I have the honor to be a humble host for the IWSG this month. My fellow Co-Hosts are:
The question of inspiration this month is...
What publishing path are you considering/did you take, and why?
My publishing journey continues... I've been with the small press Curiosity Quills for several years. It started out great! They paid lots of attention to the authors, they edit with us, they create covers, and they get us set up on Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, etc. Plus they have a contest and set up some reviews to get us started. Then, like baby birds, we kicked out of the nest to fend for ourselves... Fly, be free! All in all, it's been good. No matter what, I think most writers have to promote themselves and get out and sell, unless they're picked up by the big publishers. Even then, it's readers and word of mouth that determine how well the book will do... Success breeds more success.
I've stuck my toe in the self-publishing pool with my UnPrincess Novellas. That is all DIY, but there are many formatting programs to help with getting your book published pretty easily. You just have to take care of the editing, cover, and again, promotion!
Writing a book is a distinguished accomplishment. Publishing it is a matter of perseverance and finding the right fit. Promoting it is where the REAL WORK begins! Ugh!
I'm looking forward to reading everyone else's thoughts on Publishing!
In other news...
You may have heard the latest IWSG Anthology Contest is underway. Well, today they are announcing the judges! To find out who they are, hop over to the IWSG site.
In conjunction with the beginnings of the new IWSG Anthology Contest, we have combined all the previous IWSG Anthologies into one IWSG Anthologies website!
And it just so happens, that my Shout Out of the Week is one of the admins:She's been writing forever and is very good at it. Multi-talented, she can do all aspects of publishing, and has written a ton of great stories! I'm excited to be working with her at the IWSG Anthology site.
Cherie Reich owns more books than she can ever read and thinks up more ideas than she can ever write, but that doesn’t stop this bookworm from trying to complete her goals, even if it means curbing her TV obsession. A library assistant living in Virginia, she writes speculative fiction.
Give me an I! Give me a W! Give me an S! Give me a G!
Go IWSG!!!!
Hey, it's September and that means:
Football Season and Fall! Yay!
64 comments:
I'm still flapping!
Excellent shout out this week. And one IWSG anthology website? Very cool!
And thanks for co-hosting today!
I'm so excited to see where my new path leads me! It's nice to have an advocate in your court for once!!
So do you think you'll ever go back to trad publishing? I'll have to make this decision eventually myself and am looking for any hints I can get. And what have you learned about book promotion? Sounds like a vast subject.
Thanks for co-hosting this month's IWSG!
Hi,
I love this paragraph: Writing a book is a distinguished accomplishment. Publishing it is a matter of perseverance and finding the right fit. Promoting it is where the REAL WORK begins!
It says all that I am experiencing at the moment. Thanks!
Thank you also for co-hosting this month.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat G @ EverythingMustChange
You have to fly but we try to fly with you.
I love the new IWSG anthology site. It was a great idea.
Oh yes, promoting is the hardest work, but it's necessary. The new IWSG anthology site looks fantastic! And yay for Cherie! Thanks for co-hosting today. :)
Thanks for co-hosting!
I think you pegged it about the writing/publishing/promotion process. Definitely the last is the hardest for many of us. Introverts may make good writers, but they are seldom good publicists :p
The single anthology site is great—so grateful to those who made it happen, and hope to get myself together in the next month or so to be able to contribute.
—Rebecca https://www.ninjalibrarian.com/2018/09/iwsg-post.html
I'm cohosting, too!!! So true about self promotion. We gotta do it because who will if we don't? It's all about go forward as a writer.
Teresa
Ugh. Promoting. I'm just learning to tackle that beast, but there's no way around it anymore. Glad to hear that you love your publisher! And that series you want to self-publish sounds interesting.
It's definitely a work of love, eh? Some days I think one route is better, then I'm convinced the alternate route is best. I think it just boils down to doing what works for you--or what you're willing to work for.
No matter the path to publication, authors are faced with the issue of marketing. It's definitely a challenging and time-consuming venture. Wishing you the best on all your endeavors! Thanks for co-hosting this month!
Thanks for hosting, I'm going the self-publishing route for the control. That way no one can lie to me but me! :)
Awesome about the dedicated site for the anthologies! I love reading them and one day will actually try and write for one. Thanks for co-hosting today! So, are you still happy with Curiosity Quills? Sounded like you weren't with them anymore or were unhappy? Good luck with the newest YA novel!
It was interesting reading your thoughts on your publisher. They did important stuff--getting you started on those outlets. You could have done it yourself but lots of authors like the helping hand. I so agree--really, in the end, it is up to us.
I think you fly well - and you are a terrific cheerleader for others!
Yeah, there's no getting around the necessity of pushing our own books. My first small-publisher book is coming out soon, and I'm gearing up for the publicity/marketing phase. Wish me luck! And I wish you happy writing in September.
Promotion is indeed hard work. I freely admit I failed completely at it in the past, and am trying to do things better now. It's harder work than writing and editing.
Youy're right, the promotion is almost more work than the rest of it put together! Haha. Thanks so much for co-hosting this month!
Thanks for co-hosting IWSG this month. I am in the latest IWSG anthology and it's great to be part of that group. I might even enter again this year.
Mary at Play off the Page
Wonderful shout-out for Cherie!
I agree that every writer needs to promote their own work and you've done a great job of that. I love seeing what you're coming up with next. :)
Promoting is definitely the hardest part of this entire process no matter what path you take. (Unless you're Steven King. Pretty sure he could sneeze on to paper and people would buy it. LOL)
Getting kicked out of the nest is terrifying, but you learn to fly very quickly! Nice shout out for Cherie and congratulations to her on her continuing publication.
Thanks for emphasizing that it's important for writers to understand that the writing/publishing/promotion processes are collectively important and independently require a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. Writing is a life's work, not a 5-9 job. And we wouldn't have it any other way. Thanks for co-hosting today.
I find self publishing very difficult. I just can't market my books.
Hello, fellow co-host!
I am an utter failure at promoting myself. Usually, if someone says to me, "I want to read your book!" my response is something like, "Oh, no. Don't do that. It's terrible."
I'm a work in progress.
Happy writing!
You're always the smartest gal in the room! You're so right about publishing. I keep trying to find the short cut, but the truth is, there doesn't seem to be one.
Cheers to Cherie! She's a master of the indie work.
Being a writer appears to be a lot of work. The writing is fun, yet hard, but satisfying work. I totally believe that the next step - publishing - will be tougher, since a lot of research and contacting people is involved. Promoting is yet another big step. Phew. How do authors have time for anything else in their lives? Thanks for co-hosting this month, and for your valuable take and experience about the publishing path.
Yeah, that marketing and promotion stuff can be a killer. I'd admire those that make it look easy.
Even if we're with a publisher, a lot of the marketing work will fall to the author, especially after that initial push. Thanks for co-hosting! And thank you so much for shouting me out. <3
Both traditional publishing, and small presses, or indie a writer has to self-promote and market themselves. And I just noticed I'm repeating what a lot of people are commenting.
Thank you for co-hosting this month, Tara!
Promoting a book really is where the real work begins. And you do all of it yourself whether you self-publish or go the traditional route.
BAHAHAHAHA!!! I just read the comment above mine and realized I did the same thing. *face palm* lol
I'm the worst at self-promotion. Then again, my genre isn't exactly everyone's cup of tea haha
Thanks for co-hosting!!
Elsie
I definitely employ the "fake-tell-you-make-it" approach when it comes to promoting. The website looks amazing. Thank you for co-hosting!
Way to go, Tara! Lets hear it for small press!
I find it easier to promote myself when pretending I don't know me, just the book ;-)
Interesting to hear about Curiosity Quills. I'd gotten a like from them on a Twitter pitch, and wasn't sure about submitting. On this end, I'm still trying to go the traditional route with my first novel, because I want the experience of it.
Marketing = blech.
Thanks for co-hosting today. Great post. Happy IWSG Day.
Thanks for co-hosting.
I went the same road: first a small publisher, then an indie writer. I guess it is all about the right fit.
Publishing in any venue is pretty scary. And seem to involve self promotion. Something I need to learn.
Love the comparison to kicking the bird out of the nest. So true. Thanks for co-hosting this month.
Oh, heck yes, promoting is the real work. It's especially hard to promote fiction because there's nothing concrete I can promise the reader. It's not like they can expect to lose twenty pounds or look ten years younger as a result of reading my fantasy novel. (Though my kids did feel inspired to exercise more after reading Hunger Games.)
Still going to learn it, though. :)
I agree. The promotion is the real work once you get published. It's never ending and endlessly frustrating.
Yeah for Cherie.
Glad you had a great small press publishing experience. That's wonderful!
Thanks for being a host today.
Thanks for co-hosting today!
Cool one stop website for the IWSG anthologies.
I’d self-published a poetry chapbook. But I still want to go a traditional publishing route. In fact I want to do both, hybrid publishing.
From what I've heard, the better you can promote yourself, the more attractive you are for publishers who may be on the fence about you. Kind of a scary thought for those of us who are shy! It was really interesting to hear about your small press experience! It gives me some ideas of where I might like to take my book one day. Thanks for co-hosting!
Marketing and promotion does seem to be where all the heavy lifting happens with regard to the publishing world, isn't it. So, are you still with Curiosity Quills. You mentioned that it started out great. Is it no longer great? Or, were you referencing that moment when you get booted out of the nest and have to fend for yourself as the "not great" part? In any case, thank you for hosting this month. Hope the writing is going well.
Thank you so much for hosting this month! Writing is so much fun I often wonder why I ruin it with publishing and marketing:) Just kidding of course but seriously the writing is the easy part.
Yes, there's a LOT to learn if you decide to go indie, that's for sure!
I love that image ... "Be free!" Yes, publishing, a whole other matter to writing. I'm a little versed in the indie realm now, but have learned a nice volume of work to put out in quick succession is needed to catch on. Might be time to pull out at polish those old manuscripts. :)
Such an uplifting post! Your voice is so positive and your attitude is enviable. I'm going to siphon some, 'K?
Hi, Tara!
Thanks for sharing your journey with us! Nice shout out about the website and for Cherie... She is a force to be reckoned with!
Hope you enjoy your FOOTBALL SEASON!
You've gained a wealth of publishing experiences along and survived major upheavals in the publish world. Your flexibility and creativity continue to open doors and delight your readers. Thanks for co-hosting this month!
Thank you for co-hosting today, Tara. Great post. Promotion, ah so necessary and so hard to do, at least for me. You have a great attitude. Think positive. Have a nice day.
Thanks for co-hosting this month. I love your approach to your blog - must steal some ideas from you!
No doubt that publishing can be much easier than it used to be, but marketing is still the biggest challenge. Marketing is work--not to say that the writing isn't.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
Thanks for co-hosting! You made me laugh with the baby bird imagery. Just kicking the little birds out.
Hi Tara - congratualtions on the new IWSG website for the Anthology - there'll be some interesting entries. Good luck with all your projects - cheers Hilary
Hi there fellow co-host.
Curiosity Quills sounds like a nice press.
You are so right. Writing and promoting are so very different, but both are part of publishing.
Cool shout out. Heading over to check out the anthology site.
I love this: "Writing a book is a distinguished accomplishment." Well said! And it really is something to be proud of.
Thanks for hosting, Tara!
Thanks for co-hosting! And for sharing your thoughts about publishing. It is as I suspected (and feared), self promotion is required. Ugh.
Thanks for co-hosting, Tara! Promoting ~ ugh! I’ve helped my sister promote her two published books. It’s the thing I hate most about writing! I’m late making the rounds. A few technical glitches for me. I liked the encouraging tone of your post. Happy writing in September!
Thank you for co-hosting this month's IWSG! I read the word 'promotion' and had to search my office for the garlic and the cross. Carry on!
Thank you for co-hosting IWSG's September question, Tara. Bravo to you for finding a small press that truly cares about their authors. Marketing the book does indeed fall to every writer. I'm terrified. I remember reading your Princess book. I didn't realize it was self-published. It's a great book. I liked the line drawings. I need to buckle down and gather my stories into either individual titles as e-books or as an anthology. Would love to know your take on this. All the best to you!
http://victoriamarielees.blogspot.com
So true about all the hard work that's necessary for promotion. Never fails to be time-consuming, at least for me!
Also, love the new IWSG Anthologies website! Looks great. And it's awesome to see Cherie spotlighted in this post. She's so talented, for sure!
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