What a timely prompt for the freewrite today: “Headache”
I was thinking today that I wanted to post about my publishing journey thus far. Talk about a HEADACHE! I keep thinking I’ll just wait until I’m “successful” because who wants to hear from a beginner? Then I realized I needed to share what I’m learning as I go, because there is so much information!
First off, before anything else gets done, there is the anxiety induced headache of self doubt, worry and then the brain fatigue from trying to figure out how to even do the basics of creating an ebook!
In my case, I wanted to reassure myself that I could actually figure out the technical aspects on my own. I took an idea I had for a compilation book/set about “My First Time” or “Her First Time” kind of stories and I put part one on amazon as an ebook. This was kind of my ‘Proof of Concept’ thing.
My word, that process was horribly stressful for me. I’m not a technical sort, I hate all things techie, so I think I freaked myself out more than anything else! In the end, it really wasn’t all that difficult. Kindle create made it easy to format the ebook how it needed to be and soon I was all set.
I enjoy making graphics and although I’m still REALLY new to graphic design, I like the artsy side of it, so designing my own cover was actually fun. I already find myself wanting to second guess and change it, but I”m going to leave it for now and learn to accept and grow and move on!
I could keep going back a million times and never move forward if I let myself do it!
ANYWAY, after I got my first 99 cent book published, I realized I had NO idea how to properly market a book. I left that book sitting on amazon and I started to delve into learning about publishing and marketing. I don’t want to JUST write and publish. I want to make MONEY at it! I want people to read my books!
Fuck me sideways, that was a HUGE undertaking. I felt like every piece of information I found led to an AVALANCHE of information that I still needed to learn! I’ve been feeling buried alive with all of the things I need to learn for months now.
It is just NOW starting to make some sort of sense to me!
There goes the timer! freewrite prompt headache
I plan to release my next book by the end of this month!
I may do the extra work involved to have it available for paperback as well as ebook, but I’m not sure if anyone even buys paperbacks anymore, especially erotica! Thoughts on that?
Erotica by Bian 
I have sold twice as many paperback copies of my book than E-book versions, so there you go…. Lol. I was surprised too. 😉
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Really? That’s very cool. I do prefer paperbacks myself (I like to read in the tub where it’s quiet!) and there is just something pleasing about a paper book! I guess I need to keep poking around about the process of doing paperbacks as well. Do you have them printed, or do one of the print on demand type things? (If its not a bother)
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Oh yes, reading in the tub is one of the best places. The only real place where one can completely escape the interruptions of life. Unless your babies are little, I remember the days when mine would still find me there.
Lol… 😉 I use print on demand, but still have the option to print copies at cost, just in case I want to try and sell them myself.
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I’m wavering a little. This was a little hopeful.
I’ve been writing little tidbits and vignette’s for so long and I figured I should just throw some stories together and put them on amazon and see what happens.
The marketing thing sounds daunting. I always worry I’m being annoying about it but I guess just depends.
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Yeah, I’ve vacillated a LOT on it. I’m not great with sales and I definitely don’t want to be pushy, but at the same time I LOVE to read. SO I just want to think of it as getting my writing out in front of others. Not to push them into buying it or whatever, but making a name for myself so that people WANT to read what I write.
There are so many things that you can do even to just help your books not get lost in the shuffle and that’s what I’m aiming for at the moment. Putting myself out there is a bit daunting!
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That seems like it would be the hardest part, making sure your work stands out in front of all of the other stuff that’s out there.
Good luck on it though. 🙂 I look forward to following more!
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