ROBUST discussion

I just wrote the first part of my response to those who think that self-publishing is for those who want the easy way out...and to those who think that all self-published books have had no effort put into them.

http://kates-scribbles.blogspot.com.a...

All very true and nicely done, but I can't help but feel that writing a blog, and commenting here as I am doing, is just another part of the procrastination process. lol. I'm having some issues getting back into the groove after surgery and recovery, and really should be editing and such. But it is easier to read threads here ;)

You're being creative with your beautiful photos, Amos. Be kind to yourself and let that be enough until you're ready.

Lol. Yes I have been enjoying the camera. I think it might be another form of procrastination, but it is easy on the brain and very relaxing. Fortunately the autofocus is working quite well as my eyes aren't that great ;)

Well, I've been enjoying a part of life I've never seen before, looking at your insect close-ups. You could make a fortune, selling them to science magazines etc. Easy on the brain and relaxing is what you need right now.

Yes, I am dabbling in stock photos a little for some extra petty cash. Like writing, I won't get rich on it. lol. Over the years I have made some photos available freely for places like wikipedia, and these have made their way all over the net. It gave me some name recognition at least.

Meanwhile I am juggling steps 2, 3 and 4 of the next trilogy I have coming out. Some parts are ahead of others, and I've done nothing much since Christmas. meh. Some of the third novel is still in the rewrite stage I think. (Well, it feels like that some days, and this is after 18 months.)

Excellent, common sense piece, Katie. Left a comment on it.

Goodreads doesn't have a like button, but I'm just noting here that I read the article and I agree with you.

Matt wrote: "Goodreads doesn't have a like button, but I'm just noting here that I read the article and I agree with you."

Thanks, Matt. :)

The funny thing about the "self-publishing is easy" idea is that I know tons of people who don't want to self-publish because they argue it's too hard, they don't have time to do all the sub-steps, and so on and so forth.

Heck, even Amanda Hocking, when she signed her big deal cited some of the logistical difficulties with self-publishing and wanting help as one of her primary reasons for the deal.

Ah, yes, but the writers I know who insist that they are going to be traditionally published, say that self-publishing is a cop-out for those without the staying power to tough it out and fight for 'real' publication. And there are obviously a lot who do think it's easy - because they don't bother with all these steps...and they're the reason ebooks are all tarred with the same 'ebooks are rubbish' brush.

I read what Amanda Hocking wrote on the subject, and her real need was for quality editing, same pressure Katie identifies. Hocking said she paid several editors and there were still mistakes. But I don't thinks she would have found what she was looking for at any of the megapublishers. They don't employ copy editors any more.

Of course indie publishing is easy. For those who haven't tried it. I'm amazed at the number of people who say, "I think I'll write a book, too." They would be horrified if someone came into their profession and just announced they were starting to practice as doctors or opticians or lawyers or engineers.

Trollop!

Er. I think I mean troll...

Past my bedtime.

Oddly enough, I think it's actually taken me longer, all things considered, to write a half-way decent book than to somewhat master the actual skills of my alleged profession.

Well, you can never really compare an art to a profession.

Hmm, a really good point, Jeremy.

Talking to most of the better novelists, if you know which questions to ask, you discover that it took them twenty years to become an overnight success.

Amos wrote: "Well, you can never really compare an art to a profession."

I've been in both the professions and the arts, switching seamlessly between them, all my life. You either have talent and class, and you apply yourself, or you don't have talent or class, or you have those but you don't apply yourself. Those are the only permutations. They account for all outcomes.

I read somewhere yesterday about someone asking Picasso to do them a quick sketch on a scrap of paper. So he did it and then asked them for a million dollars. When they asked him how he thought he could charge that for a sketch that took 3 minutes, he said, 'It took me 30 years to learn how to do a sketch like that in 3 minutes.' The story is probably an urban myth, but the sentiment is right.

As I say, it's hard to compare them. Plumbing is easy. Writing has taken a lifetime - and the need to do it was always there.

I started writing my first novel when I was twelve. I self-published, and thus had readers for my novel, for the first time in 2010, twenty-nine years later. Thank God, most of those readers have told me that I am able to please and move them. For twenty-nine years, I had little to sustain me but my own belief, and that was an insecure base. I'm not a success yet, but by now, I know at least that I have a right to aspire to be.

There is nothing like having someone buy your work to give you that feeling of validation.

Success is really a matter of hard work and luck. Once the hard work is done - getting discovered is luck.

I've just added Part 2 to the post - for what it's worth : what I've learned about selling books...

http://kates-scribbles.blogspot.com.a...

Katie, those are two great pieces, nicely written and good advice...

Thanks, Sharon, and thanks for tweeting the links. I've had a few new commenters from it.

That's great to hear, Katie. I don't usually re-post my tweets, but was thinking as I tweeted that I might in this case in a few days.

Include me @thrillsjute and I'll retweet them too. Good sense.

I think I follow you already Andre, but will make doubly sure when I retweet. Just got notice that an author friend retweeted to 20 followers. It's so cool how tweets can spread so exponentially!

Thank you both. I've sent a query to a writing magazine to see if they'd be interested in the posts rewritten as articles for the magazine, but they're still 'weighing it up'. So the more interest shown in comments etc. the better!

You can always put it together as non-fiction and selll it as an e-book.

Kench - just like John Locke.

Every man and his dog has written a book about how to publish a book. What I should write is the book on how to write a book about how to publish a book. I don't think anyone has done that.

Kench!

Or a book about why you shouldn't write a book about how to publish an e-book.

I'm writing a non-fiction book about how to #fail to raise chickens.

Nice morning Kench. Thanks!

Katie wrote: "Thank you both. I've sent a query to a writing magazine to see if they'd be interested in the posts rewritten as articles for the magazine, but they're still 'weighing it up'. So the more interest ..."

Excellent, Katie. If they have any sense they will accept your proposal. We'll keep it going as best we can. I posted to our Boomers & Books FB page yesterday, haven't checked to see if there's been any response.

Thanks, Sharon! I just heard from the magazine and they want the articles - but can I rewrite them without repeating myself? That's going to take some thinking!

WOW! Katie that's SO COOL!

Congratulations, Katie. Now, to add to all the other distractions, you'll have the awful temptation of journalism, which at least pays well, constantly dangled in front of you.

I think it was Malcolm Muggeridge who said that journalism killed more great books (because they weren't written) than censorship and syphiliis together. (He said it before he got religion and became pompous.)

K. A. wrote: "WOW! Katie that's SO COOL!"

Couldn't have said it better myself! Way to go, Katie!

Just retweeted my original.

Yippee for Katie!

Congrats.

Katie wrote: "Thanks, Sharon! I just heard from the magazine and they want the articles - but can I rewrite them without repeating myself? That's going to take some thinking!"

That is so awesome, Katie. I'm doing a little dance of joy for you.