The Six problems with being a Self published Author and / Or Freelance Writer

Being a self published author or freelance writer can be hard at times. There is no doubt about it that sometimes the world just doesn’t understand about what it is like being a writer. There have been times when I feel that I am just pushing back against them to legitimize what career I have chosen. There are many problems as to why people think that self-publishing and freelance writers are badly portrayed but most of them aren't true.

Here are six problems with being a self published author / freelance writer:

1.    Friends and family call it a hobby

My writing is by no means a hobby. A hobby is something that costs you some to partake in which you enjoy. Although I will admit that I enjoy writing, the end result is to earn money from it. I also have to cater for client needs and often have to negotiate price, deadlines and content. This all makes it a business and career rather than a hobby.

2.    You must be raking it in

At the other end of the scale are those who remind me that J K Rowling and other famous authors who make millions from their books. Therefore according to logic; I must be making a comfortable wage each month. This is not strictly too. I am now freelance writing, which divides time from writing creatively, but that is paying me regularly. But I am not making an excessive amount – but within a few months enough that I hope to call it a full time wage.

3.    I am lazy

Writers are lazy??  I’ve heard this one a lot. It is very funny to hear this one because people are very quick to judge your career based on misconceptions from a society stereotype but are not so happy to have hear their own career’s negative stereotypical description. Just to set the record straight I am up at 5am working and go to bed about 10pm after finishing work. Most of the people who say this to me aren't up at 7 am and are watching soaps by 7 pm.

4.    Self publishing is expensive

Without considering marketing costs, self publishing is expensive. Cover art, editing and formatting can all cost you up to about $500-1000 if you want to have the job done right and then you have the costs of the print proofs. When you add in marketing your costs can spiral out of control. Self publishing is not for those who want to be cheap.

5.    Self publishing is lonely

It certainly isn’t. I have met some wonderful people throughout my writing career and struck up some wonderful friendships. With those friendships I have learned a lot of new things and been steered in the right direction in many cases.

6.    Writing take no skill

I’ve had this said to me often. But I always respond with the same question: “how many books have you sold?” Writing a book from start to finish is not easy. Freelance writing is not easy. That is why companies will pay writers good rates for writing their content whether an e-book or blog content. Just because it takes no skill to tap on a few keys on a keyboard, does not mean that it takes no skill to write something coherent.

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The six winners of the e-book revolution

The traditional publishers often comment that they are losing out due to the self publishing author and there are many commentators that suggest that readers are losing out too. With the merger of the two of the big six it is becoming true at least the traditional publishers are losing out from the new trend in publishing. However there are several winners from this industry and here they are and why.

1.       Readers

Yes they are winners. There is more choice, lower prices, more ways to read and better avenues for expressing their opinions. Yes you can argue that some indie books are poor, but so are some traditionally published books – it is all a matter of subjective opinion.

2.       Amazon

Amazon’s e-book reader Kindle and the fact that they have what could be about 60% or more of the e-book market has made them millions. So there is no doubt that they are a winner in the indie revolution.

3.       Mark Coker

You can hardly question that without Mark Coker the indie world would be so strong. Smashwords has given him an excellent presence in the publishing world where traditional publishers view him as the leader of the revolution alongside Amazon.

4.       Freelancers

Whether a cover artist, editor or formatter; the revolution has opened the doors to many freelancers on obtaining new work increasing their end of year earnings. It has allowed some bad eggs to seep in and give poor service to authors but it has also allowed great talent to shine that was otherwise hidden.

5.       The internet

The revolution has brought a revolution of critics as well. No longer are book reviewers hiding in newspapers but they have blogs and websites. There are also many sites which contain great articles for readers and writers which may not have existed before.

6.       Authors

Yes authors have won in the revolution. Now they have choice over their path, now they have control over their work and now they have a decent cut over their sales. And if it wasn’t for the authors then the revolution wouldn’t have happened and the other five wouldn’t have gained anything.

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Six Reasons Why Self Publishing is Not Destroying the Industry

There has always been a lot of talk about whether or not self publishing is good for the industry. There are many arguments that the new indie trend is destroying the industry, with this article appearing a little while ago. In short the author blames the indies for pushing traditionally publishers to the brink of collapse and says that the indie books are poorly written and full of mistakes.

However I feel completely different from the author of the article. For starters I am an indie author, it is a lifestyle choice based on several factors which I want from my writing and I am a reviewer of indie books. I have and do still read traditionally published books but in my own opinion some of the best books have been indie produced.

So I want to put forward these six reasons why being an indie author is not destroying the world.

1.       Traditional Publishers add very little value to the book

That is a big one to start isn’t it? But it is true. An indie author (if professional) will still source their own cover art, editing and formatting. So what do Traditional Publishers do that adds value for authors? Well they have excellent distribution avenues, which would cover most book shops if not all. However the book would only have a few weeks to achieve sales before it is pulled. That just simply isn’t long enough. With Amazon’ Createspace and other Print on Demand services it isn’t impossible now to get your books into the shops, you just have to try very hard.

2.       More books means more competition which is better for readers

In every industry the idea of more competition is horrendous to the thoughts of the established. However as was proven by in the UK in the telecommunications industry, the introduction of competitors to British Telecoms rather large monopoly forced the industry to offer better products at cheaper rates. This is what is happening at the moment with E-book indie authors. The vast majority of best sellers are excellent books with costs much lower than the traditional publisher’s prices. If the traditional publisher doesn’t want to conform to the new market trends then they will suffer like some of the telecommunications market suffered.

3.       Authors not going traditional add a different voice

Recently I was reading a book when I realised that the style was the same as another book. I went looking for the other book and realised that they were both produced by the same publisher. The voice, the style and the way it was written was practically the same. It was boring. And this isn’t an isolated incident. I picked up other books by the same publisher and realised the same. It wasn’t always this way – go back 150 years and the authors of the day each had their own voice that you could instantly recognise as being from that particular author. I always call this the golden age of writing. Indie authors have returned to this stage adding variance not only to the stories but the voices telling them.

4.       Indie music worked

Not so long ago, the music world had a similar trend. Indie bands were all the rage and in many respects I am sure they are today. I was never one for music, but from friends I know that indie musicians caused shockwaves in that industry yet the producers changed habits and dealt with the issue to live side by side. Now both cultures are thriving really well. If the traditional publishers don’t want to change with the times then it is not the indies’ fault that they are suffering but their own.

5.       It is the readers that matter not the publisher’s opinions

This is something that is often missed out in this argument. What does the reader think? Well if the New York Times Bestseller list and Amazon sale ranks are anything to go by; they have an appetite for indie published books. Readers are the ones that we produce our books for – not traditional publishers. If readers want to buy our books then who are Traditional Publishers to comment on it? Surely that just means they should contact that author and attempt to get a deal for their next book rather than throw their toys out of the pram?

            6a.       Traditional publishers produce some terrible books

“50 shades of grey” is an example of a book that sold based on hype and the push of the traditional publisher. The writing in the book (and yes I read it so I could see for myself – although I borrowed a copy) is not brilliant. There are several articles explaining why this is so – so no need to show it here. But I will say that the ratings on Amazon are artificially inflated by several comments which are five stars claiming – “found copy on beach, made great kindling. Very pleased with product” and “put copy in toaster, you couldn’t imagine the different shades of grey that came out”. Now I am one that doesn’t agree with those reviews. For starters they are very much like troll attacks, which I am opposed to and they support my opinion that Amazon and other retailers should verify their reviews much better.

But “Fifty Shades of Grey” isn’t the only book that suffers from poor writing that has been produced by traditional publishers. My wife recently had a book that was written by a well known (apparently) TV personality that was full of inconsistent tenses and some poor grammar. Why was it produced? Probably because of who it was written by. This made it marketable to the masses. I think it failed, as the book was eventually sold in basement bargain shop for 99p. But if traditional publishers think of what is marketable before what is good, then in the end they will fail.

Of course this is true for Indies as well – but Traditional Publisher’s have a book allowance each year on how many they can produce. When they produce a book they are denying another from being published. With self publishing there are no limits on the number of books being released. So if an author does produce a book that isn’t up to standard it doesn’t matter – other authors can still release their own book.

6b.    Traditional publishers don’t always get it right

Adding to the previous comment; traditional publishers don’t always get it right. Let’s pick up on Harry Potter – how many traditional publishers turned that book down before it became a huge money earning franchise? Traditional publishers are all about pointing the finger but not very good at saying when they are wrong. So who is to say that some of those indie books aren’t brilliant and deserving a place on the literature hall of fame?

Okay I cheated – there are seven reasons there, but you can forgive me – right?

Just because a few authors don’t edit and format their books, doesn’t mean that the whole industry isn’t great. There are some terrible traditionally published books and there are some terrible indie published books. But there are also real gems amongst both of them. At the end of the day I will always say that the power should be with the reader and not the opinions of publisher’s on either side of the fence.

A big thanks to Paul Kater for helping me get this article ready. You can check out his website here.

During July - Ghost Haunts - my short story collection is free on Smashwords.

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Six Ways to support your writing financially without the need of a boss

For many writers the chance to stay at home and write is a dream that is just out of reach. However I have always felt that this dream must be achieved no matter what. I don’t like office work, that is partly because I have worked in some terrible offices and I used to advice others on how to run their offices and so have seen the worst around. The idea of working in the modern day sweat shop is nothing more than a nightmare for me. Now I know there are some people who live out there who love their jobs and love their bosses. But I am not one of them which is why I am always on the lookout for a way to earn more money through my writing. I’ve seen some fantastic ideas and some really terrible ideas. Here are six ways to supplement your writing without needing a boss.

1.       Add advertising to your blogs.

Advertising online is fast becoming the most popular choice for companies, authors and writing services. We all have blogs and websites – some of which don’t have any of these advertisements on them at all. If you have a high traffic blog, why not offer authors an advertisement for a set amount? It doesn’t have to be a huge amount, may $5. If you did that three times a week that would be $780 you’ve earned without doing much work.

2.       Create an author service

Author services are always in hot demand and some service providers can charge a fortune. Are you good at something? Can you format a book for kindle, smashwords or createspace? Are you a qualified editor or can you design covers? These options can be big money earners and so you should consider that an option for income. This may take some time out of your writing, but at least you will be earning a guaranteed income.

3.       Become an affiliate reviewer

Do you have a hobby that you sometimes share on your website / blog? Why don’t you link your review to the place where readers can buy the products and become an affiliate member? Although the returns may not be as high as some other options, it takes little time out of your writing and guarantees of payment on what you earn are more secure. There is little chance of Amazon or Play not paying up.

4.       Do talks with local groups

Believe it or not as a writer you have a specialism. So why not put that to good use and go to groups and offer to do a talk. The rates can be pretty lucrative if you get good and it can be great fun. Just make sure you practice, practice, practice – otherwise you may not get second chances.

5.       Write more books

An obvious one really, however if you have five books out there, where is the sixth? Research shows that the more books you release the better you do. There is no certainty where the golden number is, but there is a tipping point for every writer where their books get the exposure they need to make a regular contribution to the family pot.

6.       Become a freelancer

This is an option which some people don’t think of. As a writer you are use to sitting at your desk and typing. So why not get some instant pay and join one of the many websites that list companies and individuals that want to have quality content and are willing to pay for it. One of the biggest is Elance and if you want to dip your toes in the water this is a good place to start. But remember you are going there for the money, not pleasure – so if you do decide to sign up – don’t bid below what you would like to earn per hour. There are some clients who will ask for 20 cents for 500 words. That isn’t worth it when you get other jobs that pay 3 or 4 cents per word.

These were just some of the ways in which you can earn money to increase your career earnings and get one step closer to a goal of writing from home. I am sure there are more. Have you got any suggestions – let everyone know and comment here.

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