Why I Went Traditional and 7 Reasons Why You Should (or Shouldn't)

I'm a guest over at Anne R. Allen's fabulous blog today talking about my reasons for pursuing traditional publication. Would love for y'all to stop by and say hi! : )

Coming Soon!

"★★★★ After reading Loren’s book of bondage and love, readers will race out for their own handcuffs and whips." -RT Book Reviews magazine

CRASH INTO YOU is now available for pre-order!
Read an excerpt here.

All content copyright of the author. Please ask permission before re-printing or re-posting. Fair use quotations and links do no require prior consent of the author. ©Roni Loren 2009-2011 |Copyright Statement|

Standing Out in A Crowded Publishing Market by Jenn LeBlanc

Today I have a special treat for you guys--Author Jenn LeBlanc. We're all told that we're supposed to stand out, to think outside the box, and to provide the "same but different" in order to make it in the world of publishing. And Jenn has taken that advice and has run with it. I can't wait for you to read about what she's doing. And don't forget to leave a comment on today's post with your email because Jenn is generously offering up a copy of THE RAKE AND THE RECLUSE as a prize!

Take it away, Jenn...



When I started writing The Rake And The Recluse, I never thought to finish it. When I did, I never really thought to publish it. When I started working on that, I realized I really needed a good hook to get people to pay attention. I thought it was a great story, as did my editors and beta readers, but convincing a stranger of that was pretty important. 

Romance is the number one selling genre last time I checked. That means there are a lot of books, and a lot of readers, and as a new author I really needed to stand out in order to survive. 

I decided to put together a package for my queries. Something that would set me apart from the crowd. I thought, as a photographer, shooting a great cover for my novel might do it. (What can I say, as a newb it sounded like a good idea.) Besides, I could always use it on my writers blog and try to get some buzz going. 

I started casting for a cover model, and found Derek Hutchins and we set up a photo shoot. It didn’t take long once we started shooting to realize there was something special happening. I called him in for a second shoot and started playing with some other scenes from the book. This was about a month before the release of the first iPad. As the shoot became more involved my brain kicked into overdrive and I wondered about shooting illustrations for the entire novel. I talked to Derek and he was game so I started doing page layouts and, well the rest is history. 


I queried my idea but most of what I got in response was ‘we love your voice, but we don’t know what to do with this.’ By then I already had the book, and the images. I was not turning back so I learned how to layout and export to ePub on my own. I designed five versions of the book so it could be read on any reader, and I self published it. 

It’s a fully illustrated romance novel. I suppose you could call it a cover on steroids. Romance covers are such an iconic 20th century thing, and it’s time to move on with the possibilities of the digital age of books. This book in print is expensive. The full color volume, of which there are exactly four copies so far, is about $140 retail. The trade paperback, with images, is $21.95. It’s beautiful, but if you want the true experience, it’s in the ebook. That is what it was made for. 

I have always tried to think outside the proverbial box, always wanted to have something different. That carried over into my book project. I wanted something new, something more, something eye-catching, an experience and not just a really good read. I wanted to utilize the new media to its fullest potential. 

My novel can be read on any reader--video and flash are not part of the book. The images are embedded in the text, so it flows properly and you don’t need special plugins or video to read it--that was important to me. I’ve seen the vooks and thought that the video might pull the reader from the story, particularly on readers where they would have to move to a computer or something else with video capability. 



I actually loved every minute of this project and as it gains momentum I’m having even more fun sharing it. I think it’s worth it just for the pictures or the story independently, but together you get a more lush and involved reading experience. 

I have done all my own marketing and promotion, and managed to catch the eye of the editors at Avon. We are still talking, but I’m not entirely sure I want to go that route now that I have done all the work myself. I truly appreciate the big publishers, and what they can offer to a writer, especially a first time author like myself, and weighing the benefits of a big publishing house, including their editors and experts and reach, against my own hard work and expectations has been monumentally difficult. It comes down to numbers and how much they would get from all of my hard work, considering it is complete, and would only need minor edits and modifications for them to publish it.

I think it’s fantastic, and it makes me feel great to be told the writing is on, and they would love to be involved, particularly since a year ago I couldn’t convince anyone to look at it. It’s a bit like my own personal Marilyn in the ice cream shop experience. 

In the meantime I’m working on restructuring the book to its original format, a six part serial novel. Something else nobody was interested in. I’m finishing edits on the second book, and preparing to shoot that in September or October for a February release. 

I’m also doing illustrations for other wonderful authors, and a few covers as well. I have found this great community that I love being a part of, and my own little niche to rest in- not that I get any rest. 

Standing out in the publishing market is difficult. There are very few people who can do what I have done. I happen to be a professional photographer, and that really helps. That is what gave my my niche, and what makes me who I am in the writing industry. You have to find yours as well. It isn’t easy. I did not plan this. I fell into it a bit backward, but here I am and I plan to keep going because this is quite honestly the most fun I have had in my entire life. Learning everything I can from other authors, both new and seasoned, has helped immensely. Now that I’ve done all the work the next one will be simple for me to get done.

Now it’s just a matter of staying on top of the new media curve. I have a few short stories coming out soon, and some free reads going on my website to help promote. Actually there is a hidden scene on my website, and you have to play around to find it. It’s pretty randy so fair warning. :) It’s an outtake from The Rake And The Recluse.



My book is available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, All Romance eBooks and on iBooks from your iThingy. 

If you read it please track me down on Twitter, Facebook, or my blog to let me know what you think! I LOVE LOVE LOVE to hear from readers, both the good and the bad. That way my next book will only get better.

Thanks, Jenn! So what do y'all think? An illustrated romance novel, sign me up. :) What ideas have you had that you were afraid were too outside the box? How do you think your book will stand out? 


CONTEST: And don't forget to leave a comment with your email addy to enter the contest to WIN a copy of THE RAKE AND THE RECLUSE!


All content copyright of the author. Please ask permission before re-printing or re-posting. Fair use quotations and links do no require prior consent of the author. ©Roni Loren 2009-2011 |Copyright Statement|

Traditional or Self-Publishing: Defining Your Dream

 

"dream wheel"
Photo by H.T. Yu

So I planned on blogging on something else this morning and then agent Rachelle Gardner tweeted this post by Phil Cooke on How Much Did It Take To Buy You Away From Your Dream? Go read it. It's not publishing specific, but really can be applied to anything.

 

He sites the line in the movie Up In the Air where George Clooney's character asks someone he's firing that question: How much did it take to buy you away from your dream? (Because the guy at one time wanted to be a chef and went into whatever he business he was getting fired from instead.)

We all at some point probably give up on or modify our dreams. I know I wanted to be a writer when I was in high school--even started college with a double major in English and Psychology. But then as time went on, I decided I needed to be more "practical" and focus on the psychology so I could have a stable, decent-paying job. I absolutely DON'T regret that decision. I loved what I learned and enjoyed my masters program in social work. The jobs and experiences I had were invaluable. I wouldn't have been able to write CRASH INTO YOU without it. So I got to my dream, albeit via a convoluted path.

But once you've decided you're going to pursue that dream of being a writer, you now have a couple of different versions of "the dream" to choose from. Once, not too long ago, you had one option--get an agent, pursue traditional publishing. But now you have traditional publishing, small press, digital-first publishers, vanity publishing, and of course, the hot topic of the last few months--self-publishing.

So what's the right path for you? Obviously there are success stories in each venue. And one method isn't mutually exclusive of the other. You may pursue digital publishing first with the intent to eventually move to a more traditional publisher. Lots of people have used digital (especially in my genre) as a stepping stone to a NY contract.

How do you figure out which to pursue? And here's what I think--you need to define your dream.

What is it you are seeking from being a writer? When you let your mind wander, which parts get you all giddy inside? Big readership? Big paychecks? NYT Bestseller lists? Getting fan mail? Holding your book in your hands? Seeing it on a shelf?

And then consider which method of publishing feeds the core of your dream.

Here's what my dream consists of:

 

  • The chance to share my stories with others and (hopefully) entertain them.
  • The ability to at least make a similar salary writing books as I was making as a  management recruiter (The job I had before I had my son.)
  • Validation from professionals that my writing is good and marketable.
  • To hold my book in my hands and see it on the shelves of bookstores.
  • Okay, and having some fans and a big readership wouldn't suck.


So when you analyze the main components of my dream, you can probably see why self-publishing an ebook wouldn't have been the total fulfillment of my dream. I could have accomplished some of these, but not all of them. And some people may scoff at the validation piece, but I wanted to prove to myself that I could land an agent and a big publisher. Maybe it's bad to look to others to measure if I'm "good enough" but that's how I'm built when it comes to my writing.

 

Now if you don't need that validation and your main goal is to get your stories out there in whatever format you can so that you can get in front of readers, then putting your book up on Amazon may be a great option. It may fill your personal dream well to the brim. Or maybe you want that validation, but holding the book in your hands isn't that big a deal--then maybe an digital publisher is the best option.

The key is figuring out what is going to fulfill you. If traditional publishing is where you've hung your hope, then fight for it. Don't query a few agents, get a few rejections, then throw your hands up and say "Oh I'm going to self-publish this as an ebook.  Some people are making all kinds of money doing that. Screw New York!" Because then what will you be able to say if someone were to ask you that question in a few years: How much did it take to buy you away from your dream?

Did you sell your dream for instant gratification or lack of patience? Did you sell it so you wouldn't have to tuck away a book and start something new and keep working to get better? Maybe, maybe not. Maybe you've gone on to be an ebook millionaire. I don't know. But it is something to think about.

I don't think there is anything wrong with alternatives to traditional publishing. Obviously, it's going to be a huge part of the future of publishing. But I think it's important to know what's going to feed your writer's soul and work as hard as you can to accomplish whatever your personal dream is.

So what do you think? What are the essential components of your dream? Which method of publishing do you think is the best fit for you?


WINNER: Thanks to all of you who asked me questions and entered the contest last Friday. The winner of the 5-page critique is Strickland! Congrats!