I'll more than happy to use my very first post here to answer, which this very thread caught my eye as I was browsing the forum, wondering if I should join or not. Well, here I am. Banzai, I've used the bold feature to select the section I wish to address, which will help the OP come to some decisions as well. That was true maybe three years ago. Today, the process is quite a bit different in the world of self publishing. I'd like to start with the quality filter. It's actually the reader themselves who decide, without spending a single penny. A reader can easily see if they might or might not want to purchase a book, either ebook or paperback of the same story. 99.9% of the self published authors out there make the first 20% of their novel available as a free sample. My latest novel is 93K words long. After reading the first 18,600 words... several chapters worth... for free and without obligation... I'm sure the reader will know if they would like that book or not. And I do get what you're saying. I've come across many self published authors myself that made the grammar section of my brain revolt against my eyes. That happens usually before I finish the first three paragraphs. You can tell rather quickly if an author is terrible or not. Even more so, you can tell if you actually want to finish the book. The submission issues for traditional publishers have changed to fit the times. Many previously traditionally published authors have gone Independent because of the worse contracts, harder and even more stringent selection process, and this is for established authors. There was a writers conference I attended last year where half the room of traditionally published authors were nodding when the speaker made mention that some publishing firms go to focus groups, marketing managers and a whole team of people who know nothing about the genre to decide if it should be published or not. If one out of the 8 or 9 people say no, it's rejected. Again, this is for established authors. It's even worse for first timers, even those with agents. And speaking of Agents, they aren't all created equal. Research them just as much if not more than the publishing company. An excellent Agent is a true benefit. A mediocre Agent will slay your chances before they even begin. One author I know got her book sold to a movie studio for 10 grand. Then they sat on it for seven years, until the rights reverted back. She cleared three times that in one year after publishing it herself. To be a successful self published author is all about discovery. (Heres a great blog post on discovery! http://writenonfictioninnovember.com/2011/11/29/rethinking-book-marketing-why-discovery-matters-more/ ) I can't stress that enough. If you write the best possible novel, then get it polished using beta readers (more on that soon), getting an editor, a decent cover artist, re-writing when it's suggested and where it's suggested, a person can do quite well. Yes, it's work. For an ebook, you get anywhere from 60% to 70% royalties on average. You don't have an Agent taking their 10% to 15%, or a Publishing House taking a huge chunk for themselves. It's all yours! What Banzai said about them not touching self published works is true... but trust me, you don't want them to consider it. Look at it this way. Say you were a success. Not a huge best selling author, but you clear around $20,000 in the first year, and your sequel is almost done, which could almost double that in the second year. Discovery can happen within the first three years. Meaning you'll be finally noticed, people start gabbing about your novel and the sales go through the roof. Making $100K off that discovery moment is quite feasible. Now at that point, do you really want people to show up, taking a big chunk out of that and handing you the leftovers? Social Media makes it easier than ever to self promote. Start a blog, talk about what you're writing about. Fiction or not, it will generate visitors who will be interested. I didn't think it would do that much for me until after I published my first trilogy. When the last novel was done and published, and because it was a trilogy, those waiting for it to be done while following my blog bought the second and third book in the same purchase. Boom boom. Just like that. I didn't think it would happen, as hardly anybody bought the second book. I was actually nervous. I published the third and said, "Well, that's that." At the end of the next quarter and I saw the new sales reports, I nearly fell out of my chair. People were merely waiting to see if the trilogy would be finished or not. The best way to go self published is to first focus on your work, make sure it's done and in the best possible shape you can get it, then find beta readers. Not relatives and not friends. They're biased. Ask for beta readers in your blog. Look for them on forums where beta readers like to lurk, and there are some out there. Shoot, I don't know if this forum has a spot for beta readers or not, I should look better hehe. But a place like Goodreads, you can join groups where folks are interested in beta reading. Find them. Promise them a free copy of the ebook once published, and you have your own focus group. They have the honesty you want. Consider their suggestions and they will also point out little errors along the way. That's if the OP wants to try it. Here's a good argument for self publishing... and no, I'm not trying to generate business or anything, but it's on my website and it says quite a bit about what we do. http://www.thepassiontrilogy.com/index.php?p=1_9_FAQ Once you have all the facts and make a choice, and you do choose to go Indie, yes there's a learning curve. And it's 100% worth it. I hope I helped the OP and also others in the growing world of the written word. So much is changing, it's almost freaky. For the better with us writers, I might add.
Unfortunately, Daniel, you're just re-stating what a lot of SP advocates have been saying - using *possible but really not probable* figures for sales. Yes, readers are the ultimate judge - but how do they find your work among hundreds of thousands of other SPs? If you're lucky, the hours and hours spent on the blogs and the other promotional avenues will generate some interest - all, of course, taking time away from the actual writing. SP is being a business, and it's not easy - if it is, you're doing it wrong.
> After reading the first 18,600 words... several chapters > worth... for free and without obligation... But how many dozens, or possibly hundreds, of samples am I going to read just in case I find something worth reading? It's not about money, it's about time. How many readers are going to spend their evenings and weekends culling through self-published works to try to find something to read? To spend hours searching for a readable self-published books, a reader has to be especially motivated to read self-published books and only self-published books. But where's that motivation? Your other arguments are all about why conventional publishing is upsetting or frustrating for authors. Again, why do the _readers_ care?
Exactly, it's not about money. I promise you that I do not go past the top 100 free on my kindle unless I'm extremely bored. And when I'm bored, I'm much less likely to give something the benefit of the doubt. I'll also note that, as a reader, these short "Introductions" that are posted in the free section, very easily push me away. That's my experience on the Kindle since I already have the free option to download a sample if I'm interested. So, money, not a major issue.
I'm one of those readers that does filter their reading at the library and bookshop anyway. Spending an hour or two choosing books in a library or bookshop anyway. I'm not alone and made a number of friends doing exactly the same thing. Two pages is enough to give an idea of quality of writing just like it is in any other book. (probably why my favourite writers are usually pantser and rewriters). Then I take a chance even with an established writer I have never read before I may not like the first book they wrote and then won't read a second. Even with an established author that I don't know I am more likely to give them a chance at free or 99 cents than I am at full price. Just like I often get the first try of an author from the library. The publishers have never been the aribiter of what I do and do not want to read, what I think is going to be worth reading. I've always done it for myself only now I really do get to choose and it has been more than worth it. It started with an author called Mike Devlin on here and then I found Moriah Jovean who has been more than worth it. The internet also allows me access to wonderfully talented teens and stories that would probably never see the light of day otherwise,
And, see, I do that too. In a bookshop but online, in any of the various places, to get ebooks, I cannot force myself to spend a decent amount of time browsing. I've logged into Amazon (I love my kindle and haven't played much with the nook,) and I've gone and browsed the free and lower prices because, hey, it's not that much money. But, the thing is, while it's cheap and I'm willing to buy it, there's so many. Free and 99 cents and the free "introductions" are not enough to entice me to actually go looking through them. And when I do, I'm human, the farther in I get, the more mean I get and less likely I am to select a book to even glance at. I think they point is that money does not conquer the time spent actually searching to do so. Then again, there are some small publishers that I want to strangle, if I'm looking for the summary, put that first then your ads. Don't get me wrong, I do like finding the gems, self published or not, but finding them is a hassle sometimes.
My biggest problem browsing online is the free samples. Many of them seem to be (and probably are) hand-picked by the author or publisher - I want to grab a random page. In a bookstore, with a real book in hand, I can thumb through it, read a passage here, a passage there - and when I realize I'm reading the next page instead, I know I want to buy that book. Can't do that online, at least not the books I've checked recently.
I believe Amazon always shows the first 10 or 20% and the publisher has no control over it. Smashwords lets you specify up to 100%, but it's always at the start of the e-book. If they showed random pages then people could read the entire book for free, though if someone is that dedicated they should probably be allowed to . It is problematic because you never know whether the next page after the sample says 'Blah, blah, sucks to be you', but I've yet to find an e-book I didn't at least finish if I liked the first two pages.
