I’ve been getting some surprised readers lately who only now found out why I went indie. And some moans and groans about it. Time for a recap.
Q: Why did you decide to go indie?
A: There is no one right answer for this. But here are some of the biggest reasons, pared down to basics to avoid long, detailed explanations:
- I write paranormal. Most traditional publishers aren’t buying much of it, and what they are buying, they aren’t paying a lot for (with a few exceptions). I was NOT given the option of continuing Whisper Hollow, Fly By Night, or Otherworld with Berkley and I really want to finish Otherworld and continue Whisper Hollow, as well as start new worlds—all paranormal. There is NO choice–I can’t order a publisher to pay me money and publish my work when they choose to no longer buy it. Berkley is changing its format to focus on trade and hardcover, and I don’t fit in that category. Mass market is going away as a format with a number of publishers. It is what it is.
- I want the freedom to introduce my readers to worlds I’ve been dreaming of but have had no outlet for—like the Fury Unbound and the Bewitching Bedlam series. I want the freedom to write and publish what I want, when I want to. Indie is the only way to do this.
- I want lower e-book prices on my books for my readers, and higher earnings for me. I can make so much more publishing indie while still pricing the e-books books lower, which means a win-win situation for both my readers and me, especially since publishers aren’t handing out contracts that much now. Print prices for POD will definitely be quite a bit higher, but there’s no other option at this point. If you want a print book, it’s going to cost more.
B: You always pushed pre-orders, why aren’t you doing so on your indie work?
For several reasons, but it has to do with ranking and the fact that I’ve just started in on this and I know that there can be glitches and I don’t want to incur any glitches (or as few as I can), so instead of hoping you will all pre-order, I’m just hoping you’ll buy the books when they come out. There’s a lot more to it than that, but for now, leave it at: I don’t want to suddenly realize the internet went out when I needed to upload a book and oh crap, it’s not going to be up there in time. *grins*
C: You said you’re going to be putting out more releases. How will we know when they come out?
- Well, the top best ways to stay in the loop are:
- My newsletter. (And read it! And since sometimes it goes into people’s spam filters, make certain you check there).
- You can sign up to follow me on Bookbub—when I have a new release, I’ll post it there and for anything novella size or over, they will send out a new release announcement. Unfortunately, for short stories, that won’t happen (but my newsletter will).
- Follow me here on the blog—I’ll post when I have new releases. I also plan on blogging more so you’ll get to read other things.
- My website—will always have all releases/books listed
D: Why do your paperbacks cost so much now that you’re indie?
Because I have to put them out via Print-on-Demand, and for me to make decent money from them, I can’t just price them pennies above cost (and they’d still be far higher than you’re used to). So I’m sorry–there’s no negotiation, no other option if you want it in print. On the other hand, I’m able to offer the e-versions at substantially lower prices.
Again: IT IS WHAT IT IS.
This is the way things are now, and while we can’t predict the future, for now–this is what it is. The Createspace versions are lovely and I’ve made the font a bit bigger so they’re easier to read than my other books, btw. 😉
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