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Monday, October 23, 2017

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Self-publishing



Hello, to new visitors, I'm LJ Andrews. Mom of four little kids by day, teen fantasy author by night (and super early morning).

I'm an Indie author. **audible gasp**

What does it mean to be an Indie author?

Does it mean my books actually suck because no "real" publisher is publishing them?

Does it mean I just threw a book together and published it on Amazon without a second thought?

Does it mean I'm rollin' in the dough because I cut out like ten middle men with my royalties?

Uh...well maybe I can answer a few of those questions and really talk about self-publishing.

Do my books suck?

No. Flat out no. Yes, I'm the author, but trust me I still would say they don't suck even if I was a reader. I don't mean that arrogantly, so bear with me. As I was writing them...I thought they sucked. When I finished them...I thought they sucked. Because, I wrote them.

I don't know an author who doesn't at some point go through some level of self-doubt. But we do our best to edit them, have a professional edit them, have early readers, and do a final read through. By the end of it all--no I don't believe my books suck. The reviews tell me my books don't suck.

Let me clear up this common misconception that people only self-publish because they "couldn't" get a traditional contract. I suppose it could be true for a few people, but most of the authors I know are either Hybrid authors (both indie and traditional), trying to buy their books back from their publishers, or they chose to self-publish because they want control of the books, marketing plan, and royalties.

I was one of the latter. I wouldn't turn down the right traditional contract, but I haven't found it yet. I was offered a contract by a company about 12 months ago. I stalked some of their books, and you know what, their books were ranked in the millions, while my first book had ranked out in the low 1000's. (that is good by the way, the lower the number the more you're selling). So, although they were a publisher, they obviously didn't put in the marketing I wanted.

Many Indie's prefer to be self-published. It doesn't mean they aren't good enough. The Martian was originally self-pubbed, as was 50 Shades. Just some food for thought.

Again, if the right offer came around I wouldn't say no to a publisher, especially on subsidiary rights like audio books.

Does self-publishing mean I just wrote something and threw it together? 

Again, no. And again, perhaps some people do this and it's a shame. I write like a mad-woman to finish a book. I wake up early, write during nap time for the kiddos, and stay up at night writing. My first book took me four years. I'm now at the point I can write a book in about 6 weeks if I really push it.

Then what? Well, for me I have to format it (my absolute least favorite thing to do...one reason I'd take a publisher if they ever come along.) Then I self-edit. Then I send it to my professional editor. Then I read through those edits, and self-edit again. Then I add all the necessary links for the eBook. Then I format the print book. Of course this is after I've paid for the amazing cover design. Then I send it to my advanced reader team and sit anxiously as I await their reviews and feedback. Then I launch the dang thing. By this point I usually hate my book :)

All of this is out of my own pocket, and my own time. So after all is said and done, if everything goes according to plan I can release a book every 8-10 weeks. So, it takes a lot of work to release the books especially when I am in charge of building buzz and excitement so hopefully it doesn't flop on launch. I'm in charge of all the promotions and ads.  A lot of thought goes into my books, and a lot of effort. And you know what...they still aren't perfect, but each book is absolutely my best work. Nothing less for my readers.

**I apologize to readers of books who have read someone who has thrown a book up there without a second thought. It gives hard-working Indie's a bad name.**

So since I work so stinking hard, and have neglected my laundry for so long I must be bringing in the money and cruising in a brand new Mercedes right? Well, I know some people who are and they are my inspiration.

I can't complain really. I've been at this gig for a little over a year and I'm making what I make at my day job. I use half my money for all those previously named expenses, but thank goodness I can break even and then some. Many indies struggle for years and make a few bucks a month, and more power to them for holding on.

It's a very difficult game to learn how to market. As an independent author you have to write fast, and spend money to make money. Some people hit it big with two or three books, I wasn't one of them. Thought,  I am very fortunate I started making money right away.

My first month published I made $21. My second month I made $210. Now, over a year later I am hitting four figures. My goal is be high four figures in the coming months...and it is an uphill battle trying to get there.

It is still possible to make money as a self-published author, but there isn't a magic button. There is ample advice, and it's all different. So, I will say what I've learned is test different methods. Spend money on your covers, spend money on your editing. Take a few lessons in copy-writing for your ads to make them awesome. But most importantly is keep writing. Write series. Have confidence in your product. There are readers out there who will love it. And there are those who will hate it. You must have thick skin and keep going if you want to be a full-time author.

I am still learning, and I am so grateful for the support from readers. Without you I wouldn't be making a penny. I can't express how much it means to my family and I that you buy my books, and hopefully enjoy them.

It is awesome being an author and controlling my destiny. I can take it wherever I want to go, if I choose to work hard. But it can be ugly sometimes. It can be really ugly. But its worth it if people enjoy my stories and if I'm able to brighten someone's day a little bit more. 

If you're thinking of self-publishing I would recommend some courses:

Your first 10K readers, by Nick Stephenson

Kindlepreneur courses

I hope this was helpful and educational.

My goal is to get the idea self-published authors aren't real authors out of the minds of readers. Self-published authors work just as hard, if not a little harder because we do the work of the publisher too.

Live the life you want to live and dream big. That's what I think!

Keep reading,

LJ








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