If you missed Part One, you can read it here.
One of my pet peeves is an author putting out a
product that isn’t professional. Your name is your reputation and it’s hard to
build a name and brand that represents good quality and all too easy to damage
with shoddy work.
There should be certain expectations that come with the name on the cover of the book. The reader has the right to expect to get as good a story as they would if the book was traditionally published in both content, copy, and cover art. Content editing: does the story work, does it start in the right place, is the POV correct, is there enough tension, conflict, and motivation to carry the story? A good story is so much more than having a manuscript written without errors and in perfect English (copy editing). It’s about writing to entertain a reader and that’s much more difficult. Content is everything and that’s true whether you’re a small indie publisher or self-publishing a book.
There should be certain expectations that come with the name on the cover of the book. The reader has the right to expect to get as good a story as they would if the book was traditionally published in both content, copy, and cover art. Content editing: does the story work, does it start in the right place, is the POV correct, is there enough tension, conflict, and motivation to carry the story? A good story is so much more than having a manuscript written without errors and in perfect English (copy editing). It’s about writing to entertain a reader and that’s much more difficult. Content is everything and that’s true whether you’re a small indie publisher or self-publishing a book.
In part One, Judi spoke about the whys of
self-publishing and the need for self-published authors to put out a
professional story and some of the downside.
“self-publishing isn’t all wine and roses. Self-published authors now take on the role of publisher as well as author. That means no advances and all the up-front costs: Editing (story, copy, line…), a cover, formatting, ISBN, copyright, marketing. You have to be your own editor, art department, publicist, and marketer in addition to being a writer and businessperson.”
Judi Fennell continues her thoughts on
producing a professional looking product. Especially when it comes to the cover
art and the technology of producing a high quality book to sell.
Covers are arguably the best marketing tool you
have after word-of-mouth. If the cover is appealing, people will “pick it up.”
How many times have authors complained that their cover looks nothing like the
book? I actually had to change my heroine’s hair color based on a cover because
the Marketing Department loved the image they’d selected for the cover. Okay, I
went with it (heck, she was a genie—she could change her hair color at will if
she wanted), but guess what?
They changed the cover.
Luckily, they used another model with the same colored
hair, but there you go. My vision altered. (I do love the cover, though, don’t
get me wrong. And I’m fine with the hair color change; it’s just part and
parcel of the TP business.)
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But when I set out to do my cover for Beauty and
The Best I knew there were elements I wanted on there. Definitely the hot
guy. He’s headless because, sadly the face doesn’t always match the body… But I
got to choose him. (And, yes, it was tough. Seriously. Think about all the
hours I spent scrolling through pictures of half-naked guys. It was rough.)
I wanted to show the humor and the guardian angel
element. That would be the cat with the cockeyed halo.
I wanted a white background. My work has been compared
to a lot of contemporary authors whose TP covers are white, and even though
this book has the guardian angel slant to it, it’s essentially a contemporary
romance.
I wanted to capture Todd’s art and the
paint-splattered drop cloth that plays a nice part in the story. But I couldn’t
put all of these elements together.
I’d done research, looked at different cover artists’
work and their turnaround times, and Kim was the one I went with, but there are
others out there who do work that is just as amazing. I love the cover and have
gotten awesome feedback from readers.
And it looks FABULOUS in print.
Print, you ask? How do you print books if you’re
self-publishing? Doesn’t that cost an arm and a leg? Don’t you need to store
thousands of books in a warehouse somewhere?
No. You don’t.
I use Createspace for my print versions and, while the books are a little more expensive than TP print books,
readers who want the books in physical form are getting an awesome product (if
I do say so myself). It’s gorgeous.
So how does one actually self-publish?
Write the story. I can’t stress that enough. You can
spend hours, days, weeks, on the other aspects, but if you don’t have the
story, you’re wasting your time. Use beta readers to get the story as best as
it can be. Then hire an editor. Edit your book. Make it the best it can be.
Those people who do no promoting and their books skyrocket? That’s because
they’ve done their homework on the most important aspect of this business: they
wrote the best book they could.
Get a cover. Whether you do it yourself or you hire
someone, make this cover PROFESSIONAL looking. I can’t stress that enough.
Nothing says “cheap product” than a sub-par cover. Research other books in the
genre you’re writing. Take a look at the best sellers. What is it about their covers
that grab your attention? Who are the cover artists? What elements do you want
on your book?
Deal with the technology. Or, if you don’t want to
figure out formatting and uploading and ISBNs and Bowker’s site, and whether to
do KDP Select or Nook First, or free books, or giveaways… hire someone.
*** Full disclaimer: I have a formatting site: http://www.formatting4U.com. Check me out. Many satisfied REPEAT clients and reasonable prices. Referrals for other services. Excellent turnaround time. And hand-holding all the way. ***
Self-publishing is a business all on its own in
addition to the writing business. That’s very important to remember. You have to
switch hats from the comfortable creative author hat to something that’s maybe
outside your comfort zone. Join some indie and self-pub loops; the information
you can find there FOR FREE is priceless.
But most of all, write. Having one book up is nice, but
it’s the multiplier factor of having more than one, especially if it’s a
series, that will bump up your sales to where you might be able to leave the
Day Job and focus solely on your writing. I’m not there yet, but I’m hopeful.
Am I still pursuing TP? Yes. Why, if self-publishing
can be the way to Day Job and artistic freedom? Because, as with anything else,
having all your eggs in one basket might not be the best thing. Publishing is
constantly changing; no one knows what will happen next. I’d hate to ditch the
security of a Day Job for the Wild West of Publishing only to have a tornado
come along and turn that Wild West into a dustbowl. But that’s my path; it
might not be yours. I know other authors who say they’ll never traditionally
publish again. Why give away 64% of their royalties? It’s a compelling argument
and may change my mind as I bring the next books to market. (Look for If The
Shoe Fits, book #2 in the Once-Upon-A-Time Romance series after Beauty
and The Best, and Through The Leaded Glass, a RenFaire time travel
romance coming soon!)
You can read a short excerpt Here.
Judi
Fennell has had her nose in a book and her head in some celestial realm all her
life, including those early years when her mom would exhort her to "get
outside!" instead of watching Bewitched or I Dream of Jeannie on
television. So she did--right into Dad's hammock with her Nancy Drew books.
These
days she's more likely to have her nose in her laptop and her head (and the
rest of her body) at her favorite bookstore, but she's still reading, whether
it be her latest manuscript or friends' books.
PRISM
and Golden Leaf Award winner and ARe best-selling author, Judi loves to hear
from her readers. Check out her website (www.JudiFennell.com) for excerpts,
reviews, contests and pictures from reader and writer conferences, as well as
the chance to "dive in" to her stories.
