tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-285913204707798277.post6413933292927005290..comments2023-08-08T02:21:47.042-07:00Comments on The Writing Bomb: Common Lies Self-Published Authors Believe.Jeff Benningtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01846791553554124991noreply@blogger.comBlogger105125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-285913204707798277.post-82470288146060938522013-05-06T16:44:34.697-07:002013-05-06T16:44:34.697-07:00I know what you mean by reading your first book an...I know what you mean by reading your first book and, feeling embarrassed...Just keep pounding away at the keys. Great advice! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-285913204707798277.post-40746315909358750672012-12-09T12:51:10.595-08:002012-12-09T12:51:10.595-08:00What's great about this post is that you not o...What's great about this post is that you not only state the misconceptions, but soothe and offer possible solutions to the problem. Too many bloggers do half the work and leave self pubs feeling even more frustrated. Looking for answers should not be that hard. There are too many of us with the experience out there at this point. CHEERS to you and your big heart! Great job!CF Winnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14007781832326693877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-285913204707798277.post-87413112827308934752012-09-08T09:29:36.662-07:002012-09-08T09:29:36.662-07:00seattleogre, I am inclined to agree with you becau...seattleogre, I am inclined to agree with you because I am fortunate enough to have a well paying job that I am also passionate about. It took me over 25 years to get from my first idea to making a decent series out of my books. I have 2 out, 2 more will come when they are ready, and while I am working hard and well at the marketing and social media aspects of it, I am much more interested in knowing that my readers have enjoyed the books so far than in the numbers themselves. I started to write the first book for myself when I was 17, starved as I was for fiction that centered around rock music. Life took over and I shelved it for a long time, and the many years in between have been good in that I grew up and could finally make it a decent (and now nostalgic themed) work. I have found a core audience of like-minded rock music lovers who have enjoyed it and will slowly through word of mouth make whatever ripples will happen, and I am happy with knowing that I have made my readers happy and that their numbers are growing. I think of my marketing focus as specific and hopefully purposeful in terms of following my target readers, but life is too short for me to worry about what the universe's plans for me are.<br /><br />That all said, great post, Jeff! There is a lot of truth and wisdom there.Anne-Mariehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03052132462086533693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-285913204707798277.post-64905976755373504722012-09-05T09:55:54.773-07:002012-09-05T09:55:54.773-07:00I have to say that I am glad I am too old for self...I have to say that I am glad I am too old for self-publishing to have been a viable option when I started writing fiction. The way publishing worked then prevented me from uploading my first novel-- which was terrible-- into the semi-public spotlight and well-deserved ridicule and obscurity. At the time, I thought the novel was amazing and might set the world on fire and there was nothing on my mind but getting it seen. It got well-deserved rejection after rejection-- and I sent it out a lot. Finally, I gave up and worked on other things. After a dozen books with publishers and agents, and a lot of feedback on the unpublished ones from authors, publishers and agents, I am at the point where I have a fairly good internal sense of whether something is worth publishing or is self-indulgent and not ready for prime time. Had I started writing now, rather than twenty years ago, I'm sure this whole process would have been carried out in public instead of behind the scenes. <br /><br />I had to go with a very small indie publisher with my novel, which is fairly similar to being self-published in terms of marketing. Even though I was quite familiar with the big publisher's marketing process, I have found the whole indie publishing world to be a bit overwhelming. There is a lot of advice on how to make it big in self-publishing put out by people who have sold about 30 books. There is a constant refrain that you have to get out there on social media, but there are only so many hours in a day and so much time you can devote to unpaid writing. I would like more people to stand up and counter this myth that all you need is a blog, a twitter account and a self-published book to become a famous author.Laura Leehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13227145023299742137noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-285913204707798277.post-58484513109853951162012-09-05T04:41:15.044-07:002012-09-05T04:41:15.044-07:00Terrific post, Jeff. I'd love to add a few li...Terrific post, Jeff. I'd love to add a few lies/myths of my own - such as a) you have to blog every hour of the day in order to sell books b) you can jump on bandwagons such as twilight & 50 Shades and achieve success c) Facebook is a promotional tool (it isn't - at least, not directly and not in the same way Twitter is d) It doesn't matter if it's not grammatically perfect as long as the story is good e) Everyone will love your work and be interested in it f) If you give someone a 5* review for their book they are morally obliged to give you one back ..... oh, I'll stop there!Terry Tylerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15077413235902203848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-285913204707798277.post-14996193997415179552012-08-28T19:32:22.134-07:002012-08-28T19:32:22.134-07:00Thanks for the post. I have just one book nearly r...Thanks for the post. I have just one book nearly ready for launch. Not a novel, but it's out there. I've been trying to build my platform on Facebook, Twitter, Triberr and a blog. I have a couple followers on my blog ... the most active follower being, predictably, my mom. :) So yes, I have been feeling a bit discouraged. Your reminder to change my expectations is a good one. Advice about dividing my time is great. THanks a lot.Julie Merrinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16535352710739104399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-285913204707798277.post-61621648101637443252012-07-27T00:41:17.701-07:002012-07-27T00:41:17.701-07:00Great insights, Jeff. :-)Great insights, Jeff. :-)Aiden Jameshttp://www.aidenjamesfiction.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-285913204707798277.post-69395287901079726682012-07-24T05:36:34.008-07:002012-07-24T05:36:34.008-07:00Lies?! hmmm?! I think our it's creative thinki...Lies?! hmmm?! I think our it's creative thinking thought. - <a href="http://xlibris.com/faq_self_publish.html" rel="nofollow">Xlibris</a>Sharon Edrotehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03652182420671183128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-285913204707798277.post-12384855585566520082012-07-19T13:22:07.518-07:002012-07-19T13:22:07.518-07:00Thank you! I am going to relax, write more, marke...Thank you! I am going to relax, write more, market more efficiently in less time. This post has meant a lot to me.Siobhan Prattnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-285913204707798277.post-19421358801424049062012-07-19T05:43:49.269-07:002012-07-19T05:43:49.269-07:00Back when you had to submit to publishers, they le...Back when you had to submit to publishers, they let you know when work wasn't publishable by rejecting you. First you had to get an agent, and that was the first hurdle. My first book went to 3-4 agents who returned it. After about a year I looked at the book again and knew it was crap. As a new novelist, I'd used my own life and made a big mess of novel writing. That book was put away. The second book did get an agent. In fact, it got 2-3 agents as I changed from one to another when the book didn't sell. The third book was taken on by the William Morris Agency out of NY and they sold it quickly. Then the publisher bought that second novel of mine, but it had to be rewritten. From then on my books were represented and publishers bought them, one every year or two. What we see now is a world where no one rejects us until the book is already "published" digitally. The lies to yourself only hold up until people won't buy the book or else they review and hate the book. The cure to this is to keep writing and improving. First novels by the majority of all writers in every age are usually crap and not publishable. There is no shame in this. It's how novelists are born. Stephen King's first books weren't published. Neither was my first book. Both of us were able to get some earlier novels published later--King because of his bestseller status and me because I revised the book. But the very first book I wrote? Not publishable, never will be.Billie Sue Mosimanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14916044436751977805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-285913204707798277.post-65178520944997389652012-07-09T13:01:09.424-07:002012-07-09T13:01:09.424-07:00Time is on the side of the author who chooses to b...Time is on the side of the author who chooses to be a professional. The work on a book is a long-term investment. Regular maintenance, re-read and tweak, improves the quality of the work and maintains its 'newness' over time. I've now got work that has twenty years of tweaky. What's the life-span of the book? Is it five, ten, twenty or fifty years? That depends greatly on the material, and the writing style. Reading books published forty, thirty, twenty, ten years ago and current is an education in developments in the art we need if we plan to be around awhile. Patience is the lesson that is never fully learned, but we get a lot better practicing patience with experience.Sharon L Reddyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05079633967227245051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-285913204707798277.post-82779009235867238722012-07-09T12:15:12.328-07:002012-07-09T12:15:12.328-07:00Hi Jeff,
There is nothing wrong with dreaming. But...Hi Jeff,<br />There is nothing wrong with dreaming. But you are correct that people should have realistic expectations as to what their online results will generate. There are many factors involved in a good book I think that exceptional quality content will rise easier than average content. Content is king with Google and the better your content then the better results you will have. Additionally, there are serious digital marketing strategies involved with book sales, and this takes time and money.<br />Thanks for a great post.Mike Weinraubhttp://www.spunkybean.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-285913204707798277.post-54815831219259859522012-06-30T13:47:05.094-07:002012-06-30T13:47:05.094-07:00Hi Jeff,
While writing my first book I researched ...Hi Jeff,<br />While writing my first book I researched the publishing business. When I discovered I had to do all the work, including promotion, I started my own publishing company. Instead of calling your experiences lies, I'd call them getting your feet wet through experience. I require that all my "Celebrity Authors' do as I did and use professional editors, formatters, and cover designers. This results in high quality coffee table ready books that the authors are proud to have written.<br />Bill CumminsWilliam A. Cumminshttp://www.caipublishing.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-285913204707798277.post-29696449767593550132012-06-29T04:29:00.270-07:002012-06-29T04:29:00.270-07:00Hi Cally… Now I see the source of that tweet. I sh...Hi Cally… Now I see the source of that tweet. I shall investigate further. Thanks for reading.Jeff Benningtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01846791553554124991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-285913204707798277.post-73537564199957024982012-06-29T04:28:15.750-07:002012-06-29T04:28:15.750-07:00You are welcome. I hope this helped. And so you kn...You are welcome. I hope this helped. And so you know, there is so much more in The Indie Author's Guide to the Universe. Thanks for dropping by.Jeff Benningtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01846791553554124991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-285913204707798277.post-2228293440726001732012-06-29T04:27:01.153-07:002012-06-29T04:27:01.153-07:00Well it certainly helps to know that this post res...Well it certainly helps to know that this post resonates with the experienced author as well. Thank you for reading, and especially for commenting and sharing your book/experience.Jeff Benningtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01846791553554124991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-285913204707798277.post-51811723168659905812012-06-29T04:25:22.596-07:002012-06-29T04:25:22.596-07:00Thank you, Margaret. I hope to hear back from you ...Thank you, Margaret. I hope to hear back from you when you finish.Jeff Benningtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01846791553554124991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-285913204707798277.post-26186957429147065902012-06-29T04:24:26.955-07:002012-06-29T04:24:26.955-07:00Glad to help, Valerie. If I've learned anythin...Glad to help, Valerie. If I've learned anything, it's that you can never learn too much about this business and about the craft. And yes, experience is the best teacher. I wish you the very best with your current book and those to come.Jeff Benningtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01846791553554124991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-285913204707798277.post-11232204365650313922012-06-29T04:22:17.231-07:002012-06-29T04:22:17.231-07:00Thank you, Karen. Hope you come back.Thank you, Karen. Hope you come back.Jeff Benningtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01846791553554124991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-285913204707798277.post-11976902500893080272012-06-29T04:21:53.558-07:002012-06-29T04:21:53.558-07:00I agree wholeheartedly. Thanks for the feedback.I agree wholeheartedly. Thanks for the feedback.Jeff Benningtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01846791553554124991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-285913204707798277.post-37828864327196430272012-06-29T04:19:59.467-07:002012-06-29T04:19:59.467-07:00Ernie, I couldn't agree more with th equotes t...Ernie, I couldn't agree more with th equotes that you posted. In fact, my experience and the information that I have shared here over the last couple of years and in The Indie Author's Guide to the Universe is very much in line with the concepts those authors mentioned. <br /><br />If you are refering to me in the above reference to "another lie", I sure wish you would have asked questions before you making assumptions about my sales and about the content that I have created, which is based on my experience and I have always been very clear about that.Jeff Benningtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01846791553554124991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-285913204707798277.post-78076137736654005022012-06-29T04:09:30.531-07:002012-06-29T04:09:30.531-07:00I think I try to be honest about my experiences an...I think I try to be honest about my experiences and I have found that many other writers can relate. It's that simple.Jeff Benningtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01846791553554124991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-285913204707798277.post-22943695600281360402012-06-29T04:07:54.238-07:002012-06-29T04:07:54.238-07:00I had a book like that and I pulled it off the she...I had a book like that and I pulled it off the shelf. It was actually the third book I wrote, the other two never saw the light of day.Jeff Benningtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01846791553554124991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-285913204707798277.post-7033360256218555072012-06-29T01:26:28.607-07:002012-06-29T01:26:28.607-07:00http://wp.me/261oC on a similar topic today. The f...http://wp.me/261oC on a similar topic today. The first casualty of war is... I think it's an important topic to be talking aboutCallyPhillipshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15481379296340077102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-285913204707798277.post-35616286310228939872012-06-28T10:25:54.521-07:002012-06-28T10:25:54.521-07:00What can I say? Thank you :)What can I say? Thank you :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04396309472638347283noreply@blogger.com