Big Things Coming

It's been less than a month since I released my third book, The Phoenix Blade: Project Justice, and it's been an interesting and fun ride since.  There are three big announcements regarding The Phoenix Blade.
1.  I will be conducting a book signing/launch event in Huntington NY at the Book Revue (313 New York Ave, Huntington, NY) at 7pm. 
2.  I will be on the Anthony Charles Podcast in the upcoming weeks to talk about and promote The Phoenix Blade.
3.  I will be going on my first Virtual Book Tour (which is in the process of being setup as we speak).

I wanted to take some time to share a few things since releasing the book. 

The first has been that nothing comes easy.  The things in life you want the most, you have to work very hard for. 

The second goes hand in hand with the first.  There is no such thing as an overnight sensation or success.  Actors/Actresses, Writers/Authors, Musicians, Producers/Directors, and Athletes have spent countless years trying to get where they are today.  It's taken me eight years just to reach this level in my literary career and it feels like I'm just starting. 

The third has been about self publishing and promoting.  The self publishing part is easy when you know where to go and what to use.  I suggest avoiding anything that requires you to spend a lot of money for their paid services.  If you need an editor or someone to read your work over, there are other options out there for less money.  I made this mistake once; on my first book, Chamber of Souls.  I used IUniverse thinking it was the least costly way to self publish.  They were helpful, but could not get the cover the exact way I wanted it without it costing more money than I already paid.  The cover still came out nice, but not the exact way I wanted it.  The next issue was in regards to royalties.  They only gave me 20% Royalties on any book sold on their website or on Kindle; which provided very little profit for me.  It was only until I purchased my books in bulk and sold them that I began making money.  The final issue was advertising the book.  They offered to help you advertise your book, but for another high end fee.  I chose not to use them again, but will still get a call almost every month for the last two years with them trying to sell me on one of their advertising programs or to get me to order more copies of my book.

Now I'm not saying you shouldn't go with them, I'm saying there are better alternatives to getting your work into the hands of your potential readers.  Since the release of my first book, I have put out two other books by using CreateSpace.  This site works directly with Amazon.com to help you publish your book for free.  The only times payment have been required were if I wanted to open up additional channels for distribution ($25), if you need them to design your cover for you ($399), and then when you need to buy copies of your own book to sell.  It is also free to publish on Kindle.  You choose what percentage you get on your royalties 30% or 70%. 

When you self publish, you handle the advertising for your book.  The best ways to promote your book are through LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, and PinYourBook.com.  There are also other ways to promote.  Blogging has become one of the best ways to get attention for your books, and finding other blogs to do guest posts on or author interviews. 

Self publishing

Since I decided to put out my third book, The Phoenix Blade, by self publishing, I felt like my next post should be about self publishing. I want to talk about why authors choose to self publish, the pros and cons about self publishing, and various sites and groups that can be useful.

So first things first.  Why do authors choose to self publish?  There are many answers to this question.  Some do it because they want to just get their work out there.  Others do it because they feel it is the best way for them to get noticed.  And many others do it because they want to share their work and ability with the rest of the world.

Now these are valid reasons.  But like everything else in this world, there are pros and cons to self publishing. 

Pros

• You are able to share your work with others.
• It can help to get you noticed by publishers and literary agents.
• You can generate sales on books that you have worked on for years.
• It does not cost much to self publish (There are sites that will allow you do publish for free.  Don't spend money with other companies).
• It pushes you to work harder for what you want.
• There are less people to take a percentage of the sale.

Cons

• Because people find it easy and affodable to self publish, everybody rushes to put out their work; even if it's not ready. 
• People spend hundreds of dollars on sites that encourage people to self publish with their packaged plans.
• The best way for your book to sell is pushing advertising for it; which can sometimes become costly.
• You have to spend money to buy your books up front to sell them to make a profit or else you make less per book selling online (that is until you get a lot of momentum and following).
• It can take a while before a literary agent or publisher takes notice of you.
• You have to setup your own book signings.
• Because of self publishing there are more authors out there than there was five years ago (can be a good thing and a bad thing).

Now I don't want anyone to think just because you are self publishing that you're in this by yourself; you're not.  There are hundreds of authors that are out there going through the same thing you are.  There are groups on Linkedin that help authors connect, share stories, share best practices, and even give advice.  Here are a list of groups that I found useful information and help with my writing and even promoting my books.
http://www.linkedin.com/groups/AFFILIATED-AUTHORS-65681?trk=myg_ugrp_ovr
http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Book-Marketing-1848415?trk=myg_ugrp_ovr
http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Indie-Authors-3806381?trk=myg_ugrp_ovr
http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Indie-Authors-Publishers-4180273?trk=myg_ugrp_ovr
http://www.linkedin.com/groups/SelfPromoting-Indie-Authors-3945428?trk=myg_ugrp_ovr
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1799488&trk=myg_ugrp_ovr

Another useful social media site to use is Twitter.  You can connect with other writers, literary agents, publishers, even celebrities.  It doesn't guarantee anything, but has a possibility to lead to something greater.

Anniversary of sorts.

While I was driving the other day, I listened to one of my interviews I did for the Anthony Charles Podcast.  In it he asked me when did I decide writing was my voice.  My answer was it had been six years since I decided to become a writer.  The interview was recorded back in 2011/2012 when my first book, the Chamber of Souls was released.  The interview made me realize that even in a year or two so much can change; writing styles, the way people talk, the way they dress, and the way they carry themselves in both private and public settings.  This can be easily chalked up to the events in ones life helping a person to grow, or a way of maturing. 

After six years of working my way into the writing industry, I felt like I was on top of the world.  I think everyone does when they reach a major accomplishment or goal in life.  But I quickly understood there was much more to learn.

It's been two years later, and this month makes it officially eight years since I decided to become a writer and starter the book that would change my life; The Phoenix Blade (Which I will give my readers more info on in the next post).  In the two years that have passed, I have found and connected with more writers and potential writers than I ever realized were out there.  People who have great ideas, or just stories from their past; itching to written and shown to the world.  A lot has been held back by them because they have been afraid to put themselves out there or didn't know what to write about or how to write it in the first place.  And for that I tell people to push yourselves to learn.  Put yourselves out there for people to see.  If you don't know how to do something, ask for help.  Linkedin is a great place to meet other writers and get their opinions.  Also take to reading more books about how to develop structure, characters, plots, and the specific genre you want to write about.

The thing that I have learned the most in the eight years of writing is that every moment I spent pouring my heart and soul into everything that I wrote and rewrote has been worth it.  Those moments of creating characters, venting into my poetry, working alongside with my brother, and talking to other writers and potential writers I wouldn't trade any of those moments for anything.  It is a crazy, hard working, and dedicated business to work your way into, but it has been one of the most rewarding and inspiring business to be a part of and I have only just begun.