The Authorpreneur Mindset

By The Soul ScribblerBusiness Arts Books Leisure Careers Hobbies

The Authorpreneur Mindset episodes

July 07, 2017Rapid Fire Questions #1 [Ep. 005]
This is the first Rapid Fire episode, that’s where I take multiple questions that don’t take a full episode to answer and, well, answer them! This time around we talk about how to write an author bio, if KDP Select is worth it, to share or not to share first drafts, marketing, and the editing process!
If you have a question you’d like to ask, there’s a button the right side of the website to make it easy! Or, just click here.
The podcast is brought to you by Steam Powered Dreams Publishing but paid for out of my own pocket. If you’d like to show your support, there are many different ways to do it:
Buy a copy of Scrivener
Support us on Patreon
Hire us to do your website
As always, below is a direct copy of the show notes. They were written before the episode was recorded but are here for reference and SEO.
Topic: Evergreen Stories and Stale Stories
What is the correct way to write an author bio? Is Amazon KDP Select the way to go? Should you share my first draft?
I am your host, Jeremy Collier, and today’s episode is the first Rapid Fire episode of The Authorpreneur Mindset.
A rapid-fire episode is when I answer questions that don’t really require a whole episode to talk about in itself.
Before we get into the topic, I wanted to talk a bit about our Patreon page. I mentioned it last episode, but I wanted to go into more detail on what exactly we’re offering on there, and how you can get a bunch of extra content for only $1 a month right now.
The first 25 people who back the podcast on patreon will actually get the $3 level for just that, $1. You get access to future patreon-only content, the ability to listen to the Authorpreneur Mindset early, a Patreon only form to ask questions, and access to our very exclusive Discord server.
We offer different things at different rewards levels, but let’s be honest, the $1 a month level is really all that matters right now.
So if you’d like to show some support and get access to all that, and more as we hit our goals, head over to Steampowereddreams.com/patreon.
With that out of the way, let’s get into our rapid fire questions.
The first question comes from Masha Leyfer who asks “How would you recommend I write my author bio?”
There is no one right way to write an author bio. Most authors write it in third person as if someone else is talking about you, but that’s not for everyone. Some people get right to the point and talk about their books, while others give some backstory to their lives. The important thing is that it is both professional and personal.
To give you an example, I’ll read mine
Next question from Diane DeMuth who asks “Is Amazon KDP exclusive the way to go? Is it better to be on all e-reader sites? What are the best ways/least expensive ways to market?”
Amazon KDP Select can bring a lot of value, especially to new authors, but it means potentially losing out on income from other sources. I’m a firm believer in going wide…eventually. What many authors do, and something I agree with, is, if you’re just starting out (or starting a new series) to put your books into KDP Select for a month, or two, or even three, and then once it has somewhat of a following on Amazon, take it out and go wide. This helps it get a jump-start, while still allowing you to make sales elsewhere.
As for best ways and least expensive ways to market, this is an ever-changing answer. Facebook ads, if done right, can be amazing, as can Amazon ads. Both of these methods take a lot of patience and a fair bit of luck but make sure before spending even a dime to do your research, maybe even take an online class or two.
My favorite method, and by far the cheapest because it’s free, of marketing is social media. Now, I’m not telling you to throw it into people’s faces, because that will backfire, but to join writing/reading communities and talk about your writing, and share your knowledge. People will ask you about your books and you will get sales. Find groups that allow for weekly advertising, but avoid groups that are all advertising. Have friends and family promote your books, read your books, and review your books (just remember: anyone with your last name cannot review your book on Amazon! It’s an odd thing, but can lead to problems.)
Next question is from Al Sanchez who says “I’ve read that many established writers frown on sharing 1st drafts. Opinions?”
Sharing your first draft is purely a personal choice. Many established writers frown upon sharing their first drafts to those who they cannot trust, but you’ll find that almost all of them share them with at least one person. If you have a loyal writer friend or reader friend who doesn’t mind that the story/characters/etc. Maybe really poorly laid out, it’s not only fine to share with them, but it’s very important to so that you can get their feedback.
With that said, my advice is to share your second draft. That is, write the first draft, read it over and do a full edit once, THEN share it with a trusted friend or family member. You’d be surprised how much a single edit can change your book!
The final question is from Daniel Cornett who asks “How many edits/drafts do you go through? I am waiting on my first draft edits back and I need to know how many edits are in my future.”
This question has many parts to it and the answer will change for every author. Some of the most prolific and famous writers go through 10 to 15 edits or even more, while others only 2 or 3.
For me personally, I do 1 full edit after the first draft, 1 spot edit after beta readers, and finally a full edit after my copyeditor (this is generally a quick read with very little changes though). Sometimes I do a full edit after the beta readers, but more often than not a spot edit will be enough.
But if we talk about average rounds of editing, I’d have to say it’s 5+. I’m not sure exactly what you mean by waiting on your first draft edits back. I don’t recommend hiring anyone to edit your book until you have polished it up as best you can. Not only will you have a better book, but it’ll cost you a lot less. Of course, if a traditional publisher picked up your book and that’s what you’re doing, it really is up to the editor. You may have to do 2 edits or 20.
I’m sorry my answer isn’t more specific, but every manuscript is as different as every author and every editor.
That’s it for our first Rapid Fire episode.
I want to thank everyone for the questions.
If you have a question, or 10, head on over to steampowereddreams.com/authorpreneurmindset and click on Ask A Question, or join our facebook group at facebook.com/SPDwritershelpingwriters
You can also find me directly on:
Facebook at facebook.com/jeremylcollier
Twitter at SoulScribbler,
and finally on Instagram at authorpreneurmindset
Until next week, I am your host Jeremy and don’t forget to keep moving forward.
The post Rapid Fire Questions #1 [Ep. 005] appeared first on SPD StoryStudio.
11 min
June 30, 2017Evergreen Stories Vs. A Stale Market [Ep. 004]
Have you ever wondered if your story has any fans out there? Maybe you’re writing in a niche genre, or more often than not, you were told that “that topic is so old, no one reads it anymore.” Well, that’s not exactly true. Every niche, no matter how small, has an audience, and most stories are evergreen, they just come and go in cycles.
In this episode, I’m going to talk about why you should avoid writing to the market and write what you truly want to right, and how it can benefit you in the future. Just because Zombies are played out right now, doesn’t mean they will be forever.
The podcast is brought to you by Steam Powered Dreams Publishing but paid for out of my own pocket. If you’d like to show your support, there are many different ways to do it:
Buy a copy of Scrivener
Support us on Patreon
Hire us to do your website
As always, below is a direct copy of the show notes. They were written before the episode was recorded but are here for reference and SEO.
Topic: Evergreen Stories and Stale Stories
Some stories stay golden forever, while others go viral and then tend to fade pretty quickly, but how do you know which is which?
And maybe more importantly, how do you plan your story around this type of ever-changing market?
Hello everyone, I’m Jeremy Collier, this is episode 4 of the Authorpreneur Mindset and today we’ll be talking about the difference between trends and evergreen stories.
But before we start that, I wanted to give a quick update about what’s been going on. A lot of changes are in the works for Steam Powered Dreams, most of which are happening out of necessity rather than choice. I have had to take a step back from my full-ahead plan I had originally started, but that doesn’t mean things will really change on the outside.
In fact, it should mean more consistent content coming out of us, both on our website, in your email, and on this show, so that is a good thing.
Also, I am happy to announce that I have completed the first interview for this podcast and that will be in Episode 6. It’s a very inspirational interview, so make sure you catch that one.
Also, I wanted to remind everyone that I’m offering discounts to listeners of this podcast for my Websites for Writers service. You can use the discount code Podcast to save 15%, but the true value comes from the fact that our prices are already significantly less money than others who offer a similar service. To get there, just go to websites.steampowereddreams.com
Even if you’re not looking for a website right now but want to help support the show, spread the word and let others know about this wonderful service
Or you could head over to our Patreon and pledge as little as $2 a month. You can find that at steampowereddreams.com/patreon
With all that out of the way, let’s get into the topic.
Today’s topic comes from Jennifer Quick and is an interesting one I’ve put a lot of thought into. She asks “I was told that certain genres just aren’t being looked at right now, ie werewolves. I had a freaking brilliant idea for a werewolf story that also tied into today’s deteriorating society in a subtle but eerie way. I understand that genres have a life span. That part I can very much get over. However, what boggles my mind is what was said afterward. “Publishers already know what they are looking for over the next SEVERAL years. If you don’t fit their search, don’t even bother trying.”
And the quick answer is that this is both true and not so true at the same time.
The publishing industry, especially in its current state, is changing faster than any publisher can keep up with.
In fact, more and more, the indie scene is dictating what direction things go in, rather than the big publishers.
This is because it isn’t unheard of for an indie to publish 2, 3, even 4 books a year, where it takes traditionally published authors at least a year to publish one, if not longer.
It is true that some sub-genres are just fads that go away and never come back, but those are rare.
More common are those that are evergreen, but come and go in a cycle.
Let’s use your werewolf story as an example.
Much like vampires, they became hot in the early 2000’s thanks to Twilight but have since started to fade away.
This is mostly due to the fact that everyone is trying to write to the market. You wouldn’t believe how many Twilight rip-offs there are out there right now, some much better than the original, but most just sloppy and written specifically for the market.
This dilutes the sub-genre and it quickly gets played out.
What’s the next big thing? There’s no way to be sure, though publishers do try to predict what will be the hot thing in 2-3 years. But, again, as fast as things change today, it’s nearly impossible.
A movie may come out that sparks people’s interest in a topic, or a video game, or even a book, and then that’s the newest and best thing.
Then hundreds of writers-for-hire (or people paying ghostwriters in hopes of cashing in) will flock to the computer and write in that genre until it’s saturated and no one wants to read it.
These people will become wealthy for a while and probably switch to a new genre as soon as it’s hot, repeating the process over and over.
It can be a bit daunting, But don’t worry, not all hope is lost.
There’s a reason it’s not recommended to write to the market because if you do, you may never write what YOU Want to write and you will be constantly changing what you write.
Topics like werewolves, vampires, aliens, elves, magic, space travel, and hundreds more will always resurface, and that’s why a person passionate about writing doesn’t write to the market but rather writes whatever they want to.
When Twilight came out, sales of Ann Rice’s Interview With A Vampire skyrocketed to levels that it hadn’t since the early 90’s when the movie first came out, and that wasn’t the first time that happened.
That book has had huge sales spikes multiple times since it was written in 1976 because it is a good book and the topic has cycled around more than once.
There is something I want to clarify, though. While a publisher won’t turn down a good book just because the sub-genre is “stale”, it is harder to get published, and this is why many people turn to self-publishing when they’re writing in a stale genre. This doesn’t mean don’t try to go the traditional route if that’s what you want, but you might find it much better for you, and your future, to self-publish.
So, in the end, it comes down to thinking about the long term, thinking about the future. If you want to write a werewolf story right now, it may not sell much this year or even in the next 5 years. But, if it’s a good book, there will come a time when werewolves are the hot thing and you will have an advantage because it’s already out there.
I hope this helps answer your questions, Jennifer.
If you have questions, there are three ways to reach me. The first is through the website at steampowereddreams.com/authorpreneurmindset and then click on Ask A Question.
The second is to join our facebook group at facebook.com/SPDwritershelpingwriters
The third is by contacting me directly
on Twitter at SoulScribbler,
on Instagram at authorpreneurmindset
on Facebook at facebook.com/jeremylcollier
Until next week, I am your host Jeremy and don’t forget to keep moving forward.
The post Evergreen Stories Vs. A Stale Market [Ep. 004] appeared first on SPD StoryStudio.
8 min
June 12, 2017What To Do After The First Draft Is Complete [ep. 003]
A topic that I get asked about all the time is what to do after you’re done with that first draft. Many new writers don’t realize how much work it takes to go from finishing that draft to published, and some don’t even realize they have anything to do. There was a day where a first draft might have gotten you a publishing deal if you were an amazing writer, but those days are long gone and have been replaced by either a lot of hard work and some money (indie publishing) or hard work and time (traditional publishing).
This week’s topic on post-first draft process comes from Kaylie Esther Rosenberry, a member of Writers Helping Writers on Facebook. She asks:
I’ve just finished the Rough Draft to my the 1st book in my fantasy/adventure series (my 1st novel – working on the 2nd as well). What is my next step? I have several beta-readers already lined up and reading as we speak, hopefully. 🙂 What’s next? My plan is to pursue a more traditional publication instead of self-publishing.
I hope this episode helps you, Kaylie, as well as anyone else who is curious about what to do next!
Show Notes (unedited copy of the show notes for SEO)
Imagine this; you’ve been working hard on your very first manuscript for sometime now and you’ve finally finished your rough draft.
You know it still has a long way to go, and have some friends reading over it who you know will both tell you if it’s good or not, but also be gentle and understanding at the same time. After all, it is just a rough draft.
But, where do you go from there?
Hello everyone, I’m Jeremy Collier, this is episode 3 of the Authorpreneur Mindset.
A small personal update on me: I got sick this week, again. It seems like about once a month or so I come down with something.
Websites at Steam Powered Dreams is just about to be launched and will be by the time this is released. It’s a great service for authors who want a full website on a budget. Use code Podcast to get 15% off.
Today’s topic comes from Kaylie Esther Rosenberry who says “I’ve just finished the Rough Draft to my the 1st book in my fantasy/adventure series (my 1st novel – working on the 2nd as well). What is my next step? I have several beta-readers already lined up and reading as we speak, hopefully. 🙂 What’s next? My plan is to pursue a more traditional publication instead of self-publishing.
THank you for the question, Kaylie, and the short answer is edit and rewrite until you can’t feel your fingers any more.
I’m kidding of course, but there is still a lot to do before you even think about submitting to an agent or publisher, and even more to do if you end up self publishing.
Since you already have beta readers who are reading your book, that’s a great place to start, but let me caution everyone on giving your book to beta readers too early.
Many times, you only have one shot with a beta reader, so you want that book to be as well written as you can possibly do alone before you hand it to them. This might mean 3 or 4 rounds of edits/rewrites, or just a single one, it’s different for each author, but that’s where you should start.
After Beta Readers, it’s time to really think about their feedback and implement what you think is important.
Then, you have the option of seeking out a Developmental Editor. The benefits is that this is a professional who has built a career on knowing what’s good and what’s not in a book, usually specific to a genre even. The bad news is that they do cost quite a bit and if you have very little budget for your book, it is better spent later.
Once you’ve been through beta readers and developmental editing and fixed all the little plot holes and mistakes you can, that’s when it’s time for a copyeditor.
Now, some people will tell you that you shouldn’t pay for editing prior to submitting to a publisher, but times have changed and most publishers won’t look past page one unless it’s as near to perfect as it can be. Spend the money to get your copy edits done, you won’t regret it.
While your copy editing is going on, start researching agents or publishers. If you’re looking at small press or medium press, they tend to not require agents, and many of them prefer not to have them at all, but all the bigger names won’t even look in your direction unless you have one.
If you are going with an agent, they will know which publishers to submit your work to, so you don’t have to worry about researching both.
Then, you wait. It may be weeks or months, but you wait. The rejections will start coming in and that should feel good, because that means you have people reading your work.
Read each one, especially those that have constructive criticism, and then move on.
LIsten to your agent when they say something might need to be done, either altering parts of your story or whatever it is, since they know the industry best.
Then, one day, you’ll finally get that letter that tells you they will publish you.
After that, the process is different for every author and can last anywhere between 6 months to 2 years before your book is actually out there. There will be negotiations over royalty, rights, cover, sections of your story that they want you to rewrite, rounds of editing, and possibly even months of silence, but once that contract is signed, it will happen.
You will be a published author, and it feels great! But it doesn’t quite stop there.
Another thing that has changed is these days the author is required to do their own marketing. The publisher will put you on their website, promote you to their mailing list, but probably won’t spend very much money on advertising.
Make sure you talk with them about what you can do, but generally making sure to reach out to all your social networks, friends, and family to buy your book within the release window (usually 2-3 weeks). The more downloads and reviews you get in that window, the more likely you are to be promoted by your publisher to a greater extent.
There is something you cannot forget, though, that you should be doing throughout this whole process, and it’s the most important step any author can take, whether you want to be self-published or traditionally published, and that’s to start writing your next book.
By the time you have your first book published, you should be well on your way to finishing your second.
I hope this helps answer your questions, Kaylie.
If you have questions, there’s two ways to reach me. The first is through the website at steampowereddreams.com/authorpreneurmindset and then click on Ask A Question.
The second is to join our facebook group at facebook.com/SPDwritershelpingwriters
You can also find me:
on Twitter at SoulScribbler,
on Instagram at authorpreneurmindset
on Facebook at facebook.com/jeremylcollier
Until next week, I am your host Jeremy and don’t forget to keep moving forward.
The post What To Do After The First Draft Is Complete [ep. 003] appeared first on SPD StoryStudio.
19 min
June 08, 2017Misconceptions and Scams In The Publishing Industry [Ep. 002]
The first episode of The Authorpreneur Mindset seemed to be a hit! So we took a few weeks between that episode and this to get ahead. You can expect 3 episodes over the next week and then at least 1 episode a week after that. I’m really excited about the content we have planned for you!
Also, I realized today the website hasn’t been updated with proper links to where to download, that will be fixed ASAP.
This episode is all about the Misconceptions and Scams in the Publishing Industry, so it’s one you really don’t want to miss! We talk about vanity publishing (both the good and bad), the misconceptions about traditional publishing, we also talked about the differences in money between traditional and indie and how you might be surprised at the changing times. There’s a lot more content than that, as well!
The podcast is brought to you by Steam Powered Dreams Publishing but paid for out of my own pocket. If you’d like to show your support, there are many different ways to do it:
Buy a copy of Scrivener
Support us on Patreon
Hire us to do your website
As always, below is a direct copy of the show notes. They were written before the episode was recorded but are here for reference and SEO.
Topic: Misconceptions and Scams
There are a lot of all too common misconceptions in the publishing industry and it doesn’t just stop when you’ve been published traditionally.
In fact, that’s just the start for many companies who are trying to get as much money out of you for as little effort as possible.
Today I’m going to be talking about some of the scams and misconceptions that are spread across all aspects of the writing industry, from outlining and planning, all the way up to stealing your rights away from you with the promise to publish your book
I’m Jeremy Collier and this is episode 2 of the Authorpreneur Podcast
So, getting into our topic for this episode, let’s first talk about some of the misconceptions revolving writing and publishing.
Misconception Number 1: Self/Indie Pub are not truly published authors.
Self Publishing is now not only viable, but for most authors a better choice.
You get full royalty rates and have full control over the who, what, when, where, and how of your book.
If you want to sell your eBook on Amazon exclusively, your paperback at a local mom-and-pop bookstore, and create your own audiobook to sell on your website, you can do that.
If you wanted to give away a free copy of your eBook for every physical book sold, you can do that.
Decided on changing the cover, CTA’s, back, etc.? You’re in 100% control.
But it is a business and it takes some knowledge in not just writing, but everything else, as well. Even if you outsource things like formatting, cover, and the actual publishing, you should still know enough to understand the process.
You’ll also get to choose how your book is marketed and when.
Misconception Number 2: If you get a traditional deal, they do everything!
Sure, if you’re name is Stephen King or JK Rowling they’ll take your finished manuscript and turn it into a masterpiece, with high quality edits, cover design, and formatting, not to mention thousands invested in marketing, but most of us don’t get that treatment.
In fact, in exchange for around 90% of the profit, the traditional published author gets very little.
Mediocre editing (enough to pass as edited), if that. Many require you to have your work edited ahead of time and they just touch it up. It’s becoming more common to see manuscripts rejected based on the fact they are not professionally edited.
Virtually no marketing, other than on the webpage of the publisher (and no one really visits there)
Royalty rates that kick in only AFTER advances are paid, if any advance is given
Advances are actually a dying art, at least big ones.
All of this with little to no say over what happens once you sign that contract.
Misconception Number 3: A traditional publisher has more reach and you can make a lot more money.
The first part of this is true. Most traditional publishers DO have a much further reach, but as we talked about a few minutes ago, they don’t generally use it unless you’re a huge name, and even when they do, you don’t get as much benefit from it as you might think.
Recently, a NYT best selling author came out and said they only make $0.40 per book sold on their books, which range from $12 (eBook) to $14 (paperback). That’s next to nothing.
This means that a publisher would have to help you sell 21x more books for you to make the same amount as an indie. To put that into perspective, if an indie sold 100 books a month (very easy with a little bit of marketing smarts) at that price, they would make around $840 bucks. In order for that same author above to make that much money, the publisher would have to help them sell 2100 copies. See the problem there?
I know it’s not all about the money. SOme people just want to be traditionally published, and I get that and that’s fine, but if you’re trying to build a career out of your writing, it is next to impossible to do with traditional publishing, unless you’re able to crank out 3+ books a year for the first few years and not expect much money in return.
Misconception Number 4: Self-Publishing is better because you’ll earn more money in the long run.
This is opposite of number 3 and something else I hear a lot, and much like the answer above, it’s not always true.
I just talked about the earning potential difference between an author who sells 100 books as an indie vs. 2100 as a published, but that scenario would never happen. There are very few, if any, indie authors who would try to sell their ebook for $12. The more common price range is $2.99-5.99 (but as much as 9.99). The reason it’s higher for traditional is because the publsihing house needs to stay in business.
So that same eBook that sells for $12 in traditional would probably sell for $5.99 in indie, meaning it would take more sales to reach any type of number to make a living.
It’s also less likely you will make much money off of a single book. Most indie authors say they start making money around the third book and can comfortably rationalize either cutting back hours or quitting their dayjob at around 6-8 books. That’s a lot of books!
There’s also the fact that you have to bust your butt in all aspects of the job, from finding a cover design/formatter/editor to learning how to actually publish, and it doesn’t stop there because you now need to know how best to market your book.
So what it comes down to for both indie and trad. Is that if you want to be successful, want to make a living from your writing, and you want to do it for the long haul, it’s going to take work, and lots of it. Yes, there is a higher earning potential for indie authors, but it also takes a lot more work to get there.
Misconception Number 5: Hitting a major Best Sellers list means you’re set for life!
I’ve kinda already busted this one above, but it in no way means that.
The best seller’s list doesn’t actually measure how well your book has done since release, but instead how fast it has risen. This is why you often see books that are only a few months old on the list, while books like Harry Potter, who sells consistently well each month even now, isn’t.
This means that if your book goes from 1-10,000 in the first month and you hit the list, and let’s say you’re on there for 3 months straight, selling 50,000 books all together, you are very happy and have made anywhere between $20,000 (for that traditional published author we talked about) to $210,000 (an indie author selling their book for $6), but then sales start to fall off and eventually you find you’re only selling a few hundred copies a month.
Taking the median between the low and high end here, you might have made $100,000 in that first three months, but the next 3 months you only make 70k, then the next 3 months only 50k, and so on until it stabilizes because your book is no longer new. Sure, in that first year, you made $300,000 bucks ($210,000 after taxes), but now you’re starting to look at that book only making you $20,000 or less a year.
This isn’t uncommon and in fact it happens all the time. Many NYT best selling authors live high for 6 months to a year off their placement on there, but then are either forced to go back to a day job or try and repeat success with another book.
Now, let’s switch it up a bit and talk about straight scams and how to avoid them.
These are in order of how you might find them in your path to being a published, profitable author.
Scam Number 1: Most standalone, mainstream editing houses will take advantage of you.
These are companies that go all out to make their website look like a well oiled, and busy editing company. They talk about guarantees, their professionalism, speed, and other factors that explain why their prices are so much higher than other people. I mean, they’re a professional editing company that does a top notch job, of course they cost more!
Many times they seem like just what you need, but the truth is there are very few editing companies out there like this who are legit. Why?
For one, publishing houses have their own editors or a list of very trusted freelance editors they hire as needed. A publishing house will NEVER outsource editing to another major company, it just doesn’t make sense because of cost.
For two, there are hundreds and hundreds of freelance editors out there. Yes, they might go under the name of a company, like my good friend and trusted editor Robin does under Shadowcat Editing, but you can see the difference right from the home page.
You can see and learn about Robin herself, instead of a faceless “editor” right on her homepage, and even more on her about page.
A great example to compare to is http://www.firstediting.com/. Any editing company (or really any company within the publishing industry) that looks like that, my advice is to avoid them.
A client of mine went to first editing before I knew her and spent over $4000 on a single pass copy edit that turned out to not even be that. They made some changes, but when I got ahold of it, I made over 1000 new changes just in the developmental editing alone. When she tried to fight it, they pointed out that they are a “first editing” service and that she got exactly what they promised.
Scam Number 2: This brings me to my next scam, not signing a contract.
We all know the importance of reading over a contract when it’s presented to you and making sure it’s legit and you understand it all. In fact, making sure others read it over is also a good idea, but what about having NO contract?
Many scammers don’t use contracts because a contract will give the client rights.
I use contracts for everything, even made my brother in law sign one for tutoring!
Make sure if you sign with someone, be it a major company or a freelance editor, you have a contract and you understand everything in that contract.
Also, they should be simple. The longer the contract, the more chance of missing something is, and people know that. Car dealerships and mortgages still do this (not all the time, thankfully) and it’s not uncommon for a $20,000 car to end up with a $25,000 loan attached to it before you know it.
Scam Number 3: Vanity Publishing
In general, it’s best to avoid vanity publishers. These are the publishers that offer a range of services and package deals from simply taking your book and putting it on amazon to full packages that include editing, formatting, cover, publishing, and marketing.
There are a few legit companies, but even they don’t care about you or your book. They publish it under their banner and charge you thousands of dollars to do so. Their editing is usually a joke, cover design is spotty, and marketing almost non-existent.
Their small print is the worst, though. One scam company in general states that you keep 100% of your royalties! What they DON’T tell you up front is that you only get that after they have made a certain amount of money from your book. So, if you get their elite package that costs $4000 and your book is published, they still take 100% of your profit for the first $5000 or even $10,000, if you ever reach that point, since your cover is bad, editing is bad, and there is no marketing.
Scam Number 4: Marketers
This one is a little harder to point out exactly who and what to avoid because, unless it’s a well established marketing company/person, it’s impossible to tell.
Maybe worse is that they deliver on their promise, covering themselves, but the results never show up.
A legit company that markets books to thousands and thousands of people is BookBub. They are hard to get, but they can do amazing things for your book, well worth the price of admission. They work by sending out emails to their email list that they have grown over the years the right way. You can sign up for different lists and get good deals right in your mail box. It’s a service that serves both authors and readers.
On the flipside, there are companies that promise they will promote your book to 10,000 people on their mailing list, but what they don’t tell you is that their mailing list is bought or fake, resulting in most people never seeing that email or getting mad because it’s spam.
Of course these people tend not to last long, or they change names often, which is another way to tell if it might be legit.
These are the main things I’ve ran into. I don’t feel comfortable calling out specific companies as scams, but I will provide links on the website to articles that talk more specifically about this.
And if you’ve ran into any of these types of companies, or need advice, feel free to contact me.
Ending
Where to find me:
The website is at steampowereddreams.com/authorpreneurmindset
you can find me on Facebook at facebook.com/jeremylcollier
on Twitter at SoulScribbler,
and finally on Instagram at authorpreneurmindset
Until next week, I am your host Jeremy and don’t forget to keep moving forward.
The post Misconceptions and Scams In The Publishing Industry [Ep. 002] appeared first on SPD StoryStudio.
29 min
May 08, 2017 Welcome To The Authorpreneur Mindset [Ep. 001]
As the title says, welcome to the Authorpreneur Mindset. This podcast is designed for writers in all aspects of their career with the intent to share my experience, as well as the experience with others. This first episode introduces what an Authorpreneur is and the mindset I am talking about. Future episodes, starting sometime before Episode 10, will include interviews with both known and unknown authors, editors, designers, and more.
A little bit about the show notes before we get going. I haven’t decided on a format for them yet in terms of how it’ll look on the page, but in general, the first few paragraphs will include a bit about what to expect in the episode and anything else I want to include. The second half of the show notes, under the linebreak, is a copy of my pre-show notes. In general, this is what was written before recording and doesn’t include any interview answers (but will include some questions).
Anyway, thanks for coming to the show. I hope you enjoy! Don’t forget to find us on iTunes and leave a review, or leave a comment below!
Welcome to The Authorpreneur Mindset. A podcast about the writer’s life and what it takes to become successful, both traditionally and as an indie. It’s a podcast that takes a look at the business aspect of the publishing industry and picks it apart. If you enjoy the show and want more, you can sign up for the Steam Powered Dreams mailing list to receive emails with valuable information right in your inbox. Just head over to SteamPoweredDreams.com/AuthorpreneurMindset to sign up now
Hey everyone and Thank you for joining me for what I hope is the first of many episodes of The Authorpreneur mindset podcast. I am, Jeremy Collier, founder of Steam Powered Dreams Publishing and host of this show.
This podcast is all about taking a look at the publishing industry from different angles and helping others push their own careers forward. While there will be a strong focus on the post first draft process, from what to do after you’ve written The End all the way to actually publishing and marketing, we’ll be hitting a wide variety of topics beyond that.
The first handful of episodes will be solo shows where I talk about some of the bigger issues facing the publishing industry right now, but I have also planned interviews with those who have been working in the industry for some time, including writers, editors, designers, and publishers.
So, let’s talk a bit about what the title of this podcast really means.
The publishing industry has changed and the days of large advances followed by fame are pretty much over. Only the top, elite writers of our time like Stephen King or JK Rowling actually get special treatment, and even they have had to learn to adapt
For the rest of us, we have to understand there is more to be done than just finishing the first draft. In fact, that’s just the start of our journey.
In order to be successful, we need to learn the ins and outs of the industry, things like understanding our rights, marketing our books, and knowing what is fair and what isn’t.
And an Author Entrepreneur, or authorpreneur, is just that. It doesn’t matter if you’re unpublished or have 100 books under your belt, if you have the passion for making a career as a writer and understanding what it takes, you are an authorpreneur.
Back to what I was saying about the changes that have been happening in the publishing industry over the past 10 years. The eBook revolution has made it easier and cheaper than ever to become a published author, yet getting a publishing deal is harder and means less than ever.
I’m not saying traditional publishing isn’t right for some people, but relying on an agent to get you the best deal and a publishing house to do what’s best for your book leaves a lot to desire to an authorpreneur.
They know, with a little hard work, they can get their book edited, designed, formatted, published, and marketed in the way they want and keep 100% of their royalty and see a lot more money coming in. In fact, I’ll go one further and say that most authorpreneurs have no desire to be traditionally published, that getting that contract isn’t even on their radar.
.
In it’s simplest form, this is the authorpreneur mindset.
To paraphrase an entrepreneur I highly respect and consider somewhat of a mentor, being an author entrepreneur isn’t about the money, but about the freedom to do things your way and to pursue your writing in a way that adds meaning to your life. The freedom to control how and when you spend your time as an author.
So, you might be asking, what is the goal of being an authorpreneur, if not to be traditionally published?
Well, the exact goal will be different for everyone, but I think one thing we all have in common is that we want to not only make a living from our writing, but be in control of what we write, how and when we publish, and who our ideal audience truly is.
It’s a scary thought to make the leap, especially if you have had the traditional path in your head most of your life, but if you want to create a better life for yourself, one with writing at the head of your career, then this podcast might just be for you.
I’ve been part of the publishing industry now for a few years and something that truly disturbs me is how many people are out to take advantage of writers. I created Steam Powered Dreams as a way to combat that, even if only on a small scale, and this podcast is an extension of that.
Anyway, I’ve talked longer than I meant to, so I’ll wrap up this episode.
The website is at steampowereddreams.com/authorpreneurmindset
you can find me on Facebook at facebook.com/jeremylcollier
on Twitter at SoulScribbler,
and finally on Instagram at authorpreneurmindset
Until next week, I am your host Jeremy and don’t forget to keep moving forward.
The post Welcome To The Authorpreneur Mindset [Ep. 001] appeared first on SPD StoryStudio.
6 min

About The Authorpreneur Mindset

From the publisher's feed

The destination for writers in all stages of their career.

Share The Authorpreneur Mindset

Sign up to save your podcasts

The Authorpreneur Mindset

The Authorpreneur Mindset episodes

About The Authorpreneur Mindset