Row, Row, Row Your Boat

with guest Helen Gray.

In January I dived into the Indie Ocean. Oh, my, what a BI-I-I-I-I-G place this is! 

I started rowing by publishing two books. Row, row.

In the spring I contracted with Forget-Me-Not Romances, a publishing company run by Cindy Hickey, and published four more. 

Row, row, row, row.

The first of October I had a novella published that is to be part of a state flower collection next spring. Row.  

This past week I published a three book series. I did them myself, but Cindy designed my covers. Row, row, row.

I am working on another novella. Row.

I have some more stand-alone manuscripts on my hard drive that I plan to rework into a series. Row, row, row.

And that’s how indie publishing works. I’m too far out in the middle of the ocean to turn back, so I just keep rowing.

Things That Have Worked For Me

1. As a former accounting teacher, I treated indie publishing as a business from the beginning. The first concept in accounting is to not mix personal and business funds. With my very first advance money from my Heartsong series, I opened a separate account. I had a little seed money left in it when the line was cut, and I determined that I would operate—sink or swim—on that capital. I keep receipts for everything from computer repairs, paper and ink, to conference expenses and postage. I also keep a record of all revenue, have a sales tax license, and submit a quarterly payment. This information is compiled into a Schedule C at tax time. I have practiced fiscal responsibility and am slowly seeing my efforts rewarded.

2. I had done my homework about manuscript preparation, covers, and formatting—I wrote about it in my last post—and am rowing along with those. I’ve had my covers designed for me—and have had favorable reactions to them.

3. I’ve done series rather than stand-alone books. We’re told by the veterans to do this. Getting people invested in a series builds a following.

A Christmas Potpourri

4. The biggest success I’ve had has probably been getting included in some boxed set collections. I’m in a Christmas collection, a contemporary collection that has been at or near the top of the bestseller list for the past several weeks, another contemporary collection, and a historical collection. 

I also have sets of my own historical series and contemporary series. KU is good for these because readers buy a batch of stories (inexpensively) and produce a high pages read count. In addition to reaching a wide audience, they help author rankings and build teamwork. I’ve read predictions that this trend might change—but for now I’m in and ready for more.

5. Another thing that has been successful for me is print books. No, they don’t sell on Amazon. But I sell enough print copies locally to pay my up-front expenses. Since I have been asked how I sell them, I’ll try to describe my process .

Because Wal Mart stocked my Heartsong books, had me do book signings, and sold about 200 copies of each of those three books, I have some readers who have told me they want copies any time I have books released.

 Last Friday afternoon I received my order of 60 copies each of my new three book series. I immediately went to the library, scheduled book signings, gave them a complimentary set, and sold a set to the head librarian. The next morning I delivered 5 sets to the funeral home (the two co-owners buy copies for themselves and their daughters), 5 sets to Wal Mart (clerks who met me at the store signings and always want them), and two sets to the Dollar Store (clerks with standing orders). 

The next day (Sunday) I delivered twelve sets to church members after church on the parking lot. Yesterday I sold three sets at the library. Last night we ate at the local restaurant, and I sold four sets while there, depleting the bag I have started keeping in my car. This morning I sold three sets at the library, then went to the beauty shop and sold three more sets. Then I got groceries and had a lady in the store ask for a set. When I got home, a lady from a neighboring town who had already bought a set called and asked for two more sets for Christmas gifts. I think I have a dozen copies each left. I never planned to become a peddler, but it seems to have evolved into that. Are you getting the idea?

Things That Have Not Worked For Me

I STINK, STINK, STINK at social media and would starve to death if I had to make a living at selling. So lack of promotion skills is the failure that makes me less than an ideal candidate for indie publishing. 

I can’t remember to update my web page. I created a Twitter account, but can’t think to tweet, or of anything to tweet about. As for Facebook, I only think to post when I have books out or something major is happening within the family. (I can’t imagine anyone being interested in whether I clipped my toenails or bought groceries this week.)

I set up a newsletter on my web page, but have collected only a few subscribers.
I’ve been approached about a couple of speaking engagements, but they haven’t materialized yet. I don’t solicit them.  

I have done some posting to FB groups, but I haven’t seen any significant results from them. I haven’t been consistent, though, so I need to keep trying.

What I've Learned From These Experiences

Paid ads are good! 

I’ve copied lists of promo groups from various postings, joined them, and have culled them as I’ve learned which ones suit my needs best. These groups are primarily for free promotion and reviews. If you’re looking for such lists, you might like this link where Sherri Wilson Johnson shares her marketing spreadsheet. It is a list of groups, with membership numbers, and any stipulations for posting. And here is an interactive list of book promo sites.

The paid promo sites tend to require a certain number of reviews before you can purchase an ad. For me it is TOUGH to get those first reviews when the new book is just out—unheard of and unheralded. I’m still working on the ten I need for Bootheel Bride so I can buy an ENT (Ereader News Today) ad. I’ve heard others talk about having difficulty getting accepted, but so far I’ve never been turned down when I’ve applied for an ad.

ENT is the only paid ad site I’ve used, but I assume the process is similar with others. To apply for an ad, simply go to their submission form and provide info and links relevant to the book you want to promote. State your preferred date for a promotion and whether you’re willing to accept alternate dates. 

The cost of such an ad varies with the genre and book price. You can view those prices here. The other paid ad site I’ve heard a lot about is Bookbub, but it’s much pricier.
Making the first book of a series free for a particular time can result in sales of the other books, but .99 ads also work. I’m still experimenting with both.

I also have learned to ask questions. The CIA (Christian Indie Authors), a private FB group for Christian indie and hybrid authors to discuss writing, publishing, and marketing, is a valuable resource if you’re considering taking this route.  

Suggestions for Staying on Track as an Indie

1. Remember that indie publishing is a marathon. It’s not for the quitter. 

2. Treat it like a job, with you as the boss. Go to work every day, and write or edit your daily goal. Set your deadlines and meet them. Only YOU can do it.

3. Keep the quality of your work high. Always strive for improvement.

4. Don’t blame others when things don’t work. The load lands squarely on your shoulders. Do it—or quit.

5. Share information. In traditional publishing, no one talks facts and figures. Indies share what works and what doesn’t for them. And much more.

6. Be flexible. Life happens. For instance, these past several weeks have been very stressful for me because of a personal situation, making it hard to be creative. So I have pushed ahead with editing/publishing tasks and only written when I could relegate the stressful issue to the back of my brain. It doesn’t produce as much word count, but work still gets done.  

7. Work, work, work. All the time. Persevere. Don’t lose momentum. Row, row, row!!! Write another book.

Conclusions

I may not be a top best-selling author, but I’m building my business and working my way upward. 

I have control.

I make mistakes—correct them—and learn from them.

I’m rowing along, gaining in earnings, and enjoying the ride. I like being in control, having access to information. It’s scary at times—and a lot of hard work and struggles. But the control, freedom, and perpetual earnings possibility outweigh those things.

Row, row, row!!!

The question I’m wrestling with now is about writing in multiple genres. If I publish in another genre, should I use my own name? A pen name? Forget it?

Also, I would appreciate any helpful suggestions you can offer to make social media easier for me. 

Give me your thoughts.

As a giveaway, I’m making Bootheel Bride free today. Help yourself. If you enjoy it, a review would be appreciated.

Returning to the Bootheel is Bittersweet for Jessie Stevens.

When she and her brother come back to the home they fled years earlier, they find Gabe Kirby, their neighbor who was kind to Jessie as a girl, guarding the farm. 

Successful cotton farmer Gabe remembers Jessie fondly from childhood, but the grown up Jessie takes his breath away. He thought his life would be devoted to helping others and would not include marriage, but now he questions that. Can he convince her--and himself--that they can find happiness together?

Bootheel Bachelor

Jason Stevens is a Bad Risk for Marriage

Fear of repeating his father's abusive behavior toward his mother has him convinced he will live his life as a bachelor. As a Missouri Highway Patrolman, he certainly doesn't need the complications of fiery Veda, the sister of the man his sister married, stirring up his emotions. 

All young widow Veda wants is to start over and run a business of her own, in a location distant from the Kirby family's illegal activities. 

Can these two opposites find common ground and happiness together?



Bootheel Betrothal

Lynn Buchanan is Looking for Her Birth Mother.  
After losing her parents and learning she is adopted, Lynn travels to the SE section of Missouri known as the bootheel to search for her mother. When she tangles with handsome Mitch Stratton, her plans and dreams are thrown into a tailspin. 

Mitch must focus on keeping his cotton gin operating and providing jobs for his employees. Meeting the newfound sister of his best friend is a complication to his plans—and his heart.

Helen Gray grew up in a small Missouri town and married her pastor. While working alongside her husband in his ministry, she had three children, taught school, directed/accompanied church music programs, and became an amateur ventriloquist. Now retired, with the children gone from the nest, she and her supportive husband still live in their native Missouri Ozarks where he roams the woods, hunts and fishes, and she weaves stories meant to honor God and depict Christian lives and problems as she knows and observes them. Helen thanks God for the time and opportunity to write, and considers it an added blessing if her stories touch others in even a small way.

http://www.helenbrowngray.com

Writing All Over The Road

By Dan Walsh 

I want to thank my good friend, Julie Lessman, for inviting me back to Seekerville, probably my favorite writers’ blog on the Internet.

Both the title of my post and the pic above should give you a clue about what I’m planning to talk about today.

I’m not sure why—maybe because it’s usually several months or a year in between visits—but when I come back to Seekerville I often find myself in a reflective mood. I suppose it may have something to do with the fact that I seem to visit at the beginning or end of a new chapter in my writing journey.

My first visit to Seekerville was back in November, 2009 (here’s the link). My first book had just come out, a Christmas novel called, The Unfinished Gift. It really wasn’t that long ago but, in some ways, the whole publishing world was so much simpler then. There were really only two paths to consider:

1.    Get accepted (somehow) into the elite ranks of the “publishing club.”

2.    Keep trying.

There was no such thing as “indie publishing,” and being self-published was totally frowned upon. Only desperate people did that (and people who didn’t mind spending $10,000 of their own money in exchange for a garage full of books). There was no such thing as print-on-demand then.

Also way back in 2009, the overwhelming majority of readers bought their books at retail bookstores, who only accepted books from traditional, mainstream publishers. So…pretty much, a fiction writer’s entire effort was centered on writing that perfect book, landing a great agent and getting a traditional publishing contract. I think here it was called getting off “unpubbed island.” In 2009, some of the “The Seekers” were still stranded there.

In fact, part of my post was something of an apology to those who were still stranded on unpubbed island. Especially those who’d been stuck there for years. My story was: I had submitted my first manuscript, landed an A-list agent almost immediately, got a contract with Revell in 2 months.

That Was Then, This Is Now

Since then, I’ve published 11 more novels with Revell, roughly 2 per year. Sounds like smooth, steady waters, right?

Well, the truth is…if I told you what my journey has looked like over the last 8-10 months it might be a little hard to follow. It would more resemble this second pic on the right (“Hey buddy, pick a lane, will ya?”).

Back in August, my publisher and I mutually agreed I would not re-sign with them. I had been anticipating this for almost a year. I used my spare time while finishing those last 2 books learning all I could about indie publishing. In November, I published my first indie suspense novel, called When Night Comes. On the whole, it’s been a great experience. It received a 4.5 Star review from RT Books and now has over 140 customer reviews on Amazon. The sales  gone pretty well, too (sold over 6,000 copies so far). In mid-March, I released my first nonfiction indie book, a 31-Day Devotional called Perfect Peace.

In April, the 4^th and final book of the Restoration series co-authored with Gary Smalley came out, called The Legacy. My final novel with Revell comes out in September. I guess it’s fitting that since I began my traditionally-published journey with a Christmas book I’m ending it with another, called Keeping Christmas.

Here’s my challenge now…sometime this summer I will release the first book in a new trilogy, called Rescuing Finley (Finley is a dog). This novel will be similar in style to all my other books. The question is, do I release it as an indie or listen to my agent who is urging me to re-sign with a different publisher? She’s had great success with this publisher in recent months and is confident the book will take off (do even better than all my other book have done up till now).

I should be happy, but I find I’m a little bit confused. When did the publishing journey become so complex? As writers today, we’re not facing just one choice anymore, but several:

1.    Do we continue to pursue the traditional path (for me, re-signing with another big publisher).

2.    Go with a small independent press.

3.    Self-publish (go totally indie),

4.    Become a hybrid author (that is, do both, traditional and indie)? 

In recent weeks, I've had to ask myself all of these questions. I’m guessing, so have many of you. How are you processing all these new options? I’d love to hear some of your stories.

It kind of reminds me of the simplicity of eating at home (“What are we having for dinner? Oh, this.”), compared to picking up one of those 15-page menus in a franchise restaurant filled with pictures. The waitress comes back in ten minutes. “I’ve narrowed it down to five things.”

Some of my author friends think all these new options have made life so much better for writers. They say we’re living in a new golden era. I have to admit, I’ve met some indie writers this past year who would agree. We’ve had some honest conversations about the nuts and bolts side of things (read, financial stuff). Some of these authors were turned down flat by traditional publishing houses, or else got some books published but saw only marginal success. Now they are, quite literally, booming. Selling more books and making more money that some of the biggest bestsellers in the CBA trad-pub world.

That’s certainly not everyone’s story. Some indies aren’t doing well, at all. But I think I can safely say, I’m convinced there is some rock-solid wisdom we can cling to in the midst of all the new choices and options we face today. A place to put our focus that will always yield good results.

One True Thing

Regardless of the packaging, whether you wind up taking the traditional path, an indie path, go with a small independent press or become a hybrid, there’s one thing that will always matter.

Readers want to read a great book. They love a great story.

If they get hold of one, they won’t care about its “journey to publication.” They will read it, keep reading it, look for excuses to stop what they’re doing and get back to it, read it some more…until they reluctantly reach the last page. Then they will close the book (or turn off the screen) and release a contented sigh. Maybe even reach for a tissue. And they’ll resolve to do 2 things: see if that author has written any other books and tell their friends, “You’ve got to get this book!”

So that’s my closing advice in this new age of “writing all over the road.” Keep working on your craft. Don’t get distracted by lesser things. If you’ve mastered the craft, then spend adequate time re-sharpening the blade. Which is exactly why you should keep coming back to a place like Seekerville and listen to the sage advice freely offered by these seasoned veterans (all of whom have left Unpubbed Island several years ago).

NEWS FLASH!!!

Starting TODAY, Dan's new devotional, Perfect Peace: In Imperfect Times devotional (which is OUTSTANDING, by the way!!) is ON SALE in ebook for only 99 CENTS, so here's the link, and I guarantee you it will be one of the best buys you will EVER make!! 

PERFECT PEACE: IN IMPERFECT TIMES

DEVOTIONAL

BOOK GIVEAWAYS:

Leave a comment for Dan, and he will give two lucky winners their choice of either his new devotional, Perfect Peace, or his new suspense novel, When Night Comes (ebook or print). 

Dan Walsh is the bestselling author of 13 novels including The Unfinished Gift, The Discovery and When Night Comes. He’s won 3 ACFW Carol Awards, 2 Selah Awards and three times his books have been finalists for RT’s Inspirational Book of the Year. A member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and Word Weavers International, Dan writes full time in the Daytona Beach area. He and his wife Cindi have been married 38 years, have 2 grown children and 2 grandchildren. You can find out more about his books or follow him on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads or Pinterest from his website at http://danwalshbooks.com.