The Equation Occasion - Where

The Where Installment of 

(W⁵+ H) x (IP ÷ RMs)

or

The Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How of Indie Publishing - R McCormack Style

Everyday we wake up with an option to see the day as a new beginning or a continuation of the past.  It’s one thing to use the lessons of yesterday to take a fresh look at the current moment and entirely different thing to live in those yesterdays.  Great days and tough days alike offer us experience, and we must use both to grow.  Sometimes we get stuck, though, and we operate in a loop of sameness, which keeps us from expanding our experiential life map.  The trick to beginning again, no matter the project or goal, is to organize the action into simple steps. 

With this in mind, we move deeper into our Indie publishing equation by asking:

Where do I start? 

In the previous posts, I indicated the importance of knowing the Who, What, and When of Indie publishing in order to decide if you want to enter this world.  But once you commit to going for it, it’s time to get organized.  This variable in our equation could ignite a frenzy of worry and wandering, but not if we balance our awareness of the details with the big picture.  For me, it helped to make lists outlining my strengths and weaknesses, and the Knowns and Unknowns.

Below I’ll walk you through list construction, and further down, I’ll give you some of the basic tasks to consider on the front end.  This will not be a How To guide, but a visual map to help you see the hills and valleys of the learning curve.  Before you make any list, though, I’ll suggest that you do a smidge of research on the How To.  It will be invaluable to you pinpointing those Knowns and Unknowns.  Here are three ways to get the basic understanding of the How To:

Read a Book – there are two excellent resource books I read before making my lists, Becoming an Authorpreneur by Kris Tualla and Indie Publishing by Ellen Lupton.  Tualla’s book is a great How To guide.  Lupton’s book is a great design guide.  I’m sure there are more.  Ask around, do a search, go to the library.  Pick one or two and give them a good once-over.

Visit Blogs and Websites – there are many good ones (google “self publishing”), and some are listed in the left column under Helpful Places.

Go to the Source - going directly to the online pubbing sites, CreateSpace, KDP, Pub It, Lulu, or Smashwords will give you a quick education about the requirements.  Creating an eBook and creating a POD book require different tasks, so read their instruction manuals, if you’d like.  Remember, at first glance, their directives may sound very technical (and they are), but as you go along, you learn the vocab.  As a side note, I found myself returning to the Smashwords guidelines more and more often to troubleshoot problems because it’s.  Just.  That.  Awesome.

Once you’ve got some basic knowledge about the tasks involved, you’ll be ready to start your lists.

A List of Knowns and Unknowns

Whether you do this on the computer, the notes section on your iPhone, or sit down with pad and pen, you’ll begin the same way.  Make an exhaustive list, all-inclusive of everything you know and don’t know about writing, designing, and marketing a book.  Also list what you know and what you need to learn about the Indie publishing industry.

At this point, the order to the list isn’t important, but as you move deeper into the process there will be a need for ordering your tasks.  This is very personal, based on your individual strengths and weaknesses, so I won’t focus on it here.  Just keep in mind that I’ve mentioned it. 

Also, as you create your list, make note of little things and big things. 

Examples are:

revise chapter 12versus write the book

or

set up account on Smashwords versus read entire Smashwords manual 

Including Knowns and Unknowns at all levels of the process is important as well.  Some items, like marketing, have many steps, and you’ll be working on them in each phase of development.  Last thing, don’t become overwhelmed when the list grows longer than expected because some of the Knowns and Unknowns won’t become actual tasks.

Here are some general Known and Unknown topics to consider for your list:

Computer skills – Do you know how to:

Use Word (book interior), design software (book cover)?

Build and use a blog, website, social media page?

Interpret technical language to format and transfer documents to online sites?
Troubleshoot uploading problems?

Writing and formatting skills – Do you know how to:

Write? Edit? Revise?

Structure a manuscript?

Use fonts?

Design a book interior, including front and back matter?

Art and design skills – Do you know how to:

Decide what goes on the front and back cover?

Choose colors, fonts, images for the front and back cover?

Create graphics and/or use photography for either the cover or interior?

Use art and design for marketing elements?

Marketing skills – Do you know how to:

Reach your audience?

Use online and earned media?

Schedule your time and promotions in a way that energizes, not depletes, you?

Be creative with resources and budget?

When you get to a point where the list feels complete, the next step is to transform the Known and Unknown into tasks.  And from there, divide the tasks into sections.  Beginning, middle, end.  First, second, third.  A, B, C.  Writing, Designing, Marketing.  Label them what you like, post them where you can refer to them, and then turn your attention to those first phase tasks.

So, what kinds of things happen in the first phase?

First and foremost, Prepare a Well-Written Manuscript.  Over the last few weeks, I’ve written a lot about the importance of quality in the self-publishing process.  This is the most important element in the process.  So important, that I’ll say it again, having a well-written book is the most critical part of Indie publishing.  Two ways to become a better writer are to read well-written books and to write.  A lot.  If you’re a beginner, the mantra is read, write, repeat.  If you’re a veteran, scrutinize your work until it meets a high personal standard.

Other things to do first:

Set up accounts on the publishing sites

Familiarize yourself with publishing sites guidelines

Research book covers, fonts, and interior formatting

Create first drafts of your cover and interior

Decide on building a blog, website, or blogsite to support your printed work

Look into marketing materials and brainstorm ways to garner earned media

Find people (to hire or trade services with) who can do the things you can’t

Where do I go now?

It may feel like I’m being vague with the answer to Where do I start?  But the truth is, as you research and learn, as you transform the Unknown into the Known and create a To Do list of tasks, the personal details to your process will reveal themselves.  Then you’ll begin to check things off the list.  Do what’s in front of you, taking time to unravel mistakes.  This often means allowing some problems to overflow into other tasks in order to expose the best solution.  As you near the finish line, you’ll see where you can jump ahead.  For example, there’s a proofing process that happens on each publication site once you upload your submission, and you’ll also need to order hardcopy proofs to review.  While you wait, you can move forward to other tasks, or go back and work on a problem.  Remember the opening paragraph about seeing each new day as a beginning?  That idea easily transfers to our Indie publishing To Do list.  As you approach each task, and each phase, always be asking yourself, Where did I leave off?  And just begin there.  

Once you take the leap and move, momentum will be on your side.  Depending on your computer skills and the time and energy you have to dedicate to this, it could take up to six months to put out a quality product on every site.  Just keep looking at every moment as a bright new day.

wildflowers for sandy update

Dear wildflowers Readers and Supporters,

It's with deep appreciation that I write this post.  Many of you shared the wildflowers for sandy donation effort through Facebook, Twitter, and with friends and family, and not only did we raise a little money for Red Cross, but we got people thinking about our neighbors in the East.  As the days have passed, we've learned that the devastation was widespread and extensive, and tonight some are still without power or basic comforts.  We've seen the regional and national governments set politics aside to work for the common good of these communities, and all are asking for donations to Red Cross, who continues to make a tremendous impact.  It felt so good to make that wildflowers for sandy donation this evening, and I send thanks to all who participated.

With gratitude, Rhonda

The Equation Occasion - When

Looking for wildflowers for sandy information, click here.

Looking to check out this week’s Equation Occasion, read on.

The When Installment of 

(W⁵+ H) x (IP ÷ RMs)

or

The Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How of Indie Publishing - R McCormack Style

I first began this series with the question Who.  The focus was on asking who you are as a writer or illustrator and if self-publishing could be a match for who you are as a person.  Last week I shared What I’ve learned about self-publishing so far, which includes the nuances of this industry.  Indie publishing is a nuance, and I think I drove home the point that anyone moving into this marketplace would do well to be dedicated to the same professionalism and quality that a publishing house/press would assume.  Moving into the Indie market also means you’d be less likely to hire a printer or vanity publisher to produce the book for you and more likely to involve yourself in all aspects of creating the final product, using online retailers to sell your book as a POD and eBook.  Today we add to the equation by asking: When is Indie publishing a good fit?  But, now that I think about it, it may be useful to understand when it isn’t a good fit first.  This means we need to take a look at traditional publishing.

The path to traditional publishing typically starts by signing with an agent.  The agent’s role is to handle all the business of writing, which includes advising on and negotiating contracts, as well as following up on contractual agreements by acting as spokesperson for the author.  Some agents will help with revisions and editing, too.  Once the agent sells a manuscript to an editor at a publishing house, the author and editor begin to polish the book for publication.  The editor and art department assist with all interior formatting, the book cover, and graphics and illustrations inside the book.  The editor would also work with the marketing team to discuss the promotion of the book and getting the book reviewed.  If the book has potential to sell in large numbers, the marketing budget is bigger and the effort more widespread.  New titles also appear in seasonal catalogues that are viewed by book buyers and libraries.  I’m oversimplifying here, but the point is that the author’s main job in this process is to produce writing.  These days, with less money available for public relations, the author’s second most important part may be to do as much marketing as they can on their own.  This entire scenario can happen without an agent (though not often), and you can see what responsibilities you’d be left with if you contracted directly with the publishing house.

So, this doesn’t sound too bad, huh?  Well, it would be lovely, and I think many will see the benefits of having both traditionally published and Indie published titles.  But there are authors who’ve begun to express their frustration with traditional publishing when compared to Indie publishing.  Here are some of their complaints:

1.  Giving up copyright to work

(with Indie, you own everything)

2.  Low royalty returns

(with Indie, you earn significantly more)

3.  One to two year timeline to bring book to print

(with Indie, your book can be live in a matter of months)

4.  Having little control over out of print backlist titles

(with Indie, you can re-launch a book at anytime)

5.  Marketing cut backs

(with Indie, you decide how much or little you do and spend)

Now, I could go back and forth arguing against these complaints and then supporting them again in the same breath.  The truth is, some things are better with traditional publishing and some things are better with Indie.  So, when the rubber meets the road, when does the time come to just go Indie?

1.  When you want it your way

Obviously, if anything in 1 through 5 above struck you as a concern, Indie is a great option.  Also, you may have a specific vision for the interior format and structure or the book cover, or you may want to develop a series.  In traditional publishing, they’ll hear you out and get your approval, but design is mostly left to the internal staff.  It is their job, and they tend to be pretty good at it.  As for a series, in traditional pubbing you may hear, "Whoa, slow down cowboy!  Let’s see how that first book sells."  This doesn’t mean your wrong for wanting to follow through on your artistic viewpoint, and this is where Indie gives you the liberty to be your own brand of expressive.

2.  When you’ve reached your limit on rejection letters

I joke, but really this is a factor.  Submitting to the agents and editors that have stated an interest in your genre/subject matter and are open to receiving manuscripts is important.  It’s a valuable exercise where you must follow directions with reverence to the system and try to sell your work.  And though you may receive your share of form rejections, other times you’ll get feedback that you can use to improve your writing.  They may even encourage you to revise and resubmit.  With this said, there will come a point when you must ask yourself if the rejections are due to the work not being up to snuff.  If you feel it is quality work, then consider if your story/writing is too unique, niche, or not commercial enough for it to be worth the risk of investment.  Remember, publishing is a business and taking a book to print is expensive.  If your concept is deemed not marketable to a large enough audience, publishing houses have to pass.  This isn’t to say an independent press (publishes 10 or fewer books a year) wouldn’t be willing to take on a less-than-mainstream title, so keep trying.  But if you can’t bear to read another rejection and you feel confident that your material is well-written, illustrated, designed, then it may be the right time to consider going Indie.

3.  When you want to go a certain direction with the marketing or your platform

This may sound like I’m rephrasing the know-your-audience discussion, and I am.  It can’t be overstated that we must know our audience, but to take this a step further, we also benefit from having a purpose…even if it’s to entertain.  The truth is, Indie publishing can be used to create all kinds of interesting books.  For non-fiction, it can be used to publish community and family cookbooks, a grassroots group or organization’s story, or a guidebook to support your public speaking efforts.  For both non-fiction and fiction, I encourage you to look at your writing like a piece of art because you are an artist.  When I first entered the self-pubbing world, I didn’t know I’d feel so at home among the mass of authors/illustrators who weren’t just interested in writing a book, but creating a world.  This is what makes Indie different within the self-publishing model…Indie is about design that's aimed at a particular audience.  Sure design includes fonts, interior material, and book covers, but with Indie, an author/illustrator can use titles to also design a platform.  A place to stand and announce, this is how I want to make difference.  Platforms can absolutely be built within the traditional publishing world, and I think most agents and editors want to assist authors/illustrators on their individual paths, but again, marketing budgets are being cut.  If you have to do (and pay for) this yourself, Indie gives you more freedom to make an impact with your book(s).

To this point, I'll reference my urge to do something to help the Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts.  I could have just logged on to Red Cross's website and turned over some cash, but part of my influence while writing wildflowers was the attention that Hurricane Katrina brought to human's responsibilities to and within nature, and somehow I wanted to do more.  I knew that by pooling my own funds with donations, I could give more money to Red Cross, but I also thought that maybe a few more people would read my book and be influenced to do their part, environmentally speaking, and to have hope in the future.  The book is also about relationships...the one Keifer has with himself, as well as his sister, family, friends, and community.  I liked the idea of enticing my readership to band together in support of a community that needs it.  Anyway, if wildflowers had been traditionally published, I'm not sure I'd have been able to create the donation drive...for lots of different reasons.

Before I sign off, I'd like to mention another valuable charity event happening in Phoenix next weekend.  On November 10th, a benefit for the Lake Titicaca Literacy Project in Peru is being held at the Barnes and Noble at Desert Ridge Market Place at Tatum and the 101.  Greater Paradise Valley Reading Council hosts this project that builds libraries on Amantani Island, brick by brick, book by book.  All special activities, including local author book signings and donation opportunities, will take place from 10am - 2pm.  For more information about the project, click here.  This is an excellent example of authors acting from their platforms.

Next week, the big Indie equation variable, where do I start?