WriteCast - Between the Pages

I believe it’s possible to self-publish well and to the same quality and standard as traditional publishing. 
The landscape is changing. And I’m ready to take a different path.

Stuart discusses how to ensure you give yourself the time and breathing room to get all the tasks done, and how to set aside funds for particulate outsourced tasks, but also how you can do some of those yourself. He also discusses the important of treating self-publishing like a business.

Maz Evans discusses her own experience of self-publishing the now best-selling Who Let the Gods Out, originally called Elliot and the Immortals and how she used her business acumen, coupled with her energy, determination and drive to be successful to sell 2500 books in a year and land a traditional publishing deal.

Find Maz and her wonderful books here:
@MaryAliceEvans on Twitter
www.maz.world

This week we discuss SUCCESS as writers!

Stuart, Florianne, and Melissa discuss what it means to be successful and we chat about what others authors have to say on the matter!

Want more writing-related content?
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🎧 Podcast: https://writecast.buzzsprout.com
✏️ Want to be part of a writing community? Join the Hub: https://write-mentor.com/community-le…
⚡️ Be mentored by leading authors via our Spark services: https://write-mentor.com/mentoring-pr…
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Who are we?
WriteMentor helps anyone who wants to write and publish a children’s book with the support of authors and industry experts. Through our membership platform, online courses, one-to-one mentoring, awards, and virtual events, we’re busting the myth of the isolated writer by creating a community of storytellers.
Since 2018 we’ve helped almost 80 writers secure agent representation or publishing deals.
Join our supportive community of storytellers.

I believe it’s possible to self-publish well and to the same quality and standard as traditional publishing. 
The landscape is changing. And I’m ready to take a different path.

Getting started (or where to start?)

1. Think long and hard about what you want? This is not a path to take lightly. You must be certain this is what you want, be aware of what you’re giving up and what you’re gaining - be conscious of the advantages and disadvantages of this path. Perhaps the information in this series of podcasts will help you decide - that’s what I’m hoping for. 
2. So you’ve decided it’s for you, or at least you want to wander a little down the path and find out more? This is where the hard work begins. I would recommend at this stage that you read every free post, Podcast or YT video out there on self-publishing - I found hundreds. Some more useful than others. I also bought an E-book from Karen Inglis, How to Self-Publish and Market a Children’s Book. Read that front to back, and if the things she discusses still make it sounds appealing with the many, many facets involved, and you’ve read about at least 10-20 other posts outlining other SP authors experiences, then you’re ready for the first big step. Marking a plan.
3. Timelines. I’d say you need at least 6-12 months if you have a finished manuscript (before editing - if you’ve already gone through the many stages of edits, you can speed up this timeline by a couple of months probably).
4. Business plan and finances.
5. Editing.
6. Formats to publish in.
7. Cover illustration/design.
8. Cover reveal/pre-orders.
9. Marketing/publicity.
10. Doing it and doing it right. 
11. How to - there’s many courses/websites/blog posts/e-books which can show you how to almost every aspect, step by step. You may have to pay for many of the better resources here but I assure you it’s worth every penny to know which box to tick on Amazon or Ingram when they ask you what to do with bookshop returns or how to set up a pre-order campaign for paperback etc 
12. I’ll go into each of these elements in more detail in their own dedicated episodes later in the series but I hope that’s given you food for thought and an idea of what’s involved. Is it for you? Well, let’s see what the next few episodes bring.

This week we discuss Taking Opportunities as writers!

Stuart and Melissa discuss opportunities they've taken that have made all the difference! And WriteMentor's biggest opportunity of the year - WOWCON! Tickets still available here:
https://write-mentor.com/wowcon-2022-writers-conference/

Want more writing-related content?
Follow us on social media, sign up to our weekly newsletter, check out our website & listen to our podcasts for FREE writing resources, advice, insights & updates:
📧 Newsletter: https://bit.ly/3N1EDKn
🔗 Website: write-mentor.com
💻 Twitter, Instagram & Facebook : @writementor
🎧 Podcast: https://writecast.buzzsprout.com
✏️ Want to be part of a writing community? Join the Hub: https://write-mentor.com/community-le…
⚡️ Be mentored by leading authors via our Spark services: https://write-mentor.com/mentoring-pr…
——————————————————
Who are we?
WriteMentor helps anyone who wants to write and publish a children’s book with the support of authors and industry experts. Through our membership platform, online courses, one-to-one mentoring, awards, and virtual events, we’re busting the myth of the isolated writer by creating a community of storytellers.
Since 2018 we’ve helped almost 80 writers secure agent representation or publishing deals.
Join our supportive community of storytellers.

I believe it’s possible to self-publish well and to the same quality and standard as traditional publishing. 
The landscape is changing. And I’m ready to take a different path.

The emotional side - complete honesty - I thoughtt trad publishing would be easier/less competitive.
Family - daughter is 8 next year, ideal age range - would love her to read it independently.
Friends - what will they think?
Finance? Investing like a business.
Time running out - ticking clock? Not getting any younger!
Ego/Confidence
Asking people to be part of it? Cover quote/blurb/reveal. Fraud as not trad?
Will I ever get it into shops/up for awards/respect from peers?
Is there an element of proving yourself after all the rejections?

My book latest:
I’ve seen some exciting cover stuff and individual illustrations, too.
Dev edits are coming along.
Also signed up for a SP course (my 4th now!) to keep learning, keep developing.
Planning some cross-curricular schemes of learning for 8-12 between english and science.

I believe it’s possible to self-publish well and to the same quality and standard as traditional publishing. 
The landscape is changing. And I’m ready to take a different path.

- Thanks to everyone for social media responses last week - that level of support helped calm the voice in my head that’s been yelling imposter etc - I had been feeling so nervous about publicly mentioning it (I had said in my newsletter) and the support specifically for the project 
- Why didn’t I sign with agent or go through with pub deal before (not to the standards/rigour I expect)
- We sometimes sleepwalk into this industry and assume that one linear pathway is the only way - but it’s not and more are opening all the time. So it’s important to keep your eyes and options open. 
- Debunk some assumptions people make about  SP
- Such as; taking easy option, lower quality, less developed, poorer quality editing and cover, people spamming and hard selling, SP means you have talent 
- Also SP is a poor name for the process because most people don’t do it entirely alone - it’s a collaborative effort and can even involve as many people as a traditionally published novel, often the same freelancers
- Why those figures - 1000/100
- First steps when thinking of SP

What is this?
Simply put, I want to see if it’s possible for me to go down the SP route and sell 1000 copies of the book, and get 100 reviews within 12 months!
You will be able to follow my progress via this podcast.

Ambitious? Yup! Kesia Lupo recently said on Twitter that any self-published author getting over 1000 sales is doing great! My good friend Sally is close - she just needs a few more to push her to the target and so it’s given me belief that this is possible.

It’s about showing that it’s possible to self-publish well and to the same quality and standard as traditional publishing. 
The landscape is changing. And I’m ready to take a different path.

Episode 1

How writing and a rejection cycle of 10+ years has made me feel
What we think trad publishing will bring us
What it actually brings us
Why I’ve decided to self publish
What I’ve decided to self publish
How I’ve decided to self publish
Power transference
How making this choice has made me feel since
The best view comes after the hardest climb (opening image in my book, too)
Why my writing and book(s) are important - what impact will they have? Legacy? Who will benefit?
Will my family, my wife, my children be proud? Will I tell my friends? What if my parents find out? Will they care? 
What’s to come 
- my own progress towards the goal
- a comprehensive look at what’s involved in self-publishing a children’s book to a high standard
- a story in itself - not just the story in the book but the story of a single person, with a team of supportive professionals trying to do something of importance and worth - to me if not to anyone else
- a series of interviews with the professionals involved (and others not involved with me directly, eventually)
- Other SP authors and their journeys - as no 2 journeys are ever the same 

This week we discuss Controversial Writing Opinions! (Part 1 of 2)

Stuart, Emily and Melissa discuss theirs as well as sharing your answers!

Want more writing-related content?
Follow us on social media, sign up to our weekly newsletter, check out our website & listen to our podcasts for FREE writing resources, advice, insights & updates:
📧 Newsletter: https://bit.ly/3N1EDKn
🔗 Website: write-mentor.com
💻 Twitter, Instagram & Facebook : @writementor
🎧 Podcast: https://writecast.buzzsprout.com
✏️ Want to be part of a writing community? Join the Hub: https://write-mentor.com/community-learning-hub/
⚡️ Be mentored by leading authors via our Spark services: https://write-mentor.com/mentoring-programme/
——————————————————
Who are we?
WriteMentor helps anyone who wants to write and publish a children’s book with the support of authors and industry experts. Through our membership platform, online courses, one-to-one mentoring, awards, and virtual events, we’re busting the myth of the isolated writer by creating a community of storytellers.
Since 2018 we’ve helped almost 80 writers secure agent representation or publishing deals.
Join our supportive community of storytellers.

This week we discuss the best part of writing!

Stuart, Florianne and Melissa discuss their experiences as well as sharing your answers!

Want more writing-related content?
Follow us on social media, sign up to our weekly newsletter, check out our website & listen to our podcasts for FREE writing resources, advice, insights & updates:
📧 Newsletter: https://bit.ly/3N1EDKn
🔗 Website: write-mentor.com
💻 Twitter, Instagram & Facebook : @writementor
🎧 Podcast: https://writecast.buzzsprout.com
✏️ Want to be part of a writing community? Join the Hub: https://write-mentor.com/community-learning-hub/
⚡️ Be mentored by leading authors via our Spark services: https://write-mentor.com/mentoring-programme/
——————————————————
Who are we?
WriteMentor helps anyone who wants to write and publish a children’s book with the support of authors and industry experts. Through our membership platform, online courses, one-to-one mentoring, awards, and virtual events, we’re busting the myth of the isolated writer by creating a community of storytellers.
Since 2018 we’ve helped almost 80 writers secure agent representation or publishing deals.
Join our supportive community of storytellers.