- Joined
- Mar 3, 2014
- Messages
- 106
Rep Bank
$1,480
$1,480
User Power: 410%
I'm much more of a lurker on forums and I don't usually post anything, but there are quite a few self-publishing threads on here, it seems, so I thought I might as well add another one. Also, I'm proctastinating right now, so... 😀
Anyway, I started publishing just over a week ago on the 27th October 2014, and since then I've been writing between 5k and 8k words per day. They're all fiction. Some are stand-alone, some are parts of a series, but right now, I'm pretty much just trying things out to see how things work. The only platform I'm using right now is Amazon, because most of my income so far has come from borrows. I'm not sure how much borrows will be worth this month, but I guess it's a waste of time trying to guess...
I'm doing erotica/erotic romance right now, but want to try and branch out into other types of romance in the future to see how that does. I want to write in a few other genres, too, but that will probably just be for fun. I did dabble in non-fiction for a little while, but I kept falling asleep while I was trying to write, so I decided that it would be the best decision for everyone involved if I just stopped.
Results after 1 week:
Book 1 (published 27th Oct): 11 borrows
Book 2 (published 29th Oct): 13 borrows
Book 3 (published 30th Oct): 41 borrows, 2 sales
Book 4 (published 31st Oct): 4 borrows
TOTAL: 69 borrows, 2 sales
Nothing spectacular, but I'm still learning. They're all in the same kind of niche since I was trying to build my catalogue, but I'm going to try and branch out a little more this week, just to see what happens. So far I've done no marketing, but I'm going to try out some free promos one day to see what happens.
Process:
Right now, my current process is:
1. Research bestsellers on Amazon, note down trends (takes about an hour).
2. Research bestselling authors on Amazon, note down trends (takes about an hour).
3. Pick one of the trends, use a beat sheet to think of a storyline, sum it up in a single paragraph (takes about 5 minutes).
4. Buy image from dollarphotoclub, order cover from fiverr.
5. Write, write, write (takes between 4 and 12 hours).
6. Edit, edit, edit (takes about an hour and lots of coffee breaks).
7. Write blurb and choose keywords (can take about an hour, this is probably the most important part, aside from the cover).
8. Publish, publish, publish.
Rinse and repeat.
Some stuff I've learned so far:
To be completely honest, I've only been doing this for a week, so the stuff I've learned so far is pretty limited. The only thing I can honestly advise is: just publish it. I've already spoken to so many writers who sit obsessing over a book for weeks, months, years without getting it published, simply because it's not 'perfect'. The truth is, it's never going to be perfect, and even more importantly, unless you're planning to be the next Austen or Fitzgerald, nobody's going to CARE if it's perfect. Get your spelling, grammar, and punctuation right, and you're good to go (unless your story sucks).
Also, before you spend 4393 days of your life writing something and then paying £5000 for editing and a cover, make sure there's actually a market for it.
Goals:
I wanted to try and get 50 books out by Christmas, but I think my brain might implode before I make it, so I'm lowering the target to 30. 30 books out by Christmas would be awesome, and then I'll take it from there. I don't really have a monetary goal, since that's not something I can control, so for now I'm just sticking with production numbers and word count goals. I try to hit around 5k words every day, but some days I do more and some days I do less, so I guess it kind of evens out.
I'm going to use whatever funds I get from this to try and outsource some of the writing in the future, and possibly even translate some of the more popular ones, but once again, not entirely sure...going to set aside some for a side business that I'm working on, too, because as much as I love writing, I'm not sure I feel comfortable placing all of my eggs in the (undoubtedly fickle) Amazon basket.
I've probably passed my daily 5k word goal by just writing this post, but hopefully it's helped someone (although I'll openly admit that I don't really have much of an idea what I'm doing right now), but either way, it'll help me track my progress, I guess.
Oh wow, this post is a monster. Apologies for rambling. My books aren't this boring...honest! 😀
Time to start writing again...aaah.
Anyway, I started publishing just over a week ago on the 27th October 2014, and since then I've been writing between 5k and 8k words per day. They're all fiction. Some are stand-alone, some are parts of a series, but right now, I'm pretty much just trying things out to see how things work. The only platform I'm using right now is Amazon, because most of my income so far has come from borrows. I'm not sure how much borrows will be worth this month, but I guess it's a waste of time trying to guess...
I'm doing erotica/erotic romance right now, but want to try and branch out into other types of romance in the future to see how that does. I want to write in a few other genres, too, but that will probably just be for fun. I did dabble in non-fiction for a little while, but I kept falling asleep while I was trying to write, so I decided that it would be the best decision for everyone involved if I just stopped.
Results after 1 week:
Book 1 (published 27th Oct): 11 borrows
Book 2 (published 29th Oct): 13 borrows
Book 3 (published 30th Oct): 41 borrows, 2 sales
Book 4 (published 31st Oct): 4 borrows
TOTAL: 69 borrows, 2 sales
Nothing spectacular, but I'm still learning. They're all in the same kind of niche since I was trying to build my catalogue, but I'm going to try and branch out a little more this week, just to see what happens. So far I've done no marketing, but I'm going to try out some free promos one day to see what happens.
Process:
Right now, my current process is:
1. Research bestsellers on Amazon, note down trends (takes about an hour).
2. Research bestselling authors on Amazon, note down trends (takes about an hour).
3. Pick one of the trends, use a beat sheet to think of a storyline, sum it up in a single paragraph (takes about 5 minutes).
4. Buy image from dollarphotoclub, order cover from fiverr.
5. Write, write, write (takes between 4 and 12 hours).
6. Edit, edit, edit (takes about an hour and lots of coffee breaks).
7. Write blurb and choose keywords (can take about an hour, this is probably the most important part, aside from the cover).
8. Publish, publish, publish.
Rinse and repeat.
Some stuff I've learned so far:
To be completely honest, I've only been doing this for a week, so the stuff I've learned so far is pretty limited. The only thing I can honestly advise is: just publish it. I've already spoken to so many writers who sit obsessing over a book for weeks, months, years without getting it published, simply because it's not 'perfect'. The truth is, it's never going to be perfect, and even more importantly, unless you're planning to be the next Austen or Fitzgerald, nobody's going to CARE if it's perfect. Get your spelling, grammar, and punctuation right, and you're good to go (unless your story sucks).
Also, before you spend 4393 days of your life writing something and then paying £5000 for editing and a cover, make sure there's actually a market for it.
Goals:
I wanted to try and get 50 books out by Christmas, but I think my brain might implode before I make it, so I'm lowering the target to 30. 30 books out by Christmas would be awesome, and then I'll take it from there. I don't really have a monetary goal, since that's not something I can control, so for now I'm just sticking with production numbers and word count goals. I try to hit around 5k words every day, but some days I do more and some days I do less, so I guess it kind of evens out.
I'm going to use whatever funds I get from this to try and outsource some of the writing in the future, and possibly even translate some of the more popular ones, but once again, not entirely sure...going to set aside some for a side business that I'm working on, too, because as much as I love writing, I'm not sure I feel comfortable placing all of my eggs in the (undoubtedly fickle) Amazon basket.
I've probably passed my daily 5k word goal by just writing this post, but hopefully it's helped someone (although I'll openly admit that I don't really have much of an idea what I'm doing right now), but either way, it'll help me track my progress, I guess.
Oh wow, this post is a monster. Apologies for rambling. My books aren't this boring...honest! 😀
Time to start writing again...aaah.
Dislike ads? Become a Fastlane member:
Subscribe today and surround yourself with winners and millionaire mentors, not those broke friends who only want to drink beer and play video games. :-)
Last edited:
Access Restricted: Unlock 1,000,000+ Posts
Stop Peeking Through the Keyhole.
Open the Door.
You hit a wall because the best advice isn't free—it's earned. Since 2007, MJ DeMarco has been active here daily (99.9% active rate), building a war room for entrepreneurs who refuse to settle for mediocrity.
- Active Daily: Life-changing content posted dozens of times every day. No dead threads.
- MJ's Inner Circle: Direct access to the author of The Millionaire Fastlane.
- Vetted Network: Connect with founders scaling to 7 and 8 figures.
- Proven Roadmaps: Strategy over motivation. Execution over "hustle porn."
"SCALED TO 6-FIGURE MONTHS"
"Tips and advice here saved me from huge mistakes, others allowed me to scale my business to 6-figure months."— User MitchC
"INSANE QUALITY OF PEOPLE"
"The number of high quality people I've met from this forum has been insane. All of it predicated on building real value."— User Richard Peck
"You are the average of the five people you surround yourself with."
Are you surrounding yourself with success?
Vjev't exituni! O'wi sief vjsuahj zuas vjsiev epf ov xet wisz optqosoph, figopovimz nuvowevif ni vu vsz uav uavtuasdoph ev tuni quopv. Juqoph vu jewi e capfmi uav mevis vjot xiil!
