OK, I'm in! Let's Self Publish.

[Dave C]

Hey all!

I finished the TMF book a few weeks ago and started racking my brain for opportunities. At first I felt like making something physical but I generally worry about ordering something to rebrand that won't sell enough, leaving me in a hole.

I also like the idea of creating an app, but that'd require me learning objective-C which would be fun but I want to start working towards my goal at a faster rate.

Writing felt like something I could use to really add value to people, I've had to write a lot of non-fiction for my job which has improved my writing non-stop. My boss does a lot of internet marketing too so I have a good idea of using e-mail lists, creating VSL's and product development.

For a long time I've generally felt very ambivalent about working where I do. I've had weeks where I've made $14,000 for my boss and I'm just building his empire with the hope he'll reward me for it at some point. Plus he's an Amazon junkie, buying anything he wants on a whim even when he has no money in the bank. For this reason his business is going down the drain and no one knows how much longer he can keep going.

It's very frustrating and I want to be able to leave this year.

I've voraciously read every active self publishing progress report on here, I've learnt so much from the keywords discussion to Amazon pubbing, Fiverr covers and Createspace.

So I spent the last Sunday editing something (non-fiction) and published it to Amazon this week. I have a second non-fiction book coming out next week - waiting on the cover for that one, should also do another read through to catch typos etc. Finally, while I work on a third non-fiction (that splits into three parts) I'm also outsourcing a romantic short story (20,000 words) just to give me a leg up on the process.

 

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[Dave C]

Hit a small snag, for those of you using Elance to get content writers make sure you don't make it too obvious it's a romance novel. I had a freelancer, put the money is Escrow and then the job got delisted because it's 'adult content. 'My money has gone into limbo so contacted support to work that out.

Going to put up a 'ghostwriter wanted' generic add to re-hire my contractor but damn annoying.

 

[COSenior]

I'm also outsourcing a romantic short story (20,000 words) just to give me a leg up on the process.

Hi, and welcome to the club. FYI, 20k is a novella, so don't shoot yourself in the foot by saying short story in the Amazon description when you get there.

Just from your post, it's clear you have a command of the language, so why outsource it? Good luck on sorting out your problems with Elance, and do let us know your progress.

 

[Dave C]

Hi, and welcome to the club. FYI, 20k is a novella, so don't shoot yourself in the foot by saying short story in the Amazon description when you get there.

Just from your post, it's clear you have a command of the language, so why outsource it? Good luck on sorting out your problems with Elance, and do let us know your progress.

Thanks COS, the reason for the freelancer is twofold. Firstly, I want to finish my current book which will get split into three parts but I also know that building up a range of books is part of the solution. So why not maximise my time by having someone else write a novella while I write a novel? Two books in two weeks.

My other reason is that I'm hoping to hire someone to take the plot I've created and have it developed by someone experienced so that I can emulate that style going forward and split test my work against a professionals.

---

In other news I set my first non-fiction book to free for five days, the first day was yesterday and it's currently been downloaded 564 times.

Of course it's easy to get people to take it when it's free. I just hope that when the free promotion wears off it'll sell for real money. I'm #616 in the free kindle store so I'm hoping it shows up in a few the 'also bought' list later. We'll see what happens.

Next book releases Monday, that's a brief 16,000 word self help non-fiction, not expecting it to do very well since the genre is full but I'll choose the sub-category carefully. I already had the ideas down so I put them into a collection.

 

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[ctcrompton]

I'm starting on a self-publishing world conquest as well, so I'm right where you're at. Perhaps a bit further behind as I only just started writing today, but I'm already up past 1000 words! It's good to hear about others who are starting as well, I think it keeps us all motivated. Keep going with the updates!

 

[COSenior]

Thanks COS, the reason for the freelancer is twofold. Firstly, I want to finish my current book which will get split into three parts but I also know that building up a range of books is part of the solution. So why not maximise my time by having someone else write a novella while I write a novel? Two books in two weeks.

My other reason is that I'm hoping to hire someone to take the plot I've created and have it developed by someone experienced so that I can emulate that style going forward and split test my work against a professionals.

---

In other news I set my first non-fiction book to free for five days, the first day was yesterday and it's currently been downloaded 564 times.

Of course it's easy to get people to take it when it's free. I just hope that when the free promotion wears off it'll sell for real money. I'm #616 in the free kindle store so I'm hoping it shows up in a few the 'also bought' list later. We'll see what happens.

Next book releases Monday, that's a brief 16,000 word self help non-fiction, not expecting it to do very well since the genre is full but I'll choose the sub-category carefully. I already had the ideas down so I put them into a collection.

Now that's the way to take massive action. I applaud you.

 

[Dave C]

Ok, so I've been incredibly busy with work so not had much writing time, looks like it'll be that way till Sunday. The first book ends its free trial on Sunday so I'll be interested to see if it sells once it's no longer free. Amazon has moved 910 units in three days, not too shabby.

Next book is ready to go, just waiting on the cover to launch.

Ghost writer has started on the romance book.

Slow but steady wins the race.

 

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[ctcrompton]

@Dave C,

May I ask how much ghost writers charge for a smaller fiction Novella? I assume you're taking a loss up front with the assumption that it will pay off quicker in the long run.

And are you simply finding ghost writers on elance or Freelancer? Or dedicated ghost writers forums? I ask because I've given this route some thought but have been hesitant due to not having control over certain aspects.

Any input is appreciated!

 

[Dave C]

Hey CT,

I'm using Elance based on one of the success threads where one guy (sorry I don't remember your user name) wrote that Elance has better contractors then ODesk but they are slightly more expensive. I did post on both sites to test out what kind of response I would get for each and Elance gave me more qualified writers.

As for control, the most important thing so far is to really have fleshed out the plot in advance, if you hire a ghostwriter and your plot isn't really ready then you'll end up with a product that might differ significantly from what you wanted.

So before you get to the hiring stage figure out:

* Main plot points
* Sub plot points* Narration style (1st or 3rd person)
* How far the sex scenes go, erotic vs just romantic
* Character motivations / back stories
* Anything else important to you

Finally, in terms of cost you'll usually post a job saying that there is future work for a writer once you know they are good. With this in mind the first time you hire a writer may end up being cheaper than the next time you use that writer. I got the novella written for $50 which is a really good investment vs time. I can earn $50 way quicker than I can push out a 20,000 word novella in a genre I'm still learning to write.

Also, yes, small loss up front but again if time > money then I'm far richer for spending the $50.

Hope that made sense wrote in a rush as got a family function to dash off to.

-D

 

[ChickenHawk]

So glad to see you're jumping in! Plus, you're taking lots of action, which of course, will serve you very well. BRAVO!

I read through this thread, but might have missed this... Are you releasing your (outsourced) fiction and your (self-written) non-fiction under the same pen name? If so, here's an observation merely as a reader, not as a writer, I do wonder if having them both under the same pen name might do more harm than good, especially for the non-fiction, which you're putting your own writing "blood" into.

For some reason, business types, especially males, often have a fairly pronounced bias against romance novels. If they look at your non-fiction titles, and then see you also write romance novels, I wonder if it might hurt your credibility in the business sense. "What the heck does THIS guy know? He writes romance novels for cripe's sake..." Of course, the people on this forum know that success in any form is wonderful to see, but others, particularly Amazon business-book browsers, might not be so open-minded. I could also see this as a lesser factor in reverse, where romance readers would be confused and maybe kind of put-off by the business books.

If, however, you're releasing them under a different pen name, then you'd be building two (somewhat) separate income streams, which would serve you very well.

Does anyone else want to chime in on this? I might be TOTALLY off-base about using the same pen name for the romance and non-fiction, so I'd hate to steer anyone wrong just on one person's opinion.

Regardless, congrats on all your progress so far!

 

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[Enki]

Does anyone else want to chime in on this? I might be TOTALLY off-base about using the same pen name for the romance and non-fiction, so I'd hate to steer anyone wrong just on one person's opinion.

I think you have it right. The only non-fiction book I’d purchase from a romance writer would be “How to write romance”. My debut book is going to be a romance novella (Serial or Series). I’m also drafting two non-fiction works, as well as a dark fantasy epic. I’m going to use different pen name for each genre.

I got the novella written for $50 which is a really good investment vs time.

I’d say, I’ve been averaging 2000 words per day in my romance novella, and only 1500 in my dark fantasy novel. I get 4000-5000 words on paper in my nonfiction works. Even if I focused all day on my romance it would still take me two days. $25 a day? No thank you!

So before you get to the hiring stage figure out:

* Main plot points

* Sub plot points* Narration style (1st or 3rd person)

* How far the sex scenes go, erotic vs just romantic

* Character motivations / back stories

* Anything else important to you

Speed for breaking it down for us

 

[ctcrompton]

@Dave C Great response thanks!

 

[COSenior]

Just FYI, I ghostwrite as near full-time self-employment, as well as writing for my own publication, and I wouldn't touch that deal with a 10-foot pole. But if you can find someone who writes well to do it for that, more power to you. I'll be fascinated to hear how it goes, including what kind of editing you end up doing, if any. And I'd love to read the book.

 

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[Dave C]

@ChickenHawk: I’m working with three different pen names at the moment, two for non-fiction and one for fiction. I definitely think splitting up pen names is necessary for all the reasons Cleveland mentioned.

@COSenior: Yup, $50 is an incredibly low amount, however the contractors writing samples where insanely good. So the question is: will the work be great followed by a big price increase on future work, or will it just suck and need a big re-write.

The good news is that Elance is all about you and the contractor talking out changes, I don’t have to take the first draft I get sent. I felt the benefits outweighed the risks and the risks are really just learning experiences.

How could I not do it?

-D

 

[COSenior]

You're right, that's not much of an investment to find someone you can work with. Hope it works out for you.

 

[Dave C]

Quick update:

Second book is now out. Got it formatted and up today, which is one ahead of schedule. I've had to move the writing I was going to do today to tomorrow. I'm unsure if this one will sell at all but it doesn't hurt having it up there.

First book was downloaded over 3000 times during the free give away period. It costs money from tomorrow and I'm cautiously optimistic that it will sell but just from the interest alone I plan to follow up with another book. One thing I keep reading is 'series sell'.

Romantic novel will be done in ~7 days.

-D

 

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[Dave C]

Ok, I've made $5 from the first two books! That's the first money I've made from my own work and although it's small; I can't help but smile at the accomplishment. I plan to build both of those book series out exponentially under those pen names to build an audience.

I've got someone on Fiverr doing my romance novel cover and I know what the next story in the sequence will be.

That just leaves me on the non-fiction. I've written maybe 3000 words today in two hours. It would be more but I'm doing a lot of tweaking and re-reading to get the tone consistent. I should have the first one ready for beta readers this week. I should make sure I have a cover ready pretty soon too.

This quote sums me up right now:

“When I write, I feel like an armless, legless man with a crayon in hismouth.” Kurt Vonnegut

-D

 

[ctcrompton]

That's really awesome Dave. I myself am moving forward, albeit slowly, and it feels good. It feels like a process, not an event, as MJ discusses in his book. And to me that's really important because in the past I have always gotten caught up in turning processes into events, then deserting them when the event never came.

 

[Enki]

And to me that's really important because in the past I have always gotten caught up in turning processes into events, then deserting them when the event never came.

That's the story of everything I have ever tried to accomplish in my life. I was always looking for the payday and abandoning the processes when it didn't come. Sometimes I would have great processes that just needed minor adjustments. But nope, no payday I'd throw away all of my hard work.

 

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[COSenior]

DaveC, applause and speed for taking massive action. Your energy astounds me! I'll give one last opinion and then shut up about your process, because clearly it's working for you. Here it is. I've always found that if I concentrate on one thing at a time, I finish everything sooner than if I do several things at once. Take it or leave it, it's just an observation.

ctcrompton and Cleveland, stop beating yourselves up. You can't change the past, all you can change is the future, and you've chosen a pathway that more and more of us are seeing change ours. You can do this. If you need a boost now and then, I'd recommend an old classic, 'Acres of Diamonds'. http://freepdfs.org/pdf/acres-of-diamonds

 

[Rawr]

DaveC, applause and speed for taking massive action. Your energy astounds me! I'll give one last opinion and then shut up about your process, because clearly it's working for you. Here it is. I've always found that if I concentrate on one thing at a time, I finish everything sooner than if I do several things at once. Take it or leave it, it's just an observation.

ctcrompton and Cleveland, stop beating yourselves up. You can't change the past, all you can change is the future, and you've chosen a pathway that more and more of us are seeing change ours. You can do this. If you need a boost now and then, I'd recommend an old classic, 'Acres of Diamonds'. http://freepdfs.org/pdf/acres-of-diamonds

Very well said.

Dave how is the selection of new people coming along?

 

[Dave C]

@Cleveland @ctcrompton Focusing on the process is rewarding in itself but it's also hard sometimes. I find myself focusing on all the work to come and feel a bit overwhelmed, which I have to stop doing. It's important just to take things one step at a time and build up my pen names slowly. Old habits die hard I guess.

@COSenior That's great advice and I'm now focusing 100% on only one book until it's done, hopefully that'll be soon.

@Rawr When you say new people you mean ghostwriters? I've only trying out one right now to learn more about correctly hiring them.

I've been slacking a bit lately, I spent my free time yesterday consuming information rather than writing but I'm back to writing today. Hoping to get 6+ hours in today. Can't wait!

-D

 

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[Bruh]

I got the novella written for $50

20,000 words for $50??? How did you get good quality for so cheap? Are fiction jobs cheaper?

 

[ctcrompton]

Managed to only write 350 or so words yesterday, but today I expect to write more. I can't help but feel like I should write more every single day, but I keep telling myself it's okay, as long as you continue the process. It's not an event.

 

[Dave C]

20,000 words for $50??? How did you get good quality for so cheap? Are fiction jobs cheaper?

No, I just said there would be more work coming after this if we worked well together and I loved the finished product. I believe most people will charge $160 for 20,000 but with the prospect of regular work you can get a cheaper initial deal going and find out if you and a contractor work together well.

@ctcrompton I've written around 1500 words a day at a minimum which is the goal I set myself. They may not be the best words but that's for the editing process to determine, right now I just want to get out all the story details. Writing anything each day is the hardest part but also the most important so good job on the 350, keep building up your word count!

Which brings me to my latest updates, finished my second non-fiction how to guide in the series, will go up next week once the cover is done. I'm working hard on a 60,000 word memoir style story that will get split into three parts.

One thing I really need to find is a good editor who can go through my work ruthlessly in order to make me a better writer. Does anyone have any recommendations for that?

Finally, if you're like me and find you get distracted by trying to fact check or go on the internet then this may help. I was watching an interview with Tim Ferriss and Neil Strauss in which they gave two really cool pieces of advice.

1) If you don't know something write TK (stands for 'to come') so you can keep writing without losing momentum
2) There is an app for the Mac called Freedom that blocks your internet connection for however long you want so you can't procrastinate doing other things.

That's it from me for now,
-D

 

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[Blueskies4me]

I keep telling myself it's okay, as long as you continue the process. It's not an event.

It's still progress!! Keep it up! I have yet to define my writing goals. Way too much I want to write about so I see 350 pages and feel like I'M behind.

 

[Dave C]

Ok, the ghost writer wrote an epic romance novella. It made me feel emotions and junk. I'd put it more eloquently but I'm a man and meant to be unmoved by romance novels.

Hold on, just got to wipe away this one solitary tear.

No, but seriously contractor did great, already talking to them about the next one in the series.

I've finished another non-fiction so this week by book count will be up to four. If I do really well we're looking at two books in different genres every two weeks in terms of releases.

More than that I'm enjoying the process of writing, it's frustrating but it feels like I'm working for myself. I am investing in my vehicle (me) and it's all going to pay off. How exciting!

-D

P.S. @COSenior: reading your romance book, I'm not far in but it's really good. Dig your style. Will have review for you this week.

 

[ctcrompton]

@Dave C This is exactly where I'm at too. Really feel I've moved a step forward with writing skills, and now have free-lancers helping too.

 

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[Blueskies4me]

I also like the idea of creating an app, but that'd require me learning objective-C

I've used ibuildapp.com Building it is super easy. Might have someone actually publish it for you.

 

[COSenior]

Ok, the ghost writer wrote an epic romance novella. It made me feel emotions and junk. I'd put it more eloquently but I'm a man and meant to be unmoved by romance novels.
Hold on, just got to wipe away this one solitary tear.

ROFLMAO

P.S. @COSenior: reading your romance book, I'm not far in but it's really good. Dig your style. Will have review for you this week.

Thank you, sir! PM any constructive critique you have, please.