tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25675853.post1505783818941722539..comments2024-01-21T09:25:55.810+00:00Comments on Civilian Reader: Guest Post: “‘You’re doing what?’ – Why I Decided to Self-Publish My Next Series” by Rachel AaronCivilian Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10978134983999101494noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25675853.post-84397422284996846492014-07-14T20:01:31.297+01:002014-07-14T20:01:31.297+01:00I am so incredibly excited for you Rachel. I think...I am so incredibly excited for you Rachel. I think this is brilliant. I've read quite a few posts on Chuck Wendig's site about diversifying your publishing options and how you really should branch out and it's smart if an author who's made it to one of the big houses who then has a reader base to try pubbing one of their own books because then you already have people who are willing to take that chance on you.<br /><br />I know that I personally stopped buying self published books a few years ago. I had only bought a few during my first year of blogging and received more for review and after awhile I ended up thinking YES it was mostly all garbage because those self published authors dont' HAVE to go through all the rounds of edits, copy edits and they can just spit some ugly cover out of photoshop (or not even photoshop) smack it on the top and say "done now buy it" and yuck. <br /><br />I hope this works out wonderfully for you and helps get you a better income that you can live on. I know authors make such a pittance compared to all of the hard work they put in and you deserve to reap more of the rewards for your book.Tabitha (Pabkins)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11945588780690794396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25675853.post-67555339493524554992014-07-08T15:00:04.878+01:002014-07-08T15:00:04.878+01:00@Dee you're welcome! Feeling a bit sheepish ov...@Dee you're welcome! Feeling a bit sheepish over running on so long! You're right about the difficulty of finding an audience on your own. The trad pub marketing machine definitely helps with that. But you can't underestimate the power of a good cover, catchy title, and killer blurb either. Writers get discovered all the time!<br /><br />@Anonymous You're absolutely right about opportunity cost. It's something most writers, established and new, don't think about, but you have to understand it to properly value your work. Thank you for the good wishes and kind words :DRachel Aaronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13917123007610750274noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25675853.post-57249607064375584392014-07-08T14:45:54.228+01:002014-07-08T14:45:54.228+01:00The first 895 books cover the out of pocket costs....The first 895 books cover the out of pocket costs. The following books are the return for the time spent. Since you are a full-time author, that time has a significant opportunity cost.<br /><br />The trade-off of all independent ventures. After reading the first three chapters of Nice Dragons, I'd say it's a pretty safe trade-off! Can't wait until July 15th!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25675853.post-66142370421056625872014-07-08T05:45:18.949+01:002014-07-08T05:45:18.949+01:00Thanks so much for the detailed response, Rachel. ...Thanks so much for the detailed response, Rachel. It's great to hear your experience (especially because I have a frame of reference for your work - and its quality! - to put it all in context).<br /><br />In Brian's defense, his Orbit-style numbers were to illustrate what Orbit invests in the book/author-as-product. When I look at his numbers towards the end for doing a novel like he did his self-pubbed add-on e-novellas, they look a lot like yours (he includes slightly more for editing, and includes audiobooks).<br /><br />And I rush to add that I didn't mean to suggest you were beholden to anyone, and obviously whatever choices an author feels serve their purposes best are the right ones (and the more choices available, the better). I just meant that having established an audience through your already-published (by whatever means) books, you have a "ready made market" (as it were) for self-publishing. I feel like if I were to self-pub, my ready made market is my facebook circle (yikes). Just as a reader, there are too many books and not enough me; it's daunting to consider trying to get a toehold in that from the other side. There's a lot to be said for a big publisher (and their quality assurance) behind a new name and product.<br /><br />And I very much look forward to reading further blog posts on this and related topics. :)Deehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06344871797443317929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25675853.post-20675859677879793392014-07-08T04:08:55.353+01:002014-07-08T04:08:55.353+01:00Argh, I'll get it right this time. Realized I ...Argh, I'll get it right this time. Realized I didn't answer the second half of your question. <br /><br /> I do feel that my traditional pub career has helped enormously with my self pub work, and I intend to stay trad pub as long as they'll have me :3. There are parts of being traditionally published, such as the amazing work done by Orbit's PR Wizard Ellen Wright, that you simply can not do on your own. If this was my very first book, I'd probably still go traditional first just because I know how enormously my writing was helped by my agent and editors in the traditional venue. Lots of self published authors claim that publishers don't grow authors anymore, but that was simply not true with me. I wouldn't be the author I am now without the help I got from traditional publishing. That said, I'm still my own person. I don't see myself as beholden to anyone but my readers. I think authors should be free to decide what path is best for them. For me, that was starting with trad. For you, maybe not.<br /><br />Going back to that $3000 number for Nice Dragons (which, by the way, does not include my time. If we added that in, the cost of this book would be in tens of thousands!), I'm pricing the book at $4.99, which is on the upper end of indie pricing but still half the cost of my other books. Of this $4.99, I will make $3.49, which means I only need to sell 859 copies to break even. After that, everything else is money in my pocket forever. This is a substantially higher earning per book for me at a much lower cost to my reader, and that is not something to be discounted.<br /><br />So I hope that answers your question. If you don't mind, I'd like to take part of this comment for blog post material later ;D Sorry to Stefan for posting double walls'o'text in your comments!!<br /><br />- R<br />Rachel Aaronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13917123007610750274noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25675853.post-55190749046167587102014-07-08T04:07:17.955+01:002014-07-08T04:07:17.955+01:00This comment has been removed by the author.Rachel Aaronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13917123007610750274noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25675853.post-23711809033728481352014-07-08T04:06:23.740+01:002014-07-08T04:06:23.740+01:00Dee thank you for pointing me to Brian's blog ...Dee thank you for pointing me to Brian's blog post. Obviously, he and I have many differences of opinion on this (though we're both Orbit authors and YAY ORBIT YOU PUT OUT GOOD STUFF!). Again, though, this is one of those "every author has their own way" sort of things.<br /><br />Brian is right that to produce a product exactly like what Orbit did for his book, with the custom photo cover, two pass substantive editing by super awesome pros (seriously, Orbit has the best editorial team ever), multiple copy editors, and print editions in both tradepaper and hardback would be prohibitively expensive. But the point I believe he is missing, and the place where our opinions diverge, is that a book does not have to have all of that to be a success for you, the author.<br /><br />My book, for example, cost me $3000. This broke down to $1100 for the cover (which I had illustrated by a lady I love), $1200 for one round of substantive edits with an excellently referenced editor (where the editor reads your book and says things likes "this character doesn't make sense" or "this plot twist is too predictable") , and $700 for two rounds of copy edits (editors who check for grammar, misspelled words, typos, etc). <br /><br />My goal in all of this was to produce an ebook product that my readers would find indistinguishable from my New York books, and I feel that I got that for my $3000. The book is well edited, and while I can't guarantee there won't be typos, all of my Orbit books have had typos, too. Typos happen, they're just part of publishing. All you can do is hire good people and try your best to weed them out.<br /><br />That said, I know plenty of people who got ebooks they were very happy with and that went on to sell very well for far less than I paid. It really comes down to what you are personally comfortable with as an author. For example, can get your whole cover with typography from a quality premade store (like this one http://ebooklaunch.com/ebook-cover-design/) for less than $200, which saves you $800 right there. Your biggest single cost is going to be editing, but I would not not not advise you skimp on that. Take the time to find an editor who really gets what you're trying to do and pay them what they're worth. <br /><br />All of that said, when you consider your book as a business, the $3000 I spent is nothing. Even $5000 to really go all out with a print designer and layout for a print edition and two rounds of editing would still be nothing compared with the time you have already investing writing this book. And on the other side, I know a lot of people who spend $300 per book and do just fine. It really depends on you, your audience, and what kind of book you're trying to put out. <br /><br />I would say that if you want a book that doesn't look home made, you should invest in a good cover and good editing. That is key.<br />Rachel Aaronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13917123007610750274noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25675853.post-31985981045186779872014-07-08T01:00:26.646+01:002014-07-08T01:00:26.646+01:00Thanks for sharing so much about this decision! I&...Thanks for sharing so much about this decision! I've been reading and thinking quite a bit about self-pub vs trad-pub recently, since Brian McClellan wrote a very interesting blog post on how much self-pubbing costs if you're doing it "right". (http://www.brianmcclellan.com/blog/the-cost-of-a-good-book) Because of this, I have some nosy questions which I will obviously understand if you'd prefer not to answer, Rachel!<br /><br />To what extend do you feel your capacity to self-pub this book now is making use of the reputation you've built with readers through your traditionally published books? (I'm not saying "they like me because I'm trad-pubbed", I'm saying, "they like me because I write kick-ass fun books, which they found more easily because the books were trad-pubbed".) Would you make this decision now, with this book, if it were your first book? What would you do differently and/or what would take a lot more effort?<br /><br />Also, I note that you've mentioned "professional cover and three rounds of editing", which was the magic formula that Brian used as well for doing-a-book-right. His post was talking about how much that actually cost, and has prompted some quite heated debate in his post comments of the "you can do it for less!"/"you don't need that quality!" camp versus editing and art professionals noting that they deserve to earn a living wage as well, and as someone who's worked as an editor and hopes to be a published write, I'm finding the discussion fascinating. At the risk of being super-nosy, could you share a ballpark of how much Nice Dragons has cost to produce?Deehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06344871797443317929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25675853.post-2202784695351764492014-07-08T00:02:55.538+01:002014-07-08T00:02:55.538+01:00@Sarah Nice Dragons comes out July 15 and will be ...@Sarah Nice Dragons comes out July 15 and will be available in ebook from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and iBookstore if everything goes smoothly. We're planning a print version for later if sales support it. If you want an email the day it comes out to remind you, you can sign up for my mailing list (http://eepurl.com/Vp9Eb) or you can follow me on Twitter (https://twitter.com/Rachel_Aaron). Either way, I guarantee I'll let you know! Thank you for reading!!<br /><br />@Larry I did have that clause, and I actually sent them an entirely different book partially to satisfy this requirement but mostly because I thought Orbit would like it. Sadly, they'd just signed another series that was almost exactly like the one I'd pitched them, so it was a no. That would normally be sad, but it worked out well for me in the end so I have no complaints!Rachel Aaronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13917123007610750274noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25675853.post-26411465294030730352014-07-07T20:26:12.916+01:002014-07-07T20:26:12.916+01:00Athens, eh? Greetings from about 3 hours away (Daw...Athens, eh? Greetings from about 3 hours away (Dawsonville). Welcome to the dark side! Have a cookie. ;-)<br /><br />I never bothered trying to get an agent, let alone a publisher. I played with numbers on a napkin or something, decided that I'd be better off self-publishing, and went for it. A retired pro editor fell into my lap (actually, she was sitting next to me in the church choir) and I took a chance with an artistically-inclined acquaintance online for the cover art. I'm pretty good at formatting eBooks, and would hang out a shingle if my dayjob dried up, but I'm finding something to improve with every new book.<br /><br />Quick question: I've <i>heard</i> that most book contracts require you to give your publisher first crack at any new work. How did you dodge that bullet, or did I hear wrong?Larry Kollarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08317037795075278427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25675853.post-16475190715831959782014-07-07T19:44:52.241+01:002014-07-07T19:44:52.241+01:00Where will Nice Dragons be available to buy? I jus...Where will Nice Dragons be available to buy? I just finished reading the sample chapters and can't wait to read the rest!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12121462551545027630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25675853.post-75309984795738078092014-07-07T18:06:01.076+01:002014-07-07T18:06:01.076+01:00@Alan I found my artist through DeviantArt and my ...@Alan I found my artist through DeviantArt and my editor through a referral from a friend. If you're looking for editors/cover artists, though, I'd highly reccomend checking out the kboards yellow pages http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,123703.0.html<br /><br />And thank you to disregardtheprologue! I hope you enjoy Nice Dragons!Rachel Aaronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13917123007610750274noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25675853.post-88741880618552742712014-07-07T16:08:33.326+01:002014-07-07T16:08:33.326+01:00Well said! This an exciting time to be an author. ...Well said! This an exciting time to be an author. Things have changed so much that I decided not to submit to agents at all, at least for my current work-- a complete change from what I planned just a few years ago. Self-publishing is definitely not just for rejects. :)<br /><br />Best of luck with your new release, Rachel. I look forward to reading it!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25675853.post-64637290987729551022014-07-07T15:35:42.639+01:002014-07-07T15:35:42.639+01:00How did you find your editor and cover artist? Wha...How did you find your editor and cover artist? What are you doing about publicity and marketing for the book? I have one more round of editing (my wife) and I'm ready to publish my first book. I'm VERY interested in this path.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04892636663714281034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25675853.post-2504349038252265092014-07-07T15:35:40.762+01:002014-07-07T15:35:40.762+01:00@Rakib thank you! Fingers crossed!
@Justin that w...@Rakib thank you! Fingers crossed!<br /><br />@Justin that was definitely a factor. NY simply can't absorb books as fast as I write them. Self pub felt like the natural answer.Rachel Aaronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13917123007610750274noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25675853.post-50897067187321930122014-07-07T14:55:15.004+01:002014-07-07T14:55:15.004+01:00How much of this is driven by your output? There&#...How much of this is driven by your output? There's no way New York can really keep up with you.Justinhttp://www.staffersbookreview.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25675853.post-80501167782677946252014-07-07T11:44:29.908+01:002014-07-07T11:44:29.908+01:00.....very very nice guest post.....nailed most of ........very very nice guest post.....nailed most of the points.....hope your little venture into self-publishing turns out to be a great success.....ihate00https://www.blogger.com/profile/16603655105941247994noreply@blogger.com