I feel the need to unpack this.
Continue reading Moe Lane pontificates about self-publishing!I accepted in 2020 that I would never have an agent, never get a book deal, and instead concentrated on self-publishing. Since then I've published four novels, two anthologies, five four-story chapbooks, and I'm doing via crowdfunding/reader patronage.https://t.co/oIa6e9nqnl
— Ogiel (Moe Lane) (@Ogiel23) September 26, 2024
I understand why it happens, but I don’t approve.
One that will tell you how to do it using Open Office, specifically. I am not buying Word for this, particularly since you don’t actually buy Word. This ‘leasing an app for a while’ nonsense is precisely that: nonsense, and it will get out of control.
I have a manuscript that’s ready for collation and adaptation into book-like form. I will do this… tomorrow. Right now, I am seriously contemplating going and having a drink.
At this rate I shall be caught up… soon. Which is excellent: I had let the work pile up. At this rate, pretty soon I’ll need to get the paperback book cover for TINSEL RAIN put together. I tend to do them myself when it’s a chapbook*, but when it comes to the novels I let a professional handle things.
Moe Lane
*My chapbooks, in case you haven’t figured out, are exercises in frugality. I practice my editing on them myself, do layout and everything, and try not to spend any money outside of the art. Honestly, spending money on art is one of the unexpected perks of this entire authorial thing. It’s… affirming.
#commissionearned
I will, alas, probably miss the September 1st deadline at this point. But not by more than a few days. I’ll also definitely have to go through the book to look for proofing errors, and won’t that be fun? – but if all goes well, I’ll have it ready to sell at that book fair thing I’m doing in October, which is the important thing.
Yay! And keep watching the skies!
…and assessing the publishing schedule in light of it. I just don’t know how I can avoid doing TINSEL RAIN without a Kickstarter, dagnabbit. MORGAN BAROD is achievable on its own, but then the kitty’s empty and it’ll take time to refill. And if I want another chapbook done this year, that’s gonna cost some cash, too.
All in all, I imagine that this is a lot easier to do when all you need to do is sell manuscripts to publishers. Not a complaint, or at least not trying to be a complaint. I’m lucky, compared to most people trying to self-publish. …And ain’t that a cheery thought.
Continue reading Spent the evening doing spreadsheets…It’s a really interesting question; and, as you might imagine, one that’s of some interest to me. Depending on who you ask, so far FROZEN DREAMS has either broken through the average number of sales for a new book, or is rapidly approaching it, or the entire conversation is ridiculous because the Kickstarter skewed everything. The number ‘250’ gets bandied about a lot, you see; only I’ve seen people confidently say that should be e-book sales, and others say that only print copies count, and still more say that the true number for print copies should be about 100, and then people start suggesting it should be about how much money you’re making per year.
Continue reading So, what *is* a successful author, anyway?More of the same, really:
I have a bunch of stories that could use revisions, editing, cleaning, or just revisiting because I sent them out last year, got them rejected, and then panicked and decided that they were ‘trunk stories’ and thus must be kept hidden until the Trump of Doom. Which is silly. They can’t earn for me if I don’t try to sell the dang things. So I decided to work on one tonight, in order to finish up tonight.
You gotta keep trying to publish, man. That’s like a Heinlein rule, right? I think it is, at least.
