Goals are great...so is the fact that you keep going. That means you're the real deal.
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum:
Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.
Join over 90,000 entrepreneurs who have rejected the paradigm of mediocrity and said "NO!" to underpaid jobs, ascetic frugality, and suffocating savings rituals— learn how to build a Fastlane business that pays both freedom and lifestyle affluence.
Free registration at the forum removes this block.I guess I write in spurts. Sort of slow going this last week. I think I'm around 42,000 I better get moving. I need to make specific goals. So need to b at 45,000 by 10/2- maybe that will keep me on task
Today we are equal partners in fiction writing,
10/5/14 - 50,000 - goal met
New Goal 55,000 10/12/14
He made a new account with Amazon, uses his tax info (he's from Australia), shares the user name and password with me so I can see reports. He sends me half the royalty after we discuss and agree on it, and I'm responsible for my own taxes, he for his. It probably isn't the most business-like arrangement, but it's working for us.not to hijack the thread, but how do you guys split the income?
I know amazon requires a SSN- who''s account do you use? Was considering this but I'm unsure how taxes work, etc.
You are definitely a real writer. If you didn't care about the quality, that would make you not a real writer. No 'real writer' pounds out a perfect first draft. Those who have found success with traditional publishing typically go through an extensive revision (what you're calling a re-write) before sending it to a developmental editor, who suggests more revisions. After they've made those, it gets sent to a copy editor, who will make even more suggestions, this time mostly having to do with grammar and sentence structure issues. When the writer has made those changes, it finally goes to a proofreader, sometimes two, to find the errors that no one else saw or mentioned. Only then is the book you see on the shelves ready for printing - into galleys - and sending to beta readers. That's why it takes months if not years to see a book in print.
Indie-published authors tend to fall into two or three groups, I've observed. The first group writes something and publishes it without ever looking at it again. If there were any justice in the world, those books wouldn't gain any attention and you'd never find them to waste your money on them. Sadly, there ain't no justice, as some famous sci-fi author liked to shorthand as TANJ. Some of them reach Top 100 status even though they are virtually unreadable, but I'm not here to rant about that.
The next group makes an effort...they line-edit their own work, and those may be a little better, assuming the writer has a decent grasp of grammar and spelling.
The third group has someone else take a look at the book and the quality varies based on who that else is. Those who can afford it hire independent developmental editors, copy editors and proofreaders to help them polish the book. and it shows. Those who can't (yours truly, for example) make an effort to at least learn what those people do and attempt to do it themselves. You'd be surprised how much you can improve your own book that way.
I'm taking a course from Holly Lisle called How to Revise Your Novel. The very first exercise is to print out your manuscript and go through it looking for the places that don't work. You can find a useful article free on her website here. http://hollylisle.com/one-pass-manuscript-revision-from-first-draft-to-last-in-one-cycle/ If you can afford the course, it's even more helpful, because each of the items on which Ms. Lisle writes a paragraph or so in this article is a weekly lesson in the course. It's hard work, but I'm finding it enjoyable. I've discovered that I started my WIP several chapters too early, which would have turned off anyone doing a Look Inside on Amazon.
As for stopping one book's first draft to revise an already-published book, I haven't done that. I do want to revise the first novel under my new pen name, but that would totally screw my schedule, which has me writing the second book in my new series in November, for NaNoWriMo. Meanwhile, I am revising the first book of the series. I wanted to publish that one at the end of this month. My best guess for when it will be ready is end of January, after which that first stand-alone will get some attention before I revise the second book in the series. Am I disappointed in the delay? You betcha. Do I think it necessary? Absolutely.
So, I'm with you, girl, whatever your decision. When you've done a serious and professional-quality revision of one book, the next one you write will be better. And the more you write and revise, the cleaner your books will be. Onward and upward, I say!
Sorry for the long post--I happen to be passionate about this topic.
it's still a good way to make some decent money and do it on your own terms;
This is why I love self-publishing. Whenever I have time, I can work toward building that income. Right now, however, I'm completely swamped with finals.
Of course there are going to be priorities. It helps with financial success if you (speaking in general, not specifically to @Thriftypreneur) can make the priority writing; however, no one can eat written words. Put a roof over your head and food in your belly (or study for a career that will do that) before you write. That said, most Americans could write instead of engaging in 'leisure activities' for an average of 4.5 hours per day. I would personally consider writing as a leisure activity if I didn't already consider it my full-time job. For an interesting look at what Americans spend their time on, see http://www.bls.gov/news.release/atus.nr0.htm.
In other words, if you are going to attempt to make self-publishing a major income stream and have NO other financial resources to sustain you while you work toward that goal, your first priority is to obtain the means to live. Once you've done that, conduct a time audit to see when and where you could be writing instead of engaging in activities that don't contribute to your health or your dreams.
Does anyone else remember the days when @ChickenHawk had a full-time job outside her home and had to write in long-hand in the few minutes she could spare? There's a shining example of how to use your time to free yourself to do what you love to do full-time.
I have high expectations of myself and feel I'm falling short. A lot of this is a head game,
Aw, thanks! I hadn't thought about that, since I'm by no means an established success yet. When I am, and I truly believe that what has happened so far means that I will be, I'll consider it. Meanwhile, I'm happy to help where I can.Have you ever thought about being a Writers Coach? I'm just sayin- you might want to think about that.
Well said, and I might remind you and @LisaK both that you simply can't please everyone. There are too many perspectives and you'll find two people of completely opposite opinions on everything in this world, including your books. Write what you love to write while paying attention to the promises you imply to your readers, and never mind the people who don't like it. You have no obligation to them. Your only obligation is to be true to yourself and give the readers who love your work the best story/product you can manage.You're not writing to please the untold number of people who find your work and don't like what you write, you're writing for those people who find your work and love what you create.
Lisa, how fun that you've taken the flash-fiction bull by the horns. Did you know that Holly has a free (I think-at least very cheap) course on how to develop it?
I like the image you've created. If I may say so, there are a couple of words, one used in an inaccurate way and one missing, that may have affected the judges' decision. If you have a website, you should definitely offer this as a benefit for signing up to your email list, or perhaps submit it to other venues for gaining visibility. Do you have an account at wattpad? Post it on Facebook, maybe? Lots of ways to use it.
FYI, the word garnishment refers to the legal procedure of taking a fine or other debt from one's wages. The word you wanted was garnish, meaning to decorate or embellish, especially of food. The missing word is in the last sentence. "I told you two months ago..." To keep from increasing your word count, you could eliminate the 'I' in that sentence; it will be understood as implied.
Again, I applaud you for creating a story in so few words. I'm super-jealous of that ability.
nice job eagle eyes.
It was certainly a compliment. I wish I had your talent!Occupational hazard that I wish I could turn off at will. Believe me, it's no fun reading for pleasure when I'm constantly correcting grammar or typos in my head as I go. Lord knows, I don't want people reading mine that way. Everyone is fallible.
Join Fastlane Insiders.