Today's blog comes from Isabella Muir. I first encountered Isabella two or three years ago when I was tutoring novelists on an online forum for MsLexia magazine (some of you know that, in addition to my poetry and 'ecosoul' creative programmes, I've been leading novel-writing courses now for over 20 years. My first was given a whole-page feature in The Guardian in 1998.)
At that stage (my mentoring for MsLexia), Isabella had begun her first novel, The Tapestry Bag. When I met her face-to-face earlier this year on a course I was co-tutoring with Sarah Acton, she'd not only finished but published four novels.
Here she describes why and how she chose to self-publish.
If you've completed a novel and might want to consider self-publishing, this is a helpful link.
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GUEST POST FROM ISABELLA
MUIR
MY JOURNEY TOWARDS INDEPENDENCE
I had written my first novel. That
in itself was a milestone. But I was
soon to discover that it was just the first milestone on my journey to becoming
an independent author.
Along the way, at each T-junction and crossroads there
have been decisions to make. It is only
now, some four years on, that I can see the route map that has led me to where
I am now – a contented author of four novels, two novellas and a short story
anthology.
Looking back to the first few steps on my journey I
appreciate that the critical decisions I made early on are the ones that I have
repeated throughout, in different guises.
Once I had completed my first manuscript – even before
I decided whether or not to approach a literary agent – I needed feedback. Did the story hold up, what about the
characters and setting? Having completed my MA in Professional Writing with
Falmouth University in 2015, I was fortunate to remain in contact with two
wonderful emerging writers. Christoffer Petersen, whose chosen
genre is Arctic noir – thrillers and crime – and Sarah Acton, who excels in the field of
poetry and nature writing. Both were
happy to work on my manuscript to provide advice and guidance by way of
structural and content editing. Having
been a technical editor for all my working life, I felt confident enough to
undertake the copy edit and proof-reading myself. These early stages are vital, whether someone
chooses to pitch to an agent or prefers to independently publish. No reader wants to read a story full of plot
gaps or grammatical errors.
Perhaps it was this ongoing connection with Christoffer Petersen (who had
already successfully chosen the indie route) that led me to follow in his
footsteps, or perhaps I was in a hurry to see my novel in print. Choosing to break into the traditional world
of publishing requires persistence and patience; it can be months, even years,
before an author is accepted by an agent and the book is then accepted by a
publisher. Once the contract is agreed it can take many more months while the
manuscript goes through the editing and production stages and finally lands on
a bookshop shelf. If I had chosen this route it would also mean I would need to
relinquish control. As someone who has
run my own company for the last thirty years I’m not great at being told what
to do! The indie route meant I had
control over every element of my novel: the title; the cover; the formatting, the
pricing and the sales outlets.
Of course, it also meant I had another set of skills
to learn and many more decisions to make.
Throughout my journey I have gathered some wonderful supporters. I joined a local group of independent authors
(CHINDI) each with their own
chosen route to publishing. Some have
followed a similar path to me, doing much of the preparatory work themselves;
others have enlisted the paid help of individuals or organisations to edit and
format their text, design their covers and upload their novels to the popular
outlets.
I have always loved the concept of bartering. Each of us has skills that may prove valuable
to others. I am so grateful for the
chance to be able to ‘trade’ expertise with Chris. He creates all my design and
artwork, for covers and marketing materials, and I edit his thrillers. It works
well for both of us and I am sure will continue to prove an invaluable
partnership.
I chose to use KDP, which is the independent
publishing arm of Amazon, with your titles being automatically made available
for sale in twelve different Amazon marketplaces worldwide. Although the website is fairly hand-holding,
I needed to learn about categories and tags and pricing. Amazon offers 60%
royalties on sales of paperbacks and a choice of 35% or 70% royalties for
ebooks (depending on your sales price).
Like any professional area there is some jargon
associated with indie publishing. I
learned what it means to ‘go wide’, which is effectively deciding to publish on
other platforms as well as Amazon. There
are many, including Kobo, Smashwords and Apple iBooks. I also discovered that by uploading to Ingram
Spark I had more chance of getting my novels into bookshops.
Once the books ‘exist’ in both paperback and ebook
form, the next challenge is to let readers know about them! Now a fresh set of skills is needed – marketing
and promotion. There are many routes,
some paid, some unpaid. Of course, there
is paid advertising, but social media is useful and free, although it is not
enough to plead with people in tweets and Facebook posts to ‘please buy my
book’. Millions of other authors are hoping for the same thing. Joining topic-specific Facebook groups can
prove helpful, not least because it means you are widening your support
network. I have been involved in several
blog tours whereby interested individuals receive a free book, in return for an
unbiased review. Having reviews on sites
such as Amazon can help readers decide whether or not to purchase a book. Remember, there is always the risk the
reviews may not be favourable, but then as an author you need to be ready for
criticism as well as praise! Via the
CHINDI network I have been involved in various summer fetes and festivals where
I have had the chance to sell my books directly to the public. I have also donated copies to my local
library. In recent months I have gone on to organise audiobook versions of two
of my novels, which has been really interesting and worth considering, as the audiobook
format is a significant growth area among the reading public.
Throughout my journey I have come to rely on many different
‘resources’, among them my own set of developing skills and my increasing
network of supporters. The resource of
time is, of course, also an issue. Being
an indie author is like running your own business. In addition to the elements I have mentioned
above, you need to set your own deadlines, monitor sales and keep a basic set
of accounts. All authors know the
challenge of juggling time; there are so many distractions and never enough
hours in the day for writing. As an
indie author, there is a whole other set of tasks to draw you away from that
notebook.
It is also worth reflecting on your motivation for
writing. Whether you choose the
independent route, or opt to seek out a traditional publishing deal, it is
unlikely to result in you making a million!
After all, there is only one JK Rowling!
However, I do know indie authors who are able to earn enough to make it
their full-time occupation, but like most things in life, such success comes
from a mixture of hard work and good luck.
Choosing a niche genre can help, as well as being prepared to be quite
vocal in terms of marketing and promotion.
The route to publication can be complicated and
challenging, but for me – in the main - it has been joyful. I have only
provided a snapshot here, but hopefully it is a useful ‘taster’ to tempt you to
find out more.
Isabella Muir is the author of the Sussex Crime
Mystery series:
BOOK 1: THE TAPESTRY BAG
BOOK 2: LOST PROPERTY
BOOK 3: THE INVISIBLE CASE
And her latest novel is: THE FORGOTTEN CHILDREN
She can be contacted via:
Twitter: @SussexMysteries
Facebook: www.facebook.com/IsabellaMuirAuthor/
Website: www.isabellamuir.com
Or on Goodreads
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