Business of Writing

Keeping Informed Through Podcasts

August 7, 2015August 7, 2015Business of Writing

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I’ve never been much of an audiobook listener due to my impatience. I know I’m an extremely fast reader and I get frustrated by the slower pace of narration. I thought the same would be true for industry podcasts. Recently, however, I’ve gotten into them. This has surprised me, since I’d usually rather skim a transcript over listening to anything.

I still do like the transcripts to remind me of salient points. But now podcasts are helpful resources that I enjoy listening to. I think that’s because I’ve now got a system for making them useful for me. I know some of you are light years ahead of me on this stuff. I thought I’d blog my revelations in case any of you out there are where I am in the discovery process.

I tend to listen to them when exercising (to forget that I’m exercising, since it’s my least favorite activity) or driving.Continue reading

Improving Traditional Publishing

August 3, 2015August 2, 2015Business of Writing, Publishing Changes

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Recently, I was asked if I’d ever consider writing for Penguin or another publisher again. I never like to say never because never is a long time in publishing.

But things would have to radically change for me to go back. The amount of income that I bring in by self-publishing is far greater than the amount I bring in with trad-pub (although I have fewer self-published titles). There would have to be some real incentive.

After some thought, this is what I came up with:Continue reading

A Changing Marketing Mindset

July 31, 2015July 31, 2015Business of Writing, Publishing Changes

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

My firstborn will be leaving home for college in a couple of weeks and it’s put me in a reflective mood. This is unusual for me, since I’m ordinarily not even reflective at the end of the year.

My first traditionally-published book was Pretty is as Pretty Dies in 2009. At the time, Kindle wasn’t even really making a ripple in my consciousness. I had an author friend of mine at a signing to tell me that he had a Sony ereader and it seemed sort of Star Trekkish to me. I couldn’t imagine wanting to read on one or what the potential benefits might be.

I’d thought the same thing about personal computers when I became introduced to them in the 80s. The contraption looked like an unwieldy typewriter to me and I couldn’t conceive how it could be useful to me. Then the internet came into play and suddenly computers were life-changing for me in every way…ingraining themselves into my routines and habits.Continue reading

Using ‘Free’ as an Incentive

July 27, 2015July 26, 2015Business of Writing

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Free book promos aren’t for everyone. Some writers are passionate about receiving payment for their hard work. Other writers don’t yet have enough published work to offer one of their books for free. It’s possible, also, that writers of standalones might not find as much value in a free promotion as series writers.

For me, I’ve found that free book promos do have their place. I use them often. In fact, at least one of my books is always free.

I don’t like the idea of Kindle Unlimited (KU), because I don’t like putting all my eggs in one basket. I’ve also found that anytime I cut back on any platform, I hear from readers. And I hate making readers upset.

Instead, I use Amazon’s price-matching policy to make my books free. In the past I’ve used Smashwords (a book distributor) to make my book free on other retailers (Kobo, etc.) and then Amazon has rapidly matched the price. I’m now experimenting with Draft 2 Digital (another distributor), which I’ve really enjoyed dealing with so far. You can make your book free on Nook with Draft 2 Digital, which does put pressure on Amazon to match the price quickly. Also (and I’m straying slightly off-topic here, sorry), Draft 2 Digital seems much easier to work with. More on them on their FAQ page.Continue reading

Pantsers, Outliners, Savor Readers and Fuel Readers: Writer Beware

July 24, 2015July 22, 2015Business of Writing, Writing Tips

by Barry Knister, @BarryKnister

“Pantser” and “Outliner” are terms used by writers to describe different approaches to writing novels. The CEO of the very good website you’re visiting, Elizabeth Spann Craig has written effectively in personal terms on the subject.

In over-simplified terms, pantsers write as inspiration dictates, by the seat of their pants, whereas outliners do advance planning in the form of outlines before they begin writing their work.

Outliners are often both envied and pitied by pantsers. Outliners strike pantsers as drudges, people better suited to accounting or shredding documents. To a committed pantser, the very idea of outlining drains all the joy of discovery from the act of creation by approaching the job of writing as just that. A job, work.

At the same time, pantsers often experience bouts of wistful regret about not outlining. They don’t impose order and system on what they do, thus leaving themselves at the mercy of inspiration, alcohol, controlled and not-so-controlled substances, the muse, metabolism, and shifts in barometric pressure.Continue reading