Posts Tagged ‘writing’

Published vs. Self-Published- Part 2

Wednesday, January 11th, 2012

On Monday, I wrote about my experiences working with a publisher for The Enthusiastic Networker. Today I want to discuss self-publishing and how that worked for The Case of the Haunted Vampire.

The biggest advantage to working with a publisher was having someone else project manage all the stages. As a self-published author, all that falls on you. Beyond the writing, there are several other steps you’ll have to handle yourself. None of them are terribly difficult, but you’ll have to carve out time to manage them.

1. Hire an editor (assuming you want your book to read professionally)
2. Hire a cover designer (assuming you want your book to look professional)
3. Hire a designer (assuming your book is going to be released in print)
4. Hire someone to format your book for digital distribution (assuming your book is going to be released as an e-book)

Technically, you can do any of these yourself, but in most cases, your book will suffer for it. Unless, of course, you are a graphic artist in addition to an author. Even if you are a good editor, you can’t edit your own work. Trust me. I am a trained editor, and another set of eyes always finds things I missed.

Haunted Vampire has not been released in print, so I was able to skip #3. I found an excellent e-book on formatting your book for Kindle, so I handled #4 myself. There’s one small formatting error, but I’ll fix it in the second edition.

I hired both an editor and a graphic designer for the cover art. In fact, I recently wrote a post about my designer. Go ahead. Read it. I’ll wait.

You’re back? Okay. So project managing all those steps is the biggest drawback to self-publishing. Then why do it?

Simple. Time and money.

Time is a big one. For most authors, especially new ones, there can be a delay of years between the writing of a book and its publication. First an author has to go through the lottery of finding an agent and/or publisher. (No, it’s not a literal lottery, but I’ve been told the odds are close.) Assuming you can find a publisher, there’s often a 12-18 month delay before the book is published.

That’s a long time to wait! I didn’t get Haunted Vampire out quite as soon as I’d wanted, but most of the delays were within my control. And even with delays, the book was published a few months after it was finished. The next one will go faster, now that I’ve learned a few things.

Now what about money? Earlier I mentioned a lot of things you need to pay for. So how is self-publishing good for the money?

The first thing you need to realize is that self-publishing isn’t a sprint. It’s a marathon. Because you control the book, you control where it’s published, meaning it never needs to go out of print. Traditionally published books often have a limited shelf-life. That’s why the initial promotion is so furious. If a book doesn’t sell well in the first couple of months, it’s history.

Not so for self-published books. They can be in print (or electrons) forever. Sometimes it just takes time for a book to find its audience, and when it does, it can sell very well. Here’s where the royalty differences are huge.

I’ll get a 35% royalty for Haunted Vampire. I get 6% for Enthusiastic Networker. Because of how I’ll price the sequel to Haunted Vampire, I’ll get a 70% royalty on it. So 6% of $16.95 or 70% of (probably) $3.99. Do the math. And the $3.99 book will be followed by another, and another, as quickly as I can write them and get them online. I should have three books in my fiction series published by the end of 2012. And all three of them will be up as long as I like. If Amazon stops being the distribution channel of choice, I’ll switch channels. I have that power.

Considering those numbers, paying for editing and a cover is small potatoes.

See how it all works? I’m not sorry I worked with a publisher for Enthusiastic Networker. But for my fiction? Self-published all the way!

I hope that answered a lot of questions you might have had. Have more questions? No problem. I do offer consulting services to get you familiar with everything you’re going to need to consider before you self-publish your own book. All my contact information is at the top of this page.

Feel free to ask quick questions or ask for clarification of any points in the comments.

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Excerpt from The Enthusiastic Networker

Friday, November 18th, 2011

I hope you saw my announcement on Wednesday that my new book, The Enthusiastic Networker, is available. Today I wanted to give you an excerpt so you’ve got a better idea of what the book is about. Enjoy!

Excerpt from Chapter 2 of The Enthusiastic Networker

Before we begin, we need a common language. What is networking? What is social media? What are the characteristics of a successful networker? And what about referrals?

There are a lot of misconceptions about face-to-face networking. Some think it is another word for soliciting sales. Some think it’s about collecting cards and contacts. Some think it’s only about finding new prospects and clients. Still others think the way I used to:, believing it’s something that only a certain economic class of people do or that it’s what happens on golf courses or at ritzy fundraising benefits.

Social media has almost as many misconceptions. For example:

* It’s only Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn (maybe blogging).
* It’s a complete waste of time.
* Only 25-35 year olds do it.
* It’s so essential that it’s the only way to save a business.

Most of these misconceptions do have a certain amount of truth to them. Many people network exclusively among people of their class. Salespeople certainly network to find new prospects. Social media can indeed expand to fill all available time and space. Younger people are, in general, more comfortable with social media than Boomers. And to some extent, you do have to collect a certain number of contacts in your database to be effective.

But at its heart, networking is about building relationships. Hopefully, these relationships will last a lifetime. These relationships will nurture you no matter what you need, whether the need be clients, a new job, or the name of a great plumber.

What Is Networking?

Networking is about helping others. As Zig Ziglar said in Zig Ziglar’s Secrets of Closing the Sale, “You can have everything in life you want if you will just help other people get what they want.” I suspect that he meant that from a sales perspective, i.e., he’s talking about helping others get want they want by selling it to them. But the statement works just as well, if not better, when seen from a networking perspective.

Think about it. If you help someone to get new clients, doesn’t it make sense that he will help you get clients in return? Or if you help someone get a new job, one that is just perfect for her and her career goals, don’t you think she will be highly motivated to help you get what you want?

Of course. That’s what networking is really about. It’s connecting people who need to meet each other. Sometimes, you will be the connector. If you are good at it and do it well, sometimes you will be the connected.

It’s that anticipation of being the connected and the satisfaction of being the connector that develops and maintains the enthusiasm. There’s a real emotional charge about receiving a referral. Sometimes, there’s an even greater charge from giving a slam dunk referral. In either case, you want it again and again. Kind of like an addiction, but in a way that harms no one and helps everyone.

Networking is not about collecting the most contacts. I know someone who boasted that she had thousands of contacts in her Outlook database. She was connected to more than a thousand people on LinkedIn. She went to lots of networking events each month where she met new people and connected them with each other. Sounds like she must be a pretty good networker, right?

Unfortunately, she also constantly complained that she had no clients. How can that be? She knew a lot of people. She went to events and continued to meet new people. How could she not have clients? With so many contacts, she should have had many people clamoring to work with her.

The truth was that she was a contact collector. Yes, she met a lot of people, collected a lot of business cards, and had many LinkedIn connections. But she had a relationship with very few of them. It’s not enough just to know a lot of people. Truly beneficial contacts are people who like you, who trust you, and who know enough about you to give you referrals. And that was the piece she was lacking. The relationship.

Networking Fundamentals: Remember that networking is about building relationships. In life, it’s not the one who dies with the most contacts who wins. It’s the one who has the most people speaking, with love and respect, at his or her funeral.

What is Social Media?

When someone says “social media” a lot of people think Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, maybe MySpace or YouTube. But there’s a lot more to social media than these sites.

I define social media as “any way people meet each other, interact and build relationships online.”

Certainly the five sites above fit that definition. But social media is much broader than that.

Online forums or boards are social media. I hang out in the Wizards of the Coast D&D (Dungeons & Dragons) boards. I also often visit a forum for people who write Torchwood fan fiction (Torchwood is a dark spin-off from the British Dr. Who science fiction series). I mostly lurk on those boards, but if I wanted to, I could certainly build relationships there.

Listservs or email groups like Yahoo! Groups are another form of social media. I’m on the Kindlekorner Yahoo group. It’s been an invaluable source of information about self-publishing, as well as a great place to find free books. Again, I tend to lurk; I can only be active in so many social media channels. But I’ve spent enough time with that group to recognize many of the regulars. Some I like and respect. Some I don’t. Just like interactions in the face-to-face world, social networks bring you in contact with a diverse community. The trick is to sort out those you most want to build relationships with from those better left at arm’s length.

Don’t forget about LiveJournal. LJ combines blogging and social media, so that it’s more personal than, say, WordPress, which is a more traditional blog platform, as is Blogger. LiveJournal is mostly consumer-based, so you’ll find lots of special-interest communities as well as individuals. If you want to connect with a group of people focusing on, for example, dogs, LiveJournal can be more effective and focused than Facebook or Twitter.

My husband loves to play chess. Chess.com is the site he uses to find and play matches with people from around the world. There are lots of social media elements to the site, so even my husband (who insists he doesn’t do the “social media” thing) is active in social media. But don’t tell him, okay?

Given the multitude of options available, it is essential that you identify your purpose and have a reason and a strategy before diving into social media. If your target market is knitting fanatics, Twitter might not be the best place for you to spend your time. But a knitting group on Yahoo! Groups (I found 6515 when I did a search) might be perfect.

Just remember that social media encompasses so much more than Facebook and Twitter.

Liked that? There’s more in the book. Comment and let me know what you liked.

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The Enthusiastic Networker is Published!

Wednesday, November 16th, 2011

It’s been a long time coming, but it finally happened. My book, The Enthusiastic Networker is published and available for sale on Amazon.

When I say a long time, I mean it. Off and on, I’ve been working on this book for close to five years. It took that long for the book to find it’s voice and purpose.

What’s it about? If you’ve been reading this blog, you’ve got a pretty good idea. It’s about finding your own voice and presence in networking. It’s about the basic steps to getting started and staying motivated. I talk about using both face-to-face networking and social media together to make a total word-of-mouth marketing plan.

Newbies and pros can find something in this book, and the early feedback I’ve been getting supports that. Give it a try!

Publishing a book has been a goal of mine since I was a child. As I researched the industry, I’d decided to self-publish this one, but last year, a publisher found me on LinkedIn (who says social media doesn’t work). When a publisher says “tell me about your book project,” you don’t say no. And overall, I’ve been happy with the decision. Holding your own book in your hands is an experience that can’t be described.

But you know what’s odd? I’ve had the book for about three weeks now, and I’ve been selling copies at networking events. The book link finally went live on Amazon a few days ago, and seeing my name on Amazon was what finally made it real to me. What does that say about Amazon’s influence?

It’s been a long road, but I’m at the end of this one. My new journey of being a published author has begun. Help me out by buying a copy? If you’ve already bought a copy, thank you. Help me out by reviewing it on Amazon?

Tune in on Friday for an excerpt.

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Update On My Networking Book

Friday, March 18th, 2011

No, it hasn’t been abandoned. My publisher got sick and had to have surgery, but he’s better now, and we are trading edits back and forth.

He’s good. I don’t agree with everything he suggests, but lots of it is spot on. He’s got a good feel for my writing style, and while he’s cleaning me up, it still sounds like me. Even when I disagree, I can usually see what he was trying to do, and I propose an alternative.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been edited by a professional, and it’s a good experience. I know I’m a good writer, but there’s a definite difference between writing and editing, and I’m enjoying being edited.

We are still on for a late spring release. Thinking June, but I’ll keep you posted if anything changes.

Can you give me feedback on his title proposals?

The Enthusiastic Networker
or
Networking with Enthusiasm

With a sub-title indicating the book is about building relationships on- and off-line.

Do either of those resonate with anyone? Thanks!

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A Big Door Just Opened

Friday, September 24th, 2010

Sometimes doors open unexpectedly. Most of the time when it happens, it’s because of your network.

I just had a completely unexpected door open. As most of you know, I’ve been planning to self-publish my book: Networking and Social Media. Well, I might land a traditional publishing contract instead. There’s upsides and downsides to that, and it might not happen, but it’s exciting to explore the possibility.

While I’m eager to share that news with you, the real purpose of this post is to show how it happened and demonstrate that networking is more about giving than getting. (@BobBurg would be proud!)

This all started when I “met” a fiction author on the KindleKorner Yahoo Group. I read a couple of his books, liked them and started following him on Twitter. A few weeks ago, I saw a tweet from him that a website proposal had been accepted. I hadn’t known he was a web designer. I asked him if he had a portfolio site, and he sent me a link. I was pleased to discover that he specializes in websites for authors. The more I talk about self-publishing, the more questions I get, and having him as a resource is a good thing. By the way, check out his site (link above).

I forwarded his link to a couple of freelance writers I know. One of them mentioned she had posted it to a LinkedIn group. I asked her for the name of the group, and I joined it. I lurked for a few days and then responded to a question.

A couple of days after that, I received a connection request from a member of the group, who is also a publisher. We exchanged emails, and this morning I received an email from him asking to see my manuscript.

That’s a long way of saying that I helped a connection by promoting his work, and that led to a connection that could help me.

Will I get the contract? Maybe. Maybe not. Networking opened the door. Now the book has to stand on its merits. But no matter how it turns out, this is a success.

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Social Media Roles: Be a Content Creator

Tuesday, August 10th, 2010

An important role in social media is to be a go-to person for good content. There are two ways to act in this role. One is to be a Content Creator. The other is to be a Content Filter. I’ll cover Content Creator today and Filter tomorrow.

Let’s start with why you might want to fill the Content Creator role in social media. Probably you want to be known as an original thinker in your field. Or you might want to write a book, and you want to use social media as a way to build content and a future audience. Perhaps you are a free-lance writer or consultant and want to build credibility with your future clients. All of these are good reasons to be a Content Creator.

Where do Content Creators promote themselves in social media? A blog is the obvious place to start. A blog provides a foundation for all other interaction. Much of your time in social media is aimed at driving people to your blog so they can read and share in your content.

By the way, that blog doesn’t have to be written. A video blog or podcast are good options as well, depending on what content you are promoting. Are you a writer? A written blog is essential. Are you a trainer or speaker? A video blog or podcast might promote you more effectively.

Once you’ve set up your blog and decided on the format, what other forms of social media are going to work well to promote the blog? I’m a fan of Twitter for blog promotion. Twitter has better tools for promoting outside of your immediate contact sphere. While Facebook has introduced a “retweet” function, it isn’t used as commonly. Facebook is excellent for maintaining close relationships. It’s not as good at promoting or making something “go viral.”

If you are doing a video blog, YouTube is required. It’s a good place to host the video, and it has excellent search functionality. With the ease of liking or reviewing a video and the tracking of times the video has been watched, it’s a good platform for promoting your content.

So most likely, you’ll have your blog on a schedule, and you’ll be using YouTube and/or Twitter to promote your posts. Where does this leave you from a time management perspective?

Obviously, you’ll need to allocate time to write or film your content. For most of you, this will probably be your biggest time commitment. The rest of your time will be monitoring your blog for comments, Twitter for retweets and comments and/or YouTube for reviews.

In addition to monitoring, you need to be engaging with your followers. Perhaps someone in your field has written a related blog post? You can comment on it and link to it. This allows you to engage with other writers in your field and promote them. What goes around comes around. If you promote them, they will likely promote you in return. Over time, you can build a close relationship with your audience and other influential people in your field.

How does this get you business? If you are selling a book or tele-series, your blog allows people to get a feel for who you are and if they might be interested in paying for your content. If you’re a speaker, people can see your style before they book you. Consultants and other professional service providers can build a reputation as a go-to person in their field. Once you are known as the go-to person, people use and refer you.

Does any of this sound like you? If so, great. Now you know where to start. If not, don’t worry. I’m going to cover several other roles over the next week.

Tune in tomorrow for Content Filters, the flip-side of Content Creators.

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My Book Rewrite is Finished!

Monday, July 26th, 2010

Remember back in May when I took a week-long writing retreat to work on my networking book?

Well, I finished the rewrite last Friday, and I’m very excited about it. Some of you have followed the saga of changes in the focus of this book, and I’m happy to let you know that I’m through with changing its focus.

For those of you who haven’t followed the saga, it started out as The Networking Trap, a book about traps people can fall into while networking and how to get out of them. I might still write that book someday, but that version didn’t come together.

Then I shifted to a more general book on networking, with a focus on how to develop your unique networking presence. People liked the idea, but when I finished the draft and started editing, it just didn’t work.

Then I started researching social media, and I realized that was what was missing. The words started flowing, and I realized that there is room for a book on how to mesh face to face networking and social media.

That’s the book I just finished writing. I’m soliciting beta readers right now, and once they have gone over it and given me feedback, I’ll be ready to get to layout and printing.

It’s been a long journey. Sometimes boring. Sometimes exciting. But I’m finally getting close to having a book published!

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Back From Retreat

Monday, May 17th, 2010

I had an amazing week on retreat and got a lot done. I thought I’d take a little time to write a quick round-up of what I accomplished and report on whether I thought it was worth taking the time away.

I went with three goals: incorporate recent blog posts into my upcoming book, Face to Facebook, work on an ebook on elevator speeches and finish the first story in my upcoming fiction series.

That was the goal. Did I accomplish them? Not quite.

I got about halfway through the work on Face to Facebook. I did the heavy lifting of planning and organizing, so I can finish the rest fairly quickly. I’ve given myself a deadline of the middle of June.

I’m a little less than half finished with the elevator speech ebook. Again, easy enough to finish that as a part of my regular work week.

I didn’t get much writing done on my short story, but I did work my way through a point where I had been stuck for at least a week. I now have the rest of the story planned out, and it should be fairly quick to finish it now. I also have laid some foundations for further stories in the series.

So it doesn’t sound like I accomplished much, does it? Was the trip worth it?

Definitely. Grunt work of adding and editing content is easy for me to do in and around blogging, client meetings and networking. But having time away to do planning and organization was valuable. And I certainly got more done in three days away than I would have here. Without the retreat, I think it would be midsummer before Face to Facebook would be in shape to send to beta readers. Now, I think I can have it there in a month or maybe a bit less.

I had been making no progress on the stuck point in my story. I think I could have gotten unstuck here, but the story is going to be better for the quiet time I had to reflect and work on plot seeds, backstory and other fun stuff.

I do plan to go on retreat again. By staying in my camper, the total cost was less than $200. Very affordable to do once or twice a year.

I’m tentatively planning to go out again in September. This time to work on rewriting an old novel, bringing it into the world I’m creating with the series of short stories.

By the way, I’m going to be looking for beta readers for Face to Facebook in about a month. If you’d like to volunteer, sign up in the comments. All readers will get a signed copy when the book is published. Feel free to email me if you want to know what it will entail. Thanks!

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