# Announcing my Dive into ePublishing



## Telcontar (Dec 20, 2011)

Hi everyone! Some of you have no doubt already seen me say that I'm doing this, but I wanted to make a real announcement so I can get some feedback on a few things. 

The short version is: I'm putting up the full version of this story as a eBook, through Amazon and Smashwords (and other places, if I hear about them). I'll also be releasing a couple other stories for free at the same time.

I'm in the beginning of getting everything done that needs doing, including securing cover art, formatting the books themselves, worrying about things like promotion

... to that end I now have a blog: Rant, Ramble, and Rave

... and a twitter handle: @GregoryWrites

Both are in rather skeletal phases, as I won't have time to play around with formatting and style and such until the holidays.

What I really want to know from you, gentle reader, is what you want to hear about? I wanted to start documenting this from the beginning so that everyone here - I assume most of us are interested in learning about publishing - and elsewhere might benefit from it.

What parts of this process do you most want me to write about? Do any of you (I'm looking at the published ones, especially) have any tips? 

And finally, the plea which I wish I could - for reasons of class - leave unstated but - for reasons of necessity - I must say, often and loudly: When the time comes, won't you help me pimp my work?


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## Devor (Dec 20, 2011)

I've never published, but I do know a couple of things about promoting web communities.

Link to absolutely everything in your signature.  Your items on Amazon, your Twitter, your blog, your short stories.  Heck, put a short story up in the showcase forum and link to THAT in your signature here.  Whatever might make it easier for me to see your work and be intrigued by your abilities and your stories.  Anything that connects me to the product you're offering.  Anything worth looking at.

Be consistent.  Update your blog, your twitter, whatever on a relatively fixed interval.  Don't update twice one week and then take three weeks off.  If your personal schedule is turbulent, write extra posts when you have a chance and then post them when the time comes.  Keep a steady, simple blogging voice and learn to write quickly in it.  If you break routine, make it the exception, quickly acknowledge that you've done so and keep going.

Talk to the people who talk to you, and be good about it.  If it looks like an "argument," comment once, professionally, and then stop.  If someone talks to you a lot, be bold and ask them if they have a blog and if they want to swap links.  Do whatever you can to get your name out there.

Keep an eye open for a graphic editor / website guru who might be willing to help you out.  On some forum communities people are constantly offering to make each other graphic signatures; when you see that happen, ask if someone might be willing to make you a quick banner for your blog or something you can use as a logo for people to click on.  They don't take long for someone with a little experience.

Always be looking for a new and relevant place to promote yourself, a new community to be involved with, a partner who might host your link.  Post on other fantasy forums (some of those which specialize in a specific world, for example), comment on other fantasy blogs, respond to other twitter feeds, and keep yourself out there.  Network, a lot, everywhere.

Remember that the whole thing takes about a year of steady effort.  You should see slow and steady growth, and then suddenly you hit a tipping point where the whole thing takes off.... and then it levels off and starts to decline a little.  That's the pattern.  How quickly it grows, how much it "takes off," and how high it levels off is up to you, your efforts, and the quality of your work.  It may or may not be enough.  So good luck.


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## Benjamin Clayborne (Dec 20, 2011)

Devor said:


> I've never published, but I do know a couple of things about promoting web communities.



Man, I'm going to read this about fifty times. All these different things to keep track of, I always feel like I'm neglecting the writing itself, but I know that when it comes to e-pub and marketing it takes just as much effort there as it does to actually come up with the material in the first place.

**goes to change sig to link to Twitter as well as blog**


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## Telcontar (Dec 21, 2011)

Great stuff Devor. Very true about the links, and I'll be having crosslinks to everything: blog, twitter, smashwords and amazon author pages, eventually a website provided I get anywhere at all. 

I'm also trying to think of ways to promote myself around town. Ann Arbor is a local-artist-friendly sort of place, but it's harder to promote eBooks than real books. Wonder if anyone's thought of an equivalent for an eBook-signing?


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## Devor (Dec 21, 2011)

Telcontar said:


> I'm also trying to think of ways to promote myself around town. Ann Arbor is a local-artist-friendly sort of place, but it's harder to promote eBooks than real books. Wonder if anyone's thought of an equivalent for an eBook-signing?



Yeah, little business cards that aren't.  Print the cover art on one side and the information on the other.  Walk into local stores and ask if you can leave them on the counter.  "Support a local author?" kinda thing.


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## Telcontar (Dec 21, 2011)

Freaking brilliant. I'd heard about _having_ business cards, but book-specific business cards is a great idea too. I could probably create a whole stand/display that they could put out on a counter or something. Though this makes it ever more important to find and stick to a really good artist whose style I like. Been working on that one since the beginning of this whole endeavor.


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## Devor (Dec 21, 2011)

Telcontar said:


> I could probably create a whole stand/display that they could put out on a counter or something.



Maybe for a few stores, but most won't want more than a nondescript pile of cards.


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## The Blue Lotus (Dec 21, 2011)

If you need cover art I know someone. PM me.


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## Devor (Dec 21, 2011)

Nothing beats a good recommendation, but if that doesn't pan out I suggest you look around at DeviantArt, start commenting on a few works, and see if you can get an artist talking to you.

Regardless, I recommend something which places the emphasis on the character's face like this one over something epic and grand like this one.  Just the vibe I get from what I know about the ebook market.

By the way, if I had to guess at random, I would say the whole thing takes about 10-20 hrs per week and $500 out of pocket, about half of which should go towards the cover art.


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## Telcontar (Dec 21, 2011)

Way ahead of ya there. I've been lurking at DeviantArt for years, and have recently begun trying to contact some of my favorite artists. 

Fortunately for the very beginning I've found a couple people through personal connections who are willing to give a cover a go on delayed payment...

Always looking to develop more contacts though, so expect a PM, Blue.


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## Devor (Dec 21, 2011)

Best of luck Telcontar, let me know if you have any other questions.  Like I said I've never done publishing, but I majored in marketing and have been part of a couple of successful web communities (successful for what we wanted, they weren't the sort that make money).

Could we get a mod to move this to the Publishing forum?


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## The Blue Lotus (Dec 21, 2011)

Telcontar said:


> Way ahead of ya there. I've been lurking at DeviantArt for years, and have recently begun trying to contact some of my favorite artists.
> 
> Fortunately for the very beginning I've found a couple people through personal connections who are willing to give a cover a go on delayed payment...
> 
> Always looking to develop more contacts though, so expect a PM, Blue.



Reply sent, I also bumped the thread with my mock up in it for you to find.


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## Telcontar (Dec 21, 2011)

Thanks Devor. And yes, I could see moving this to Publishing as it has the potential to be of interest to most people interested in starting out. I'll see if I can get that to happen.


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## Benjamin Clayborne (Dec 21, 2011)

Devor said:


> Yeah, little business cards that aren't.  Print the cover art on one side and the information on the other.  Walk into local stores and ask if you can leave them on the counter.  "Support a local author?" kinda thing.



Print a QR code on the card that links to a download of a free sample of the ebook (or, if you're really trying to build an audience, the entire book for free).

Another model is to have a free version of the book that's literally just the text of the book, and then the for-pay "deluxe" version includes cover art, maps, appendices with world info, etc. That's just an idea, I'm sure someone's done it already, and I have no idea how well it would work. ;-)


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## Benjamin Clayborne (Dec 21, 2011)

You know, I'm finding that I have a weird psychological block that's probably going to make it harder for me to successfully market my book, when it's done. Devor's suggestion about linking to everything makes total sense, but before that the only link I had in my sig here was to my blog. I added Twitter and the sample chapter I posted here on MS after I read Devor's post.

But it had never occurred to me to put those in, because I sort of felt like it was... bad, in some way. I don't know how to describe it. I think maybe I generalize about my reaction to seeing "Follow me on Twitter!" (it annoys me) and I think other people are the same way. This is probably because I don't have a self-promotion instinct. I think I need to kill that instinct.


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## Reaver (Dec 21, 2011)

Benjamin Clayborne said:


> This is probably because *I don't have a self-promotion instinct*. I think I need to kill that instinct.



How do you kill that which does not exist? You are an intriguing character, Clayborne.


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## Benjamin Clayborne (Dec 21, 2011)

Reaver said:


> How do you kill that which does not exist? You are an intriguing character, Clayborne.



D'oh! What I meant was, my instinct is to _not_ self-promote.


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## Telcontar (Dec 22, 2011)

I know what you mean, Ben, and I'm much the same way. I'm certain that I can overcome that instinct, but to some extent any beginning author who really believes in his own work needs to be a little shameless in promoting it. Finding ways to do it with some class and style is the hard part - I do not have a marketing mind, which is why Devor's advice (and the advice of the others whose blogs/journals/articles on the subject I've read) has already been so helpful.


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## Devor (Dec 22, 2011)

There are certainly lines which shouldn't be crossed, but if your product is good and your marketing is tasteful, then you're doing some people a small service by presenting it to those who will enjoy it.  Marketing can definitely be abused, but generally speaking it fulfills a role which is valuable to the consumer as well.


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## myrddin173 (Dec 22, 2011)

moving to Publishing...


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## Sparkie (Dec 23, 2011)

Benjamin Clayborne said:


> my instinct is to not self-promote.



I can relate.  While I don't mind making my stories avaliable, I shudder at the thought of drawing attention to them.  It just seems so...  I dunno.  I guess I'm just not the sort who wants to stand up in the middle of a room and say "Hey! Look at me everyone!"


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## MichaelSullivan (Dec 24, 2011)

There's a big difference between sayng "look at me" and interacting with readers. The mere fact that you are conversing at a site like this shows that you can talk to others. Don't scream, "buy my book" be a member of a community. Talk about all kinds of things - and when the context is appopriate feel free to mention you have a book. It's not about "selling" it's about "informing". Readers want to find new books. Just let them know it exists and leave the decision making to them.

The only thing that gets books sold is word-of-mouth but that requires the book to be known by a core group (think of it as priming a pump). My first two books just went into second printings (one has been out for a month - the other a few weeks) so the news is spreading...but if you aren't willing to help spread the INFORMATION who will?


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## Dreamhand (Dec 27, 2011)

Congratulations, Tel!  And Congratulations, Michael!  This whole thread is chock full of good news and good ideas.

Tel, I would love to see your blog detail the entire process:  emails sent (and responses), screenshots of forms filled out (with personal info blurred, of course), weekly stats of downloads... all of it.  Some of us have never seen the web pages for listing e-books on the various sites.  A guided tour would be a VERY welcome addition to the canon of "How to..." goodness.

I completely support Michael's observation of engaging with readers and contributing to the various communities as a key to self-promotion.  I think it's vital for an author to foster his/her OWN community (through a blog or whatever) but also demonstrate a connection to the broader community through message boards, etc.  One of the key "excitements" inherent to self-publishing (for me, anyway) is the notion that we're all "in the trenches" and that "published author" no longer equates to "unapproachable celebrity".

You GET what you GIVE, brothers and sisters... share, don't beg... support the community and the community supports you.  These universal truths are particularly true in the digital realm.


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## sashamerideth (Dec 27, 2011)

Amazon is very cagey about their sales figures, I am pretty sure publishing sales numbers will get you banned from Amazon.

I am interested in the whole Smashwords experience, I am debating Smashwords and their meatgrinder, or just go directly to Amazon. Sure the meatgrinder gets me into B&N as well as wider availability, and a free ISBN, but isn't Amazon responsible for something like 80% of the eBook market?  

For me, Smashwords hints at bad erotica that no one else wanted, some of the worst that ePublishing has to offer. I have been pretty selective on Amazon, nothing with fewer than three stars, or at the very least a recommendation from someone I trust.  I will be taking a look, and when I get my own there, hope y'all will do the same.

Sent from my Blade using Forum Runner


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## Devor (Dec 27, 2011)

Dreamhand said:


> I completely support Michael's observation of engaging with readers and contributing to the various communities as a key to self-promotion.  I think it's vital for an author to foster his/her OWN community (through a blog or whatever) but also demonstrate a connection to the broader community through message boards, etc.  One of the key "excitements" inherent to self-publishing (for me, anyway) is the notion that we're all "in the trenches" and that "published author" no longer equates to "unapproachable celebrity".



All of that's true, of course, but insomuch as your goal is self-promotion you have to be a little selective of what you actually post and where.  Web-community's in your market might be small, so you might need to focus on providing a few quality-posts in a larger quantity of locations, picking only a small number of communities to really immerse yourself in.  You may only need to get involved in one or two threads if they are active and relevant to your story.  But appearing several times in one good conversation will be more appealing to your readers than appearing once in several weaker ones.


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## Telcontar (Dec 27, 2011)

sashamerideth said:


> I am debating Smashwords and their meatgrinder, or just go directly to Amazon.



These are not mutually exclusive. Do both. I plan to. Amazon accounts for about 70% of the eBook market, last I heard. That doesn't mean you shouldn't be trying to reach the other 30%. It's true that much of the Smashwords offering is... well, bad. I've given some a look. But that is not their fault. A lot of the Amazon offering is bad as well. 

Dreamhand, that's certainly a lot of info. I suppose it's a possibility to put up all sort of things like that. Might happen. I still don't actually have my work published - that'll happen at the end of January or so. 

I definitely pick my communities. Quite frankly, an honest person only has so much time to devote to marketing. My time spent here is not marketing, it is my personal interest. I was here long before I knew I would want to advertise my eBooks. I'm not going to join forums on the sole hope of advertising - I want them to interest me as well.


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## terence.soule (Dec 28, 2011)

Someone may have mentioned this already, but there are a lot of free QR code generators on the web.  You plug in your website address and they generate the correct image, which you can save and paste where ever.  Given the number of people reading eBooks on smart phones this might be a helpful approach.  Potential readers can scan the code and be taken write to where they can purchase the book.
[email protected]
The Seventh Bridge


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## MichaelSullivan (Dec 28, 2011)

sashamerideth said:


> Amazon is very cagey about their sales figures, I am pretty sure publishing sales numbers will get you banned from Amazon.



Amazon does play their numbers close to the vest but they don't care if authors post their numbers from Amazon. Myself and a ton of authors from kindle boards do this routinely and no one has any comments from Amazon telling them to "keep this a secret."


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## MichaelSullivan (Dec 28, 2011)

sashamerideth said:


> I am interested in the whole Smashwords experience, I am debating Smashwords and their meatgrinder, or just go directly to Amazon. Sure the meatgrinder gets me into B&N as well as wider availability, and a free ISBN, but isn't Amazon responsible for something like 80% of the eBook market?



Why does it have to be one or the other?  Most people I know do the following:

1 - Post directly to Amaon with DTP
2 - Post directly to B&N with PubIt
3 - Post to ibookstore and Kobo with Smashwords

You'll not get many sales on Smashwords only.  The most sales will USUALLY come from Amazon although some people have had some huge success with B&N and outsold their Amazon numbers there.


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## OrionDarkwood (Jan 5, 2012)

Telcontar said:


> Hi everyone! Some of you have no doubt already seen me say that I'm doing this, but I wanted to make a real announcement so I can get some feedback on a few things.
> 
> The short version is: I'm putting up the full version of this story as a eBook, through Amazon and Smashwords (and other places, if I hear about them). I'll also be releasing a couple other stories for free at the same time.
> 
> ...



I pimped you on my twitter, facebook and wordpress


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## Telcontar (Jan 5, 2012)

Many thanks! For anyone who is watching, my story will be coming out by the end of the month, come hell or high water.


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