Keep on Writing
It’s easy to get daunted by the vast quantities of books published on Amazon every day, and also by some successful author’s suggestions that you shouldn’t be trying to charge for your books if your work has not been approved by legitimate traditional gatekeepers. Why bother putting in all the hard work of writing books if they’re just going to be buried by the millions, or trashed by the literati?
Why you should definitely bother is because of what self-publishing is. People who buy books from Amazon are fully aware that the vast majority of them are by Indie authors, and they’re going to be pretty sure that they want any given book before they pay for it. Not every book you write is going to be great. I never figured out what the point was to Stephen King’s The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, so writing every book that…
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Jo Robinson 
September 3, 2015 at 3:48 pm
Hi Jo, I entirely agree. If you want to just give your work away for free then go stand outside the supermarket and just give away printouts to people. Writing is an art form and the result of a great deal of time and effort and hopefully some skill. My writing is worth paying for, it is up to others if they want to go for JK Rowling instead of me but personally, I wouldn’t adviser her to give away her work either 🙂
I don’t believe in give-aways, Kindle promos or any of the Amazon ideas that stop you selling to the widest possible market and though I am no big name, I am now selling about 40-50 books a month and all without freebies or paying a penny for promos.
I’m not an established big name but I offer what they can’t to those willing to take a gamble on me. A fresh mind that is bursting with ideas and creativity that isn’t moulded to tick various boxes by publishing houses, editors or whatever. Rather like watching a Hollywood movie or a Brit / Euro / RoW Independent movie… yes blockbusters are great and they have a time and place but if I want to pay money for something I’d rather go with a fresh mind with some vigour and enthusiasm that makes up for lack of polish and refined skills. Also I’d rather my money went to them too 🙂
If people don’t want to pay me a few measly pounds or dollars then they will never know just how good I am or what they are missing and personally if they are that tight, I don’t want to have anything to do with them.
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September 3, 2015 at 4:25 pm
I have just started writing seriously again. I won’t go down the indie route. I will get a literary agent if I am any good. They won’t lie. They haven’t got the time. If I get an agent, which is very difficult in the current market, then they know the publishers who may possibly give me a look in.
I also applaud and encourage those who do go down the indie route. Each to his own.
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September 24, 2015 at 3:20 pm
We must all do what’s best for our own personal journeys – you’re right Chris. Both traditional and Indie are legitimate choices. I’ve never tried the traditional route, but always reserve the right to change my mind in the future. These days though, I’m loving the Indie trip too much. The best luck in finding a great agent. 🙂
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September 3, 2015 at 9:37 pm
Thanks Jo! The people who say “should” usually want to demotivate or eliminate any competition. So they “should” all over the rest of us. They need to go “should” somewhere else. 😀 Mega hugs!
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September 7, 2015 at 11:27 pm
Awesome post Jo! 🙂
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