PONDERING - The Realities of Being an Author (10 years in)

 

This is NOT a brag post, far from it. However, writing is easy for me. I love it. Stories come to me in that place between sleep and awake, and when the words flow out of me into my manuscript, it’s a special kind of magick. That's not to say I don't have my moments, though - those times where Self-Doubt creeps in or a character does something stupid. 

However, the rest is HARD!

There is always research, especially for my historical novels. Love in the Roses (my medieval book) took me two YEARS to create. But that’s its own kind of fun, even if one does end up in rabbit holes of The Internet discovering one exciting thing after another.

The hard part is what comes after. The editing; hacking away bits you love yet don’t drive the story.

The publishing – so many decisions to make from cover design to blurb writing and the myriad of options one must sift through; pricing, size, paper, platform/s etc. And the countless uploads into your chosen platform, ensuring the book displays as you intended.

Then there’s the marketing. That’s where the real work begins. Creating beautiful images and videos, deciding which quotes are enticing. And adapting according to which social media outlet you use; each has their own style expectation. And then one must do battle with the algorithms, trying against all odds to get a wide audience to see the wonders you’ve spent hours creating. It can feel like you’re screaming into the void.

But increasingly, there is The Fear.

Not only is it incredibly nerve-wracking to push the big, scary publish button (which in itself is terrifying). I mean, what if readers hate your precious book baby? This is perhaps the biggest hurdle and why so many potential writers don't meet their full potential.

But no, that's not fear enough on its own, says The Universe. We now live in an age of Cancel Culture – you so much as breathe in the wrong way and someone will decide to be offended and cry for your cancellation. And that’s before you even encounter trolls who just target you because they can and they’re bored. Or, dare I say, those who tear other authors down as they fear competition. Seriously, there are millions of readers out there – we can and should share.

The latter saddens me the most. Authors are often the only ones who know our lived experience, who understand this crazy journey. We should only be supportive of one another. Heaven knows I try to.

Then there is the endless sea of scammers. I block accounts daily. There are those who promise to garner thousands of followers if you just pay $xx (which they won’t). Or tell you they want to read your book, but ask for payment. And, of course, many authors get sent dick pics. Or end up on lists so you get tagged in those annoying posts pretending you’ve won something. Or folk who say they want you to be a brand ambassador. The list goes on.

Pirates sail those seas too. And if you’re unfortunate enough for someone to steal your book, and put it on an illegal site, if you’re in Kindle Unlimited and Amazon bots detect your book “on sale” elsewhere they’ll cancel your whole account, even though you’re utterly innocent. And you try arguing against The Mighty Zon!! 

There was even a raft of writers a few months ago who Amazon accused of being connected to a banned account – authors who had only had one selling account for years. Their accounts got closed with no initial explanation. Their protestations were met with unsympathetic representatives who insisted they were guilty. It took the assistance of big name influencers and many many emails to get their accounts reinstated.

Then there are hackers. I personally, lost my original author fb account which had a fan page and support groups attached to it. After 8 years, I had 6,000 followers. Lost! And no way to get it back.

Authors are NOT rich! Most of us have day jobs in order to pay the bills and keep a roof over our heads. On average, we receive £1 per book. And that’s not profit. Out of that, we have to pay for editors, cover designers, merchandising and advertising etc. etc. etc.

Like all creatives, we do not write for profit. There are far easier ways to make money, believe me.

I write because I love it! But all the stress caused by The Fear created from the above is making it increasingly hard to hold onto that love. There are only so many times you can hit your head against a brick wall before giving yourself concussion.

Look, this all sounds like I hate my author life. I really don’t. I’m just exhausted! The countless hours of creating videos/images along with all the writing bits mounts up. And I’ve been working a lot of temp jobs this year in order to fund my book launches and pay for the increasing cost of living that we’re all experiencing.

I was really ill repeatedly at the tail end of last year. To the extent that I went to my dark place, not being able to foresee a time I would ever feel healthy again. Yes, I'm saying I considered taking my own life - just being honest here. And even although I’ve recovered, my energy still gets easily sapped. And I know I’m not alone in this.

That Which Shan’t Be Named had a massive impact on us all (spot the obvious statement of the year!). But it did. Has. We’re still feeling the aftermath of that horrific time. We were all put into flight or fight mode for a prolonged period, even if we did not get the lurgy itself. And that alone is exhausting.

But trying to be creative under such duress was nigh impossible. And for people like we authors, that’s incredibly frustrating. We feel like we’re failing, and panic that we’ll never write again. That we’ve lost that magick spark which lights us up. *NEWS FLASH* we haven’t lost it.

We’re at midsummer right now as I write this. We’re supposed to be at the zenith of power for the year. However, in the UK, we have oppressive heat. Our hot weather comes with incredibly high humidity and we live in homes designed to trap heat in as we used to be a cold country. Most of us don’t have air conditioning. And we feel like we’re being baked like potatoes! This can make us grumpy, miserable, aggressive, frustrated, unwell, fatigued – any/all of these. It does not help us find our happy thought!

After ten years of being a writer, I’ve learned a lot. I wrote down all the things I wish I’d known at the start of my author life in order to pave the way for others; to make it a little easier for them. How To Write A Historical Novel And Love It is its title. There is even a checklist to work through for when writers reach the publishing stage.

Stories still come to me, and so still I write them. And love it. I just wish all the harassment and bleurgh of life would stop so I could get on with the job I love.

What makes it all worth it? Good reviews! Knowing there is someone out there who enjoyed all my effort lights up my soul. I write for them. To bring someone else a little joy in this ever darkening landscape.

(fellow indie author, Wendy Hewlett and me)

Why did I write this post? Maybe partially to vent all this frustration. But also so other authors know they’re not alone. This life can be very isolating, and it’s all too easy to feel we’re failing, and the only one experiencing obstacles. But we’re never alone. I've seen the worried posts - I've seen you and heard you.

Also, I really wanted readers to appreciate all the challenges we writers face.

We don’t expect everyone to love everything we write. You’re never going to be able to please all of the people all of the time, and all that. Your opinion is valid. But please, don’t be spiteful in reviews. I’ve seen far too many authors crumble from hurtful words. All I ask is for a little compassion, a fair and balanced view of your reading experience.

Authors need support. Yes, don’t we all? I know. But it truly is important. Now more than ever. If you did enjoy a book, please do leave a review and/or share it with your friends and social media. After all, what is a writer without a reader?

If we get more readers, we can afford to write more books – it’s that simple.

(yes, me with Sophie Kinsella; name drop!)

Anyway, thank you for listening. I hope this post has shone a light on some things. And you don’t think I’m just being a moaning Minnie. I just wanted to be honest.

I want to leave on a more positive note. So, I’ll say thank you to all my lovely readers who do leave reviews and/or share my bookish news – I truly appreciate you.

Always in love and light,

TL

Indie Book Chat - a safe, supportive community for writers

 

The Internet can be a harsh, cruel place (as well as a wonderful one). 

One of our indie author community recently took their own life after suffering from online bullying 😥

CC Sullivan and I felt very strongly about wanting to avoid something so terrible happening again. We wanted to create a safe, supportive corner of The Internet where people can come for advice, promotion and encouragement. 

So, Indie Book Chat was born. 

On the first day of each month, we will host a Live Chat on Instagram. 

Our first broadcast will be on Thurs 01 Oct 2020, at 9am CST/MST - that's 4pm in the UK. We will explain more in our first episode, so do come along - follow/like/share 💓

If you can't make it live, it's OK, we'll be recording and sharing so you can watch at your own convenience. Recordings will also be shared in the Facebook group - Indie Book Lounge. 

That is a closed group where members are vetted before they join, so we may talk freely. And self-promotion is limited to the Flood It Friday threads only so discussions aren't cluttered with spam. 

Always in love and light,

TL

WRITING TIPS - You've Written a Book - Now What? - a checklist for authors

If you've written a book - congratulations!
So many "have a book inside them" and they just "think about writing one", but few get this far. So give yourself a pat on the back.

But now the real work begins!

1) Edit!!!
Hopefully, you've written draft one and have gone over it at least once.
But it is incredibly difficult to edit your own work - your brain knows what you meant to write.
So, hire an editor and a proof reader or copy editor - seriously!

2) ARC readers
Field test your book! ARC (Advanced Readers Copy) readers are incredibly helpful.
There may still be bits you need to think about.
Incidentally, beta readers are a good idea once you've finished draft 1, in case there's big changes which need to be made in the early stages.

3) Blurb
I've written an article to help guide you through this most despised task.
It's a very different skill set, and worthy of your time & considertaion.

4) Cover
Your cover needs to be awesome. People can tell if it's not professional, and will deter some of your potential readers.
This is one of your main points of contact; your first chance to make a good impression.
They are truly worth their weight in gold.
Personally, I use the fine service of Robin Ludwig, but obviously, choose one who you feel best.

5) Publish
Once you have a fabulous, well-polished product, it's time to publish.
Whether this is via a traditional publisher or yourself is up to you.
A traditional publisher will help you with the editing and cover. NEVER pay a publisher; they should pay you!
My pros and cons of both options are in this handy blog post.

If you decide to publish yourself, are you going to use Amazon KDP?
They hold the market share, so yes, you should.
But they have KDP Select, which means your book is free in Kindle Unlimited BUT limits you to Amazon only.
There's another post about KU vs wide distribution here.

You'll need to create your KDP account.
Also, if you're distributing your book as a paperback as well as ebook, you'll want to consider purchasing your own ISBN number.

OK, so upload your book. I've still not written a post on the KDP process, but you will need to decide which categories (genres) your book goes into and the keywords.
Keywords are the words readers type into their search to bring up a selection of books e.g. billionnaire romance.
Now, certain keywords will open up different, hidden categories.
e.g. the keyword 'witch' will get you into Romance>Paranormal>Witches
A list of these keywords is on the Amazon KDP website.

You will also need to decide on pricing. This needs some research, and depends on the length of your book, amongst other factors.

For things to do for the paperback, please see this post.

6) Reviews
Hopefully, you got some ARC readers lined up from step 2.
But if you haven't, it's not too late.
There are websites such as The Indie View who list reviewers, along with the genres they read and website where you'll find their review policy, if they're accepting requests and how to submit them.

7) Promotion
Now, you need to tell the world!!!
Write to your local paper; is there something special that makes it stand out that a newspaper will want to talk about?
Who's your target market? Where do they hang out? Get to know them, mingle (online).
Is there a book club near you that would like to read your book?
Who are the 'influencers' in your genre? Can you grab their attention.
Befriend other authors, especially the more successful ones ;) Hey, they're nice people, they may lend you understanding if nothing else.
(blog on advertising for introverts here)

8) Advertise
(like promotion, but bear with)
Two of the most important ones I've discovered that work for me:

i) AMS ads (Amazon Marketing Services)
This is located under your KDP account, under 'ad campaigns', 'view your ads dashboard page'.
This is not an easy process. It's worth taking time to study it.
Dave Chesson does a free course, accessed via his YouTube video - he takes you through the long way, but obviously, there is the option of purchasing his Rocket software (but don't feel obliged).

ii) Facebook ads
NOT the boosted posts! No!
Under the top right dropdown list on Facebook you'll find a "create ad" option.
If you've taken the time to learn AMS ads, this is a whole lot easier; it's a similar process.
*UPDATE* this is less effective now and can have costly mistakes!

Plus iii) Bookbub
I've STILL not managed to bag myself a 'Featured Ad' deal - they're like gold dust!
BUT I am told that they're really worth their high price tag. You should at least make back the cost of the ad (but don't blame me if you don't).
It's definitely worth creating an account on their site. More and more people are starting to use this for reviews as Amazon make it harder to do so. And there's lots and lots of readers on there.
They also let you run your own ads (similar again to AMS) and there's pre-release options too.

9) Launch
Have a fb launch party if you want - I've not ever achieved many sales, but have made new author and reader friends there.
*UPDATE* less effective now but still fun and good for networking

Plaster your release day across your social media.

Then 10) Pray...
to whatever deity you are affiliated with! 😉
Because, at the end of the day, it's all luck.
Be in the right place at the right time and your book will get noticed by the right people.

Oh, and secret option 11) Panic 😱
Yep - most of us go through this, especially when the book's with ARC readers.
It goes something like, "My book is awesome, I'm really excited. Shit, but what if it's not? And readers hate it? This could end my career before it's begun. What have I done? Oh dear God, I suck so bad! Why did I do this? Whyyyyy?" 😱
*Please note that this may be slotted in at any step, and often repeated.

This always leads to 12) What was I worried about? 😏

Please, during 'Panic' do remember that you do not suck. That you WILL get through this. Just keep going. Chocolate and/or alcohol is very handy to have in stock to assist the alleviation of 'Panic'.
- This is also another VERY good reason to make friends with other authors. When 'Panic' is reached, message one (or several) authors, who will understand and offer you reassuring virtual pats on the head and soft words of understanding.
*Don't forget to breathe!

So, I leave you, wishing you very good luck.
You got this!

Always in love and light,

TL

The Art of Self Love

Image c/o Princess Sassypants

I wanted to explore self-love a little more here.
Yes, I have a novel of that name coming out, but when I started to look at the hashtags, I began to get concerned. Not because of smutty images; do get that mind out of the gutter, please. No, because I fear it may be being misinterpreted.

Self-love is about self-care.
Simple as that really.
Valuing yourself, making sure you're OK.

When we seek outside validation for how we look, this is NOT self-love.
In fact, it could be quite the reverse.

My background; I had started my Reiki training, but changed tutors. My new Reiki Master asked us all in level 2 if we'd been doing self-Reiki. We all shook our heads.
"No, that's for my clients," I explained when asked.
As holistic therapists and spiritual people, we all put others first. That's what lovely people do, isn't it?
Wrong!
Let me tell you what she told us. "You cannot pour from an empty cup."

Oh!
This really struck a chord with me.
So, to help others best I need to be at my best? Well, yeah. If I'm not vibrating at my highest energy then I'm not going to channel as much for others.

This does not just apply to Reiki, please don't worry about that.
But when you are happy are you not more inclined to help others too?
If you are sad you require assistance, and that's absolutely fine. But you're not in the best place to help others.

When I was a counsellor, I went for what is called 'supervision'. It's a kind of counselling for counsellors. We would discuss if anything had pressed our buttons; if we needed to discuss anything that had come up for us. It ensures the counsellor is not adversely affected, and is able to help others without their own stuff interfering.

That may all be well and good, but maybe you're now wondering what on Earth I'm talking about with vibrations (it does NOT include batteries btw 😉), or thinking you don't want to go for counselling. Well, you don't have to! (but please do seek help if you need it)

Self-love, as I said, is as simple as self-care.
Perhaps you're a highly driven career person, desperately trying to keep up with chores etc. when you get home.
You may be a busy mum/dad, running around, putting your precious poppets first. They demand this attention, after all.
"I don't have time," you may tell me.
Bollocks!

OK, so this quote drives the point home, but is a little bit terrifying too.
I'm not going to tell you to meditate for an hour, unless you want to.
I just want to encourage you to make time.
Even if it's once the kids are in bed, and you manage to go to the loo in peace for ten whole minutes. Light some candles (they help with the smell 😃) and read a book whilst you're there.

Better yet, take a hot bubble bath. This is one of my favourite ways to relax. Candles, music, perhaps a drop of wine, time to myself as I soak in suds; bliss!
But there's so many ways you can practice self-love.

• Take a walk; find some trees to wander around. 
• Eat healthily. Drink more water. 
• Get some exercise.
• Breathe in the aroma of your coffee and relish that cup. 
• When you go to bed, close your eyes, and let your thoughts wander without dwelling on problems before you sleep.
• Hell, just brush your hair and put on clothes that make you feel good. 

*see womenwithsparkle on Instagram for weekly inspiration/reminders to sparkle up.
And/or follow princesssassypants on Facebook for happy pictures.
Or, you know, just look at cat pictures.

You will find a mini-version of my self-talk talk on YouTube and my IGTV

And my Writer's Block blog post includes further useful links, including to my meditations on InsightTimer.

The important thing is YOU do something for YOU!  

We have been conditioned to think selfishness is bad. "You should not be all about you."
You should still be compassionate and think of others. But NOT to the exclusion of yourself!
Take care of you, and you can better take care of others.

Self-love is self-care.
It is NOT selfish. Is IS essential! 

Got it? Good!

Always in love and light,

TL

Should you wish to read my novel where Molly goes through personal growth whilst shrinking, you can find Self Love on all good ereaders (and in paperback).

WRITING TIPS - Writing - Why we do it

"The road is loooooong," to quote the song "He Ain't Heavy".
And there is indeed many a winding road. And who knows where they may lead?

I see writers online struggling with their burden, wondering if it is worth carrying on.
So, I thought I'd address this question today.

The question stems from your reason for writing.
Are you writing to try to make money? If so, then perhaps you should quit. Very few people manage to make a living from writing.
Does a ballet dancer ever make copious quantities of money? Most don't. But they practice until their feet are deformed and bleeding, pushing themselves to new and harder limits. Why? Because they love it.

Dance and writing are art forms.
Artists practice their craft for the love of it. Because to not pursue it is inconceivable.
Writing is like breathing to me now. I can't not write. Whether people buy my books or not, I have to carry on.

Do I want more people to buy and enjoy my books?
Of course. But that's not why I write.
It is part of me, and I am part of it.

My friend, whom I've mentioned before, was a wonderful spiritual adviser.
"Keep on keeping on," she'd tell me.
This advice still rings in my ears. Through every struggle in my life, when I feel as if I can't continue one more step, I remember those sage words. I dig deep, and find the strength to carry on.

Bad sales figures can be disheartening. Negative reviews can feel soul destroying.
Don't let one person ruin your day.
Maybe you've had a bad day. It is not the same as having a bad life.
And beneath it all, we have our love for writing.
We continue to pour our souls onto the page as we have no other option.

It takes work. A lot of work.
I have been published for five years, and I am still learning, still building my audience.
Overnight success is a myth.
It takes time and effort to write, to hone your craft, to publicise your book/s, to garner interest.
This is a long game.
It takes drive, determination and stamina.
It takes every ounce you think you can give it, and then it demands more, this muse of writing.

Stories plague us, they taunt us, they dance in our heads until we think we will go quite mad.
And sometimes they hide as we put blocks in our own way. Our characters fall silent, refusing to speak.
I have written before about the struggles of procrastination, the crippling self doubt which can creep up on us, and of writer's block.
Then we have to relax. Take a step back. Distract ourselves until the story once more flows from our veins and drips through our fingertips.

What does success look like to you?
If you've pushed that big scary publish button; well done you. That's massive! Do you know how many people tell me, "I've been thinking about writing a book?" LOADS! Thinking is the operative word. They've not done it. They've not bared all, haven't yet had the courage to do what you have done. You're a success already!
If you've not published yet, but are writing...yep, you're a success too. You're following your passion, making headway. Keep going.

We all have our own path. Others have theirs.

Do not feel pain or envy at others' success. Celebrate it. It should give us hope, that perhaps we all have a chance after all. 

What works for one doesn't necessarily work for another.

Keep learning different promotional ideas. Try them. Find what works for you. 

Everything is exactly as it should be. 

You are already walking your path. Keep putting one foot in front of the other. Take that next step. 

You got this.

I still have stories to tell.
Do you?

Always in love and light,

TL

WRITING TIPS - Writing Dialect and Accents in Dialogue

What do your characters sound like? 

Do they have their own characteristics? Or do they end up like the teacher in Peanuts? 

I started looking at dialect in a previous post, but wanted to go into more detail.

So, you may have deduced I'm British. What gave it away? ;-) 

I therefore write in 'British' English. I spell words like colour and aluminium. 

There is a whole debate on this, but I'm British and so are most of my characters, so the (bearskin) hat fits 💂

However, this doesn't tackle what my characters sound like. 

To the rest of the world, the English accent is akin to the old BBC one, I think. Haw haw haw, what what, jolly good show - pah!

We have many different accents in our beautiful country. And I will admit, even I don't understand them all (*blushes*). 

The good folks of Glasgow have a very strong Scottish accent. Have you watched Trainspotting? Hmm...Ewan McGregor...

(*coughs*) Sorry, where was I? Oh, Trainspotting. Right. So you've maybe watched the film. 

But have you read the book? 

OMG what?? It's actually written in "Scottish". 

Now, this hasn't harmed that, has it? 

Good old Thomas Hardy, author of novels such as Tess of the d'Urbervilles, wrote obviously in his ye olde English style but also used some local dialects from the countryside. Again, very popular. If a little hard to follow sometimes. 

Mark Twain is an example of an author who used the Southern American vernacular. 

We're a diverse world, so don't be afraid to show it. 

Now, a word of caution. This can very rapidly become overdone. Although the examples above are very popular books, a lot of readers are put off by them. So, we want to use it sparingly. After all, we don't want to end up sounding like Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins, do we? Cor blimey! 

e.g. Cerys in my own Darkness & Light Duology is Welsh. 

This is a hugely sweeping generalisation. Of course, there's many parts of Wales and many dialects and accents. But I didn't want to write in Welsh, and wanted to keep it broad so people didn't locate the elinefae 😉

Some of her dialogue has a note, such as...

“Hmm…you are new.”

Shakira noted the sing-song lilt of the woman’s Welsh accent. But instead of the usual cheeriness that went along with that association, there was a gruffness too. 

In other places, I added some key Welsh words e.g. cwtch

He lifted his arm and wrapped her up in a proper cwtch; the most comforting type of hug you can find anywhere.

I even snuck in a 'popty ping' - which is a bit of a standing joke. Supposedly an alternative word for microwave. It's not really used with any seriousness in real life.

I digress. It's not like I'm saying I'm wonderful, follow me. I'm merely giving you an example. There's many ways to approach it. I happen to think less is more. The aim is to add flavour, without labouring the point.

Adding accents/dialects is a fun way of differentiating 'character voice'.

Have a play! Writing should be fun.

btw, a distinction between terms:

Dialect - is when vocabulary/grammar changes e.g. Hampshire, England uses "nipper" as a term for child. "Alright, nipper?" is "Are you OK little one/kiddo?" 

Accent - is the pronunciation of words e.g. the different way Americans pronounces vase as opposed to English personages

So there we have it, another wonderful blog post which will enlighten you.

Or just some TL brain vomit 😁

As always, feel free to comment below with your opinions and/or suggestions for future blog posts. 

Always in love and light,

TL

WRITING TIPS - How to Avoid Passive Voice in Your Writing

So, you got your tenses sorted. Your past is now kept in your past. 

You've got a proof reader, and there's barely any spelling errors. 

Congratulations; your writing is improving. 

However, some bright spark tells you your novel is boring. This could well be because of THE PASSIVE VOICE (*insert dramatic music*)

Some reviewers will actually use that term. Readers are increasingly savvy. 

But wtf is passive voice? 

Well, it's kinda what it says. 

I've looked up the technical definition for you

"A form or set of forms of a verb in which the subject undergoes the action of the verb (e.g. they were killed as opposed to the active form he killed them )."

It has its place in writing (e.g. if you don't want to reveal which character is performing the action). But as a rule of thumb, you want to be dynamic, and use 'active voice'. 

You want your characters to do something, and not just have stuff done to them.

Think of avoiding any form of 'to be' or 'have'. Be careful; this isn't always the case. Just keep it in mind.

Here's a humorous example of passive voice:

Why was the road crossed by the chicken?

Trying to think of all this may feel overwhelming. Your school lessons creak and groan their way back up to the top of your memory. 

Here's what I find handy:

He/she/it/feeling - often lead to passive voice

I usually write in the 3rd person. So, for me, a repeating occurrence of 'she' is a good indicator of passive voice. Aim to keep the usage down, maybe one per paragraph? 

She ran through the forest, not knowing where she was going, but she needed to get away from whatever was chasing her. 

becomes

Her feet pounded against the ground as she sprinted away from her predator, without any real thought of direction. 

Does the second example sound more dramatic? A sense of urgency has been added. The character is moving. 

Your character shouldn't "feel sad", but should "her shoulders slumped and her head bent as tears escaped her eyes". 

But this really falls under "show don't tell" which I'll explore fully another time. 

It just wanted to pop up here, so I let it.

Along similar lines, avoid too many adverbs (the words ending 'ly').
If you say "he said softly", it is stopping some description.
Try "he whispered in her ear" instead. Or "his hushed tones made her quiver".

I'm a fan of adverbs. They were invented; they have a special name, and everything, so I think they're fine. Just, use them with caution. Is there a more elegant/dynamic way of saying what you're writing?

OK, that's all I'm going to say. 

I want to keep this article short and simple, so it's a bit easier to digest. 

As usual, feel free to add your opinion in the comments. Just keep it polite. 

Always in love and light,

TL

WRITING TIPS - Indie author vs Traditional Publishing - which to choose?

It is a question asked many times, by many people, many times a day.

Independent author publishing vs traditional publishing; which is best?

I'm tempted to go 'Harry Hill' on you right now, and say,
"There's only one way to find out. Fiiiight!"
But that would not be terribly helpful, no matter how amusing.

So? How do you decide which is better?
There is no right or wrong here. Both have their merits and their pitfalls. At the end of the day, it comes down to personal preference.

I'm an indie author, as you probably know by now.
I'm loud and proud to be so. It was a choice for me. My own reason is truthfully because I'm a control freak. I didn't want someone tearing my book apart, and applying their own formula to it, and taking most of the proceeds.
If/when I achieve best seller status, I want to be able to say, "I made that."

But what are the pros and cons?

Indie Authors

This is probably the hardest path, judging solely on the fact it's the one I chose, and I always seem to choose the path of most resistance ;-) 

You are in charge of your own destiny, but this is very much restricted.

You dictate the content of your own book.

You say when, where, how much. 

This in itself can be overwhelming. 

Let's take ebooks only (paperbacks become even more complex): 

Do you publish via Amazon KDP? 

Well, Amazon holds the market share, so that seems sensible.

Ah, but then there's the KDP Select option, which gets your book in Kindle Unlimited (susbscribers then get your book for free, as they pay one monthly fee). 

Ah, but that means your ebook has to be EXCLUSIVE to Amazon. And there's many other platforms out there. 

Do you remain out of KU and 'go wide'? 

I'll probably do a whole blog post on this alone at some point. And how much do you charge? 

You employ your own editor, proof reader, cover designer etc. But this is costly. You have to pay upfront, and it all mounts up. 

And yes, ideally, you do need all these. At the very least, a proof reader, as it's virtually impossible to spot all your own errors. You know what you know, and your brain knows what you meant to write. 

You are responsible for all your own marketing. This is both good and bad, really. I enjoy it. 

Having an 'online presence' is vital. This means creating, maintaining, and regularly interacting on many social media platforms. 

You have your own blog, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon author page...the list goes on. 

This really eats into your precious writing time. 

You will also find many doors are closed to you. The major newspapers/magazines/blogs don't review indie authors.

Brick & mortar book shops are virtually impossible to get into. If you use print-on-demand for your paperback, the costs are high, and the stores like a 55% wholesale discount, which prices you out. 

Waterstones have a process. And when I can face looking at it again, I'll write a blog post on that. There's many many hoops to jump through. And you're unlikely to succeed, but there is a teeny weeny glimmer of hope. 

At the end of the day, it's your book your way.

Traditional Publishers

OK, maybe traditional publishing is the solution. All of the above sounds like very hard work. 

If you get into one of the 'top five' success seems guaranteed.

Well no, of course it's not. But maybe you have a marginally better chance. 

The top publishers now require you to have an agent to even approach them.

They are another layer of gatekeepers, another round of applications, with possibly many rejections. This can be really tough to take. 

Bear in mind, even JK Rowling was turned down by multiple publishers though. 

There are many authors applying for their perceived golden ticket, but only a very few places are available. Even if you want to get in, you may not be able to gain access.

But if you do get through the double gateway, you then have a lovely contract, with hopefully an advance. 

NB NEVER ever pay someone else to publish your book. They are vanity publishers, and won't make your dreams come true.

They have their own editing teams etc. They can take care of a lot of this for you. (*sigh of relief*)

However, it's still up to you to make the changes. And you may not agree with what they have to say. 

And you still have to do a lot of your own marketing. They don't have the resources to do all this for every author on their books. They may be able to assist, and maybe you'll get the opportunity to be reviewed by the big hitters. But not necessarily. 

The choice is yours, at least, which to go for.
Obviously, the choice of acceptance by trads is in their hands.

Just know this;
WRITING IS HARD
Whichever door you go through, and path you walk down, it is not easy. But it just may be worth it.
Success is never guaranteed, but a lot of hard work is.

As I have said before: write because you love it.

Incidentally, I ran a series of interviews with different kinds of authors, including best sellers like Amanda Prowse. We all should support one another.


Always in love and light,
TL

WRITING TIPS - Free books - traditional and indie authors

Extra extra, get your free books...! 

No, I'm not offering. Sorry. 

Instead, you will find my ramblings on the topic of free books. 

Now, I see a lot of indie authors moaning how it's us against them, with 'them' being traditional publishing houses.

But as we continue down this path of free access to publishing, this is becoming less and less the case. 

Trad pubs are struggling too. 

OK, they have bigger advertising budgets. And sure, they let celebrities publish through them; they come with their own publicity. I can't blame them. 

But make no mistake, they are finding times tough too. 

The biggest challenge facing us all is the free book. 

As I was scrolling through Amazon, I realised just how large this problem is. 

Here's some actual screen shots, spanning different genres. Do you see how often the word free crops up in people's searches? And that's without typing the word free into my search! 

There are companies with massive mailing lists, eager to tell their subscribers of free (or heavily discounted) books. 

Authors sign up to this, often paying for the pleasure, eager to get more exposure for their hard work. 

Readers rub their hands in glee at the marvellous amount of books they can get. 

It's all harmless, right?

But here's the thing. 

How much value do you place on a book you got for free?

Did you just download it because it was there? And now it sits, unloved, on your virtual Kindle (or other ereader) shelf? Will you ever read it? And if you do, will you review it? 

Most won't. 

But more than that. The book was fairly and competitively priced to start with. 

ALL authors work hard at getting their price point right. 

It may be free to press publish on the likes of Amazon, but once it gets bought, they take their cut out of the royalties. 

And then there's all the other hidden expenses; the editor, the cover designer, the stock images, the marketing campaigns etc. etc. etc. 

It all adds up. And authors usually have to have a full time job, just to keep the roof over their head. 

Very few have the luxury of being a writer full time. 

And readers then come to expect free books all the time.

"What? Pay for a book? No. I get all mine free. What mug would pay?"

Writing is hard. It takes blood, sweat and tears. We authors pour our souls onto the page. 

The immense amount of work can take months or even years. 

Oh, if you only knew the agonies we suffer. The crippling self doubt which takes over. The arguments we have with our characters as they start behaving in a way we didn't expect. 

Not that I'm complaining. I love writing. 

But many call their books their book babies. We nurture, care for and love our creations. 

We press publish and offer you our innermost thoughts. They get laid bare for you.

And yet you don't want to pay even $2.99 for all this? 

Let me ask you? How much did you spend on your coffee today?

Hm? A little over $3 or £3, was it? 

One little coffee. How long does it take you to drink that? 

Now, how long does it take you to read a book? 

Oh, but you could buy a book for the same price? That seems like good value now, doesn't it?

Would you walk into a coffee house and demand a free coffee? Would you? 

Fancy a free outfit from your favourite clothes retailer? 

Or perhaps you'd wander into an art gallery and demand a free painting? 

No, I thought not.

So why do you expect free books?

Incidentally, coffee is another large expense for authors. It is often considered writer's fuel. 

So go on, buy us a coffee. Pay the reasonable, original price for our books. Please.

Then we can afford to keep writing more. Everyone wins. 

This has been a public service announcement on behalf of all kinds of authors everywhere. 

Thank you for listening.

(opinions are all my own, and I do not represent any others). 

Always in love and light, 

TL

WRITING TIPS - Procrastination

Oh sweet distractions. We've all done it, right?
Please tell me it's not just me.

I have all this wonderful sweet sweet time. I used to dream of this; the availability to write full time.

I actually 'won' NaNoWriMo in November; over 50,000 words in just one month.
I know I can do it!

But then a bad back, Christmas, flu etc. got in my way.
But last week I finally managed to finish draft 1 of my work in progress.
Hoorah!

The dreaded 'editing' looms like a loomy thing in loomy town.
Actually, I normally quite like it; shaping and molding my little booky wook.

But what have I done?
Bugger all this week!!

• Monday I had to rest thanks to a rare migraine overnight.
• Tuesday I went out with my mother-in-law; it's a public service she provides for me. It means I get a little fresh air from time to time.
• Wednesday I was prepping for a photoshoot (this includes shaving, waxing, bathing). But then I saw the leak in the roof had started up again, worse than before the repair. A minor hissy fit may have ensued. 
• Today is Thursday and I've waited around for the roofers to come back and fix what they fixed before, and social media'd as it's easier to pick up and put down. 
• And now I've started organising a group promo for my folks in the Facebook group Indie Coffee Lounge  Ooh yes, muchly organising must be done. Yes, even writing this very blog post can be added to my list of important stuffs I simply must do. 

What am I doing? Really? I'm procrastinating. 

Come one, I've not been so busy all week I couldn't have found the time to do some editing. 

But I've wriggled out of facing it. This is my confession.

I know why too. 

I am suffering The Fear.

The fear that I will start going back through all that hard work and decide it's total tripe and will never be good enough to publish. 

This is what it looks like in my head. I'm still that little girl. I fear the pointy fingers of derision. The ones which tell me I'm crap, and not worthy. That I'll never achieve anything. Just not good enough. 

Time to tell them to fuck off!!! (excuse my potty mouth)

No. Bollocks. I'm not apologising. Sneer and jeer all you want at my naughty words. They're my words and what I feel and no pointy fingered people are going to dissuade me from venting my spleen! 

Piss off pointy fingers. 

I am a grown woman. 

I am an author. I have 7 books out, all of which have some lovely reviews.

I CAN and I WILL do this. 

So boo yar shucks (*pokes out tongue*)

Hear me roar.

(ooh, scared myself a little bit then)

Ah, that feels betterer. 

Tomorrow I will dedicate the whole day to editing. Because I can. 

And you can too xx

Always in love and light,

TL

To view my selection of lovely books which I've successfully published please go here