Making Money Writing (But Perhaps Not In The Way You'd Think)

[anamardoll]

Seriously? That's awesome. Belly dancing is HARD.

[MeiLin]

Oh no, not a-tall. I'm an old lady with a heart condition and I can do it.

[OneandonlyDoc]

Originally Posted by MeiLin

I've done very well with #2. I wrote the draft version of my series as a web serial and did quite well with donations and advertising. When it became painfully clear that I could not sustain it as a serial from a writing perspective, I sold pre-sale packages, used the money to hire an editor, cover artist and typographer, and put out the first of what will be a series of books. Part of my promotion strategy is to RE-serialize book one, two segments at week, each about a thousand words. I'm hoping when it's done I'll have book two ready to go. It'll be serialized just the same way.

Yeah, but you're practically legendary in the weblit community, MeiLin. C'mon, even I know about you, and I'm a total neophyte.

[MeiLin]

Ha! I'm legendary somewhere outside my own mind! I'm just saying it can be done.

[VydorScope]

I do not see how giving away books cheapens art, its not like its new to the book industry with the invention of ebooks to give a way books, nor is it a new idea to give away something to create sales. I have no way to prove this but I would say that every since humans began selling things, there have been things given away free in order to create more sales. I know of no industry where that does not happen.

[ScalyFreak]

Originally Posted by VydorScope

I do not see how giving away books cheapens art

If giving away a book cheapens it, then what do we call what libraries do? Prostitution? They give the same book away over and over to lots of different people after all.

Personally, I think Neil Gaiman hit it head on in that by now famous YouTube video. People don't discover a new favorite author by walking into a store and paying cash for the book. They do it either by being lent or given a book. I've only dabbled in writing and I don't delude myself that I could be an author publishing books, but if I was, I would like to think that it would make me happy that someone liked my work so much wanted to share it with their friends by lending them the book.

If a book is worth paying for, people will pay for it, at least as long as the price is kept reasonable. And if the book is not worth $4.99, or whatever the price tag is... well, then that author has other problems .

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by ScalyFreak

Personally, I think Neil Gaiman hit it head on in that by now famous YouTube video. People don't discover a new favorite author by walking into a store and paying cash for the book. They do it either by being lent or given a book.

Some do, perhaps, but to say that this is the way that everyone discovers new authors is certainly not true. Personally, for example, I've discovered many authors I wouldn't have otherwise come across by buying (yes, paying cash for the book!) Baen's monthly "Webscription" bundles.

[ScalyFreak]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Some do, perhaps, but to say that this is the way that everyone discovers new authors is certainly not true. Personally, for example, I've discovered many authors I wouldn't have otherwise come across by buying (yes, paying cash for the book!) Baen's monthly "Webscription" bundles.

The internet changes everything.

I think the lending-gifting method was a lot more common before either webscriptions or the "you might also like these books"-feature that every eBook store has these days. And in fairness, Gaiman was talking about eBook piracy when he said that, and why he doesn't think it's a big deal since he apparently sees it as free marketing.

Easy for him to say, he's not exactly an unknown or struggling artist these days.

[MeiLin]

My book is pirated. I doubt the people who download it actually read it--most of those guys just like collecting files, it makes 'em feel like they're breakin' the law breakin' the law--so as far as I'm concerned, no harm no foul.

[anamardoll]

Originally Posted by MeiLin

My book is pirated. I doubt the people who download it actually read it--most of those guys just like collecting files, it makes 'em feel like they're breakin' the law breakin' the law--so as far as I'm concerned, no harm no foul.

I see it as a pokemon compulsion thing. I used to know a woman whose house was literally covered in stacks of old magazines that she couldn't bear to throw out.

When I get my book finished, I'd like to be pirated. I'd load it to a torrent myself, except I have NO IDEA HOW.

[ScalyFreak]

Originally Posted by MeiLin

My book is pirated. I doubt the people who download it actually read it--most of those guys just like collecting files, it makes 'em feel like they're breakin' the law breakin' the law--so as far as I'm concerned, no harm no foul.

Not to mention that most of the pirates would never have considered paying for the book in the first place.

[ScalyFreak]

Originally Posted by anamardoll

When I get my book finished, I'd like to be pirated. I'd load it to a torrent myself, except I have NO IDEA HOW.

I'll pirate it for you! Just because I'm nice like that.




(What's it about? If it's any good I might as well buy it.)

[anamardoll]

Originally Posted by ScalyFreak

I'll pirate it for you! Just because I'm nice like that.



(What's it about? If it's any good I might as well buy it.)

It's a tragic retelling of the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale. (Because the world didn't have enough fairy tale retellings. But they say to write what you like to read. )

And thank you for the offer. I was seriously planning to ask a techie person. I could learn myself, but I already have a LOT to learn (glaring at YOU, Smashwords style guide) so one less thing would be nice.

I'll bookmark you and send you a PM -- hopefully this year.

EDIT TO ADD: I'd also like to add it to Project Gutenberg, but am slightly afraid that doing so will cause Amazon to ping me on the price. I'm planning to use Amazon as an optional "tipping" service for people who don't want to use Paypal to tip me directly.

[ScalyFreak]

Originally Posted by anamardoll

And thank you for the offer. I was seriously planning to ask a techie person. I could learn myself, but I already have a LOT to learn (glaring at YOU, Smashwords style guide) so one less thing would be nice.

I'll bookmark you and send you a PM -- hopefully this year.

By all means, I'll be around. Word of advice: If you want it done by a certain date, give me lots of heads-up/advance notice. Rule one with anything computer related: Assume everything that can go wrong, will go wrong.

[Dr. Drib]

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