NTWF Indie Books

[Kiddo]

Self-publishing is like joining the minor leagues. It's not quite the big leagues of going through a publisher, but you're still putting your book out there and saying, 'I've created something worth paying money for.' The people who buy your book may not know you and probably won't care. They're going to expect to get something enjoyable for their money and you're saying you have that. It can be a bit intimidating, but at the same time, really exciting. And to share that with everyone, I'm creating this thread so that people that are going that route can share their novels and discuss with others. If you're thinking about going this route, please feel free to use this thread to ask questions as well.

Let me just start with a brief overview. I'll be focusing entirely on Amazon because those are the tools I've used. Amazon owns a self-publishing company and they are making steps to promote the indie book market on their own. It's still hovering around the level of vanity publishing, but I think it's starting to get some legitimacy on its own. It's just going to be slow. However, for people who don't want to go the traditional route, it's a great option.

Benefits:

• You retain control of your book from start to finish. You own it. It is your project and yours alone.
• You can skip the traditional route. The traditional agent-editor-publisher route is not always suited to getting the best books out there. It gets the books that will sell out there. You may have a great book but if its too different or unmarketable, there's a chance that no one will touch it. Talent helps, but it's not necessarily what will get you published.
• Its quick, easy, and cheap. Seriously, I spent about $6 on my book and that was for the hardcopy proof to make sure I set everything up right. (hint: if someone wants money from you upfront, it's a scam)
• You can test the waters. Maybe you're not sure you're ready to put your writing out into the wide wide world. It can be scary. It scares me. Indie publishing keeps your market small so you can see how it goes without the commitment.
• It can be a lot of fun.

Cons:

• No marketing ability. You have word of mouth and that's about it without serious self-promotion and monetary investment.
• You won't make money. Seriously, don't even think of doing this if you want to make money. It won't happen.
• Basically... no fame or fortune unless you get so lucky it's like winning the lottery. Kill those dreams now.
• Stigma. Sorry, but most people think 'not good enough to get published for realz' when they hear 'self-published'.

But anyway. If you do decide to go through with self-publishing, well, enjoy it. It can be fun. And when its up and you're ready, let us know on this thread and we'll add you to the front page.

Now, since this is a resource to promote/peruse the books fellow forumners have put together, let's talk about reviews.

The Rules of Reviews

(so we don't trample on each other's fragile egos - especially mine, mine is like a soap bubble filled with disappointment and tears)

Let me take a moment to explain the purpose of reviewing other people's books. As indie authors, we do not have the legitimacy provided by an editorial process. Yes, it cuts out some of the problems of said process, but it also means we are essentially vouching for ourselves. This is not a good thing. We have no credentials on our own.

Reviews, however, are our credentials. They give us legitimacy as authors and are the only voice we'll have speaking for us and saying 'this is worth spending your money on.'

However, I do not want people to think 'oh, I need to review this because they're my friend.' Most of my irl friends, even the ones that have read and told me their opinions to my face, have not left a review on my book. I am not offended by this. Reviews are a tricky thing and have the potential to do serious damage to relationships, because you are vouching publicly if someone's writing is good or not.

And I do believe people should be honest on reviews. Let me explain how a lot of people view book reviews. See, intelligent buyers know that there are ways to game the system. You can get friends and family to leave glowing reviews for you, publishers may even hire people to do this to give a book a favorable impression. So people will look at your 1-star, 2-star, and 3-star reviews as well. I personally look for trends. If I see a lot of the same complaint over and over, I know it's probably legit, and if it's one I know I'll dislike, I don't buy the book. If I see 'weak characters' repeated over and over, I'll probably not touch it. But if I see 'kind of confusing at first' or the likes, I'll probably still get the book, especially if the lower-rated reviews aren't saying the book is ruined by said flaw.

Those reviews have a lot more strength than the glowing 5-star reviews because they're real. They tell you what you're getting. And people do not like being disappointed. We'll be happier with a book we know is flawed but still enjoyable than a book that we think is going to be amaaaaazing but then we find out it isn't. Trust me. I bad-mouth a book that I got suckered into like that every chance I get because I feel like I got cheated and it makes me angry. When we pay money for something and then find out it's not what we expected, there's a loss that goes with that, and it is not a pleasant feeling to have. Don't contribute to that happening.

So when you leave a review, be honest. I'm not saying leave 1-star reviews. Sometimes silence is the nicest thing you can say (I don't think we'll have that situation here though). But if there's something wrong - don't be afraid to mention it! Let me give you an example of my favorite review:

This is the kind of book that stays in your head long after you've finished reading it. I started reading it without knowing much about Norse mythology, but that inspired me to go learn more. Even without a background familiarity of the characters and features mentioned in the book, readers should be able to appreciate how the author takes a well-established universe and turns it on its head while keeping its essence intact.

It's a self-published novel, so there are some rough spots. However they don't detract from the story if you can turn off your inner pedantry for a few hours. I plan on making the rest of the bookworms in my family read this next.

It's actually a lot nicer than I anticipated to get, there are some flaws with my story that I expect will be called out someday and I'll probably update that quote there when it happens. (I think people are still being nice to me) And so long as they're fair, I'll accept them. It's not a bad thing to be honest. It is a bad thing to be cruel about it and again, I don't think we'll get that situation here.

So with all that in mind, here's some ground rules:

• If you buy, consider leaving a review. They're very helpful. You are not expected to, but please consider it.
• If you leave a review on someone else's book, do not say that you did so. Chances are we've all got different names on our Amazon accounts than what we use here, which provides us all with a layer of anonymity. Make use of that.
• Don't go asking who left what review or asking people specifically to review. Reviews are a courtesy, not an obligation.

Okay. I think that's everything. So without further ado, here's the novels. They're in alphabetical order by author penname as it appears on the book. If you have more than one penname (like me), I'll use the one you like better. When submitting your book, please just post a link to it. We'll take the description from your amazon page.

I'm also asking people to post stuff to this thread instead of sending me a message, because I want others (by others I mean mods) to be able to maintain this, as I'm not the most reliable person around.

---

Bonnie Quinn (Kiddo)

Mortal Gods

SPOILER: Click to show

In the modern era, a small and scattered group of people have – for reasons unknown – found they have the ability to reshape reality simply by willing it so. They have become known as gods. Among them is Loki, once a woman, now a genderless creation of its own with no ties to its past life, no obligations, and no sense of consequences to its actions. For almost twenty years now, the mortals and gods have lived in relative peace, with a small handful of gods attempting to keep some measure of order among themselves. Loki is one of their number, and when a series of strange events point towards divine power, it is tasked with investigating the source. Loki is quickly pulled into a web of conspiracy between groups of gods and mortals, all striving to dictate how humanity will progress. And caught in the middle is Loki, named by prophecy that it will be the catalyst that leaves the world forever changed.

Triskaidekan: 13 Stories for 2013
Short story: Patterns, by Kelsey Lynne

Best of Ohio Short Stories
Short story: Resetting, by Kelsey Lynne





T. K. Arispe (@surfersquid)

Skydwellers

SPOILER: Click to show

The skydwelling Aehirim and the earthdwelling Passerim have been out of contact with each other for four thousand years.

Now, a sinister new technology and an accompanying conspiracy threaten the stable government of the Aehirim, spurring one young activist to make the plunge to solid ground to seek out a solution that may only be an ancient myth, accompanied by some unlikely companions.

The truth behind the myth, however, is more dangerous than they bargained for.

[Deleted]

((Can... can I post here?))

www.amazon.com/Skydwellers-T-K-Arispe-ebook/dp/B00DPLHTXC

Here's my first, and so far only, finished and published novel. I finished it earlier this year and some friends of mine convinced me to go the indie-publishing route. Unfortunately, I am pretty terrible at marketing, so I've been looking for agents, but until I get one interested in the kind of quirkiness I write, I see nothing wrong with keeping it up for sale on Amazon.

So far the only people who have bought it have been a handful of friends and family, none of whom have left any reviews, which I'm kind of disappointed about because I need the critique badly if I'm going to become a better writer.

So if anyone feels like reading a vaguely fantasy novel and leaving a constructive review, that would be awesome.

(Should be acceptable for all ages unless you dislike vague combat violence.)

[Kiddo]

Dec 10, 2013 0:52:06 GMT -5 @surfersquid said:

((Can... can I post here?))

www.amazon.com/Skydwellers-T-K-Arispe-ebook/dp/B00DPLHTXC

Here's my first, and so far only, finished and published novel. I finished it earlier this year and some friends of mine convinced me to go the indie-publishing route. Unfortunately, I am pretty terrible at marketing, so I've been looking for agents, but until I get one interested in the kind of quirkiness I write, I see nothing wrong with keeping it up for sale on Amazon.

So far the only people who have bought it have been a handful of friends and family, none of whom have left any reviews, which I'm kind of disappointed about because I need the critique badly if I'm going to become a better writer.

So if anyone feels like reading a vaguely fantasy novel and leaving a constructive review, that would be awesome.

(Should be acceptable for all ages unless you dislike vague combat violence.)

Of course you can post here! I'm at work, posting from my phone, so I'd like to say more, but it will have to wait. I'll update the thread when I get home.

[Deleted]

Dec 10, 2013 10:05:52 GMT -5 Kiddo said:

Of course you can post here! I'm at work, posting from my phone, so I'd like to say more, but it will have to wait. I'll update the thread when I get home.

Awesome, thanks!

[Kiddo]

Dec 10, 2013 12:08:10 GMT -5 @surfersquid said:

Dec 10, 2013 10:05:52 GMT -5 Kiddo said:

Of course you can post here! I'm at work, posting from my phone, so I'd like to say more, but it will have to wait. I'll update the thread when I get home.

Awesome, thanks!

There you go. You're up on the thread.

[Deleted]

Dec 10, 2013 17:59:16 GMT -5 Kiddo said:

Dec 10, 2013 12:08:10 GMT -5 @surfersquid said:

Awesome, thanks!

There you go. You're up on the thread.

Thank you! I hope this thread gets more participants.