tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4275407340772980947.post3458650913064169662..comments2016-12-14T15:07:17.543-08:00Comments on Inside a writer's mind -- enter at your own risk: To Self-Publish or Not to Self-Publish; That is the Questiond s saulthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12788612729434162987noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4275407340772980947.post-9249596203432116912010-12-05T01:22:47.251-08:002010-12-05T01:22:47.251-08:00A wonderfully informative article, Dean. I thank y...A wonderfully informative article, Dean. I thank you for the kind words at the beginning. <br /><br />Having self-published myself, I know how difficult it is. I will say this to Bethany: I sold over 200 copies of my novel in my hometown alone, and that was through word of mouth alone. It's a very productive outlet. <br /><br />Thank you for taking the time to write this, Dean.Daniel McKeownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4275407340772980947.post-17619999330970651622010-09-22T14:10:39.669-07:002010-09-22T14:10:39.669-07:00No disagreement here. Young adults are accustomed ...No disagreement here. Young adults are accustomed to fast paced entertainment in today's electronic world. For that reason, writers need to choose formats that address these needs of "modern" youth. I believe it can be done using short-story format for chapters and linking the chapters into a greater story, over time...kind of stories within a story.<br /><br />Again, I agree with you about the low-end, fiction paperbacks. They probably will not be a "growth market" for authors. I'm guessing publishers of the future will make their money from nonfiction, leaving fiction to the e-books, with exceptions being made for well-established authors with an existing fan base.<br /><br />Problem is, my crystal ball is foggy and Windex isn't helping...LOLd s saulthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12788612729434162987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4275407340772980947.post-68406180894980456342010-09-21T18:47:20.106-07:002010-09-21T18:47:20.106-07:00Two minor/partial disagreements:
1. Kids/Young a...Two minor/partial disagreements: <br /><br />1. Kids/Young adults have the attention span to read long works if it interests them. I see it every day. Certainly not as many as in the past (there are far more modes of entertainment available than in the past), but more than one sometimes might think. As I see it, a kid who isn't interested in reading, isn't going to read a short story for recreation, let alone a novella. Will they change as adults? Maybe, maybe not. In my experience, most of the nonreaders or reluctant readers are more open to nonfiction that interests them as they grow into their 20s and even early 30s (that's all the anecdotal evidence I have--from former students).<br /><br />I think the ebooks will doom the mass market paperbacks except for the top tier of best sellers. I think the hardback and trade paperback will reduce in market share but won't be doomed by the ebook as the mass market size.<br /><br />Who knows, maybe we're both off base.Terry W. Ervin IIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13561009802388207515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4275407340772980947.post-35428501441371246482010-09-21T15:04:41.103-07:002010-09-21T15:04:41.103-07:00Ditto that, Terry. Vanity presses will morph into ...Ditto that, Terry. Vanity presses will morph into more POD publishers. There will be no market for overpriced vanity press books in the near future.<br /><br />eBooks will eventually take over the market for fiction novels. Another point I chose not to cover is that young people have less attention spans than older generations. For that reason, I expect sales of novellas or even chapter-a-month internet series to be attractive to future internet readers.d s saulthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12788612729434162987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4275407340772980947.post-85194457298310462462010-09-21T14:43:30.951-07:002010-09-21T14:43:30.951-07:00With all of the options available for self-publish...With all of the options available for self-publishing and the number of small niche publishers, in addition to the large ones, I am guessing over time that the vanity presses will be the ones that will lose out. That, I believe, won't hurt readers one bit.<br /><br />The thing for a writer to do is to make sure any decision they make (route they attempt), they do it with being well informed and with eyes wide open.<br /><br />Excellent post, Dean!Terry W. Ervin IIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13561009802388207515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4275407340772980947.post-5916751937036612132010-09-20T18:15:35.050-07:002010-09-20T18:15:35.050-07:00Thanks, Bethany Ray. Living in a town of 1,200 is ...Thanks, Bethany Ray. Living in a town of 1,200 is all the more reason to develop your skill with internet marketing. It's a cart before the horse dilemma. Successful word-of-mouth campaigns come from happy readers, yet happy readers come from successful word-of-mouth advertising. Self-publishing authors have to be both the cart AND the horse until a big enough fan base exists to sustain growth.<br /><br />You're right, though, some people simply don't have the ability, or brass balls, to promote themselves. Those are the writers who should submit dozens of query letters and hope for the best. By the way, one of the attributes agents and publishers look for in new talent is writers who can, and will, promote themselves...tirelessly. So, the chances of success for wallflower-writers are slim no matter which approach the author chooses.<br /><br />Thanks for the repost to twitter.<br /><br />Deand s saulthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12788612729434162987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4275407340772980947.post-33513036307111945582010-09-20T15:30:42.438-07:002010-09-20T15:30:42.438-07:00What a great post!!
I'm torn between self-pub...What a great post!!<br /><br />I'm torn between self-publishing and mass publishing. I'm working on querying agents right now - mostly because I'm from a town of 1,200 people. Perhaps 3 of those would pass on the news of a novel. Even with the internet, it becomes impossible for SOME (I'm not saying all) people to market themselves. <br /><br />Great post, Dean! I reposted this to Twitter, hope that's okay. :)Bethanyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08639826676031592704noreply@blogger.com