Steven Radecki's Blog, page 7

The road to publication has splintered into many twisty paths. Options have never been greater for aspiring authors, but navigating the choices has never been murkier. Where do you start? Indie, traditional publishers or small presses? What about Amazon and Kindle Unlimited? A panel of authors from indie to Big Five publishers—and everything in between—maps the routes and outlines the pros and cons of each path in the brave new world of publishing.

Panel: Jennifer L. Carson, J.L. Doty, Tod McCoy, Jonathan Brazee, Jack Skillingstead

Issues an author should consider

have a goal

sell books
win awards
make a living


to sell  100 or 200 or 1000 copies of a book is a lot of work (indie publishing)
how much do you want to put into the non-writing work?

sometimes you have to pay for the expertise


be aware of external factors that can influence sales and/or promotion
You can tell how large a publisher is by how long it takes them to get a book out
Yes, people really do judge a book by it’s cover


How much control? How much effort?

particularly for traditional publishing, there is an established methodology
it’s hard to sell 100 … 200 … 1000 copies
it’s easy to sell 10,000 … 20,000 copies, once the momentum or demand has built
How do you do the latter? No idea. Not even the “Five 5” know for sure.
traditional publishing and self-publishing aren’t that different in that regard
be the best writer you can; find your own voice
work hard on writing more books; focus on production


Self-publishing

review the fiction
look for a cover
editing
formatting
cover design
copy editing
know the difference between the different types of editors
consider hiring a designer
the hard part is everything after those
marketing


Money

average royalty from a traditional publisher for a paperback book is 50-75¢
ebook royalties might go as high as 70%
How? No one knows for sure. (See the recurring theme here?)
A lot of independent authors go with KDP Select to maximize their revenue, but this puts them exclusive to Amazon

Amazon is still trying to stop the scammers who manipulate the page-read system to earn money


most self-publishers go print-on-demand (POD) for printed editions, otherwise they have to store and ship the books — more time taken away from writing-related tasks
shipping costs eat into your profits
most booksellers wanted guaranteed return rights if the books don’t sell; this can kill the independent author as they end up paying for shipping both ways
you can expect to pay

content/developmental edit: $2,000 – $3,000
proofreader: $300 – $500
cover design: $200 – $6000




Essentials skills (even if you have to hire out for them)

copy editing
cover design
in general, a copy editor should be able to turn your average-length book around in about 2 weeks


recommended self-editing process

write
wait 2 years
edit
repeat for 25 years


the odds of your first novel earning out? Not likely.
books that do take off tend of have a “halo effect” on an author’s other works — so make sure you have some to benefit from this
“When someone tells you how to sell books, that’s how they did it.”
Not every thing that works for someone else might — probably — won’t work for you
the fundamental difference from the item above is: You didn’t write that book
“Success can’t be predicted from working your ass off.”
When you self-edit (or have a bad editor), “You are who you came in as”
People want to re-hire editors who made them better
getting published with a mainstream publisher has a cachet associated with it, but there is often little other advantage for a new or niche author

Harlan Ellison thrived on controversy, and left his mark on the professional and fannish sides of the community, for better and for worse. Join friends of Harlan in remembering this cantankerous, strange figure who even in death evokes strong feelings.

Panel: Tom Whitmore, Robert Silverberg, David Gerrold, Chris M. Barkley, Nat Segaloff, Christine Valada

First of all, nearly all of us were surprised that this session was held in a standard-sized room. There must have been a reason why it wasn’t held in the large hall where the Spider Robinson GoH interview was held. It was standing-room only, and many people were turned away. (A lot of people, I suspect, came to the room for the previous session — I have no idea what it was — to ensure that they got a seat, as only about a dozen seats opened up when that session ended. Whoever was on the panel on the previous session probably got a much larger crowd than they expected.)

The session was a wonderful and just barely melancholy mix of remembrances and stories about Harlan, his work, his life, and his impact on others. It was clear that no one believed him to be a saint, not unworthy of criticism, but this was neither the time nor place to dwell on either of those aspects of this influential writer’s life.

As with the Spider Robinson GoH interview, I took no notes. However, if you want to listen to the session, David Gerrold (with the permission of the other panelists) has posted it here..

Celibacy and Asexuality in Spider Robinson’s Callahan and Stardancer Books

Sexual diversity is one of the strengths of Spider Robinson’s works. His characters engage in a variety of types of romantic relationships and sexual encounters, particularly at Lady Sally’s Place. At one point, Lady Sally indicates that celibacy is “the only form of sexual dysfunction,” yet this seems at odds with the overarching themes of diversity and acceptance. The speaker will argue to the larger context of asexuality in speculative fiction, and how this all plays out.

Panel: Emily Fleming

The main title alone, right?

I originally had marked this session on My Schedule for two reasons: 1) I was amused by the title and its lovely related pun, particularly for a session on the Academic Track; and 2) it was about Spider Robinson and his stories. Either of those alone would have been reason enough. However …

Emily stopped by the Paper Angel Press table on Thursday and we chatted at some length with her about books and writing and Spider Robinson, and she wisely mentioned that she was doing this panel. I promised her that I would attend, even if I was still mildly leery of a session on the Academic Track.

I am pleased to report that Emily’s presentation (which followed one titled “Questioning Mononormativity: Heinleinian Non-Monogamies”, which was quite interesting as well) was engaging, entertaining, and informative. To achieve either of the first two about an academic presentation, in my mind, deserves great and high praise.

I won’t endeavor to capture or try to summarize the presentation. If I find out that it is available online somewhere, I will post a link to it — although that will be far, far from the actual experience of being there when it was presented.

Summary: I am very, very glad that I went. Emily, you did a fantastic job and I hope your sister believed you.

Imposter syndrome can often feel like being a side character in a horror movie: you know the monster is gonna get you, but you don’t know when. Many authors–from just starting out to long-time pros–experience imposter syndrome, especially people who are marginalized. We wonder if we “really” belong; we wonder if everyone else knows we’re faking-it-til-making-it; but when will someone call our bluff? Imposter syndrome is common and we can continue our work despite the doubts. So, how do we deal with it? What techniques do you employ to make it to the end credits?

Panel: Alasdair Stuart, E. M. Markoff, Alexandra Rowland, Nancy Kress, Margaret Dunlap

The Imposter Syndrome is:

it’s the little voice that says “Did I deserve this?”
feeling like your success is because of luck or the people you know
feeling like you can’t do it again
“We fooled them again.”
feeling not worthy of the success or recognition
the feeling is not supported by evidence
self-doubt
not accepting empirical proof
can stem from mind control or mind set

lack of support
carries over from the past or childhood


gendered? (some discussion here)
tiny little micro-things add up
based on expectations
sometimes based on real mental health issues
can lead to depression
is one of the most hazardous effects of the creative industry
as you get older, you just get better at hiding it
comes forth particularly when having to write a professional bio (“How would a white dude write it?”)
“Why am I bothering?”
Because of your age? Nope.
Comparing the final draft of your previous work with the first draft of your new work


Coping

“When you set aside, you can focus on the characters and story.”
“Narrow your focus” (like a magnifying glass) on your current story
anxiety medication
“brute force” to “those people” that you can …
talk to your therapist
self-awareness of when it is happening and why
it can help to put some good experiences “in the bank” to reflect on
when someone gives you a compliment, just say “Thanks” without giving yourself time to dwell on it
don’t be afraid to ask for help and accept it; don’t let yourself believe “There are people who deserve it more than me.”
find people who you can trust
“add a rung to your ladder” — don’t dwell
project confidence on what you do know and what you have done
use writing as a cathartic tool to work through it
express it in writing — externalize it
put labels on it or describe it
“You are not alone.”
practice better thought processes
cut yourself some slack
focus on how much further you can go rather than how far you’ve come
practice some self-kindness
“never underestimate the power of cake” (insert the comfort food of your choice)
“Fall in love with finishing your work.”
combine work (writing) for therapy plus work to finish
“Motivate yourself out of spite … or whatever.”
give yourself permission to sit down and do the work


Providing Support

Point out (tactfully) that their brain is doing this thing
support through healthy communication


Other Points

the best moment of writing when nothing else exists, the world disappears — just the characters
you don’t always see others’ anxieties
“Always be aware of your own voice and don’t censor yourself.”
“Your own voice will also be the strongest one to write with.”



Note: The discussion occasionally jumped around due to questions from the audience, so I have organized them here somewhat by topic rather than in the order in which they were originally presented.

There’s not much to report here. I waited in line for about an hour and fifteen minutes, got about 5 people from meeting Spider Robinson, then it was 4 o’clock and he had to leave for another scheduled commitment.

Disappointed? Sure.

But I met several really nice and interesting people also waiting in the line, one of whom came to be Paper Angel Press table later and purchased a copy of book, Building Baby Brother — the only hardcover edition we sold during all of WorldCon.

However, this is not the end of this story. Stay tuned …

Panel: Elliott Kay, Lee Moyer, Heather McDougal

This was a very worthwhile panel. It was particularly fascinating to watch the creative process at work in turning a book cover design from an author’s summary to a design concept:

the rise of independent and self publishing has been a boon for cover artists
it gives artists a chance to work directly with authors to understand their vision for their book
readers pick up books because of their cover — regardless of whether in person or online
line design is important: choosing common fonts, layouts, and colors that to all of the books in a series, or by the same author (some authors have distinct fonts for their books)
Example: “Stranger Things” uses a “Stephen King” font, so people intuitively know what kind of content they are going to get
imagery and fonts combined give the overall design of a book cover
“fiction and the images on the covers are aspirational”
The best thing to tell a cover artist on a deadline: “crowd scene” (yes, sarcasm)
there are documented bumps in sales for books with dragons on the cover
don’t the entire cast on the cover; stick with 1 or 2 characters
there is a similarity in book cover design between humor and children’s books
there are implications in font choices: serif typically implies feminine, while sans serif implies masculine (I had to step out for a few minutes here, so missed some of this discussion)
some series book designs also have a common “emblem” that ties them together as part of a series (or shared universe)
the size of the author and title can depend on the popularity of the author; sometimes the name of the author will be as large as — or larger than —the title if that is what will drive sales
design for how it will look as a icon (thumbnail image) on Amazon, making sure that the title is readable
“type matters in a big, big way”
cover design can be driven by either realism or symbolism — symbolism steers better toward a YA audience

As you can see from the photo, we are set up and ready to sell books!

How we got to this point is a long and separate story in itself for another time.

For those of you following along, and attending WorldCon, we are in space G14 (not B4, as the map and directory states).

Come visit us!

Mere days from now, I’ll be at WorldCon!

The World Science Fiction Convention runs from August 16th, 2018 through August 20th, 2018.

You can find me wandering around or at the Paper Angel Press table. As with past WorldCons, I will be posting on Twitter throughout the day’s events, then posting a summary on Facebook at the end of the day.

I hope to see you there!

Welcome to my new virtual home.

I’ve been meaning to make this move for quite a while, but, with one thing or another constantly coming up, I took me a bit longer than I had originally expected it to.

Nevertheless, here I finally am.

Welcome.

Final word count: 10,232
Average words per day: 341

Well, that wraps it up for this year's NaNoWriMo.

My word count was not the 25,000 words that I had originally planned, but I'll definitely take the 10,232 words that I did manage to produce this year. That's roughly twice what I achieved last year, so that's definitely a good thing. (Any word count greater than zero... right?)

The story itself went off into an unexpected that: 1) makes sense, but, 2) is going to be interesting to resolve. I believe that I have managed to recapture much of the original "tone" of the original story, but this one is turning out to be a slightly different book. Funny how that seems to happen in sequels and followup stories, huh?

With effort and luck, the final version of this story might see print by August. We shall see . . .