Indie or Traditional

Over the last couple of months I've had many people come up to me to pick my brains about self-publishing. I guess word's gotten out that I'm doing well. Even my local RWA chapter (Romance Writers of America) is taking notice. I've never had so many free lunches in my life!

The question that always comes up is, what would I do if a traditional publisher approached me and made me an offer to publish my books. I know some other indies have already been approached and are wondering what to do. While many of my RWA friends would probably immediately jump at the chance and oohh and aahh about the fact that a New York publisher is interested, I'm actually not that quick to jump at it. Why?

We are still at the beginning of the e-revolution, the new Gold Rush as I call it in a recent blog post on the Writer's Guide to E-Publishing. Nobody can really tell yet how much your e-rights are really worth in dollars and cents. The publishers want in on it, knowing that they are making less and less on print publishing. When asking several agents who spoke at our local chapter recently, they confirmed that publishers will not enter into a deal with the author that would leave the author with their e-rights. I'm not ready to give those up. Now, foreign rights, I would love to sell. Anybody?

But it's not just about potentially losing money when signing your e-rights over to a publisher, it's also about losing creative control. I'm a very independent person. I've always been an entrepreneur, and I don't work well for somebody else. Call me headstrong, pushy, bossy. Just pick one. That's not to say that I don't listen to advice. I take many, if not the majority of my critique partners' suggestions when revising a manuscript, and I also listen to my editor's suggestions. But in the end, I have the last word.

And in the end, I decide which cover to pick, which word to delete, which price to sell at. As a traditionally published author - unless your name is J.K. Rowling - you don't have that kind of power.

Will this decision work for everybody? Probably not. I'm a self-starter, and I work extremely hard. My work week regularly consists of 60+ hours of work. So don't be fooled when you see me posting on Facebook that I'm about to go to the gym in the middle of the day. Just because I can arrange my day the way I want, doesn't mean I sit around eating bonbons (besides, that's fattening!).

But, if you are ambitious, hard-working, and have a head not just for writing, but also for figures, marketing, and promotion, Indie might be the way for you to go. It's very rewarding to know you've achieved something without the backing of a big company behind you.

Tina Folsom
http://www.tinawritesromance.com
http://authortinafolsom.blogspot.com

Have you seen my new covers?

A Day in the Life of an Indie Author

Today was one of those days that just didn't have enough hours - do you know those?

When I quit my day job and became an Indie Author full time back in February this year, I thought I'd finally have time to go for leisurely lunches with my friends, enjoy walks around the city, and maybe even do some volunteering.

Nope - didn't happen. As an indie author I do more than one job now.

The morning started out with doing last minute edits for my latest release, Gabriel's Mate, Book #3 in the Scanguards Vampires series. When I was finally finished with it by 11am, I started uploading the manuscript - together with the cover I changed last night - to several e-book sites including Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

You'd think I'd take a break after that accomplishment, but no such luck. I spent the remainder of the day formatting the manuscript for the paperback version. Of course, when I converted it to the print-ready pdf that's needed, Adobe wouldn't cooperate and inserted blank pages where I didn't need them. It took me hours to get it right (and I still don't know what I did).

I also drew winners of the free copies of Gabriel's Mate I had promised to readers, then sent emails to those readers to notify them of their win.

After spending some time on Facebook, Twitter and my own blog to announce my latest release, I continued with starting the upload for the paperback. But I'm not done yet: I still need to create the cover and finalize my book cover blurb.

To change pace a little, I started proofing an Erotica short story for my critique partner, who will soon release it on Kindle, but only got about 1/3 of the way before my eyes became too tired. No point in continuing if I won't be able to spot any more typos because I'm too tired.

Yes, being an Indie Author can be exhausting, but it's also rewarding. I got a wonderful email from one of my readers today. She wrote: "...and thank you for sharing your wonderful work with us!!  I haven't read one of your works yet that I haven't loved! :)"

Suddenly, I don't feel so tired anymore.

Tina Folsom
Author of the Scanguards Vampires series and the Out of Olympus series

Location, Location, Location!

In real estate the three most important things are: location, location, location. So what's real estate got to do with books?

Well, even for books location is important. Anne Rice set her vampires in New Orleans, True Blood takes place in Bon Temps, Louisiana. Gothic locations are in: Victorian London is a favorite for Gothic literature. They provide a perfect backdrop for vampires and other nocturnal creatures. The right setting creates the right mood for your book.

Paris lends itself for romance. The deep South can inspire lust and passion. New York is a favorite backdrop for gritty urban fantasy. How do other cities affect you? Would you rather read a vampire romance that takes place in a small town in the Midwest, or would a locale like Venice excite you more as a reader? Those are all questions, an author will ask herself when choosing where to set her next book.

Do you think Anne Rice's vampires would have had the same effect on the reader if the location had been a little beach town in Florida or a cold place like Alaska? Scouting out a location is paramount for movies, and it should be so for books as well. The right location can inspire a story and add nuances that would otherwise not have been possible.

My Scanguards Vampires series takes place in San Francisco: there's plenty of fog to set the right mood. But for my Out of Olympus (Greek God) series which is much more humorous, I decided on a town that for me has a much lighter feel, even though there's still something paranormal going on: Charleston, SC. We all have our favorites. Next time you read a book, look at the setting and ask yourself whether it could have been better or worse had the author chosen a different location.