Being an indie is hard work - but you can WIN!

[Lemurion]

The conventional wisdom for success with self-published books is pretty simple. People tend to do better when they are both good and prolific. However, not all writers are good, not all are prolific, and even fewer are both. (The intersection of any two overlapping sets is always smaller than either set on its own unless one set completely contains the other.)

Someone who writes ten good books a year is almost certainly better off with self-publishing, the reverse is likely true for someone who writes one good book every ten years.

There is no one answer for every author, and that is something that's changed in the last decade, because ten years ago self-publishing was far less viable than it is today.

[gmw]

You could well be right Lemurion. If a writer is not prolific but can actually get a publishing deal with a traditional publisher, with even a small advance, that may be more money than they would see from self-publishing just one or two books. Of course that proviso of actually getting a deal with a traditional publisher is a pretty big one.

[Lemurion]

Originally Posted by gmw

You could well be right Lemurion. If a writer is not prolific but can actually get a publishing deal with a traditional publisher, with even a small advance, that may be more money than they would see from self-publishing just one or two books. Of course that proviso of actually getting a deal with a traditional publisher is a pretty big one.

Sure it's a big if, but we've all seen the headlines of authors turning down Big 5 publishing contracts in favor of self-publishing. I'm simply saying that just as there are authors for whom that's the right business decision, there are others for whom it's the wrong business decision, and production rate is one of the more important factors to consider when making that decision.

[teh603]

Originally Posted by VydorScope

Some people get a head on these numbers by serializing their novels. They release a 100k book in installments of 15k. They take advantage of all the "new release" lists by putting out a new installment every 30 days. That is working very well for some. It is a valid option to consider.

I will say this.. it is easy to get in the top 20 of many sub categories on Amazon free books for a short run. It is easy to get a large spike of downloads in a burst on Amazon Free books. If your book is good, both of those should start to give you traction. Exposure matters more than most are willing to admit.

I'll be honest, I've been the guy stuck at one (not enough for Smashwords to make a direct deposit) for a couple of years. I hadn't considered the idea of doing releases *that* often, however, because I don't want to be seen as the guy churning out cheap (bleep) every month just to try and get attention. I'd rather publish a good, finished, polished product than half- finished tripe.

Or should I have been thinking the opposite Churn out stuff as fast as the pseudo-incest woman (5-7 short shorts a day in some cases), and be more concerned with generating (in)fame than quality?

Hard to tell, sometimes.

[VydorScope]

Originally Posted by teh603

I'll be honest, I've been the guy stuck at one (not enough for Smashwords to make a direct deposit) for a couple of years. I hadn't considered the idea of doing releases *that* often, however, because I don't want to be seen as the guy churning out cheap (bleep) every month just to try and get attention. I'd rather publish a good, finished, polished product than half- finished tripe.

Or should I have been thinking the opposite Churn out stuff as fast as the pseudo-incest woman (5-7 short shorts a day in some cases), and be more concerned with generating (in)fame than quality?

Hard to tell, sometimes.

You have to have a story that people want to read. Nothing else matters until that achievement is met. The market can be a very unforgiving gatekeeper, if you become know for putting out garbage - you will likely need a new pen name before you can overcome that so I would not advise you put out trash just to go fast.

[Lemurion]

I've put out three in short order, but they took much longer to write. I might have serialized my first novel, but not the second.