[PROGRESS THREAD] ChickenHawk's Self-Published Fiction EBooks

[ChickenHawk]

Second: Non-Fiction book idea? "Writer's Guide to Maintaining Privacy and Anonymity"

That's an interesting idea, and I can definitely see the need. It's amazing how many little issues crop up, and it would be wonderful to have a guide to such things. If you write it, I'll be on the list to buy it for sure!

For example, I tried to get a post office box to receive mail for my pen name, and couldn't get one, because my pen name isn't a real person. Obviously, there must be a solution to this, but it'll take time to figure it out, and needless to say, postal employees aren't terribly helpful. (Just for the record, I WAS trying to get this on my own real name. I just wanted my pen name as an "also receives mail here." I gave up after two visits to the post office, and am still pondering what to do.)

 

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[Magik]

For example, I tried to get a post office box to receive mail for my pen name, and couldn't get one, because my pen name isn't a real person. Obviously, there must be a solution to this, but it'll take time to figure it out, and needless to say, postal employees aren't terribly helpful. (Just for the record, I WAS trying to get this on my own real name. I just wanted my pen name as an "also receives mail here." I gave up after two visits to the post office, and am still pondering what to do.)

Here is what I would do (and will do): start an llc named <insert name> publishing. It could even be your pen name if you want, like Chickenhawk LLC, or Chickenhawk Publishing LLC. As soon as you have LLC at the end, the post office will play ball. They couldn't care less what the name is, if it's registered with the secretary of state. On top of that, if you list yourself under a publishing company, you look more official.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

I've been contacted by some publishers and an agent.

"Wow, you are really successful and making a lot of money on your own... can you give us a piece of that pie now that you've made it?"

LOL. Tell 'em to pound sand.

 

[Magik]

"Wow, you are really successful and making a lot of money on your own... can you give us a piece of that pie now that you've made it?"

LOL. Tell 'em to pound sand.

Or go the Hugh Howey route: keep the digital rights and only give them the print rights.

 

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[evanwebb]

Here is what I would do (and will do): start an llc named <insert name> publishing. It could even be your pen name if you want, like Chickenhawk LLC, or Chickenhawk Publishing LLC. As soon as you have LLC at the end, the post office will play ball. They couldn't care less what the name is, if it's registered with the secretary of state. On top of that, if you list yourself under a publishing company, you look more official.

I wonder if you could even go so far as to create an anonymous LLC in a state like New Mexico? That way, you could set up payments with Amazon to the anonymous LLC (so even Amazon wouldn't have your real name/SSN for the tax info). Kind of just thinking out loud here....

 

[ChickenHawk]

Or go the Hugh Howey route: keep the digital rights and only give them the print rights.

I listened to a fascinating podcast a few weeks ago, where Hugh Howey was discussing this very deal. Basically, he said he's not sure he'd do it again because it was really complicated and time-consuming. He said that part of the reason he did it at all was to pave the way for other writers to do the same. However, apparently exactly the opposite has happened. The publishers have taken a "circle the wagons" approach and are reluctant to encourage writers on this path, because under this scenario, the writers keep the more profitable rights while the publishers get the scraps. (Obviously, I'm paraphrasing here.)

If anyone is interesting in hearing the full interview, it can be found on ITunes. It's the Rocking Self-Publishing Podcast, Episode 35. "Don't Look to the Outliers With Hugh Howey." Feb. 20, 2014.

"Wow, you are really successful and making a lot of money on your own... can you give us a piece of that pie now that you've made it?"

LOL. Tell 'em to pound sand.

Boy, this is so true! I can't help but think of how desperate I was seven years ago to get a publishing deal and how discouraging it was when all those rejections came in, and how regretful I was that I'd spent all that time on something so fruitless and unprofitable. Now, I'm so very, very glad I was rejected. Back then, an advance of $15,000 was considered very good, and most books never earned out their advances, which meant that was all the author ever received. Now, as an Indie, I've made over ten times that amount in four months.

And you know what else is funny? If I had tried the traditional route with these two books, I'm fairly certain I would've been rejected all over again. These are amazing times, that's for sure!

 

[COSenior]

(Just for the record, I WAS trying to get this on my own real name. I just wanted my pen name as an "also receives mail here." I gave up after two visits to the post office, and am still pondering what to do.)

The advice to establish an LLC is probably even better, and you've certainly made enough to make that route worthwhile for tax purposes. However, if you want to be able to let people think they're writing directly to you, a private PO box might work. The UPS store and other establishments like it have those. They're pricier than USPS, and you do have to give them your real name, so it's still a point of possible leaks, but they usually have just one or two people that sort the mail. I know that they are subject to USPS rules, but they may be able to be a little more flexible with the 'also receives mail here'.

 

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[Thriftypreneur]

"Wow, you are really successful and making a lot of money on your own... can you give us a piece of that pie now that you've made it?"

LOL. Tell 'em to pound sand.

Exactly what I thought.

Glad to see you're staying indie, CH, seems like a wise choice until a publisher can show you a marketing plan that blows you away and that you can't do yourself. HM Ward wrote a pretty insightful thread on this at Kboards, but I can't seem to find it now. The jist was that of all the opportunities she was presented with, not one was able to bring anything meaningful to the table, or anything that she couldn't do better by herself.

The advice to establish an LLC is probably even better, and you've certainly made enough to make that route worthwhile for tax purposes.

This is what I'm curious about. Now that you've pretty much "made it," what's the best way to keep the US Gov from taking 40-50% of your earnings?

I was following this thread: https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/business-is-now-making-7-figures-taxes-are-killing-me-advice.39653 and the similarities between that OPs website success and indie-publishing success seem like very similar beasts. Unfortunately, that thread seems to have devolved into nothing more than an argument.

 

[ChickenHawk]

Glad to see you're staying indie, CH, seems like a wise choice until a publisher can show you a marketing plan that blows you away and that you can't do yourself. HM Ward wrote a pretty insightful thread on this at Kboards, but I can't seem to find it now.

True on all counts! Here's a thread that links to the post you mention, courtesy of @Rawr
https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/co...plus-other-tips-for-indies.50517/#post-334325

This is what I'm curious about. Now that you've pretty much "made it," what's the best way to keep the US Gov from taking 40-50% of your earnings?

With our financial situation changing so rapidly, we've gotten a wonderful financial adviser who comes highly recommended by some very successful people who are longtime clients. Over the past couple of weeks, we've met with him, along with accounting and legal experts about structuring everything for tax savings and to set aside money for our future.

I suspect I will be incorporating sometime this year, but probably not right away, because although I'd save some money in taxes, we have some other reasons for wanting to hold off until later this year. These other reasons include: The need for us to buy a house even though we'd probably never be able to get a mortgage since I'm so newly self-employed; potential changes to the tax code; the need to get some other household things settled first.

 

[COSenior]

Wait a couple of months and pay cash.

 

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[LisaK]

Continued Congrats and your willingness to share with us. You continue to be inspiring.

I have finished my first Novella. It's been edited and now I'm making the corrections. This process is taking longer than writing the damn book. I'm at about 5 weeks between getting it edited and current corrections. Also, I'm reading a book on "showing not telling" and am pretty sure my current nubie skills are pretty transparent. Once I'm done editing I plan to go back and do some re-writing. Is this normal? I believe taking the additional time to produce the best thing I can currently, will pay off. I am sure as I write more I will get better. I hope I'm not procrastinating because I'm scared to actually publish and possibly deal with rejection.

I'm going to push through. I think what I've written is probably ...average. I have traditionally been hard on myself, however, so I am not sure if I'm being a realist or being insecure. I'm 1/2 way done with the edited corrections. This part is painful as far as I'm concerned, not enjoyable at all. I'm not sure how long the re-write will take or if I'll just go with what I have and shoot to be better next book. The people who are cranking out book after book within months sort of blow my mind. I hope I can get there.

 

[ChickenHawk]

Once I'm done editing I plan to go back and do some re-writing. Is this normal?

I'm the same way, so I can totally relate. The trick, I think, is to not get so bogged down in editing that you never hit "publish."

I am sure as I write more I will get better.

Definitely! And already, you've pulled away from the crowd, just by finishing a book, and then through the editing process. Never forget how much you've achieved already. You're making great strides!

I hope I'm not procrastinating because I'm scared to actually publish and possibly deal with rejection.

I can relate! And sadly, even if you have wild success, you'll still have to deal with rejection in the form of bad reviews. Some are constructive, while others can be downright nasty. "This author can't write. This book sucked..." It can be a real distraction, but the secret (which I'm STILL trying to learn) is to not take it personally. Easier said than done though!

This part is painful as far as I'm concerned, not enjoyable at all. I'm not sure how long the re-write will take or if I'll just go with what I have and shoot to be better next book.

This is the approach I took. I didn't spend a ton of time on the editing or rewriting phase, because I honestly didn't know if it would be worth it. You can spend a lot of time making a book 5 or 10% better, only to find it doesn't make much difference. Also, don't be afraid to burn through a pen name. If you try something, and it doesn't work, it definitely stinks, but you can just change your pen name or genre and try again. This is what I did, which makes me glad I didn't spend a ton of time editing, especially under my first pen name.

A funny note about edits...I'm getting my books made into audio books, and I'm listening to audio proofs right now. Listening to the professional narration, I realize there's one chapter I absolutely loathe -- bad writing, awkward phrasing, cringeworthy scenarios. Ugh! I'm rewriting the whole chapter now, and paying to have that one chapter rerecorded. All this to say, you can always make edits later if the need arises. But don't let it bog you down.

You're making great progress!

 

[LisaK]

Thank you for

I'm the same way, so I can totally relate. The trick, I think, is to not get so bogged down in editing that you never hit "publish."


Definitely! And already, you've pulled away from the crowd, just by finishing a book, and then through the editing process. Never forget how much you've achieved already. You're making great strides!


I can relate! And sadly, even if you have wild success, you'll still have to deal with rejection in the form of bad reviews. Some are constructive, while others can be downright nasty. "This author can't write. This book sucked..." It can be a real distraction, but the secret (which I'm STILL trying to learn) is to not take it personally. Easier said than done though!


This is the approach I took. I didn't spend a ton of time on the editing or rewriting phase, because I honestly didn't know if it would be worth it. You can spend a lot of time making a book 5 or 10% better, only to find it doesn't make much difference. Also, don't be afraid to burn through a pen name. If you try something, and it doesn't work, it definitely stinks, but you can just change your pen name or genre and try again. This is what I did, which makes me glad I didn't spend a ton of time editing, especially under my first pen name.

A funny note about edits...I'm getting my books made into audio books, and I'm listening to audio proofs right now. Listening to the professional narration, I realize there's one chapter I absolutely loathe -- bad writing, awkward phrasing, cringeworthy scenarios. Ugh! I'm rewriting the whole chapter now, and paying to have that one chapter rerecorded. All this to say, you can always make edits later if the need arises. But don't let it bog you down.

You're making great progress!

Thank you for taking the time to respond. That is very helpful. Since this was my first book I felt I needed it edited. Fortunately I have a friend who majored in English and has been an Editor. The cost was nominal. I made a lot of grammatical errors. I made a lot of the same ones over and over so the good thing is I've learned and won't make them in the future. That should make the editing process easier next time. She caught some words I like to use a lot. They are words, I use a lot...like "Really?" I also like the word "incident". She made me quit using it! I have simultaneous stories happening and I didn't handle the timeline well. I wrote each event separately. Each was lengthy so she said it was confusing and that I needed to integrate it better and sort of do a "mean while back at the ranch". This has taken some time to do and I'm not sure I accomplished it.

I like the idea of pen names and have really felt some relief due to your success changing pen names and genre. It made me realize that even if my first attempt or maybe even 5th attempt is not received well it doesn't mean the deal is done. I simply need to find the right genre and that may take some experimentation. I never thought I could write fiction, I actually never even considered it but I did just put down 37,000 words on paper. I feel that was an accomplishment either way as I certainly didn't know how I was even going to come up with 5,000 words when I started. So, I have already done two things I had never considered.

I have made some goals this week in my progress thread and I am working towards those. I think writing them down has helped get me refocused. My goal is to publish by July 15 or prior.

 

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[Kate]

Wow... I literally just sat here for hours reading this thread. SO inspirational. I started writing when I was in middle school and I have always been an avid reader... When I first decided to "go fast lane" (before I even knew what that meant) I fell into the online marketing- write an ebook- sell it for top dollar... Well, that didn't work, not for me anyway. So a week ago I decided to resurrect it and put it on amazon as to not just let it sit there. I have one sale. LOL.

I started writing a memoir years ago- something along the lines of "Running with Scissors".

Reading this makes me think I should look and see how that "genre" is doing in the market. I stopped writing it because I, naively, didn't believe that anyone could really make any money on a book (the cost of publishing, making the cover, finding an agent... etc).

Your story has turned me upside down. While I realize what you have experienced isn't the "norm", it has really inspired me.

I am working on another business endeavor currently, but I could totally continue writing on the side. I always thought, "Once I have a successful business I can pick up my writing again..." but you've inspired me to do both!

Thank you!

 

[ChickenHawk]

I started writing a memoir years ago- something along the lines of "Running with Scissors".

Thanks for your comments about this thread, I really appreciate it!

Just a thought...Have you ever considered writing your memoir as a novel? I've heard that memoirs can be a tough sell, but maybe if you could write it as fiction, and maybe spice it up with added drama and romance, you might have a killer novel on your hands. Just an idea!

Either way, I think the fact that you're an avid reader and have had your eye on writing for some time will give you a big head start. I'll be interested to see where you go from here!

 

[Kate]

Awesome idea!! I have always been weary about it being about ME. It's not necessarily info I want people that I know, knowing about me, and it would allow for some creative freedom as far as making it more interesting. Thanks again!

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

I stopped writing it because I, naively, didn't believe that anyone could really make any money on a book (the cost of publishing, making the cover, finding an agent... etc).

The cost of publishing a book and putting it on Amazon is probably less than $100 if you go the "bare-bones" approach. The barriers to entry have all but disappeared.

 

[Kate]

Thanks, MJ! I haven't really looked into it since 2003 when I was writing and filming indy film scripts, Ha! Good to know, though, for sure.

 

[ChickenHawk]

The cost of publishing a book and putting it on Amazon is probably less than $100 if you go the "bare-bones" approach.

I'll second this. I've published six books, and have probably spent less than $40 to produce all of them combined. The only expense was some stock photography that I used to design my last two covers.

 

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[britnidanielle]

GREAT thread! Happy to see all of your success @ChickenHawk! I'm hoping some of your positive juju will rub off on me

 

[ChickenHawk]

A personal milestone...Tomorrow is the first day of my 11-year-old's Summer vacation. Thanks to the success of this self-pubbing venture, this is the very first Summer he's able to stay home rather than go to some sort of daycare while I trudge off to a grubby, windowless office. The smile on his face is worth more than any sports car or mansion.

He's a happy guy, and so am I -- even as I scramble to finish this next book. Freedom is a wonderful thing, even if you have to wade through lots of failed ventures to get there. Sometimes, I think half of the secret is to keep trying, long after most sane people would give up.

 

[MorgothBauglir]

Sometimes, I think half of the secret is to keep trying, long after most sane people would give up.

What's the other half?

 

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[Cannonball]

this is the very first Summer he's able to stay home rather than go to some sort of daycare while I trudge off to a grubby, windowless office. The smile on his face is worth more than any sports car or mansion.

Wow, that is fantastic! I can imagine that things like that are worth so much more than the sales figures.

 

[Vigilante]

The smile on his face is worth more than any sports car or mansion.

Reposting this for added emphasis. I want this sentence to resonate on repeat. Let it echo through your mind, through your day, and into your plans. This sentence captures the essence of freedom. This sentence, to me, is life.

 

[Magik]

Sometimes, I think half of the secret is to keep trying, long after most sane people would give up.

Yes indeed. One of the barriers of success is what MJ calls The Desert Of Desertion, the place where you are in it but don't have the results yet, the easiest place to throw in the towel. I wonder how many people have given up when they were less than a year away, maybe even a few months, from hitting the tipping point?

My dad has said that the line between the insane person and the genius is very thin. Often, it is defined by what The Herd will tolerate and how focused the person's behavior is.

 

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[Lex DeVille]

Yes indeed. One of the barriers of success is what MJ calls The Desert Of Desertion, the place where you are in it but don't have the results yet, the easiest place to throw in the towel. I wonder how many people have given up when they were less than a year away, maybe even a few months, from hitting the tipping point?

My dad has said that the line between the insane person and the genius is very thin. Often, it is defined by what The Herd will tolerate and how focused the person's behavior is.

Thanks for posting this. Sometimes I wonder how many of my own failures could have been successes if I continued just a little longer.

I haven't seen much success with my latest venture, but I told my wife that I'm sticking with it to the end. The information is here, the numbers add up, and there are very clear paths to success. The secret ingredient is the time it may take to work all of these things out.

The tipping point you mention reminds me of the book Slight Edge by Jeff Olson. All of these things we are doing may not have a big impact in the present moment (that would be an event anyway), but they add up over time until the scales finally tip in our favor.

 

[LisaK]

I had a question ChickenHawk. How did you decide on the genre where you have now found so much success? Did you choose the genre and then think of the story or did you have a story and placed it in the genre? Did you do niche research? I was just wondering how you decided. Do you feel the elements of your book now can be systemized? i.e. do you feel you found the key to your genre and now have a sort of template for future success. Or, is it just that you are a Rock Star?! I'm thinking that's it! Rock on ChickenHawk you are a great inspiration to many, many of us!

 

[Magik]

The tipping point you mention reminds me of the book Slight Edge by Jeff Olson.

I got it from The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell, which was his first book I believe. A very important concept, it changed the way I view success.

 

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[ChickenHawk]

I had a question ChickenHawk. How did you decide on the genre where you have now found so much success? Did you choose the genre and then think of the story or did you have a story and placed it in the genre?

Alas, this is going to be a long, convoluted answer, so I apologize in advance!

The story of my breakout book is a little weird. I woke up one morning in July, while I was still immersed in genre/pen name #1, but an idea for an opening romance scene popped into my head so strongly that it simply couldn't be ignored. So I sat down that very minute and wrote the entire chapter, not having any idea if I'd ever use it.

Then, I set the chapter aside while I focused on pen name #1. When it became obvious that pen name #1 would only experience modest success at best, I started looking at other genres and other story ideas. My attention turned not only to that chapter, but to the very first novel I'd ever written. This book was the romantic mystery that had gotten me an agent, but not a publishing deal, seven years ago. More than anything, I wanted that book to succeed, since it had been so demoralizing to see it fail the first time around. So I started thinking, "Hmmm...what could i do to lay the groundwork for this book?" I decided that if I wrote a book (or more than one book) leading up to this novel, that particular first novel might have a better chance at success.

(Side note: Reading through this thread, obviously, I did a lot of waffling on this. Should I break the book up into three parts? Should I write longer? Shorter? Should I wait to release these stories until all parts of it were done? I swear, my plan changed on a weekly basis.)

Anyway, this is when I started seriously refining the genre thing. I already knew I'd be writing in romance, but I didn't know which exact category. So I started looking at romance books that were doing really well, meaning they were in the top 1,000 or even the top 100. I took particular note of books that were doing amazingly well, in spite of the author not having a huge list of titles. I also considered the stories I had in mind, knowing I could slant the genre either way. For example, there are some pretty noticeable differences between cozy romantic mysteries and romantic suspense books (even though they're close cousins), but the basic story might be similar.

That's one neat thing about romance. If you have a good boy-meets-girl story you can slant it to fit nearly any genre. If it's paranormal, the guy might be a vampire. If it's a romantic suspense book, maybe the guy is a cop.

Anyway, what I'd suggest is think of what kind of story you'd like to write, pick something that inspires you, and then check the top sellers to make sure there's a market for it (as held for Ransom says, a deep pool of hungry buyers). It also helps if you pick a genre that you personally enjoy reading, because you'll bring a natural passion to the story that your readers might really appreciate

Do you feel the elements of your book now can be systemized? i.e. do you feel you found the key to your genre and now have a sort of template for future success.

Now that I have a readership, I'll remain in this genre (or very similar ones) as long as readers are interested. That means that certain story elements will likely be similar, so I think the challenge will be to keep the stories as fresh and original as possible while not straying too far from the genre conventions that people expect.

Or, is it just that you are a Rock Star?! I'm thinking that's it! Rock on ChickenHawk you are a great inspiration to many, many of us!

I wish! But more than anything, I think it's the fact that even when I first started, I had a TON of hours into this already. I'm a huge reader, have a degree in Journalism/English, wrote professionally for most of my slowlane career, and really worked hard to understand now novels were crafted way back seven years ago when I wrote that first novel.

I think what I'm seeing now are those proverbial 10,000 hours finally paying off. I'm very thankful too, because writing is my primary skill. I'm so glad to be able to leverage it at last! Regardless, it's good to know that my situation is inspiring to others. Sometimes, I hesitate to share too many details, whether for fear of sounding like I'm bragging, or out of privacy concerns, but I always remember how I felt six months ago, or even seven YEARS ago when actually succeeding at this whole authorship thing seemed an impossible dream. I know all too well that the writing/publishing process can be so darn discouraging, so if I offer encouragement to anyone still in the trenches, I'm really glad to hear it!

 

[Chazmania]

I think what I'm seeing now are those proverbial 10,000 hours finally paying off.

@ChickenHawk - I am thrilled for you and the success you've found with self-pubbing! I've mentioned some of your story as an inspiration to a few people that I know that need another example of what may happen when you devote your time and energy towards a goal. Their jaws dropped! And you've certainly inspired me to find a way to provide value through pubbing.

You are a great example of hard work paying off (even if it may have taken a while to manifest)! I'm a fan of HFR's infamous post, and I think you are too....and it kinda sparked someting with a lot of the members on the forum. It's awesome that you did indeed lay the groundwork for success years ago by putting in your hours. The proof is in the pudding for sure.

You've earned every bit of what is coming your way now. I obviously don't know you personally but I'm happy and proud of you lol!

P.S. No pressure of course but I for one would really like to hear you do an INSIDERS call. I'd love to hear your opinion with what's going on with self pubbing and making it happen. Either way, all the best to you!

Dave