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| Books: photo by zole4 from Free Digital Photos |
He also finds time to write helpful blog articles and books to help aspiring authors.
Now updating his best seller Think Like a Publisher for the 2015 edition, he is posting the update chapter by chapter on his blog, www. deanwesleysmith.com The joy of reading the book in this way is that its value is doubled. Not only is it a free way to access great information, but you also have the benefit of the comments section in which he gives practical answers to authors' questions.
By doing the maths of the writing life, he shows how it can be possible to make a living without qualifying for the Amazon bestseller lists and constantly reminds of the need for patience and hard work. Interestingly, he is not one of the authors with hundreds of five star reviews. He just does the writing and assumably his work markets itself.
It's a blog well worth investigating and his other bestsellers, Killing the Top Ten Sacred Cows of Publishing, with the second book specifically about Indie Publishing, and the third one on the way, are also available chapter by chapter as blog posts with again the added benefits of the comments.
To Market or Not ?
I suspect very few of us make a living as professional writers, eking out our income by teaching, full or part-time work or pensions. But it is possible if , like Dean Wesley Smith, we are adaptable, write for hire, ghost write, content write, and correctly price our writing to sell.
It does take planning and dedication and perhaps a bit of luck, though many would say we make our own luck by putting in the work.
It also seems to mean a minimum of time spent focusing on marketing rather than new writing.
Check out the writers you admire. How many have hundreds of five star reviews? I looked up a few of the indie publishers I know are making a living. To my amazement, their reviews were in the teens and twenties rather than the hundreds.
Looks like they're writing rather than soliciting reviews. But then they've spent years building their reputations
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| Anne Duguid Knol |
A local and national journalist in the U.K., Anne is now a fiction editor for award-winning American and Canadian publishers. As a new author, she shares writing tips and insights at her very new Author Support blog: http://www.authorsupport.net
Her novella, ShriekWeekis published by The Wild Rose Press.
8 comments:
I'm so glad to see you mention Jo Linsdell's Promo Day (http://promoday.info) . I've been associated with it as a presenter or in some other small way since its inception and know its value. This year I'm offering a free e-copy of one of my most valuable HowToDoItFrugally books--one that most authors need more than any other--when people sign up to attend and then actually attend! (-: As an e-book, that's about a $9. bonus just for taking a step toward improving your writing career.
Best,
Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Multi Award-Winning Author of the HowToDoItFrugally series for writers including the second edition of The Frugal Book Promoter (http://bit.ly/FrugalBookPromo) and the new paperback release of the second edition of The Frugal Editor (http://bit.ly/FrugalEditor)
Anne, great post. It's always good to see how those who are 'doing it right' are actually doing it. I'll be checking out his blog.
And, so glad you mentioned Jo's Promo Day. A must for writers.
What a marvellous and generous gift, Carolyn. I'm most certainly attending. :-)
Thanks, Karen. I was amazed at the wealth of info on his blog . And Promo Day looks really busy already this year. Maybe see you there? :-)
I juggle writing, marketing, and finding and managing writing gigs. I spend a lot of time on outreach because I have a niche market. I stay sane by strictly adhering to a schedule, but am still working on finding the right balance.
Anne, the resources you featured are chockful of ideas. Thanks.
- Debra Toor, www.ecostoriesbydebtoor.com
Thanks, Debra.
Your writing life sounds exhausting and I assume you must also schedule at least one day off in the week to refill the well of inspiration? My schedule keeps being knocked awry--the key must lie in your strict adherence to schedule.
Off to make today's list and stick to it. :-)
Oh Annie, you've done it again! Thank you for this amazing blog resource. I'll have to set time to one side to get stuck into this wealth of information.
Thanks Shirl. A-Zing seems to have rekindled blogging fun for us both :-)
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