One thing I have learned in my publishing journey is how
hard it really is to get your name out there. It is really hard not to have
that naive notion that all you need is to write the book and publishers will
come. You have to live and learn that lesson the hard way.
Take Kickstarter for an example. Kickstarter is an amazing concept
for those who are inventing some new gadget, or you’re selling something no one
has ever seen before. But for those authors who come by the dozen you might as
just stay on Facebook or Twitter. I made a whole 0 bucks on this naive notion
that everyone loves romance and that
my book will do great. I was actually told by other authors, who were also
trying to publish through Kickstarter, that I would probably do better
elsewhere.
Where is elsewhere? Kindle direct publishing. It actually
looks pretty promising. You get to pick how much your book should sell for, how
much royalties you can earn, and it is through Amazon where many go to purchase
novels...so maybe.
Although, there is a downside to this; just like Kickstarter
I am competing with thousands of authors who are all trying to sell they’re
novels. This means I still have to network and post everywhere I can to bring
people to my book. Now I’m all for some good healthy competition, but really
how fair is it when you are placed among thousands in hopes someone might find
your novel?
In other words I am paying Amazon for space but I’m still
doing all the work. I guess we will wait and see if this was worth it.
