Mystery Writing is Murder

Dorte--And look how easy it was for you to find an...

2012-05-29T19:01:01.025-04:00

Dorte--And look how easy it was for you to find an English-speaking audience! I'm so glad to hear it worked out so well for you. :) You made the right choice.

Sensible and balanced advice :) If I had ever ha...

2012-05-29T16:52:02.883-04:00

Sensible and balanced advice :)

If I had ever had the choice, I am sure I would have accepted any offer from a traditional publisher until recently. But after the last two-three months, I am not so sure I would be interested in an American publisher any more. I have not got the knack of getting my books out in Scandinavia yet, however, so that is another kettle of fish.

And I am really happy to hear that your self-published books are also successful!

Julie--I sure do..."Progressive Dinner Deadly...

2012-05-29T05:21:55.809-04:00

Julie--I sure do..."Progressive Dinner Deadly" and "A Dyeing Shame" are the books I put up myself. They're both Myrtle Clover books, which was discontinued by Midnight Ink but luckily still had an audience! And thanks. :)

thanks so much for the mention! :)

2012-05-29T00:12:31.519-04:00

thanks so much for the mention! :)

I had no idea you had some self-pubbed books out t...

2012-05-28T23:33:30.655-04:00

I had no idea you had some self-pubbed books out there! Good to know. I find your opinion on this subject VERY interesting and VERY wise. Why close any doors?

J-Hall--Learning to say no is the hardest part! I&...

2012-05-28T18:32:49.224-04:00

J-Hall--Learning to say no is the hardest part! I've only recently gotten better at it. I can *definitely* do it on email, can *usually* do it on the phone...I'm working on in-person. :) But I was pleased that I turned down that project recently. I knew I'd enjoy it...but, you know, there comes a point where we just can't do more than what we're already committed to.

Maybe now, moving forward past the 6 year point, you won't be as committed as you are now. I've got my fingers crossed for you!

Elizabeth--You are such a good support system! Ser...

2012-05-28T17:24:33.907-04:00

Elizabeth--You are such a good support system! Seriously. I do work hard, but probably not any harder than you. I can't imagine keeping your pace and still having to take take of children. My husband and dogs keep me busy enough!

Yes, I am contracted out for the next six years. But if I can find the time, my contracts can't stop me from publishing other works, as long as they don't compete with what I'm doing now. I've already started outlining and character mapping a historical fiction book, and I think I just might take your earlier suggestion and go for a coffee table book on exotic beaches.:) Wouldn't that be fun??

I also need to learn how to say no. Part of the reason why I get so bogged down in work is because I keeping accepting invitations (and ones that don't pay well, if at all) so that I don't let anyone down. I received a little backlash from it, though. A colleague sent me an email this morning, instructing me, and I quote, "Janita, you need to relax!" I guess I'm getting a bit too testy! :)

I'm going to try, really try, to find some extra time. It'll be a type of literary catharsis. Yeah, "catharsis" is the word. Thanks again!

Diane--The Taleist one? I'll be curious to rea...

2012-05-28T16:38:01.621-04:00

Diane--The Taleist one? I'll be curious to read your post!

So wise not to put your eggs all in one basket! I&...

2012-05-28T16:31:48.402-04:00

So wise not to put your eggs all in one basket! I'm still leery of the KDP Select program because it limits readership.

My post tomorrow has to do with a self-publishing survey, which I'm sure you've already read.

Hilary--You're kidding! Wow, I didn't real...

2012-05-28T14:31:15.903-04:00

Hilary--You're kidding! Wow, I didn't realize that IE and Blogger were having conflicts. Oh wait--yes, I did. I had to use Firefox to edit a published post of mine because IE made it bomb. Sigh.

Thanks so much for coming by!

Jemi--The changes are coming so quickly that it's hard to keep up!

Laura--I think that's the best plan--look at it all with an open mind.

Margot--Choices are always good to have!

Terry--Blogger is making me bang my head against a wall...

I just don't have a really clear sense of where all this is going. I *think* it's going to the Amazon-is-king-of-the-world direction, but it could so easily bomb on them...and I sure don't want to have all my eggs in *that* basket. I read recently that Amazon is wanting to really branch out into other goods (not be looked at as just a book retailer.) They sell a ton of other goods, but their brand is still primarily book-related.

Oh, gosh, the editing. Yep. I've been bitten by that a couple of times lately when I've bought some self-pubbed YA books for my son. I keep trying!

And we should give ourselves plenty of time to learn the business. So much info out there.

J. Hall-Swadley--I think you've hit the nail on the head. And I should have prefaced the post by saying that genre fiction writers have more options. It's very easy for us to find an audience at online bookstores because our work is similar to others in our genre--and the Amazon algorythm likes that.

You work so hard at what you do! I hesitate to ask (because this type of thing is always easier said than done) but--do you think you might move into some non-fiction or fiction that's easier and quicker to produce? I know that's a huge adjustment--it would be comparable to me going from writing mystery to writing SF/F! But if you could ease off the time-intensive commitments and do a non-fic book that's easier to write.. maybe even a how-to for academic writers? I know you're probably like me and you're committed into the future. I'm contracted out for a while...there aren't too many choices when that's the case. I actually turned down a non-fic offer from a publisher recently--I just knew I wasn't the right writer for the job. Sometimes it's all we can do just to keep up.

Alex--Oh, I wouldn't leave the iBookstore out!

Alan--Definitely! I've got 3 different names right now--2 are variations of my real name. It gets complicated.

The Daring Novelist--That's not bad advice. No offence intended against my agent, of course. :)

Oh, absolutely. When I sign a contract, that character and series belongs to my publishers...not to me. I know that the books I self-pub will be books that I wrote on my own.

Although I did get the rights back to my Myrtle Clover character. But when I signed that contract in 08, ebooks weren't really on the scene the way they are now.

Carol--And at least we have choices. We know we can keep writing books--a good thing. I'd hate to think that I had only one book and had to make a decision what to do with it.

I totally agree about keeping all options open. In...

2012-05-28T13:59:31.017-04:00

I totally agree about keeping all options open. In July my self-published novel will be released. I'm currently querying a new manuscript and writing another. If the queries don't pan out, I will self-publish this, too. As you say, by that time, we will most likely see other changes.

This sounds like excellent advice. I don't th...

2012-05-28T12:45:47.599-04:00

This sounds like excellent advice. I don't think I'd change anything except perhaps that if a newbie author did get a book offer, he or she should get an IP lawyer to handle the contract.

To me, the contract is the biggest, unrecoverable pitfall, because it can close off options.

I figure the game, right now, is not only keeping your options open, but making use of them.

It sounds like you've put some thought into th...

2012-05-28T11:50:35.816-04:00

It sounds like you've put some thought into this and come up with a very prudent strategy. I'm right there with you--traditional, self-pub, different genres/markets. Of course, the trick is to diversify while still building a brand name!

There are a lot of options and a lot of choices fo...

2012-05-28T10:43:10.625-04:00

There are a lot of options and a lot of choices for writers now. And certainly multiple paths to follow.
And glad your books are available in the iBookstore. I and my multitude of iTunes gift cards thank you.

It seems to me that the genre of fiction or nonfic...

2012-05-28T10:20:49.573-04:00

It seems to me that the genre of fiction or nonfiction one writes has bearing on what type of publishing a writer should pursue to best represent his or her work.

Since I write scholarly/academic editions and texts, my books have to be peer reviewed before they ever go to print. My editors have to be fairly knowledgeable about my subject (they actually sign off on my books--a written guarantee that the contents are "true," or at least supported), and they have to have a pretty good reputation in order to authorize their publication. My writings will never reach my intended audience if they do not go through this peer review process. Libraries, universities, conservatories, music schools, research facilities, archives, and connoisseurs--foreign and domestic--would never purchase my book. However, I can see that authors of some nonfiction books, e.g., self-help and travel books especially, could benefit from self-publishing. I wish I had the option of self-publishing, but I just might cut my own throat in doing so.

I think, though, that when it comes time to publish my fiction book, I am going to self-publish. And I do look forward to that time!

I switched to WordPress after Blogger wasn't a...

2012-05-28T09:39:56.073-04:00

I switched to WordPress after Blogger wasn't allowing me to schedule posts in advance. I've inherited another set of problems, but there's no perfect solution, I fear.

I want as many eggs and as many baskets as I can get out there. I had a chance at a traditionally published series, and would have jumped on it had it not fallen through.

Right now, the indie route is working for me, but I think it helps to have some traditionally published works under ones belt. I'm reading a book by someone who didn't want to wait, and his inexperience shows, even though he paid for an editor. (Which is another subject entirely--with all the indie authors popping up, the need for editors increases, and there are those who are taking advantage of the need and don't have the skills to back it up).

Anyway -- my two cents would be much the same as yours. Learn enough about the business to have a top-notch product before you hit "publish."

Terry
Romance with a Twist--of Mystery

Elizabeth - Thanks for your thoughts on self-publi...

2012-05-28T08:27:00.757-04:00

Elizabeth - Thanks for your thoughts on self-publishing. Publishing is a really quickly-evolving landscape and I think the wise author keeps track of what's happening and makes decisions accordingly. As you say, it is important to create as many opportunities for ourselves as we can, whether it's self-publishing, traditional publishers, indies or something else. It's not a one-size-fits all world, which is good - we're not one-size fits-all authors.

It's really hard to advise someone else what t...

2012-05-28T07:57:55.142-04:00

It's really hard to advise someone else what to do. I'll always keep my option open even if right now self publishing is the option I prefer. But I love your answer.

Great observations Elizabeth. It's an industry...

2012-05-28T07:26:53.108-04:00

Great observations Elizabeth. It's an industry that is changing every moment and it's such a good idea to keep the options open. :)

Hi Elizabeth - some of my comments go to other blo...

2012-05-28T07:21:30.605-04:00

Hi Elizabeth - some of my comments go to other blogger's spam, some only get through on email, and some I need to change to IE from Chrome to be able to comment at all.

Life is life in the blogging world .. but we need to check our blogger spam that's for sure - I get comments there too ..

Makes absolute sense your post - keep our options open, do what we can for ourselves, and try all routes ..

Those that have fought over the years for us deserve all our thoughts and thanks ..

With thoughts for today - Hilary

Wow, four in a year. I am in awe. I have to stick ...

2012-05-27T21:49:20.778-04:00

Wow, four in a year. I am in awe. I have to stick to a time span to write in or my monkey-mind makes me unproductive.

Thanks for coming by, y'all!

2012-05-27T19:25:52.191-04:00

Thanks for coming by, y'all!

Write more with less willpower? For real? I'm ...

2012-05-27T12:44:04.422-04:00

Write more with less willpower? For real? I'm so there.

I've got six links to check out. THanks!

2012-05-27T10:04:09.386-04:00

I've got six links to check out. THanks!

Great list! Thanks for including the Write Angle B...

2012-05-27T09:49:50.666-04:00

Great list! Thanks for including the Write Angle Blog :)