Poll: What is your #1 method of ebook discovery

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

Four years. I don't think that I would have that kind of patience.

There weren't a lot of options at that time (although I could have gone indie a lot sooner than I did). Toni often posted on the forums that as a small publisher, no matter how many good manuscripts were on her desk, they could not afford to edit, publish and market more than X per year (something like 6 to 8 books if I recall, but don't quote me on that). They had x authors in the stable who had new books coming out at about one per year and that only left one, two or sometimes zero slots for a new author. It wasn't just money, it was also the editing and managing time. There was a guy on the forum who had something like 3 manuscripts on her desk at one time. I hope he somehow got published somewhere.

The wait was part of the reason that I was submitting to agents (after about the first year or so after it made the desk). It's never a good idea to put all your eggs in one basket, not even now (which is why my books are wide, rather than exclusive).

It's a difficult business to be in, but it's not unique. I listen to indie musicians and bands sometimes and follow a few on FB. They have a lot of the same challenges. Song writers and graphic artists too. You see all these groups post about piracy, lack of payment for work, being unable to get the word out, being asked to do work for free or on a basis of 'let's see how it does (translate: You do all our marketing for us and we might pay you if it does well enough") or...contests that ask for 3 different pieces of art--none of which will be paid for except a single winning piece of art that might make 500.

Indies aren't perfect, but most of us are working very, very hard for very little return. I'm not saying it's wrong to point out the flaws inherent in being an indie, either, but there's always enough time and enough places for that sort of thing.

Originally Posted by Ravensknight

ie, release the same piece of drek over and over and over instead of actually waiting until it is a finished product...

If you are not familiar with Smashwords' advice. It always begins with "Write a good book" From The Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success ( https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/145431 ) Chapter 1:

“Write a great book” might strike you as common sense, but it’s the most common mistake authors make. Some indie authors – intoxicated by the freedom to self-publish –rush their book to market before it’s ready to be seen by readers. Is your book ready? By considering this difficult question, you’ll find the path to a better book revealed.

But I understand your point. Most authors' first book is not going to be as good as their 5th or 10th book. But publishing those early books and getting informational feedback on them helps them get better at the craft.

[Katsunami]

I missed this poll, but in case someone is interested: for new authors, I use the Literature Map.

I put a favorite author in there, in a genre that I like to read, and then select a few authors a have heard of sometime, or somehwere. Mostly I look towards the fringes of the cloud. Then I read up a bit on each of the authors and their books, and then in the end, I select a book from one of them which I think may be worth reading.

[grumbles]

I think that you missed the part where I said (wrote?) "mainstream publishers". Geographical restrictions frequently means that Kobo is my only choice, hence my reliance on libraries.