Showing posts with label careers. Show all posts

I've been spending a lot of time gearing up for the release of my e-book, but now I think I'm having a change of plans.



See, I have been totally jazzed about this becoming an Indie author thing. I'm getting swept up in the indie revolution, but really I have been stressing myself out to the point that this was becoming less fun and more of a drag. The biggest problem was my book just wouldn't be finished. Every time I think it's finished, it just didn't feel finished. There were some characters who I wanted to get into more, some scenes I wanted to add in and for some reason I couldn't wait for the second book to do it. It just didn't feel, RIGHT.

And believe me, I've been trying for a VERY long time to get this done. But recently I realized that there is just something about this story that cannot be contained in a standard 300+ page novel. It's not working, So, recently, I was on J.A. Konraths blog and someone dropped a post about creating a series of short 20,000 page (approximately) novels and placing them on Amazon.

At first I rejected that idea for this book because I've worked SOOOOO hard getting it to be a proper novel. It would have felt like all my hard work would be going down the drain if I changed the format now. Also, it's kind of scary because it's a new method of producing books online. Someone suggested the idea but I don't think anyone has actually done it before…or at least…they haven't done it and become commercially successful at it. So, even though I have found some wonderful Self-Publishing/ebook guru's like Zoe Winters, Deana Zhollis and J.A. Konrath, producing a series for release on the web is sort of new ground. Would fans really buy the books every week that they were released? How long would I be able to produce the books for one series before I move on to the next? A lot of questions and I'd have little guidance or a road map. I'd be learning through trial and error.

Another problem, releasing an e-book series on kindle would definitely make me a not-really-real writer according to the industry supporters. Self-publishing your own e-book makes you less than the industry writers, but self-publishing mini novelettes would be perceived as being even less then self-published authors who produce full length books. Why? I guess the further you drift away from the conventional rules of publishing the less of a "writer" you become. It would also probably kill my chances of ever being picked up by a big traditional publisher, but I have no interested in going with the big houses anymore. So I say: onward march! Part of the joy of going indy is I have room to experiment. I plan on turning the little novelettes into novels anyway, but I want to experiment with this new idea and see how it works. I own the rights to my story and characters so I can do whatever I want with them J 


 
I got a message from Deana recently. She tried to post something to my blog but it wouldn't go through. I just tried myself and yeah, something is wrong with the posting option. ARGH! I apologize to anyone who was trying to post a message but couldn't. I just moved this blog from wordpress and now I'm debating moving back. I found this great website written by a twelve year old and he gives some great tips for maximizing your blog for hits. I tried just one of his suggestions and yeah I've been getting a ton of hits to this blog lately. I can't implement some of his suggestions though because I think they are specifically for WP blogs. Now I'm trying to decide if I'm going to buy a domain name with WP or get my own hosting/website package.

Anyway, back to work. I'm redoing the first seven or so chapters of my book to make it a mini novel. Be back soon with more nerdy, writer goodness!

 
As expected, I can't decide on a pen name. I had a good one in mind but now I don't know if I like it anymore. Too androgynous maybe.


 
It's just like me to worry about silly little details like that. I think it's a Virgo thing. Some of us can be nit-picky and a perfectionist about certain things. It's taking me a while to learn things don't have to be perfect all the time, sometimes you just have to get it DONE. I'm trying to use that same logic when it comes to my book. If I waited till it was PERFECT it would never come out. I have to get it done.

 
I'm driving myself bat shit with all this editing. It's that perfectionist-ism (okay, I don't know the word for it) that is going to be the death of me and this project.

 
Alright, each chapter has to be relevant to the story. Each chapter has to be clear and add something to the bigger picture. Each chapter should be as short as possible. What's this characters motivation? What kind of emotional response will people have to this scene? Then I get side tracked by all the little details...change the story this way...change the story again to fit the other changes I made...then it's just me ripping my hair out in front of my laptop. I ain't got no more damn hair left.

 
I do have other books I'd like to write, plenty others. Today, I sat down and wrote the titles or general ideas of the books I'd like to write and launch after American Sorcery School. I had about 20 altogether, including a few series. I figure that's enough work for about 10 years, no? If I put out 2 books a year, which sounds like a comfortable pace, in 10 years my self pubbed books should have built me a pretty sturdy living.

 
In another 10 years I'll be 41. 20 books should be generating enough income for me to live off of and who knows what can happen in 10 years. Maybe I have a few really good years where I can manage more than 2 a year. Maybe one book or a series gets picked up for a movie or television show. You never know.
Either way, if I can keep a steady work pace, I should be able to say that I am making a living as a writer by the time I'm 41. If my books sell poorly, it would be because I'm not marketing myself properly and I would guess within ten years I would have gotten the jist of marketing. Either way it's going to be a wonderful feeling. Having a career that I fashioned and that I am totally in control of.

 
I never had "career plan" before that was so…so....simple? A career plan where I am actually as excited about the PROCESS and the WORK as I am excited about the MONEY and the TITLE. Honestly, I am more excited about the process and the work, because I know financially I am probably going to have it tough for the first few years while I build my career. I'm ready and I have my mind set and I'm going to give this all I've got.

 
There's a little more to the plan though, but I'm astounded by just how basic it is at the core. I mean if I had done this ten years ago…

 

 
If no one's noticed I put a new resources for writers page up.

 
http://allfiredup123.blogspot.com/p/places-to-list-your-blog.html


 
I'm still hard at work. Editing, editing, editing. GRRRRR!!! It's a labor of love. The day I have my book launched I'm going to have to run to the beauty salon and get a weave, or all the bald spots on my head plastered over or something…sigh…