There’s no denying that categorization can be useful. It can help us find what we want. But I have to be honest: I hate book genres. In some ways, I can appreciate knowing what to expect in the form of parameters. If you know you love romance and require a happy ending, you know where to look. If your favorite thing is clever world-building, sci-fi is probably your friend. Trust me, it’s a lot easier than searching the whole bookstore for something you’ll like. (Take it from somebody who generally ends up doing just that.) But no matter how you cut it, I’ve got beef with genres in general, and…
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What does it cost to self-publish?
Plenty of variables will impact your bottom line, but I’m going to give you a quick run-down of the basics you’ll need to budget in order to self-publish your book. These are what I consider the absolute non-negotiables. Once you start marketing your book, you’ll be looking at other expenses, including buying ads and whatever other methods you choose, but this list will get you to where your book is available for purchase. Once I’ve done more marketing of my own, I may add those expenses to this list or write another just for marketing. Professional editing – Expect to pay at least $1,000 and then make sure you have…
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Please Do Not Feed the Pigs
Hey. You. Starry-eyed writer. You. Listen to me. I know you just want to write your stories and, God willing, get paid for it, but let me tell you something: there is a crowd of people between you and your audience. They will say they can help you. Now listen to me. *takes your little face in my hands* Don’t assume you can trust them, nor that you actually need what they’re offering. Let’s face it: you’re new, impressionable, and scared. This industry is like a big freaking secret; it feels like you can’t find an in anywhere, no matter how good your writing is. So whenever someone waves and…
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The Big Question: Why Self Publish?
What do you think when you hear the words “self publishing”? It’s okay, you can be honest here, if only with yourself. If you’re like many people, your first thought might have been, “Were they not good enough to get published traditionally?” Like it or not, self publishing has had quite a stigma attached, and while its image is improving, there are still negative connotations to fight through, not to mention a major lack of knowledge on the subject. That’s why I thought I would take a few minutes to talk about what led me to the decision to self publish and let you in on the questions I asked…