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Self-Publishing Resources and Websites

Gymjunkie

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Thought I'd share some useful sites for self-pubbing folks!

Kristine Kathryn Rusch - hands down, BEST blog for writers about writing and writing business from bestselling author, read The Business Rush section. Amazing insight because she writes, has run a Publishing company, Distribution company and has most understanding about these thing as a writer. No one comes close probably..

A Blog Pertaining to Health | My Health Blog - great site for marketing advice, podcast and video interviews too.

KBoards - Index - very good forum for writers. Ton of pretty successful authors hang out there.

Rocking Self Publishing | Weekly interviews with self-published authors - audio interviews with successful indie authors with tips and advice (all authors make over $1k a month from books alone). Disclaimer: I'm working on it behind the scenes and am interviewed there.

Bestseller Labs - very good resource for book marketing

Jane Friedman: Writing, Reading, and Publishing in the Digital Age - probably 2nd best site here. Jane Friedman is a big name in publishing industry and has a lot of insight.

Hope this is helpful, share your favorites!
 
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Hicks

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Excellent thread.

Where does everyone get the legal disclaimers that they post at the beginning of their book....I have had a search but can't find anything useful.
 
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Gymjunkie

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Try doing a search on KBoards.com for it. Or post a thread if nothing found.
 

McNandez

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BookBub.com looks awesome! But, the 50k word minimum will keep a few of us out, at least for a little while. I'm looking forward to trying with them when the time comes.

I've only started looking into resources for independent authors, so I don't have much to contribute as yet, but I'll be sure and post some when I find them. Thanks for the helpful thread!
 
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britnidanielle

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Gymjunkie

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Breaking Free

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Thriftypreneur

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How to NOT sell the books:

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,164628.0.html

Awesome post by someone very successful. Good kick in the pants. Avoid if you just want writing to be hobbie.

I saw that thread. Sure, there's some good advice scattered around in there. But the most of it just seemed to be holier-than-thou drivel to piss on up-and-coming self-publishers who don't have a large budget. Typical, "you're not a real writer unless..." type stuff. No thanks.
 

Gymjunkie

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I saw that thread. Sure, there's some good advice scattered around in there. But the most of it just seemed to be holier-than-thou drivel to piss on up-and-coming self-publishers who don't have a large budget. Typical, "you're not a real writer unless..." type stuff. No thanks.

Judging by your use of 'piss on...' this really hit you, and you're just being defensive.. it's constructive criticism in sarcastic form in that post, not trying to belittle others. Your attitude towards this isn't really Fastlane..

No one is talking about huge budget too, not 10's of thousands, more like $750-2000.. When he posts advice to pay $2000+ per book cover design alone for example (like publishers do), then you'd be right..

No offense, but don't wish other services were cheaper.. wish you were making more.. you can find ways to earn money from writing skills to pay for those skills.
 
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Gymjunkie

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Dang, some of the production numbers in this thread made me a little queasy. I couldn't imagine paying that much to polish one of my books. Sure, I may think differently one day, but still...

I see your point too, but that's a bit of a limiting belief. But one day you will get there for sure, don't think it will take super long either. There's ways to make money off of writing, not just by writing books too.
 

joanna

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No offense, but don't wish other services were cheaper.. wish you were making more.. you can find ways to earn money from writing skills to pay for those skills.

I think that is a problem in general many people need to address in their thinking. Spot on Gymjunkie. Rather than bemoan expensive services sometimes it's worth considering if maybe you're undervaluing what you offer.
 

Breaking Free

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I see your point too, but that's a bit of a limiting belief. But one day you will get there for sure, don't think it will take super long either. There's ways to make money off of writing, not just by writing books too.

True, and I do see your point. I would invest more if I was writing 500 page novels, but not 50 page novellas. Also if I knew every book would earn back that investment, then yeah, that's another story. But I'm sure Dean and Kris don't invest much in their short works, and a 20,000 word story is much easier to handle than a 100,000 word story from an individual standpoint.
 
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Thriftypreneur

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Judging by your use of 'piss on...' this really hit you, and you're just being defensive.. it's constructive criticism in sarcastic form in that post, not trying to belittle others. Your attitude towards this isn't really Fastlane..

No one is talking about huge budget too, not 10's of thousands, more like $750-2000.. When he posts advice to pay $2000+ per book cover design alone for example (like publishers do), then you'd be right..

No offense, but don't wish other services were cheaper.. wish you were making more.. you can find ways to earn money from writing skills to pay for those skills.

I think that is a problem in general many people need to address in their thinking. Spot on Gymjunkie. Rather than bemoan expensive services sometimes it's worth considering if maybe you're undervaluing what you offer.

$1-2k per book is a lot more than probably 99% of self-publishers are able to invest. I think that's a safe assumption.

I'm not "bemoaning" anything, or "wishing things were cheaper." (not entirely sure how my writing budget even came up in this). I only made the comment I did because I find the whole "You're not a real writer unless..." thing pretty pathetic.

I understand this guy is a client of yours, GymJunkie, but my disagreeing with his wording isn't a personal attack on him, or you. So let's keep that clear.

From the very first line of his post "I'd provide a quick sheet on how to practically guarantee you won't have a literary career of any sort, other than a failed one."

Then, he and others proceed to list of a slew of things that a lot of the readers of that forum (and this one) do for every book. Things like proofreading and editing themselves. Wording it like that, it's only natural that you're going to get people who take it as a "You're not a real writer unless..." piece. Which, just from skimming the now 9 pages that thread has become, and seeing multiple posts where the OP is defending himself (and outright insulting others), it's pretty clear I wasn't the only one who got that vibe from that thread.
 

britnidanielle

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Gymjunkie

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True, and I do see your point. I would invest more if I was writing 500 page novels, but not 50 page novellas. Also if I knew every book would earn back that investment, then yeah, that's another story. But I'm sure Dean and Kris don't invest much in their short works, and a 20,000 word story is much easier to handle than a 100,000 word story from an individual standpoint.

Short stories are different. That discussion and my comments are about normal books. :)
 
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Gymjunkie

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$1-2k per book is a lot more than probably 99% of self-publishers are able to invest. I think that's a safe assumption.

I'm not "bemoaning" anything, or "wishing things were cheaper." (not entirely sure how my writing budget even came up in this). I only made the comment I did because I find the whole "You're not a real writer unless..." thing pretty pathetic.

I understand this guy is a client of yours, GymJunkie, but my disagreeing with his wording isn't a personal attack on him, or you. So let's keep that clear.

From the very first line of his post "I'd provide a quick sheet on how to practically guarantee you won't have a literary career of any sort, other than a failed one."

Then, he and others proceed to list of a slew of things that a lot of the readers of that forum (and this one) do for every book. Things like proofreading and editing themselves. Wording it like that, it's only natural that you're going to get people who take it as a "You're not a real writer unless..." piece. Which, just from skimming the now 9 pages that thread has become, and seeing multiple posts where the OP is defending himself (and outright insulting others), it's pretty clear I wasn't the only one who got that vibe from that thread.

Look, Millionaire Fastlane is full of this type of attitude. It has two chapters that can be seen as insults to people because they are not 'Fastlaners'.. so it's OK for MJ to write that book, but it's not OK for R. Blake to write a forum post? It's the same thing essentially, take responsibility, take your business seriously and invest while working hard. MJ lays out criteria for successful business, Blake lays out those for successful writing business. And Blake is not the first guy to advocate this advice of spending money on books. 2k on a book is pretty normal.

Both guys have a No-BS attitude. You accept one, but not the other. So is it R.Blake who's arrogant, or he just poked your hot-button and you're being defensive?
 

Gymjunkie

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Thriftypreneur

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Look, Millionaire Fastlane is full of this type of attitude. It has two chapters that can be seen as insults to people because they are not 'Fastlaners'.. so it's OK for MJ to write that book, but it's not OK for R. Blake to write a forum post? It's the same thing essentially, take responsibility, take your business seriously and invest while working hard. MJ lays out criteria for successful business, Blake lays out those for successful writing business. And Blake is not the first guy to advocate this advice of spending money on books. 2k on a book is pretty normal.

Both guys have a No-BS attitude. You accept one, but not the other. So is it R.Blake who's arrogant, or he just poked your hot-button and you're being defensive?

I have no problem with the advice he gives, in fact, I think it's very good advice for people who are trying to turn writing into a fastlane type business. I even prefaced my original reply by stating there was solid advice being given.

The only thing I spoke up about was the fact that, as a writer, he could have worded his original post and replies in a hundred different ways, but he chose the one where he basically insults a large portion of aspiring self-published authors. And, he didn't differentiate between any of them. From the DIY'er who is looking to build up capital to reinvest in professional services, to the DIY'ers who think they can do a better job than the professionals, he equally verbally dumped on all them (and outright insulted a couple of them) when he didn't have to. MJ's work is equally "in your face," but I really don't recall him outright insulting aspiring entrepreneurs. I don't see him posting in bootstrapping threads, implying that the posters are failures because they lack start-up capital.

I contribute and share with the writing community here because that type of elitism and looking-down-their-nose behavior isn't prevalent. In my experience, it's just the opposite - "get it done however you can and keep busting your a$$" is the fastlane mantra I get from this forum.

By RB's own words, pretty much all the writers who are sharing their progress here are complete and utter failures who don't deserve the publishing button they've been pushing. So forgive me if I decide to speak up when that stuff is posted on this forum, on behalf of those people who I support and who have supported me during our journeys.
 
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Gymjunkie

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I have no problem with the advice he gives, in fact, I think it's very good advice for people who are trying to turn writing into a fastlane type business. I even prefaced my original reply by stating there was solid advice being given.

The only thing I spoke up about was the fact that, as a writer, he could have worded his original post and replies in a hundred different ways, but he chose the one where he basically insults a large portion of aspiring self-published authors. And, he didn't differentiate between any of them. From the DIY'er who is looking to build up capital to reinvest in professional services, to the DIY'ers who think they can do a better job than the professionals, he equally verbally dumped on all them (and outright insulted a couple of them) when he didn't have to. MJ's work is equally "in your face," but I really don't recall him outright insulting aspiring entrepreneurs. I don't see him posting in bootstrapping threads, implying that the posters are failures because they lack start-up capital.

I contribute and share with the writing community here because that type of elitism and looking-down-their-nose behavior isn't prevalent here. In my experience, it's just the opposite - "get it done however you can and keep busting your a$$" is the fastlane mantra I get from this forum.

By RB's own words, pretty much all the writers who are sharing their progress here are complete and utter failures who don't deserve the publishing button they've been pushing. So forgive me if I decide to speak up when that stuff is posted on this forum, on behalf of those people who I support and who have supported me during our journeys.

MJ is not offending aspiring entrepreneurs, that is who the book is for, other people (those who don't have aspirations) can easily think that they are being called stupid for following a bad life script. There is a lot of ''Us vs Them'' mentality in the book.

I still think you took it way too much into your heart and it really pushed on an insecurity somewhere.. Guy doesn't mince words, yeah, but again, those who accept criticism don't get very offended by advice, it hurts, but you know that it's meant to be constructive. Even if someone says your product/website/book/cover design etc sucks.
 

joanna

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I'm not "bemoaning" anything, or "wishing things were cheaper." (not entirely sure how my writing budget even came up in this). I only made the comment I did because I find the whole "You're not a real writer unless..." thing pretty pathetic.

I should have clarified, that I wasn't really talking about you specifically "bemoaning" something. Personally the sentence I quoted earlier resonated with me, not just referred to the topic at hand, as it goes hand in hand with a typical attitude in my home country (though prevalent among slowlaners everywhere really). Rather than aspire to your proverbial neighbours position, we wish them to fail and fall down to our level. And in a way in that sense I would agree with you Thrifty, that although the post was probably written as a joke, or a fun way to point out mistakes, it is dwelling on the negative, and I've seen way too many of those to spend time on a thread like that. I'd rather prefer to read how I can improve.

As for the affordable services comment. Sometimes it's our own limiting beliefs. If you can't afford the "full sticker" price, then hustle, and barter and look for opportunities. A little story to illustrate the point. My sister recently confided in me that for quite some time she really wanted to get this specific photo to use for one of her new covers (see, staying on the publishing topic ;)). The photographer is quite accomplished, a friend of a friend and my sister actually worked with him once on a photoshoot. Knowing the quality of his work she was afraid to ask, because he could find the topic (erotica) offensive and/or his price would be way out of her budget. After some prodding and pushing she wrote to him that same evening. Long story short, he was more than happy for her to use the photo and the price was low enough for her tight budget.

My point is ask around. Need editing? A lot of editors have their own books, they might be willing to do something for you in return for a critique, beta read, or if you feel you're a good editor, and edit, or some other service you can offer. And while we're on the topic of editing, everyone SHOULD edit their own work, to get it to the best point possible, whether you can or cannot afford an editor, it's not some special extra achievement that gets you brownie points. Even if you can't afford an editor try to find someone semi-qualified to be your second pair of eyes. We all have blindspots when it comes to our own work - both in terms of simple typos and style, as well as character and plot. Things seem obvious when they are in your head, unfortunately sometimes it can mean we forget to communicate an important detail to the readers, as it's sooo ingrained in our vision of the scene, that we forget we never mentioned it in writing.


But I'm sure Dean and Kris don't invest much in their short works

I feel I need to mention this again:
1) They have a good handle on the craft side after year and years of practice
2) Dean doesn't edit himself, but people miss the fact that his work goes to an editor once he finishes it

His championing a lack of revision is hugely based on treating the work like a product (mass production to a degree) and not a piece of art, something personal. He's happy for the editor that takes it off his hands to do whatever that editor feels necessary with the work. I admit I haven't researched if his self published stuff is 100% the same.

This piece of writing advice from Chuck Palahniuk made me feel COMPLETELY inadequate as a writer. lol. But I feel like it will also be amazingly helpful as well.

http://mamaliciousnoire.tumblr.com/p...lahniuk-in-six

Loved that post, seen it some time ago. :) I often found these single-focused gold nuggets of advice a lot more helpful than a long book on grammar usage. ;)

Sorry all for the rambling. :)
 

Breaking Free

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This piece of writing advice from Chuck Palahniuk made me feel COMPLETELY inadequate as a writer. lol. But I feel like it will also be amazingly helpful as well.

http://mamaliciousnoire.tumblr.com/post/56924563660/writing-advice-by-chuck-palahniuk-in-six

What's funny is I started doing this in my latest work. It's kinda neat to see it put to words, and verify what I'm doing as right.
 
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Breaking Free

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Got a question, and I think it fits this thread. If I change the price of a book on amazon, how do I get it to show the original price, then the new/discounted price? Or, is that only if I force price matching from another site, or have a physical copy of the book?
 

COSenior

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Got a question, and I think it fits this thread. If I change the price of a book on amazon, how do I get it to show the original price, then the new/discounted price? Or, is that only if I force price matching from another site, or have a physical copy of the book?

I thought there was an option to give a sale price, but didn't see it. However, it did happen to one of my books when I raised the price, and Amazon found it for the previous price on Kobo before Smashwords got them notified to raise it. So maybe leave it at the original price on Amazon and lower it elsewhere to force it.
 
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santa

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I think it might be wise to keep this thread specifically for resources and websites or thoughts related to the links and not so much new discussion, what do you guys and gals think? That way we can use this thread as a resource with high quality links. Rather than a thread that goes in to double figure pages, and having to spend time to wade through to find the links/resources and thoughts related to those nuggets.

From April 2013- how kdp has changed, and ideas and perspectives in using it now;
http://janefriedman.com/2013/04/02/amazon-kdp-select/
 

Breaking Free

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I think it might be wise to keep this thread specifically for resources and websites or thoughts related to the links and not so much new discussion, what do you guys and gals think?

I was actually hoping someone had a link as to how it worked, my search turned up little.
 

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