My Self-Publishing Experience

In the comments section of our previous post, "The Times They Are a’Changin’" a reader, BK, said she’d like to hear from someone who has published both traditionally and by self publishing during the last two years.

Well, I’m the only NovelMatters author who has gone both routes in the last two years. I’m not comfortable doing dollars and cents, but I can tell you from my experience some things you might not have considered.

Two years ago Zondervan released my non-fiction, The Mormon Mirage, and Moody published my fiction, Latter-day Cipher. They both had given me advances against the royalties that the books would subsequently earn at the rate of over 10 percent (I'm being deliberately imprecise here) on each copy sold at full retail price. So—until the point of “earning out,” technically I earned more than that percentage. Meanwhile, the publishers took the financial risk and paid for typesetting, cover design, editing, my book trailer, advance copies sent to reviewers, print advertisement, contacting radio and television stations, and many other elements of my books.

All of those became my job when my agent concluded that there was no interest from publishers in another nonfiction, The Hinge of Your History: The Phases of Faith. But I knew there was tremendous interest in this book because I spoke on it so often. So with my agent’s blessing I self-published it last fall through Amazon CreateSpace. My profit on the books I buy and resell is more like 70%. But, again—all the manuscript and cover preparation was my job. All the publicity is my job.

But you know what – I’m loving it. The sales on the initial printings (which all sold from two speaking appointments, one newsletter blast, and announcements on NovelMatters and Facebook) have given me the funds to create some neat promotional products I’ll sell/give away when I’ll speak next month before 900 women at the Women Walking With God conference in Wichita Kansas.

Here’s a picture. From the top going clockwise: the back of my book, the front of my book, a pen imprinted with my website address, two wristbands that read, “It’s a Contradiction!” and my website address, a pocket-sized notebook, a bookmark that has the cover image on the front and a list of my most popular speaking topics on the back. Center: a checkbook cover with the “hinge” image crossing from front to back (just as the book has.)

I’d like to give away some of these promotional products to a NovelMatters reader. I will choose from the people who make comments below. If you can answer any of the following questions (have read the book), you will be entered twice:

What is the "hinge" of the book title?

What are the four layers that span the spines of the book and the checkbook cover?

What are the three phases of faith?

What is the meaning of the phrase, "It's a Contradiction!"?

1)

The Times They are a'Changin' - A Roundtable Discussion

For the last 25 years of his life, my dad was a self-employed business owner in the San Francisco Bay Area. He provided custom binders for businesses, such as banks that offer binders to their customers for bank statements, with the bank's name and logo printed/silk screened onto it; or a company that provides a syllabus for each employee or conference attendee designed specifically for that purpose. In his office, Dad had floor-to-ceiling samples of colors and fabrics for the binders, as well as style samples. His business earned him a comfortable living . . .

until . . .

the advent of desktop publishing. In just a few short years, not only his job but his industry had become obsolete. Dad was forced into a retirement he wasn't ready for, because companies large and small had in-house designers who could do the job more quickly and economically, especially with the help of businesses like Staples. His business went the way of the buggy whip, as my husband likes to say.

While traditional book publishing (hopefully) will never become obsolete, the publishing world is in the throes of massive change as we speak. Bookstore chains of the brick and mortar variety that were the big draw of shopping malls have gone bankrupt, and countless jobs have been lost within the industry. That puts writers on shaky ground. Even writers who've had no trouble in the past securing multi-book contracts are feeling the tsunami effect of the sweeping changes taking place. Authors you'd never expect to hear this from are seriously talking about self-publishing. While that once delegitimized an author -- with a few notable exceptions -- it's an idea that's catching on.

There are pros and cons to be sure, and I for one am testing the waters. In 2004, I self-published a Christmas novella through WinePress, and was extremely pleased with the product, but even as recently as 2004, self-publication required that I purchase a certain number of books, many of which are still in boxes in my garage. I chose to self-publish then, with that particular book, because of the "specialty" nature of a Christmas novella. I'm not sorry I did, though I would love to find myself woefully short of product. This time around, with the ease and quality of print-on-demand books and e-books, I'm hoping for a happier ending to my self-publishing story. So let's talk pros and cons, shall we?

I'm looking at self-publishing very seriously. With ebooks becoming more and more popular -- some estimate that 50% of book sales will be digital by 2015 -- self-publishing means no longer having to fill your garage with books. The scary part is taking on the risk that conventional publishers took on before, like editing and book cover design. I'm determined to turn out a superior product to what I've done with my publishers, as amazingly supportive and talented as they were. That means cash. Up front. Risk. I may have to sell off some assets. Anyone need a porcelain pig or one million writing books? I do love the idea of increased creative freedom and a broader market. What say you?

I don't have much to say about self-publishing. I've never done it, and I'm not in a place right now where I'm looking to self-publish. For my contribution to this roundtable, I'd like to point to the uber self-publisher Amanda Hocking whose self published YA books have sold over one million copies. Is that the end of her success story? Nope. She just signed a publishing deal with St. Martin Press. She's a smart, interesting young woman and you might enjoy her blog post about why she signed with a publisher AFTER her massive self-publishing success. Read Amanda's story in her own words.

Patti mentioned my main reservations about self-publishing. A book that runs the gauntlet of traditional publishing has so many gate-keepers who know -- are trained to know -- what they're doing when it comes to editing, book covers, titles, you name it, and have marketing contacts and money to put in place for all the above. I can only imagine how disappointing it would be to write a terrific story but package or edit it poorly, or have it flounder because I can't afford to market the book like I feel it deserves. Worse still would be for reviewers to point out these shortcomings and say that it was poorly done. So, I'm currently wading on the edge of the pool and waiting for someone to signal that the water is fine so I can dive in with confidence. Sounds chicken? Yes! But right now it seems like the prudent thing to do.

This is a thorny issue. I've been publishing books in the CBA market for over three decades. I feel tremendous loyalty, especially to Zondervan who took a risk on a young, unknown writer just three years out of a mind-bending cult. On the other hand, even the best and greatest of publishers in 2011 are not financially able to take the kinds of risks that they did years ago. Because they must turn down some good, solid books with less "star" potential doesn't mean that the books must remain unpublished. That's why I self-published a nonfiction last year; and, God willing, I'll re-release some previously successful and timeless OOP books (to which I've retained the rights) later this year. I realize the marketing and distribution will all be on my shoulders, but so far with Hinge of Your History: The Phases of Faith, I've been pleasantly surprised at the good results.

I'm on the side of the pool with Debbie, wondering if authors are having more fun in the water -- while also watching for sharks. But I've seen some fabulous manuscripts wait and wait and wait to find a publisher brave enough to court new markets in this economy, and I know I'd rather see their authors jump in than give up. Faced with that choice, I'd take the dive myself.

We know from previous comments that some of you have self-published. We'd so appreciate hearing from you regarding your experience with self-publication. Would you consider your efforts successful? Would you do it again? What were some of the benefits, and what were some of the drawbacks? If you would not self-publish, we'd love for you to share your reasons why. Thank you in advance for what we know will be a good discussion.

How to Dissect A Writer

The posts and comments this week made me cringe, knowing how it feels to have to tell someone, no I can't write your book for you, no I wouldn't presume to edit your work.

And of course, I've been on the other side, and I know that feeling just as well.

Before I was a published author, I hated admitting to people that I wanted to be one. Let the word get out - often from the lips of my dear, supportive husband - and near strangers would give me that look. If you're a writer, I'm sure you've seen it: the patronizing smile that verges on ridicule. (Remember the scene in "The King's Speech" where Lionel Logue auditions in vain for the role of King Richard II before a smirking panel of ... snots? That look.)

Let me recount a nightmare from those "before" days:

I served on a church committee with - among others - an accountant, and as a committee we were charged with - among other things - writing a skit for an upcoming event.

When the writing assignment came up in a meeting, all the members looked at the ceiling and sat on their hands. As much as I hated to expose my dream, I lifted my hand just to shoulder height, but with the quietest thrill of anticipation. Wait till everyone saw what I could do with a story.

I did mention the accountant, right?

Now understand, this was a one-person assignment. Other people had their jobs; this was mine. But when, after hours of love and labor I proudly turned in one doozey of a skit, the accountant took it home. And brought it back. With red ink splashed so thick you would think someone had been knifed to death on top of it.

Trust me when I tell you, he'd ruined my work. He'd put in fifty-cent words (the more obscure the better) where two bit words were just right. He'd made my down-home characters all talk like members of parliament. He'd drained the life right out of my darling, and when he handed it back, he gave me that look, and said, "Everybody thinks they can write, but you know, it actually takes a lot of work."

I did know.

And now that my name shows up on books you can buy, people think I can take their manuscripts to my agent and get them a contract.

I have to be gentle. I know how they feel. I know how wrong people - even writers - can be. And best of all, I know how dramatically, and how quickly a writer's work can improve. Because while my skit didn't need an accountant, I'm sure it did need a good editor. I was not then the writer I would become. For more on that story, you might want to look back on a previous post, "Everything Can Change."

For now, let me say how proud we are of all of you, how thrilled we are over your successes, and what hopes we have for each of you. Do keep writing, if that is your call. Do keep coming here. And do tell us about the "accountants" in your lives.

We love to read what you have to say.

Smile When you Say That.

I saw an advertisement once it read, “Make 100,000 a year as a writer”. The ad went on to explain how you could snag writing gigs all over the place: writing contracts for corporations, writing manuals, medical files, proofingadvertisements, you name it.
I thought, That’s not writing. That’s just putting words on paper. The idea of spending my days up to my eyeballs in lifeless words made me ill.
A little later, I read another advertisement that promised I could make a comfortable living writing articles for magazines. I have no doubt this is true, I know many writers who write almost exclusively for magazines. What rankled me was the next line: Anyone can earn a living writing for magazines! It’s just that easy! Aside from the fact that writing for magazines is not ‘just that easy,’ I had to wonder: why are we preoccupied with easy? What has easy every brought us except a consumer mentality and laziness? Do we earnestly believe that we deserve big dividends from little or no effort?
On Monday, Latayne shared her difficult experience with a friend who thought he’d like to write a book. I’ve had my share of encounters with novice writers (including being one myself), and I’ve discovered some ways to navigate the minefield discussion without exploding.

1. Say no to family and friends. I never read unpublished work from family or close friends. Here’s what I say, “I’m too crazy about you to read this. I’m not objective – I’ll love it and it won’t help you a bit. You need an unbiased reader who will be able to see the flaws, and offer real help.”

2. Say no to co-workers. Recently someone at work said, “I should get you to help me get an agent. I write fiction.” I asked my three diagnostic questions: what did he write? (fantasy) What did he read? (um, uh, well, it’s hard to find good fantasy novels) What classes, workshops, or conferences he had attended? (none so far). By the end of the third question he understood he wasn’t ready to talk to an agent. Just to be certain we wouldn’t have to repeat this conversation, I asked, “Would your writing blow me away? It is exquisite? Is the novel professionally polished?” The conversation was over.

3. Say no to strangers. I received an email recently from someone who knows my parents. I’ve never met the person. He wrote asking for help to become published. I suggested a number of steps that have helped me over the years, conferences, books, courses, associations. And. Nothing. More. I wished him well, and didn’t leave the door open for him to write for more hands on help. Was that unkind? No. He writes children’s book – something utterly outside my experience as a writer. I advised him to start meeting other children’s book writers. He’ll be happy when he does.

4. Say yes-but to colleagues, conference attendees and blog friends. There is a small group of writers I always say yes to. The Novel Matters women (in fact, I think I’ve begged to read some of their manuscripts pre-pub), and two or three others. I do this because reading their work is a joy – and my feedback is usually short an unnecessary.

I make myself available to writers at conferences, and through this blog. I love each encounter – partly because I set the ground rules early. I give these lovely people my ‘yes-but’. 99% of the time, I honestly cannot read full manuscripts for critique. I’m a wife, a mom, a writer, I work part-time, and my husband is a pastor. I make honest assessments of the time I can spend reading other people’s work, and I then I say “yes-but I can only offer to read the first three chapters”, or “I can help with the synopsis.”

Does this list work every time? Nah. I’ve been told I was a bad Christian because I said no to reading someone’s work. I’ve passed on reading someone’s work and regretted it because I would have loved to know more about the story they were writing. But it helps when I remind myself that knowing me and hearing my ideas isn’t anyone’s golden ticket. And that while most of the time I must say no, when I do say yes I mean it, go deep, give it my full attention, and only offer ideas I think will be helpful and constructive. In other words, I just do the best I can with what I have to give.
How have you managed to say no when you needed to? How hard was it? Share!

Sadder but Wiser?

Years ago an old friend approached me. He was retired now, and wanted to write a book. Would I look it over and tell him what I thought?

It was very, very long. To say that it was painful to read would be too kind. It was a grammatical mess and a spelling bee where most of the words had to sit down. The thread-thin plot plodded, the characters had no characteristics, the descriptions – well, they didn’t describe.

I tried gently to tell him that it needed work. I advised a writing class, or joining a critique group. He pushed and pushed. If I would just mark the manuscript with the problem areas, he would work on it. Against my better judgment, I spent many hours correcting (only the first instances) of misspelled words, suggesting places to add description, giving some writing prompts. With his passion for his book, I thought he’d be grateful.

He wanted me to rewrite it. I declined. He took it to another mutual friend who was a schoolteacher and wore her out editing it. Along the way, I discovered that it had been 30 years since he had read a book in the genre he was attempting. And that he resented the heck out of me because I wouldn’t ghost write his book for him – after all, writing was easy, he knew that.

The more I gave, the more he demanded. And never once during that time did this man with limitless time and a comfortable income ever offer appreciation – not verbally, not even buying me a cup of coffee.

I hope this doesn’t sound bitter. I look back on that experience and see a reflection of something my mother once told me: Don’t ever give a handcrafted item you’ve made to someone who doesn’t make things—they won’t appreciate it.

I realize I could be treading on dangerous ground, writing a column dissing beginning writers. But I don’t think the people who read NovelMatters – whether pre-published or already-published--think writing is easy. They respect the craft, and respect the journey.

Do you have a horror story of trying to help someone with his or her writing?

Taming the Perfectionist Monster

Welcome to our book talk on Bird by Bird by Ann Lamott. We're discussing the chapter "Perfectionism" today. Even if you haven't read the chapter, we invite you to add your voice. We learn so much from what you offer.

"I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping stone just right, you won't have to die. The truth is that you will die anyway and that a lot of people who aren't even looking at their feet are going to do a whole lot better than you, and have a lot more fun while they're doing it." Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird

I. Am. Not. A. Perfectionist.

I just happen to be very, very, very conscientious.

Are you buying this?

You shouldn't. I'm a charter member of the Perfectionist Club of North America, a gold cardholder for decades. If they gave sky miles for perfectionism, I would be on my gazillionth trip around the world right now, sipping an espresso on the Rue de la Paix.

So how is it I've managed to write six first drafts and complete the novels?

It wasn't easy. It took over a year to move from the research stage of my first novel to the point where I was willing to put a few words on a blank page, which I fixed and fixed and fixed ad naseum. And then I read Bird by Bird.

I agree with Anne. It takes a belief in God to gain the "courage and stamina" to write that inglorious first draft. Like the children of Israel crossing into the Promised Land, we have to get our feet wet, or select the five polished stones from the stream to face a Goliath-like rough draft or cling to the hem of Jesus' garment and never ever let go. Paul's prayer in Ephesians hits the mark: "I ask the Father in His great glory to give you the power to be strong inwardly through His Spirit." Also, it doesn't hurt to keep compassionate company with yourself. If you're willing to smile at others when they get something all wrong, you should do the same for yourself as Geneen Roth suggests.

But chances are, if you're a perfectionist, you learned early in life that people value you for what you can do. You're comfortable with your perfectionism or you have reached an alliance that works for you. It's been a tool for success in many cases. You can't just turn your personality knob from perfectionist to reckless abandon, but perfectionism will not get you through a first draft, the draft meant to be nothing more than a framework for the beauty to come later. Yep, my throat tightens around those words, too.

Here's where I benefitted from the wisdom of two stellar writers. Early in my writing days I read something Jane Hamilton (A Map of the World) said in an interview. Here's the gist of what she said: "If I can't ride my horse every day and weed the garden and read to my children, I won't be much of a storyteller, so I only write two pages a day." Well, I decided to best her by 50% and write three pages a day. And I follow Anne's suggestion about first drafts, which allows me to write those poopy drafts, knowing I can come back the next day and tidy them up a bit before plugging ahead on the next three pages. This plan allows the perfectionist in me to loosen up a bit.

You're probably thinking, three pages a day? Yep, that's my limit. Just thinking about NaNoWriMo gives me hives. The thought of 50,000 words of dreck undoes me. Won't go there. My rough drafts are definitely pokier than most, but they happen. Like me, you'll have to negotiate with your perfectionistic tendencies to find your acceptable perameters.

Especially for the perfectionist, it's nice to hear how even the most talented and prolific among us struggle. This quote of Kurt Vonnegut's makes me want to take a dandelion-yellow crayon between my teeth: "When I write, I feel like an armless legless man with a crayon in his mouth."

The very good news is that perfectionists are great at revision. Stay tuned!

Does perfectionism prevent you from pressing on while writing your first draft--or starting it? How do you tame your perfectionism? Are there ways you work at not looking at your feet as you run over the stepping stones?

I think we can pick up the pace by reading the next three chapters: "School Lunches," "Polaroids," and "Characters" for our book talk on April 1st.

Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best. ~Henry van Dyke

The Bridge of Words

One of my favorite books for contemplation is Walking on Water by Madeleine L'Engle. When I'm working, I tend to focus downward and inward - at my keyboard, my notes, my reference books, my experiences. Her thoughts draw my sight upward and outward, beyond my narrow boundaries. I am especially encouraged to know that after she was published, she experienced periods of disillusionment and rejection. These two bad boys can be paralyzing to creativity. They are a normal part of the process we all go through in our writing. So what is it that drives us to keep going when we encounter them? Ms. L'Engle would say that part of the driving force is the desire to communicate. All artists want to communicate, be they writers, painters, sculptors or composers. We want our works to be seen, read, heard and experienced to have life breathed into them.

"Art is communication, and if there is no communication it is as though the work had been stillborn." She goes on to affirm the vast importance of the reader, that without readers our stories will never truly live. Contrary to watching TV, where we are a passive audience, the reader partners as creator with the written word - imagining, hearing, and visualizing the story. "The author and the reader 'know' each other; they meet on the bridge of words."

The tangible elements of story such as a character's physical description, the way his shoes pinch, or the scent of flowers at his father's funeral are easier to communicate than his character and motives. He may not always react in expected ways. If we are careless or fail to communicate how we feel about these things, we break that tenuous bond between creators. It is imperative that we work diligently to perfect our art in order that the message is clear, yet winsome and not heavy-handed or contrived. The bridges we build lead to more than an afternoon's distraction. They serve an eternal, life-giving purpose.

In another quote, she states, "Jesus was not a theologian. He was God who told stories." When Jesus told parables, the masses (as 'reader-hearers') became creators, too. Jesus was able to communicate great truths by meeting them on the bridge of words. In actively listening and visualizing, they took steps toward him to cross the bridge. When we partner with Christ to share his truths through story, he empowers us. We become bridge builders.

God chooses to use us to communicate through art to people who are willing to meet us on the bridge. Who are we to be chosen, we may ask? I leave you with one last quote:
"In a very real sense not one of us is qualified...If we are forced to accept our evident lack of qualification, then there's no danger that we will confuse God's work with our own, or God's glory with our own."

Do you think of yourself as a bridge-builder and how does that impact your writing and ability to meet discouragement?