising copy. Don’t tell the potential reader what the book is about. Tell them how they’ll feel reading it.

10. The one indie rule for success that has not changed is write lots (and fast), and publish often.

11. Publish a novel, or at the very least a story or novella, at least every three months. More frequently is better.

12. Write in series. Standalones, with rare exception, don’t work well in self-publishing. There are lots of ways to structure a series. Here are four:

1. 1. 1. The multi-volume novel. Think trilogy. Think Lord of the Rings. Think the Kurtherian Gambit. One main story arc stretched over 3 or more novels.
      2. The Series Character. Think Sherlock Holmes and Nero Wolfe. Or Lazarus Long and Jules de Grandin. Or Columbo and Star Trek on TV. Each episode is a standalone, but they all tie together.
      3. The Same World/Universe. Standalones work better if they are all set in a single world, and perhaps have recurring characters show up.Trollope’s Barchester series started this approach. Lindsay Buroker (writing as Ruby Lionsdrake) used it for her SF Romance novels. And there are others.
      4. The idea or object series. This was a favorite of H. Bedford-Jones. He’d write standalone stories and what tied them together was a theme or an object that appeared in each story. One series chronicled the fictional history of a famous emerald. Another the history of ships. And another famous heroes.

13. Don’t waste money on an editor. They are after all only human. I’ve seen too many professionally edited books rife with errors. Today’s AI can proofread and line edit with ruthless efficiency. I’ve become a convert after using ProWritingAid.

14. And if you are having trouble with the overall concept of your book, have a couple fans read it over and tell you what doesn’t work. After all, they buy your books. An editor probably doesn’t.

15. Beware the “expert”. Why? Because most aren’t. They follow the very old saying: read three books on any subject and you are an expert. Which means you might as well read those 3 books yourself. After all, the books are probably cheaper than the course the “expert” is selling.

Fifteen things I’ve learned. And I’m sure lots more learning is on the way.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time — happy reading and writing!

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