Last
month I was the featured author at the first ever Indie Romance Convention
where I was privileged to give the keynote speech on opening night and moderate
a panel discussion for authors on Indie marketing.
The
Indie Rom con is a convention with separate events
(workshops, panels) for authors and readers. I didn’t attend any of the reader
events because the con organizer had me busy working with other authors. During
those exchanges I was able to discern a lot about the current state of affairs.
First,
as I’m sure you’re aware, Independent Publishing includes a variety of approaches
to book distribution such as self-publishing, small press, and independent
imprint digital. I don’t usually cite my own case because it’s unique. When I
began publishing my works of fiction, I did so under 7th House
Publishing, which is a small press and was owned by me at the time. For about
fifteen years its focus had been strictly calendars, planners, New Age niche
books, and sidelines.
As
a person who began as owner/operator of a small publishing company, I was
fortunate to have many of the skills necessary to running an Indie fiction
business before I began writing the fiction I would sell. For the vast majority
of Indie authors, that equation is the other way around.
In
other words I was familiar with marketing principles, time management, and had
acquired useful tech skills so that I can manage my own website, do my own
graphics (including covers), and format my books for publication in various
e-versions.
Not
every Indie author has or is going to want to acquire that specific skill set,
but that’s okay. There are people who can be hired to perform those tasks. What
every Indie author does need to understand is that an independent writing
career is not only a business, it’s an entrepreneurial business. It’s a leap
for risk takers and scramblers.
If
the voice in your head says, “But I just want to write,” Indie publishing is
not for you. Sadly, there may not be any place for you because, while
traditional publishing may survive in some form, the days of authors
contributing nothing more than manuscripts are over. Even big names are now expected
to spend time on social media and engage readers, contribute earnings to
various promotions, and participate in marketing activities where their
predecessors were simply left alone.
For
a time traditional publishing tried to deny that the gate was open for good.
For four hundred years nothing much changed in the world of publishing, but the
Kindle created a revolution that upended the stranglehold the New York
gatekeepers had over which things did or did not get published. Don’t get me
wrong. I understand investing. The people who are putting up the money get to
say how it’s used, where, when, and why. I have no problem with that. It’s only
right.
On
the other hand, there’s something truly noble about having a global forum that
allows anyone with something to say to put it out there and let the reading
public – rather than book investors – decide what they want to read.
As
to the fate of traditional publishing, let me paraphrase Mark Coker of
Smashwords. “They’re like the Titanic. They know they’re going to sink, but
they’re too big to turn. All they can do is brace and wait for impact."
Meanwhile,
a lot of authors like myself are benefitting from a readership with whom
contact would have been possible. My books would never have been published –
too different, too much of a risk. So I owe Amazon a lot. If they dropped the
props that are holding traditional publishing up, so that we were on a level
playing field with those authors, I would owe them even more. (Are you
listening, Amazon? We, Indies, are your future.)
Indie Rom Con will
be held in Nashville next year, September 11-14 with outstanding small events
for both authors and readers. http://indieromancecon.com/
-------------
Victoria is releasing a Box Set of her series, The Order of the Black Swan. The details are below. She's also sponsoring a giveaway of an autographed archival print of the Black Swan covers for a lucky Books and Pals reader. A Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway follows the book release details.
Black Swan
Collected Tales (Volume 1, Books
1-6)
The
Order of the Black Swan is
a serial saga including My Familiar Stranger, The Witch’s Dream, A
Summoner’s Tale, Moonlight, Gathering Storm, and NEVER BEFORE
RELEASED Book 6, A Tale of Two Kingdoms.
Once upon a time a girl lost everything
familiar. She escaped death by being forced into an experiment that left her in
another world where modern day knights, elves, vampires, werewolves, witches,
demons and fae became her allies, friends and family. She discovered a place
where adventure intersects fairytales, where honor is more than an ideal, and
she learned that love can find you in the strangest places, when you're least
expecting it, even when you're far, far from home. This is the story of Elora
Laiken's strange and wonderful journey. It is also the story
of those whose lives she touches along the way.
If you love romance, paranormal, science
fiction, fantasy, urban fantasy, contemporary, this series is right for you.
17+
ISBN: 978-1-933320-94-6, 523,000 words
The entire box set, which will retail after December 15th
for $18.99, will be available during release week for $0.99 and can be
preordered at that price from either Smashwords or Kobo. Buy links to Amazon, B&N, and Apple
(iBooks, iTunes) will be available release week. Subscribe to the mail list for
a reminder.
Appropriate for 17+
TWITTER: @vdanann
Best-selling
ROMANCE with Paranormal, Sci-fi, and Fantasy Flair.
AUTHOR BIO:
If you’re looking for
something new and different in PNR, you’ve come to the right place.
I write unapologetic romances
with uniquely fresh perspectives on paranormal creatures, characters, and
themes. Add a dash of scifi and a flourish of fantasy to enough humor to make
you laugh out loud and enough steam to make you squirm in your chair. My heroines
are independent femmes with flaws and minds of their own whether they are
aliens, witches, demonologists, psychics, or past life therapists. My heroes
are hot and hunky, but they also have brains, character, and good manners –
usually – whether they be elves, demons, berserkers, werewolves, or vampires.
I have authored and
illustrated Seasons of the Witch calendars and planners for fifteen years and
teach magickal arts for Seasons in Avalon. I live in The Woodlands, Texas which
is why I sometimes joke about being the witch in the woods.
1 comment:
Great article! I love the quote from Coker haha!
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