# Self publishing regrets?



## PJJones (Apr 5, 2011)

So I've been four months self-published and have come up with a list of things I should have done differently.

1. Not spent so much on advertising my first book. I went way over budget and went crazy with the banners for many romance review sites. Had I known about sites like Pixel of Ink, I would have saved my money for them, which brings me to regret #2. 
2. Not reading a good self-pub book before starting, or at least consulting with the members here before diving into my spending spree. 
3. Waiting too long to self-publish. For two years, I kept hoping editors or agents would love Romance Novel, but I guess it was too crude for their tastes. However, the wait can't be helped as I didn't know much about this venue until a friend told me how well she was selling as a self-pubbed author.  
4. Setting up my blog site on Blogger. It's ugly and doesn't get a lot of traffic. I think I'm going to change to something more professional looking like Wordpress, which, to me, looks like a website as well as a blog. 

I DO NOT regret the many self-pubbed friends I've made these past four months or that fact that sales are now slowly increasing. I REALLY do not regret putting a free read on Smashwords, as I think it's helped with my current boost in sales. I can't wait for my short to go free on Amazon! Hopefully. I've heard a lot of good feedback from other authors here who've had free reads on Amazon. 

Anyone else have regrets or things that worked they'd like to share?


----------



## julieannfelicity (Jun 28, 2010)

Everyone has regrets, whether they like to admit them or not. I know my first regret was thinking my novel was 'good enough' unedited. This was a noob mistake and the excitement of publishing was one that overtook my common sense. I put a lot of faith in my beta readers and unfortunately it didn't work out well for me, but I quickly learned from that mistake. I will never publish a book without having a professional editor read through it first, then have another 3 or 4 beta readers read it afterward to make sure I don't slip up.

PS - If you need a website, and a blog . . . I use Weebly. They're a great service, and free with the option of purchasing the domain later.


----------



## NoahMullette-Gillman (Jul 29, 2010)

#1 Posting a thread when I got my first bad review.

#2 Luminous and Ominous needed a better set of eyes helping to edit. It had 4 editors, but still had about 20 or so typos when I published it. And the reviewers noticed.

#3 Publishing my two new books at the end of July. Between summer, G R Martin & Amazon's sales, the poor children have been ignored...


----------



## Guest (Aug 8, 2011)

I'm tempted to make a joke, but instead I'll be serious: not having a better understanding of what was popular when I started writing seriously. Being in Japan didn't help clue me in about how book culture had moved on from Harry Potter. I still love the Powerless series, and the reviews have been surprisingly strong, so maybe it's good it is what it is, but they'd look a lot different if I knew then what I know now.


----------



## PJJones (Apr 5, 2011)

Yeah, posting a thread about a bad review isn't always a good idea. I posted a thread complaining that not enough readers were rating my books and got reemed for it. I guess that was pretty stupid of me.


----------



## PJJones (Apr 5, 2011)

julieannfelicity said:


> Everyone has regrets, whether they like to admit them or not. I know my first regret was thinking my novel was 'good enough' unedited. This was a noob mistake and the excitement of publishing was one that overtook my common sense. I put a lot of faith in my beta readers and unfortunately it didn't work out well for me, but I quickly learned from that mistake. I will never publish a book without having a professional editor read through it first, then have another 3 or 4 beta readers read it afterward to make sure I don't slip up.
> 
> PS - If you need a website, and a blog . . . I use Weebly. They're a great service, and free with the option of purchasing the domain later.


Thanks, I'll look into this. I agree about the editing. I'm still finding mistakes in my first MS.


----------



## Judi Coltman (Aug 23, 2010)

PJJones said:


> Thanks, I'll look into this. I agree about the editing. I'm still finding mistakes in my first MS.


I swear, when you fix one, two more pop up. Like Gremlins fed water after midnight.


----------



## Kathy Bennett (Jun 15, 2011)

I regret not having my book professionally formatted for uploading.  I got the book uploaded okay, but then the Kindle version didn't have any indents.  I hired someone to fix it in a hurry (can't take back that first impression, you know) and it cost a fortune.  

She told me the version I'd uploaded looked really clean and she couldn't understand why I didn't have indents.  She put them in.  It cost me double what I would have paid if I'd just hired someone in the first place.  Considering the cost and the time spent messing around with the formatting, I'll hire someone to do it from now on.


----------



## SheaMacLeod (Apr 13, 2011)

I've only had my first novel published for weeks (the second will be out later this month), so I can't say I have any real regrets.  Give it time. lol

I guest my biggest regret is I didn't do it sooner.  But I'm not sure I could have.  I didn't know about the option of self-publishing.  Not really.  Not the way it is now.  And anyway, my book was ready.  Heck, I wasn't ready.

My other regret would be that I didn't know what the heck I was doing when I first started blogging (on Blogger).  I was building an audience, but I was kind of all over the place.  After reading Kristen Lamb's We Are Not Alone, I began finding my blog style AND I switched to Wordpress.  I'm just now starting to get decent traffic again.  And not just other writers (though I love them!), but readers as well.


----------



## Alex MacLean (Jul 6, 2011)

Judi Coltman said:


> I swear, when you fix one, two more pop up. Like Gremlins fed water after midnight.


I couldn't agree more.


----------



## Gone 9/21/18 (Dec 11, 2008)

I have no regrets. Maybe there are things I could have done better or differently, but the fact is indie publishing has made major and good changes in my life in the last 18 months and it came at a time I needed it.


----------



## Guest (Aug 8, 2011)

Judi Coltman said:


> I swear, when you fix one, two more pop up. Like Gremlins fed water after midnight.


How true!

This leads me to my regret, namely my own impatience. I've been through my book dozens of times and each time I find new typos or layout problems which make me fix them manually and re-upload. I also have tinkered with my blurb and cover more than a couple times. In fact, my book is currently "publishing" now as I speak!

I might hire someone to do my cover next time, although the graphic design part was a welcome break from writing. But with my another book ready to write after I finish up my follow-up, I'm not sure I'll have the time.


----------



## Kevis Hendrickson (Feb 28, 2009)

The only real regret I have is not being tough enough on the people I hired to work on my first book. I had to hire multiple editors and illustrators because of sloppy work (sadly, I've never recovered the money I invested in it). However, the knowledge I gained from that experience is priceless. No matter what credentials an editor or illustrator may have, it's ultimately my responsibility to ensure that anyone involved in the production of my books perform at the highest standards of quality.


----------



## PJJones (Apr 5, 2011)

Alrighty, definitely add HIRE A FORMATTER as my #5 regret. It took me two days of swearing and feeling totally stupid to format my first book for Kindle. Then Shea told me about Lucinda Campbell and she formatted my book for Smashwords for $20. Sheesh! $20 is soooo worth the headaches. I'm having her format my books for Kindle, Nook and SM for now on.


----------



## SheaMacLeod (Apr 13, 2011)

PJJones said:


> Alrighty, definitely add HIRE A FORMATTER as my #5 regret. It took me two days of swearing and feeling totally stupid to format my first book for Kindle. Then Shea told me about Lucinda Campbell and she formatted my book for Smashwords for $20. Sheesh! $20 is soooo worth the headaches. I'm having her format my books for Kindle, Nook and SM for now on.


I am SO glad I hired Lucinda from the get go. I knew I didn't have the patience and figured $35 to format for Kindle and Smashwords (plus ePub) was well worth it.


----------



## Sarah Woodbury (Jan 30, 2011)

I think it's okay to tinker and edit.  It's one of those things that you learn by doing.  How do you know how good your blurb is until you put it up there?  Same with covers.  

Even typos are forgiveable up to a point.  20 typos in a 350 page books is not that many, even if everyone makes you cringe.  But professional editing/copy editing (not the same thing at all) is pretty important.

By the way, as to Kindle formatting, that was one of my regrets too.   Fortunately, some author friends let me know that my indents were messed up.  I have a friend, the husband of another author, who asked that I spread the word about his services.  James Melzer:  	jjmelzer -at- gmail.com

I think his rates have gone up but I paid $25/book to have him fix them for me.  If you email him, just let him know that I referred you . . .


----------



## Michelle Muto (Feb 1, 2011)

I would have waited until I had two books ready to go. I never realized how much of my time I'd spend promoting in the beginning.


----------



## _Sheila_ (Jan 4, 2011)

Lucinda Campbell?

How does one contact Lucinda Campbell?

My regret?  Not taking the whole thing more seriously from the beginning.  

I made a deal with someone, I would write, she would do everything else.  

She was supposed to get people in line to edit, format, market... or do what she was capable of herself.  50/50 split on everything.  Didn't work out that way.  So I wrote, I had some people proofread, I put it out there to see what happened.  Not bright.

I now know better, and hope to do better (although I can't complain, it turned out much better than I deserved.)

Sheila


----------



## matt youngmark (Jan 11, 2011)

I think my only big regret so far was waiting a year to lower the price of my kindle edition to 2.99. I spent that year focusing on print sales and assuming that ebooks weren't yet an important piece of the puzzle, since I barely sold any at 9.99!

I love Wordpress with all my heart, by the way, and recommend it to everyone. http://www.favoritethingever.com/2011/04/wordpress/


----------



## John Twipnook (Jan 10, 2011)

Je ne regrette rien... Always wanted to sing Edith Piaf. Seriously, I don't regret anything, so far. But then again, my book's only been up a couple of months!


----------



## Ben White (Feb 11, 2011)

I regret not taking e-books seriously earlier than I did.


----------



## Lisa J. Yarde (Jul 15, 2010)

I have a few
1. Should have given more thought to marketing BEFORE I published
2. Should have learned to be more patient in the process
3. Should have learned about GIMP a lot sooner
3. Shouldn't have wasted years with agents holding out for the "right" deal


----------



## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

Amazingly, none yet. But I expect to take my lumps while learning how to promote a novel over the next year. My fear, if I can't get book 2 out within 6 months, is that I'm going to regret not waiting to release 2 or 3 novels at the same time.


----------



## Doctor Barbara (Aug 17, 2010)

Good evening everyone.

Matt, so why are you a fan of WordPress?  Just curious.  How much does it cost you for your book?

And, no self-publishing regrets here.  It just adds to the creative process, which I thrive over.


----------



## matt youngmark (Jan 11, 2011)

Doctor Barbara said:


> Matt, so why are you a fan of WordPress? Just curious. How much does it cost you for your book?


Wordpress is a website / blog platform -- you can sign up for a free account, or pay extra for some added functionality (your own url, more customization options, etc.). Or if you pay for your own site hosting through some other company (like I do) you can install wordpress on it completely free of charge. I love it because there are a ton of free themes and plugins for it, and I have a lot of fun tweaking the design of my various sites.

I wrote a blog post about it all here! [URL=http://www.favoritethingever]http://www.favoritethingever.com/2011/04/wordpress/[/url]


----------



## Jack Blaine (May 9, 2011)

I've got none.  I am having fun, not spending any money, and making some.  Love the happy emails from readers and so far it's all been good.


----------



## ashleygirardi (Apr 3, 2011)

Definitely agree with regretting not taking it seriously enough. Courtney Milan has a great blog post about what she calls the "stages of production" for a self-published book. I think the requirements for doing this in a professional way are a lot stiffer than people realize when they first start out.

Here's the link:http://www.courtneymilan.com/ramblings/2011/06/18/stages-of-production/


----------



## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

My only regret is that I didn't self-pub sooner. If I'd paid attention when Stephen King tried it years ago, I might have been further along in my dream. But then, if I'd had the confidence to send my work out thirty years ago, I might _be_ Stephen King.


----------



## John Hartness (Aug 3, 2009)

What Sheila said. I wish I'd put The Chosen out in 2009, when I finished it, instead of letting it sit for a year alone on a hard drive. But that year was pretty good as far as teaching me a lot more about writing, so I'll live.


----------



## PJJones (Apr 5, 2011)

I wrote a blog post about it all here! [URL=http://www.favoritethingever]http://www.favoritethingever.com/2011/04/wordpress/[/url]
[/quote]

Matt, Favorite Thing Ever looks so pro. I didn't even realize it was wordpress! I seriously love the design. Okay, I'm switching.

Here is Lucinda Campbell's webiste. She's very worth the money to avoid the headaches of formatting!
http://www.lkcampbell.com/

For those of you who have no regrets, WOW!

This has been an incredible learning experience for me, but with my knew knowledge, comes regrets. Maybe I'm a glass half-full kinda gal.


----------



## Susan Kaye Quinn (Aug 8, 2011)

It's so helpful to hear all these comments! I haven't self-pubbed, but I'm thinking about it (I've got two books out with a small press).


> 4. Setting up my blog site on Blogger. It's ugly and doesn't get a lot of traffic. I think I'm going to change to something more professional looking like Wordpress, which, to me, looks like a website as well as a blog.


My blog is on Blogger too - but I feel like I've got too much invested in that site to change now (500+ followers). Wouldn't it be like starting over? Has anyone done that?


----------



## PJJones (Apr 5, 2011)

ashleygirardi said:


> Definitely agree with regretting not taking it seriously enough. Courtney Milan has a great blog post about what she calls the "stages of production" for a self-published book. I think the requirements for doing this in a professional way are a lot stiffer than people realize when they first start out.
> 
> Here's the link:http://www.courtneymilan.com/ramblings/2011/06/18/stages-of-production/


Ashley, thanks for posting Courtney Milan's blog link. I LOVE her books, btw! She really has approached this self-pubbing thing as a total pro.

Susan, David Gaughran has published a book called Let's Get Digital. I suggest you read it before you self-pub.

500 followers! Well, I don't think I'd switch if I had 500.


----------



## Susan Kaye Quinn (Aug 8, 2011)

> 500 followers! Well, I don't think I'd switch if I had 500.


 Yeah, I've been trying to polish up Blogger so I can stay and still look purty. 

Also: I just finished reading Let's Get Digital - it's awesome! I've got it queued up to post on my blog Friday.
p.s. Thanks for the rec!


----------



## Julie Christensen (Oct 13, 2010)

My only regret is not hiring someone to proof my first book.  But, live and learn.  That is my ONLY regret.  Self-publishing is the best thing I've done in years.  Before self-publishing my two books, I never thought I'd never writer another book again.  Now, I've just released my third, and I'm at work on two more.  So, in less than a year, I've gone from frustrated writer to selling over 25,000 books.  This has literally changed my life.


----------



## PJJones (Apr 5, 2011)

Julie Christensen said:


> My only regret is not hiring someone to proof my first book. But, live and learn. That is my ONLY regret. Self-publishing is the best thing I've done in years. Before self-publishing my two books, I never thought I'd never writer another book again. Now, I've just released my third, and I'm at work on two more. So, in less than a year, I've gone from frustrated writer to selling over 25,000 books. This has literally changed my life.


Awesome! I'd also like to advise those authors considering an editor to get plenty of recommendations. I have an author friend (not naming names) who paid $400 to an editor and his book still has many grammatical errors.


----------



## Susan Kaye Quinn (Aug 8, 2011)

> Awesome! I'd also like to advise those authors considering an editor to get plenty of recommendations. I have an author friend (not naming names) who paid $400 to an editor and his book still has many grammatical errors.


You took the question right out of my keyboard! First, congrats Julie on such awesome success! I'm assuming you had an editor on the 2nd and 3rd books. Can you recommend someone?


----------



## Decon (Feb 16, 2011)

Regrets

1, Not Commisioning a professional cover for Survival Instinct until 3 months after it was released.
2, Not having a blog set up at least 6 months before publishing.
3, Not publishing to smashwords and the premium catalogue for 5 months after uploading on Kindle.
4, Uploading two books at the same time and concentrating marketing on 1 book.
5, Not doing it sooner.
6, Not having a separate web site from my blog just for the books and readers. (still the case)
7, Not continuing to write  for many months after publishing.


----------



## PJJones (Apr 5, 2011)

My crit partner, Shea MacLeod, used this editing service. I read over the proofs, and I have to say that I was impressed. I noticed on their submissions that they do not edit erotica or paranormal, but when I looked at their client list, many titles looked paranormal or erotic, so I'm not to sure.

http://daisycakescreative.blogspot.com/p/clients.html

This is who I hope to use for my next book.


----------



## PJJones (Apr 5, 2011)

Decon said:


> Regrets
> 
> 1, Not Commisioning a professional cover for Survival Instinct until 3 months after it was released.
> 2, Not having a blog set up at least 6 months before publishing.
> ...


Thanks for your candid response. I totally agree with #5 and #6. I also understand #7 as I've been in slumps. I think all the energy it takes to promote detracts from writing. I wrote 5300 words in three days, so I'm taking a break tonight.


----------



## Victorine (Apr 23, 2010)

My only regret is not really a big regret. When I published Not What She Seems I had two novels that I had started, but were in the VERY early stages. (One or two chapters written.)

I decided I should start working on a second book. Good idea. I picked the Science Fiction book instead of the other Romantic Suspense novel. Maybe not the best idea! 

But it's not a BIG regret because I really love The Overtaking and I'm having a fun time writing the second one. And I did get an offer from Avon to publish it, so that makes me happy that someone other than my mom loved it. 

Vicki


----------



## Julie Christensen (Oct 13, 2010)

Susan Kaye Quinn said:


> You took the question right out of my keyboard! First, congrats Julie on such awesome success! I'm assuming you had an editor on the 2nd and 3rd books. Can you recommend someone?


I used Brenda Hoover at Eagle Eye Editing. She is just setting up shop. If you are interested, PM me and I'll send you her contact info.


----------



## Trish McCallan (Jul 16, 2011)

Snap pages have very professional, very easy to use website templates. Tons of different templates to chose from as well. The freebie has a five page template. The pro is unlimited pages with tons of other options for 8 dollars a month. I tried to set up a website through blogger, and thought it looked terrible. While snap pages doesn't have quite the vibe I would have liked as a romantic suspense writer, I do think they are better than what my website looked like through Blogger or WordPress.

I'm just gearing up to self publish my paranormal romantic suspense series. So this thread is of great interest to me.


----------



## EliRey (Sep 8, 2010)

Ditto with the "Should've hired a professional editor from the get go." I got a lot of reviews where they omitted stars because of the poor editing which I hate more than the ones where they just don't like the story or characters. Can't do anything about those but the bad editing reviews were so avoidable! I've since had everything professionally edited but just today I got another review on my first book which pointed out a lot of errors. My only guess is she had an older copy but I feel like that mistake is still coming back to haunt me.  

Lesson learned. Also in the beginning I was CLUELESS. I changed, my cover 4 times, my blurb  countless times and I spammed without realizing that's what I was doing. Thankfully although some of my mistakes were very hard lessons learned, I think they are behind me and I'll be much stronger because of them.


----------



## Susan Kaye Quinn (Aug 8, 2011)

> I've since had everything professionally edited but just today I got another review on my first book which pointed out a lot of errors.


These stories are so, so helpful! Thanks to everyone who is sharing! EliRey, do you have an editor you would recommend now? Thanks!


----------



## Trish McCallan (Jul 16, 2011)

I'm loving this thread. My thanks to everyone for sharing.

My book is with a copy/line editor right now. I tested four before settling on him. There is so much anger on some of the reader threads about bad editing that I've also scheduled a final "oops detection" through http://www.victoryediting.com/clients.html to try to pick up any missed errors.

Anne does regular copy/line editing as well. And comes highly recommended. She is also incredibly cheap. 

I've been looking for a someone to format my books for me, though. So the people who have been recommended on this thread are of particular interest.


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

I had no outside eyes read my first book before starting. It shows. I don't *regret* it, though, because I know myself well enough to know that I'd have panicked and chickened out of uploading to Kindle if I'd delayed in the slightest. Formatting, editing, getting a cover, and uploading Weight of Blood was a three week grind made just fast enough to outrun all the fears my college professors had instilled that self-publishing was a guaranteed end to your writing career. Probably worked for the best though, all those reviews grumbling about the lack of editing. Was a nice, hard-earned lesson.


----------



## Alain Gomez (Nov 12, 2010)

-I waited several months before I started sending stories out to be reviewed by bloggers.  This was mostly due to ignorance more than laziness.
-Paid advertising is so not worth it.  Especially if you write short stories.  One good mention on a blog gives me way more sales than a paid ad.
-Not putting covers on my stories for the first month they were out.  Surprisingly, they still made sales.  But still.


Ah well.  All lessons learned.


----------



## Ryne Billings (May 15, 2011)

I regret taking so long to jump in. Through the Flames was finished in its original form back in December, and I had started to rewrite it immediately afterwards. However, I came to a stop and decided to take a break from original fiction instead.

I would have had Through the Flames out in March or April at the latest if I had done that.

Really, that's my only regret.


----------



## xtine (Feb 17, 2011)

Z.D. Robinson said:


> I might hire someone to do my cover next time, although the graphic design part was a welcome break from writing. But with my another book ready to write after I finish up my follow-up, I'm not sure I'll have the time.


Your cover is really cool. Don't rush to change it.


----------



## Amanda Leigh Cowley (Apr 28, 2011)

This is a brilliant thread - thanks for starting it! I've been jotting down names, blogs and notes as I go along, because it will come in really handy when I come to publish my second book.

I am loving the whole self-publishing process - it's such a buzz and feels like we're all part of a really cool club!

My regrets are (1) I didn't do it sooner, (2) I didn't spend time building my blog and networking before I published.

Those are only small regrets - onwards and upwards!!


----------



## jwholmes2011 (Jun 18, 2011)

This is a very interesting thread, I think. I would have to say for my regrets are similar to everybody else's in 1) Not starting sooner and 2) Not editing more, but also biting the head off a book blogger after preparing for nearly a month and really pushing myself to get the book finished, edited and just to her (she was making a special exception for my book) and then to have her turn around and say she could't review it now...let's just say it was not my finest or most well behaved moment.  

But the editing thing is HUGE I think and also formatting for the eBook readers. One regret I have right now and still am trying to fix is finding someone cost-effective mind you, to do my covers. With four small fantasy series I could def use better covers, and I would't mind better covers for my Christian fiction or The Nordic series too. They'd get a lot of work...lol. Funny story real quick about the editing, I had three separate pair of eyes read through my last book "A Gnome Army" that just went to Kindle like yesterday...my wife was reading it last night and was like, "Did you mean to say this?" or "This sentence doesn't make any sense..." and she was right! Fixing that today! I am baffled how so many pairs of eyes, an author said previously on here they had four people read their book and it still had mistakes, and here I had three...well, she caught it than a reviewer. hahha whew! 
In a nutshell though, my regrets would be not self-pubbing sooner, editing, cover art, and probably learning to put myself out there more in a more personal way like through book bloggers/reviewers, and so forth...


----------



## journeymama (May 30, 2011)

A mistake I made (though it's not really a regret) was thinking that every regular blog reader would be a book buyer. My readers have mostly been fantastically supportive, but really, it's the ones who took the time to comment or contact me already, not all the others. I had higher expectations for sales than I should have.

I think my biggest regret (and this might sound crazy here) is not waiting the four months to send my book in for editorial reviews. Because the people who read mainstream fiction look at them... I think it could have helped me. That said, I'm mostly happy with my experience and I hope my readership continues to grow!


----------



## Susan Kaye Quinn (Aug 8, 2011)

> I think my biggest regret (and this might sound crazy here) is not waiting the four months to send my book in for editorial reviews. Because the people who read mainstream fiction look at them...


Journeymama, I thought editorial reviews were a lost cause for self-pubbed (and even small press) - am I wrong on this? (Still a newbie, here, sorry if this is an obvious question) I've mostly had book bloggers for my small press book, and I know some of them, even, won't take a self-pub. Or has all that changed with self-pubbing going mainstream?


----------



## PJJones (Apr 5, 2011)

This thread is getting some awesome responses. I am seeing a pattern here of authors wishing they would have edited their books first and authors who wished they would have self-pubbed sooner. I recently saw some bad reviews posted about a popular self-pubbed book due to lack of editing. This author has posted a disclaimer that her book is now in the hands of a professional editor. Lesson learned. I have not had these negative reviews yet. My first three books were edited by my very talented crit group. Once upon a time I was a copy-editor. This was before I suffered through an illneess, which I believe fried some of my brain cells. I now find myself making grammatical mistakes I wouldn't have made ten years ago. I am definitely hiring an editor for my next novel.


----------



## Guest (Aug 9, 2011)

PJJones said:


> This thread is getting some awesome responses. I am seeing a pattern here of authors wishing they would have edited their books first and authors who wished they would have self-pubbed sooner.


Indeed. Some of these "regrets" are things I never would have thought of.

I'm still wondering why some have put down Blogger in favor of Wordpress? Is there some snobby, anti-Blogger movement going on that I'm not cool enough to know about?


----------



## matt youngmark (Jan 11, 2011)

PJJones said:


> Matt, Favorite Thing Ever looks so pro. I didn't even realize it was wordpress! I seriously love the design. Okay, I'm switching.


The one thing that blogger does that's missing on Wordpress is the social media aspect. The way other blogger users can just "follow" your blog at the click of a button (tumblr and livejournal do this too) isn't really part of the wordpress experience. It's more a platform for just plain making a website than a self-contained community. Something o think about before you commit!


----------



## Susan Kaye Quinn (Aug 8, 2011)

As a Blogger user that can't really afford to switch, I have to agree that Blogger may not be as pretty, but the follow button is pretty awesome. And I have a hard time with Wordpress's extra hoops that I have to jump through to comment. That being said, I wish I had used my own domain name (www.susankayequinn.com) when I started up my blog, instead of www.ink-spells.blogspot.com. I'm not sure, but I think if I switch it now, some followers won't be able to find me.


----------



## EliRey (Sep 8, 2010)

Susan Kaye Quinn said:


> These stories are so, so helpful! Thanks to everyone who is sharing! EliRey, do you have an editor you would recommend now? Thanks!


I went with Hazard editing as recommended By Vicki =D.

And I too am amongst the people who regret not doing this sooner. Anyone who's read my author bio on Amazon knows just how long I waited after starting to write Forever Mine to actually do anything with it. *hangs head*... oh well what's done is done. It's published now and doing well. Live and learn.


----------



## Guest (Aug 9, 2011)

Susan Kaye Quinn said:


> As a Blogger user that can't really afford to switch, I have to agree that Blogger may not be as pretty, but the follow button is pretty awesome. And I have a hard time with Wordpress's extra hoops that I have to jump through to comment. That being said, I wish I had used my own domain name (www.susankayequinn.com) when I started up my blog, instead of www.ink-spells.blogspot.com. I'm not sure, but I think if I switch it now, some followers won't be able to find me.


I started my blogger with zdrobinson.blogspot.com and recently bought the www.zdrobinson.com domain. It was easy to set up and all the old blogspot traffic gets automatically routed to the new address so I haven't lost anyone. It's something they do automatically so if there are old blogspot links floating around, people can still find you. If you jump ship completely and go to Wordpress or house your site on a server separate from blogger, you might run into a problem.


----------



## LKWatts (May 5, 2011)

My biggest regret is not having much of an online presense before publishing. I advise any new author to start socialising online before publishing their book.


----------



## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

I had regrets when I was doing Print on Demand publishing.  Since I have given up publishing my novels in a print format and just focused on epublishing, I have no regrets.  Part of me still pines for a book publishing deal from a traditional publisher that would allow me to write novels full-time...the rest of me wants to keep doing this all on my own.  I am an impatient person, though, and although my sales are growing, they will never grow fast enough for my taste.


----------



## kchughez (Jun 29, 2011)

I truly regret shameless and relentless self promotion. I would go to forums and splash and run. I used to post on FB pages 3 or 4 times a day. I didn't know about the widely accepted 7 day rule, thus turning potential readers off. I sincerely regret it.

My other regret is my book trailer which costs me $99. 

~KC


----------



## Susan Kaye Quinn (Aug 8, 2011)

> I started my blogger with zdrobinson.blogspot.com and recently bought the www.zdrobinson.com domain. It was easy to set up and all the old blogspot traffic gets automatically routed to the new address so I haven't lost anyone. It's something they do automatically so if there are old blogspot links floating around, people can still find you. If you jump ship completely and go to Wordpress or house your site on a server separate from blogger, you might run into a problem.


ZD - I saw this option, but couldn't get it to work. Then I found this blogger helper post, and now it works great! Thanks so much for your help with this!! If I hadn't seen that you had made it work, I wouldn't have gotten there.


----------



## NS (Jul 8, 2011)

I am going to check my next book after an editor. I'm still embarrassed by the amount of errors left. I fixed them, I hope most of them, but it was a month late.


----------



## Rex Jameson (Mar 8, 2011)

I will have a better handle on my regrets after the holiday season. Either my cover, editing, and platform building will work, or they won't. 

I will say this, however. The number of regrets I have circumvented by visiting these forums is far larger than the number of regrets I will likely have. My biggest regret, at this point, is listening to myself and other people about whether or not I should continue writing three to five years ago. I would have my first series completed by now if I had just done what I enjoyed doing--instead of burying my head in research and even video gaming.

That being said, I should probably be doing more research... but there's just this one other chapter I wanted to write... and the next


----------



## soyfrank (Feb 2, 2011)

I regret working with a POD company and not Smashwords.


----------



## PJJones (Apr 5, 2011)

kchughez said:


> I truly regret shameless and relentless self promotion. I would go to forums and splash and run. I used to post on FB pages 3 or 4 times a day. I didn't know about the widely accepted 7 day rule, thus turning potential readers off. I sincerely regret it.
> 
> My other regret is my book trailer which costs me $99.
> 
> ~KC


Yeah, I think many of us newbies have been soooo excited with our first releases we promo like crazy, and by doing so, we do turn readers off. That's a big 'oops' that many of us make. Live and learn.

I can't believe you spent $99 for a trailer! How many people actually look at trailers? Anyone here? I looked at it as a waste of time, so I've never made one.


----------



## PJJones (Apr 5, 2011)

rexjameson said:


> I will have a better handle on my regrets after the holiday season. Either my cover, editing, and platform building will work, or they won't.
> 
> I will say this, however. The number of regrets I have circumvented by visiting these forums is far larger than the number of regrets I will likely have. My biggest regret, at this point, is listening to myself and other people about whether or not I should continue writing three to five years ago. I would have my first series completed by now if I had just done what I enjoyed doing--instead of burying my head in research and even video gaming.
> 
> That being said, I should probably be doing more research... but there's just this one other chapter I wanted to write... and the next


Rex, you are doing it exactly right from my point of view. You didn't relase during the summer slump. You've got two gorgeous covers for books that will be released one month apart. I think you've done this marketing thing in a past life.


----------



## Rex Jameson (Mar 8, 2011)

PJJones said:


> Rex, you are doing it exactly right from my point of view. You didn't relase during the summer slump. You've got two gorgeous covers for books that will be released one month apart. I think you've done this marketing thing in a past life.


Thanks, PJ! I sure hope it works out. The advice I'm really trying to stick to is "keeping writing more books."


----------



## PJJones (Apr 5, 2011)

KateDanley said:


> Not knowing a darn thing when I published my book, I went and sought out reviews and entered my book in several competitions. The reviews didn't come to much, but the competitions were worthwhile. One provided a press release sent to national outlets (it was picked up by several papers), one gave me $100, one features me in their subscription based newsletter blasts every couple months, all of them have me on their websites... I've noticed, too, that when I do book signings, having a little gold sticker has tilted the balance in my favor several times.
> 
> The one thing I wish I had done, though, was release it on all major outlets on the same day. Not having a clue, I started on PubIt and priced it WAAAAY too high... then found CreateSpace... then released it on Kindle... This next time (which, crossing fingers, will be later this month), I hope to be able to press the "Publish" button and anyone anywhere will be able to get it in whatever format they want it.


Kate, please share the names and/or links of some of these contests. Thanks!


----------



## PJJones (Apr 5, 2011)

rexjameson said:


> Thanks, PJ! I sure hope it works out. The advice I'm really trying to stick to is "keeping writing more books."


That's the best advice, right there! Once you finished with one book, go write another!!!

Rex, I went to your blog and was surprised to see it's a Blogger acct and you have pages for your books. If could figure out how to do that, I would definitely keep my Blogger account.


----------



## Susan Kaye Quinn (Aug 8, 2011)

PJ - the pages are a (relatively) new thing on Blogger. I just recently set them up to make my blogger site look more like a website. It works, at least for now, athough I do wonder about the previous commenter's point about having a separate place for your blog vs. your book-fans. I guess that's a problem I'll worry about when I have too many fans! LOL


----------



## Rex Jameson (Mar 8, 2011)

PJJones said:


> That's the best advice, right there! Once you finished with one book, go write another!!!
> 
> Rex, I went to your blog and was surprised to see it's a Blogger acct and you have pages for your books. If could figure out how to do that, I would definitely keep my Blogger account.


Heh, well you guys had me all freaked out about using Blogger so I created a WordPress blog before I accumulated too many followers. The pages thing on Blogger is done the same way you add a new post. If you go to Posting or try to add a new post, it has "New Post", "Edit Post", "Edit Pages". Go to Edit Pages and click the "New Page" button.

I actually really liked the "follower" features on Blogger. I'm not sure if I like WordPress all that much, but I guess I'll give it a shot.


----------



## jnfr (Mar 26, 2011)

My regrets aren't so much about self-publishing, which I think really freed me in a lot of ways. More about my own shortcomings: not pushing myself to write enough, letting my fears keep me from putting myself forward, lots of things in that vein. I get anxious pretty easily, even though once I get going I have a blast writing, and the feedback I get is never as bad as my fears of what will be. 

So even though I'm older than dirt, I'm still learning.


----------



## karenk105 (Jul 7, 2011)

I would have published under a pen name. In fact, I might just publish under pen names from here on out!


----------



## PJJones (Apr 5, 2011)

rexjameson said:


> Heh, well you guys had me all freaked out about using Blogger so I created a WordPress blog before I accumulated too many followers. The pages thing on Blogger is done the same way you add a new post. If you go to Posting or try to add a new post, it has "New Post", "Edit Post", "Edit Pages". Go to Edit Pages and click the "New Page" button.
> 
> I actually really liked the "follower" features on Blogger. I'm not sure if I like WordPress all that much, but I guess I'll give it a shot.


Wait I hope my comments didn't make you want to change. My biggest issue with Blogger was that it didn't have other pages where I could post my book, but now I see they've added that feature. I'm starting a new post and asking advice from the more seasoned authors. Which is better, Blogger or Wordpress? I have 35 Blogger followers, not too many. So before I switch, and maybe you, Rex, let's weigh the pros and cons.


----------



## Katie Salidas (Mar 21, 2010)

My only regret, if you can really call it a regret, is that I did not use a pen name for my erotica novellas. Publishing in the three different genres of Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, and Erotica tends to throw people off. But it's not so bad that I really would say I regret publishing it all under my name.


----------



## PJJones (Apr 5, 2011)

Katie, it could be worse. I have a friend who writes inspirational and erotica. 

But agreed on the pen-names. When I finish my dragon fantasies, I will have to find a new name because crude parodies and dragons don't mix. Or do they? Hmmmm.


----------



## Katie Salidas (Mar 21, 2010)

PJJones said:


> Katie, it could be worse. I have a friend who writes inspirational and erotica.
> 
> But agreed on the pen-names. When I finish my dragon fantasies, I will have to find a new name because crude parodies and dragons don't mix. Or do they? Hmmmm.


Yeah, I would say go with a pen name. Funny dragons might confuse people. LoL.

I'm in the process of reversing a little of the name attachment with my series and my erotica stuff. I no longer list my erotica titles here in my KB signature. I might eventually move them over to the pen name, but I am also considering publishing erotica from now on under my pen name.


----------



## MrPLD (Sep 23, 2010)

* Letting the family get involved, let alone even KNOWING
* Spending too much money on a trailer (family!)
* Spending too much on editing too soon when I was already under financial stress
* Spending lots on cover art before the book is even finished


----------



## Rex Jameson (Mar 8, 2011)

This thread sort of lit a fire under Moses Siregar and I, and we had a rather long discussion about editing in our two debut novels. You can check out the interview here. It will probably be useful for other authors who want to understand what the editing process is like, especially on a debut novel.


----------



## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

rexjameson said:


> This thread sort of lit a fire under Moses Siregar and I, and we had a rather long discussion about editing in our two debut novels. You can check out the interview here. It will probably be useful for other authors who want to understand what the editing process is like, especially on a debut novel.


You're fast! Thanks for hosting this time.


----------



## Harry Shannon (Jul 30, 2010)

I put my first Kindle books up without carefully checking the formatting and product description, not sure why just uncertain about the technology. A few months later we got things more organized and got formatting and spelling errors. Sales got better shortly after that, which leads me to believe I hurt myself by not being sharper about editing and presentation. I'm old school, a midlist hardcover author, so this is all still very new to me. I'm confident about the material now, but it took several months to learn the ropes.


----------



## PJJones (Apr 5, 2011)

rexjameson said:


> This thread sort of lit a fire under Moses Siregar and I, and we had a rather long discussion about editing in our two debut novels. You can check out the interview here. It will probably be useful for other authors who want to understand what the editing process is like, especially on a debut novel.


Thanks for this! I left a comment and am looking forward to reading Moses's books. Moses, what blog host are you using? I really like your site!


----------



## Rex Jameson (Mar 8, 2011)

MosesSiregarIII said:


> You're fast! Thanks for hosting this time.


Hah. No problem. We'll have to think of a fun one to post on yours!


----------



## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

PJJones said:


> Thanks for this! I left a comment and am looking forward to reading Moses's books. Moses, what blog host are you using? I really like your site!


Thank you, PJ. My site is a WordPress site. I'm actually using a free theme (shhhh!). I hired someone to help me customize and add a few things, but it was pretty easy and very inexpensive to set up my site.

Shhhhhhh!


----------



## PJJones (Apr 5, 2011)

Yes, yes, please do! I love blogging with friends, and the only reason I haven't invited anyone to my blog is that I only have 35 followers. Snicker. I haven't blogged in a few days because I still don't know if I want to switch to Wordpress. I'm going to talk to a few more friends. I'm going to host a tacky poetry contest once I decide which blog to use. Okay, so we're totally off topic now. Message me if you want me to blog with you. PJ


----------



## Sara Pierce (May 15, 2011)

I'm a big fan of Livejournal for my blogs, been on there since about 2004. They have communities and a Friends page where you can see a listing of posts by those you've friended (or you can filter so you can see only the friends you WANT to see). They've been having problems lately with foreign parties trying to shut them down by overrunning the servers (the site is a big blogging outlet for former Soviet countries and I guess some blogs are posting things governments don't want talked about) but it's a great site IMO.

As for regrets? Dunno, just saw that I got my third sale (second really as I bought one copy) in the five days since I started. Maybe I could have spent less on my cover but it was my first publication and, short story or not, I decided to go all-out.  Now to get a novel finished to put up (or multiple other short stories, I can see myself having a little side-business with my pen name  ).


----------



## PJJones (Apr 5, 2011)

Sara, it it's a cover you are happy with then don't regret it. I've read some people here have paid up to $500 per cover. Your cover looks great. Now focus on promoting.


----------



## Sara Pierce (May 15, 2011)

PJJones said:


> Sara, it it's a cover you are happy with then don't regret it. I've read some people here have paid up to $500 per cover. Your cover looks great. Now focus on promoting.


Thanks!  I'm probably going to stick with the axiom "the best promotion is a new story" and focus on that until I've got a few. But I did enjoy working with the guy who made the cover, I was worried that would be tough somehow. 

Btw I just read the sample for Naughty Little Schnitzel and I am DYING!!! Funny as all get-out!!!!!


----------



## NoahMullette-Gillman (Jul 29, 2010)

MrPLD said:


> * Letting the family get involved, let alone even KNOWING
> * Spending too much money on a trailer (family!)
> * Spending too much on editing too soon when I was already under financial stress
> * Spending lots on cover art before the book is even finished


On the other hand, you HAVE had some beautiful covers. (btw, I still prefer the original Tree of Life cover. Glad I have the paperback.)


----------



## Susan Kaye Quinn (Aug 8, 2011)

> n the other hand, you HAVE had some beautiful covers. (btw, I still prefer the original Tree of Life cover. Glad I have the paperback.)





> But I did enjoy working with the guy who made the cover, I was worried that would be tough somehow.


Speaking of covers...  I'm checking out cover designers and was wondering if anyone had recommendations?


----------



## PJJones (Apr 5, 2011)

Susan, I think you should post a thread looking for cover artists. 

Thanks, Sara! Naughty Little Schnitzel is FREE on Smashwords and will, hopefully, be free on Kindle soon, too.


----------



## Susan Kaye Quinn (Aug 8, 2011)

PJ, you're right! *scurries off*


----------



## John Blackport (Jul 18, 2011)

Z.D. Robinson said:


> I've been through my book dozens of times and each time I find new typos or layout problems which make me fix them manually and re-upload.


What's the piece of software that actually lets you make changes to the file?

I've heard that MobiPocket Creator and Calibre both let you do these things, but after the free downloads I don't see an option for this kind of editing. It's driving me crazy!


----------



## PJJones (Apr 5, 2011)

Thanks, Matt. I'm looking into getting a Wordpress account now.


----------



## I love books (Aug 12, 2011)

Great thread, PJ! I'd say, one of my regrets is postponing for so long. Not starting sooner. Then again, I've learned so much during that time. I think it's a great time to be a writer but everything takes time, patience, hard work and perseverance. I received such great reviews and comments on my novel manuscript, An Unexpected Bride, from contest judges last year yet I sat on the manuscript for so long--life happened. I'm glad I finally have it published.


----------



## AKLoggie (Aug 13, 2011)

You can also get a custom domain, which I know works w/ blogspot, and I assume would work w/ wordpress.

That way no matter what platform you end up going with, you can always guide traffic there.

(And I just downloaded Naughty Little Schnitzel, looking forward to it!)


----------



## Derz7sk (May 14, 2011)

A slight regret, if that's the word, that this ebook revolution wasn't around when I was a sprog.  All we had was a manual typewriter, and no friendly distributors either, let alone publishers. Some of those publishers must have stomachs full of grey hair now.  They try selling their ebooks for the same price as their paper books some of them--where is that at?


----------



## PJJones (Apr 5, 2011)

Ryan, I don't regret that Kindle wasn't around 10 years ago when I first started sending out queries. My work was crap then and I'd probably be buried under a mountain of baaaaad reviews.


----------



## Jon Olson (Dec 10, 2010)

ellenoc said:


> I have no regrets. Maybe there are things I could have done better or differently, but the fact is indie publishing has made major and good changes in my life in the last 18 months and it came at a time I needed it.


It's a learning process, just like anything. For me, the learning curve has been steep, but I haven't made any huge mistakes, I hope. Buying ads may be next, but they are expensive.


----------



## 31842 (Jan 11, 2011)

karenk105 said:


> I would have published under a pen name. In fact, I might just publish under pen names from here on out!


Now that you mention it...  It's funny that some of my biggest fans are guys, and it's been a challenge reaching out to them. If I had to do it again, I'd probably pull a J.K. Rowling and publish under K.M. Danley.


----------



## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

KateDanley said:


> Now that you mention it...  It's funny that some of my biggest fans are guys, and it's been a challenge reaching out to them. If I had to do it again, I'd probably pull a J.K. Rowling and publish under K.M. Danley.


Sadly, it's probably a good idea for female authors unless their market is female readers.

I've wondered if my name is too exotic, actually. But what the heck. I yam what I yam.


----------



## Teresa Morgan (Apr 26, 2011)

I wish I'd picked my pen name a little more carefully. I am attached to "Teresa Morgan" and picked it because I fell in love with the Arabian Nights when I was a little kid. "Morgan" is a tribute to the heroine of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (she boils 39 thieves in oil and then chops the head off #40)... but there's a writer of sheikh romances by the name of Sarah Morgan. I maybe should have come up with something else.

It's not super close, though. I try not to worry about it.


----------



## Victoria J (Jul 5, 2011)

I wish I had not wasted so much time and started publishing a lot sooner. Also, not being patient enough with formatting. Formatting my first book drove me crazy!   

I can handle formatting short stories and poetry now, but when I get around to publishing a full length novel I'm hiring someone else to do the formatting.


----------



## PJJones (Apr 5, 2011)

MosesSiregarIII said:


> Sadly, it's probably a good idea for female authors unless their market is female readers.
> 
> I've wondered if my name is too exotic, actually. But what the heck. I yam what I yam.


That's why I chose PJ because I have a contemporary (REAL) book coming out soon and I wanted to reach both male and female readers. Moses, I like your name.


----------



## Alanboy (Aug 12, 2011)

This is a fascinating thread for someone who is about to self-publish. I wonder what regrets I will have 1 year from now? None, I hope, but let's be realistic - perfectionists have regrets, and I'm one of those.
My first potential regret is not hiring an editor. Yes, yes, I've been warned. My reason is simple: it would be a waste of money. I am a freak for punctuation, grammar, and spelling. After 40+ reads of my work by myself, and a few by careful others, I am convinced my novel contains no more errors than the average traditionally published novel. Am I joking? No.

I read a Whitbread Award winner recently. It had typos, typos, and more typos. How it ever got published, let alone won a prestigious award baffles me. It could only be an insider job, or Whitbread didn't care about formalities.
To be honest, it has inspired me to make my book flawless.

The story, of course, is an entirely different matter, and one regret may be thinking it was good enough to be published in the first place. It will be fun finding out, and if I am a complete flop, I will own up to it.    

I appreciate the honesty in this thread. In time, I will contribute, too, because I will make mistakes. My biggest worry right now is the promotion and marketing. I think I am not good at this, and the potential to make a howler is great. I am one of the few people on earth without a Facebook page, I am unfamiliar with Twittering (or is it Tweeting?), and I balk at the idea of making a blog.
I should laugh.


----------



## Karl Fields (Jan 24, 2011)

I have some regrets about my genre, mid-grade, which appears to be one of the slowest to move to ebooks. My reviews have all been positive, but sales are slow. I'm trying to tell myself not to freak out and just be patient. I mean, Toys R Us is now selling Kindles. That's gotta be a good sign, right?


----------



## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

PJJones said:


> That's why I chose PJ because I have a contemporary (REAL) book coming out soon and I wanted to reach both male and female readers. Moses, I like your name.


I 'purciate it!


----------



## PJJones (Apr 5, 2011)

Alanboy, Beta readers are usually free and you can post here and find them. I was a copy editor a loooooong time ago, but I don't always catch my own mistakes.

Kfields, I understand about the middle grade thing, but more and more younger kids are getting high tech devices. As the prices of Kindle and Nook continue to fall, not to mention cell phone reading aplications improve, I bet your genre will gain more readers.


----------



## Alanboy (Aug 12, 2011)

Pj,
Being a rookie at this, I'm not exactly sure what Beta readers do. And why do they do it for nothing? There must be a charge, or a deal involved. How thorough are they? What are they looking for? How honest are they?
Who are they? Do I just ask and automatically get one, like the genie from Aladdin's lamp?
It all sounds too good to be true. Or maybe they are paid by the mistakes they find?

I said I was a newbie.


----------



## Angerona Love (Aug 5, 2011)

This is a great thread!

My regrets:
1.) Not doing it sooner.
2.) Not having YET gone to smashwords.
3.) Not having yet edited my novel and gotten it out there (for which I had an amazing agent several years ago).
4.) Not having had the confidence until recently to begin promoting.

This board is so inspirational! Thank you all.


----------



## Ty Johnston (Jun 19, 2009)

MosesSiregarIII said:


> I've wondered if my name is too exotic, actually. But what the heck. I yam what I yam.


Moses, I don't think you've got a thing to worry about. For one, your name makes you stand out from the crowd, gives you a unique branding. For another, you're a d--- fine writer, and your dedication shows in your work.


----------



## PJJones (Apr 5, 2011)

Alan, most beta readers will do it for free. I certainly wouldn't pay. Don't expect them to edit. No, they are mostly to tell you what they liked and didn't like. Some people use their friends and family. If you have a finished book, you can start a new thread here advertising that you are looking for beta readers. Tell us about yourself and your book.

I also just remembered a helpful editing and plotting website founded by women who were my mentors about ten years ago. Fantastic writers and editors!

http://www.rosescoloredglasses.com/index.html


----------



## Alanboy (Aug 12, 2011)

Thanks PJ,
I will do that. After all, I don't want to have to post in 12 months time saying that my biggest regret was not having enough Beta readers. However, friends and family are not suitable, I think. I like brutal honesty, and 'being nice' gets in the way if there is a relationship.


----------



## Lyndawrites (Aug 7, 2011)

If you find a good Beta reader, Alan, let me know would you, please?

Glad to see you on here - waves.

Lynda/Traf


----------



## Alanboy (Aug 12, 2011)

Hi Lyndawrites,

Yes, nice to see you here, too. I followed David Gaughran's advice, and I'm glad I did. My first impression of this site is excellent. 

Back to topic: I'm going to self-publish soon, and I don't want any regrets, so I am determined to do everything right. I am not going to use an editor, so I could really do with an additional Beta reader. Again, following advice, I'm going to open a new thread, and ask. To be honest, I'm not overly optimistic about getting one.
I might have to offer an incentive.


----------



## Rex Jameson (Mar 8, 2011)

Alanboy said:


> Hi Lyndawrites,
> 
> Yes, nice to see you here, too. I followed David Gaughran's advice, and I'm glad I did. My first impression of this site is excellent.
> 
> ...


So, if you are wanting to do this right, why not try an editor first? You will have more success with beta readers if you have the work edited first. Beta readers are very, very last step, and they expect a decently polished work. It is very unlikely that they would give you an indepth analysis of major problems in your work. They will probably not even respond after trying to read the story because they don't want to hurt your feelings.

Don't have any money for editing? Try critique circle. You'll be able to submit a chapter at a time and other authors will you help out in exchange for you becoming a part of the community and helping others. Pay it forward type of deal.


----------



## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

Ty Johnston said:


> Moses, I don't think you've got a thing to worry about. For one, your name makes you stand out from the crowd, gives you a unique branding. For another, you're a d--- fine writer, and your dedication shows in your work.


Thank you, Ty.

One cool thing about my name is that it helps me rationalize why I _still _have zero sales through Amazon.DE. I keep telling myself it's all because "Moses" isn't very popular in Germany.


----------



## journeymama (May 30, 2011)

Susan Kaye Quinn said:


> Journeymama, I thought editorial reviews were a lost cause for self-pubbed (and even small press) - am I wrong on this? (Still a newbie, here, sorry if this is an obvious question) I've mostly had book bloggers for my small press book, and I know some of them, even, won't take a self-pub. Or has all that changed with self-pubbing going mainstream?


Sorry, I've been offline- late response! They're not a lost cause, and I've seen several authors here who have starred reviews from Kirkus or ALA. Midwest Book Review concentrates on Indie and self pub. I know you have no guarantees, but if you send them in within the correct amount of time, and it's a well-written book with a good cover, I think you can end up with reviews.


----------



## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

journeymama said:


> Sorry, I've been offline- late response! They're not a lost cause, and I've seen several authors here who have starred reviews from Kirkus or ALA. Midwest Book Review concentrates on Indie and self pub. I know you have no guarantees, but if you send them in within the correct amount of time, and it's a well-written book with a good cover, I think you can end up with reviews.


Midwest Book Review is funny. Their Amazon account shows 63,779 written reviews, and if I'm not mistaken_ every single review_ is a 5-star. So they're a good way to get an illegitimate 5-star review. It seems like what they do is reword the product description and promotional information as a 5-star review, then sell the books you sent them.


----------



## PJJones (Apr 5, 2011)

MosesSiregarIII said:


> Midwest Book Review is funny. Their Amazon account shows 63,779 written reviews, and if I'm not mistaken_ every single review_ is a 5-star. So they're a good way to get an illegitimate 5-star review. It seems like what they do is reword the product description and promotional information as a 5-star review, then sell the books you sent them.


Moses, do you have to pay for this service as well? This is not one of my regrets, because I'd NEVER pay for a review, but for those starting out, I'd advise finding free reviewers. The most I spend on a review is a free download. That's it. Moses, why don't you change your European pen-name to Heinz? Just kidding.

Alanboy. I loved David's book and I recommend it to all new self-pubbers. I wish it had come out before I'd first self-pubbed.

Rex, good idea about going with an editor before a beta reader. Some writers will go through a reader/writer friend or crit group first, then an editor and finally beta readers. I highly recommend all writers find good crit partners, and not just anyone, but writers whose style you enjoy and vice-versa. Sometimes, it's hard to give a good crit when you're not into the genre.


----------



## HAGrant (Jul 17, 2011)

Great topic.

My regrets after one month:

I paid $250 for 2 ISBNs from Bowker when I could have gotten 10 for the same price (and they don't expire). I just didn't read down the page.

I bought a Kindle and a Nook to see what my formatted books looked like and didn't realize I could download free apps.

I made myself into a business of one so I can deduct some of my ebook expenses on my tax return. It was very easy and inexpensive. I've filed all the proper paperwork, but I'm not sure if I can claim expenses (like the above Kindle, Nook, and ISBNs) I incurred before I officially became a small business. Maybe I should have become a business first and then forged ahead -- I'll find out at tax time.

But other than that, so far I am having a blast. I loved being able to have a say about my book covers.


----------



## KelbyOuchley (Jul 23, 2011)

Dang, this is good stuff!  I regret not finding kindleboards 6 months ago.  Still in my e-pubbing infancy, I'm afraid I don't yet know what I should be regretting.


----------



## Nancy Beck (Jul 1, 2011)

I regret not doing this a lot sooner, like in 2009.

Then again, I had a lot of personal and health issues to deal with (not that those have gone away, lol), but I wish I'd kept up on what was happening in the publishing world...

Oh well. Better a little late than never.


----------



## karenk105 (Jul 7, 2011)

Requesting unhelpful votes for one of my bad reviews... yeah... that's my biggest regret so far.


----------



## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

karenk105 said:


> Requesting unhelpful votes for one of my bad reviews... yeah... that's my biggest regret so far.


What's great about you is that you admitted you made a mistake. So many people around here won't do that.


----------



## Alanboy (Aug 12, 2011)

RexJameson said:


> So, if you are wanting to do this right, why not try an editor first? You will have more success with beta readers if you have the work edited first. Beta readers are very, very last step, and they expect a decently polished work. It is very unlikely that they would give you an indepth analysis of major problems in your work. They will probably not even respond after trying to read the story because they don't want to hurt your feelings.
> 
> Don't have any money for editing? Try critique circle. You'll be able to submit a chapter at a time and other authors will you help out in exchange for you becoming a part of the community and helping others. Pay it forward type of deal.


Rex,
Thank you for this advice. I appreciate the link to the critique circle.
I am obsessive about mistakes. I spot them a mile off. If I wasn't writing, I would be an editor. I can usually find mistakes in 'edited' work, and I see them in my own work. 
The things that worry me now are going to be picked up by a Beta reader.

If I have regrets in 6 months time, I am sure it will be due to some factor other than editing.


----------



## Rex Jameson (Mar 8, 2011)

So, because you say "mistakes" hand-in-hand with "editor", I'm going to assume that you are confusing an "editor" with a copy-editor, line-editor or proofreader. They are very different things.

A critique group can often help you find a lot of things that an editor would find.

These can include:

1.) Third person omniscient head-hopping within a scene
2.) Poor character building
3.) Sections of the story with poor plot or flow
4.) Switches in tense
5.) Telling instead of showing

This has nothing to do with correcting typos. That's a line-edit or a proofread. Additionally, a copy editor might tell you "There is no evidence of chariots being widely used by Mongols during the Genghis Khan period, so you might want to explain how he gets one," "the pigments for pink were too expensive for a commoner to purchase at this time in history," "There was no full moon on August 14th in 5 B.C.," "You said it was Friday two days ago, and now you are saying it is Thursday," etc. Mistakes like these are very hard for authors to look at objectively. You probably need help.

Beta readers will still respond if they spot a few typos. Beta readers will probably not respond if you have major defects. They rarely want a confrontation, and self-publishers have a reputation for lashing out, even if a book is truly bad. If you're not sure what stages a novel tends to go through, try the following links:

1.) Courtney Milan discusses the stages of her book drafts.
2.) Moses Siregar discusses the role and types of edits he used on his debut novel.
3.) David Gaughran discusses editing in his latest work.


----------



## Alanboy (Aug 12, 2011)

Rex,
True, I was lumping all the editorial services together. IMO, a mistake is _anything_ that potentially distracts the reader, whether it is connected with grammar, flow, logic etc. I say potentially, because some readers are more highly-tuned to perfection than others. I am in the finely-tuned category. I rarely read a book without being irritated at some point by some careless mistake or inconsistency. And I include Award-winning novels.

If I get reviews, and those reviews point out mistakes that I did not spot, then I will not 'lash out', ha - except at myself, in anger and frustration. And I will tell you to say, 'I told you so'.

I have read those links. Thanks, they give excellent advice. I really appreciate your comments.


----------



## journeymama (May 30, 2011)

MosesSiregarIII said:


> Midwest Book Review is funny. Their Amazon account shows 63,779 written reviews, and if I'm not mistaken_ every single review_ is a 5-star. So they're a good way to get an illegitimate 5-star review. It seems like what they do is reword the product description and promotional information as a 5-star review, then sell the books you sent them.


What You're KIDDING. Well, I'm kinda glad I didn't send my book their way, then. Unless they only review books they really really like?


----------



## 48306 (Jul 6, 2011)

My biggest regret is that I waited so long to do it.


----------



## Rex Jameson (Mar 8, 2011)

Alanboy said:


> Rex,
> True, I was lumping all the editorial services together. IMO, a mistake is _anything_ that potentially distracts the reader, whether it is connected with grammar, flow, logic etc. I say potentially, because some readers are more highly-tuned to perfection than others. I am in the finely-tuned category. I rarely read a book without being irritated at some point by some careless mistake or inconsistency. And I include Award-winning novels.
> 
> If I get reviews, and those reviews point out mistakes that I did not spot, then I will not 'lash out', ha - except at myself, in anger and frustration. And I will tell you to say, 'I told you so'.
> ...


No problem. Like I said, the major problem with first time self-publishing is that we often think we are better writers than we really are. You will NOT get good feedback (like reviews) if you publish something that is mediocre. More often than not, you will get no feedback at all, and you'll be left in this nervous state of questioning yourself and your work.

Critique groups can help you get brutally honest feedback. From your description of where you are at, I honestly think that is what you need right now. Additionally, you will probably meet some lifelong friends doing the critiques, so other than losing some time, it's almost completely beneficial to participants. One other piece of advice: a critique group is only as useful as you allow it to be. If you go in thinking your work is perfect, you might be very resistant to changing it--even confrontational or going into severe depression when you don't get the affirmation that your work was perfect. But there is a difference between being deliberate in what you write and deliberately writing something. A critique group can help you affirm whether your sections were written deliberately or whether they were filler between major events. So, just keep an open mind, imo, and be willing to make changes if you can admit that a section was filler and not deliberate.


----------



## marimorimo (Aug 8, 2011)

RexJameson said:


> No problem. Like I said, the major problem with first time self-publishing is that we often think we are better writers than we really are. You will NOT get good feedback (like reviews) if you publish something that is mediocre. More often than not, you will get no feedback at all, and you'll be left in this nervous state of questioning yourself and your work.


While I agree with you that critique and professional editing are indispensible, as one who volunteered to be Alanboy's beta-reader, I would like to vouch for Alanboy's statement that he is obsessive about mistakes.

I'm 31 pages in and I'm still in awe at how polished his writing is. I've commented here and there and spotted a possible misuse of a word, but for the most part his prose reads like that of a trad publisher.

I'm used to amateur work breaking down into dreck by page 2 so this is a very positive (and somewhat surreal) experience for me 

I believe he is one of those people good at self-editing. And he has a healthy view of criticism, which works out to his benefit.

(Of course, I don't know how the plot would hold up in later chapters but after 31 pages I am assured that Alanboy has the chops to tell a compelling and consistent story. If I spot something going awry I would certainly tell him).

So unless he's in a hurry to publish his book, I think it was wise of him to explore the cheaper option of a free beta-reader. As I said, his work is already quite polished as it is.


----------



## Rex Jameson (Mar 8, 2011)

marimorimo said:


> So unless he's in a hurry to publish his book, I think it was wise of him to explore the cheaper option of a free beta-reader. As I said, his work is already quite polished as it is.


Awesome, but again I reiterate, Critique Corner is 100% free. No charge. Anyway, I hope the beta-read goes well. It's highly unusual that someone says they are 99% done and are actually correct. Very impressive, Alan.


----------



## marimorimo (Aug 8, 2011)

RexJameson said:


> It's highly unusual that someone says they are 99% done and are actually correct. Very impressive, Alan.


Yes, I find it unusual too  All I can say is that in 31 pages I found no misspellings/grammatical errors, no awkward sentences, and no glaring logical/continuity errors. I still have some questions about the work, but in general I hope my favorable impression still holds true until the end of the novel.


----------



## Susan Kaye Quinn (Aug 8, 2011)

> Sorry, I've been offline- late response! They're not a lost cause, and I've seen several authors here who have starred reviews from Kirkus or ALA. Midwest Book Review concentrates on Indie and self pub. I know you have no guarantees, but if you send them in within the correct amount of time, and it's a well-written book with a good cover, I think you can end up with reviews.


Wow, really? I had no idea Kirkus would review self-pubbed work. I will have to look into this a bit more... Thanks!



> Midwest Book Review is funny. Their Amazon account shows 63,779 written reviews, and if I'm not mistaken every single review is a 5-star. So they're a good way to get an illegitimate 5-star review. It seems like what they do is reword the product description and promotional information as a 5-star review, then sell the books you sent them.


Thanks for the heads up! I would NEVER pay for a review, so that's an easy way to steer clear.


----------



## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

journeymama said:


> What You're KIDDING. Well, I'm kinda glad I didn't send my book their way, then. Unless they only review books they really really like?


Eh. They've never met a book they haven't given 5 stars to.


----------



## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

PJJones said:


> Moses, do you have to pay for this service as well? This is not one of my regrets, because I'd NEVER pay for a review, but for those starting out, I'd advise finding free reviewers. The most I spend on a review is a free download. That's it. Moses, why don't you change your European pen-name to Heinz? Just kidding.


Oh, yeah. Moses Heinz would be great.

Oh--wait. You meant Heinz Siregar III. 

Midwest requests two copies of your pbook with promotional info (so they can reword the info to write a review, I reckon). Unless they're hoarding books for the apocalypse, I'd imagine they just write the 5-star and sell the suckers.


----------



## indiebookslist (Aug 5, 2011)

lyarde11751 said:


> 3. Should have learned about GIMP a lot sooner


GIMP, used in combination with Pixlr and piknik is an amazing resource.


----------



## PJJones (Apr 5, 2011)

RexJameson said:


> A critique group can often help you find a lot of things that an editor would find.
> 
> These can include:
> 
> ...


Wow, Rex, you are a man after my own heart. This just makes me want to read your Sept. release even more. Might I also add? 
#6. Solid goal, motivation and conflict.
#7 a powerful enough dark moment with a realistic resolution
#8 clean, realistic dialog

I think if a writer is unclear as to how to do this, then pick up some good craft books, join a good writers' network with experienced critiquers and/or take online craft classes.


----------



## Rin (Apr 25, 2011)

1) Not teasing the end of my first book better when I did the V1 serialisation of it - I lost a huge chunk of my fanbase because they thought the main character was dead-dead. Definitely fixed that on the rewrite. 

2) Not organisation the convention stand better - I didn't have enough materials ready, or enough art, did sell a lot of badges though, and gave out a bunch of flyers. Haven't done another stand since, but I learned a lot, it was just overall a very so-so experience. 

3) Anxiety making me drag my feet about actually pulling together my Kindle release. -_-


----------



## Rex Jameson (Mar 8, 2011)

PJJones said:


> Wow, Rex, you are a man after my own heart. This just makes me want to read your Sept. release even more.


*hugs*


----------



## sparklingbean (May 27, 2011)

Nancy Beck said:


> I regret not doing this a lot sooner, like in 2009.
> 
> Then again, I had a lot of personal and health issues to deal with (not that those have gone away, lol), but I wish I'd kept up on what was happening in the publishing world...
> 
> Oh well. Better a little late than never.


ME TOO


----------



## PJJones (Apr 5, 2011)

Nancy Beck said:


> I regret not doing this a lot sooner, like in 2009.
> 
> Then again, I had a lot of personal and health issues to deal with (not that those have gone away, lol), but I wish I'd kept up on what was happening in the publishing world...
> 
> Oh well. Better a little late than never.


I feel ya! I had a lot of health issues in '08 through '10 and don't think I could have self-pubbed Romance Novel. Besides, I was too busy being stupid and waiting for countless agents to get back to me.


----------



## Guest (Aug 17, 2011)

Not getting a huge advance cheque from one of the traditional publishers?   In practice, it would be nice to know that there were other people working to support the book while I got on with the next one, but I'm not sure how much support traditional publishers give anymore. Honestly, that's about it.


----------



## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

VH Folland said:


> Not getting a huge advance cheque from one of the traditional publishers?  In practice, it would be nice to know that there were other people working to support the book while I got on with the next one, but I'm not sure how much support traditional publishers give anymore. Honestly, that's about it.


Now that I've published my book and I'm working full time on promoting it while writing the next book, I can confirm that the grass always looks greener somewhere else. LOL


----------



## AKLoggie (Aug 13, 2011)

DDark said:


> I have not yet published my book, but I already know my biggest regret is not having a beta reader or editor. My friends and family are not big on reading and the ones that are spend their days reading books on meteorology or Home repair. In fact, they don't even know that I write, let alone have a goal of self publishing within the next month or so. Of course my inspiration has always been my grandpa, who wrote an entire book on refrigeration repair. He's not the only author in my family, but he never graduated the third grade.
> 
> But yes, this means that not a single person has read my book.
> 
> ...


Don't let it be a regret:
http://www.critiquecircle.com/
http://critters.org/
http://www.ladieswhocritique.com/


----------



## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

Self publishing regrets? I Haz them. Many.

I regret trying to emulate a niche genre with a proven track record of commercial failure _(WTF was I thinking?)_;
I regret all the money wasted on advertising and marketing and promotion;
I regret the months I spent trying to promote my first novel, when I could have been writing something that didn't suck, instead;
I regret my forays into the world of historical fiction; _(WTF was I thinking?)_
I regret not having written anything easily describable, pigeonhole-able, or marketable;
I regret paying $60/year for a website nobody visits;
I regret setting a series of stupidly unattainable goals regarding sales;
I regret investing in a paperback edition of my first novel;
I regret my decision to be open about the overall failure of my first novel;
I regret my obstinate inability to learn from my own mistakes...

...and I'm already starting to regret novel #2, and that won't even be out for a couple more months, yet, lol. I anticipate it underselling novel #1, as improbable as that may be.

That's okay, though. I'm really psyched about the next "short story" I've got in the pipeline. Almost as psyched as the last piece of short fiction I published, which... yeah, let's not think about that.


----------



## destill (Oct 5, 2010)

I regret:

Waiting so long to write my first book

Printing *5,000 copies * of my first book. (Yes, ask me where half of them are still sitting.)

Believing it was critical to have my books displayed on bookstore shelves (They were, and it wasn't.)

Accepting returns from Lightning Source (I grew to despise the site of a UPS truck sitting at my curb.)

Failing to use Create Space when I first explored that idea

Refusing to believe Ebooks were ever going to produce significant sales

Not being a Kindle "early adopter"

Being afraid to jump genres (I am publishing my first novel, which I've been working on for a DECADE, in November.)

Taking too long to find this forum

BUT...all of that has been a great learning experience!


----------



## AKLoggie (Aug 13, 2011)

DDark said:


> I'm concerned for two reasons:
> 1. I am hesitant about passing my work via internet to a complete stranger. Call it paranoia - I don't know them. Of course that would be assuming my work or ideas are worth stealing..lol
> 2. Becoming completely deterred from moving forward with publishing because someone tells me I have no talent. I'm sure I'll hear plenty of that once it's published, but at least I can say that I was published ;-)
> 
> ...


Well, I will say, a good critique should not tell you how much you suck. It should show you where to improve your work. That's really all it's about. Making better stories. I can't make you feel better about sharing stuff over the internet, but really: it's not your bank account. It's just a story, and I think it would be pretty rare to have someone steal it.

If you feel strongly about getting it out there, knock yourself out! But if you're already feeling regret, then do something about it, before you hit the publish button.

Consider finding a writing group in your area, if you want to find someone to work with in person.

Whatever you do, good luck, godspeed, etc!


----------



## PJJones (Apr 5, 2011)

Okay, so has anyone read Lizzy Ford's blog? Her hubby is an IT guy and they have come up with a brilliant marketing strategy, especially in driving more traffic to her blog. Her books sales have jumped. I got a sneak peek at an article she will be posting soon and can't believe her number surge from January until now. In the meantime, she's got some good articles on driving more traffic to her blog. I have since hired someone (Judd Exley from this forum) to set me up with a pro WordPress site and am looking forward to the final results.

Here's Lizzy's blog: 
http://www.guerrillawordfare.com/


----------



## deana (Jun 7, 2011)

DDark said:


> I'm concerned for two reasons:
> 1. I am hesitant about passing my work via internet to a complete stranger. ...
> 2. Becoming completely deterred from moving forward with publishing because someone tells me I have no talent. .....
> 
> I do want to improve, but mostly I just wish I knew someone in real life who could help.


Hi there, DDark.

I wanted to comment, and echo, AKLoggie. She put down "Don't let it be a regret" very delicately. Because we all see your signs and know this will be a regret for you.

"Complete stranger?" The complete stranger is who we push our writing to every day. Even sending out Free stuff, or posting short stories on our websites, are all out there.

This fear is one of the first things a newbie learns to master over; and it's one of the first signs that tells other authors how "green" you are. No one is going to steal your stories. And if it's a real concern, you can save up $35 and upload it to the copyright office.

This particular forum of regrets can help if you are open to it. My major regrets were
buffered because I went to critique groups and learned the trade of writing. I also
learned how to get critiqued and how to critique. It improved my writing and made me
a better story teller.

If you live in a highly populated area, use http://www.meetup.com and locate a group.

I remember when I entered a book store and took a seat in the circle of writers and was scared to death. "I don't know what to say," I told them when I was asked to critique someone else writing. "Just say what worked or didn't work for you." And I was so timid, I didn't want to hurt the author's feelings. They were friendly, and open, and constructive. And I learned the technique.

I say, it is a MUST to learn to receive critiques from strangers. Because if I hadn't, the reviews I received on my books would have crushed me (they gave me 2-stars at least on Amazon instead of 1-star). But I know how to read them and I know that other reviews have given me 5-stars at Barnes and Noble, and then got another 5-star on Amazon. AND one of the 2-stars had said it was well written (it's just the content was not for that person). So I can really say that the "well written" comment on the 2-star review was well worth it and I learned the technique of writing from my critique group.

*DON'T LET IT BE REGRET* - learn to be critiqued and *know *  that no one is going to steal your work.* You're going to hear this time and again when you get with a group of writers.*

My only regrets is that I didn't find this forum soon enough, because it was here that helped me learn what I needed to do to increase my sales. And it is working. It's helped me figure out what to do next and what to write in my blog. I was so lost, fumbling around doing things on my own, and learned over a long period of time, what to do, when this place, right here, could have cut my fumblings down in Half!

DDark - TRUST THIS - if you take on the challenge of self-publishing the RIGHT WAY (and let me repeat, THE RIGHT WAY), you won't be crushed with too many regrets. That timidness will go right out the door. You'll become fearless! You'll be forced to.

Well...almost fearless. I'm still anxious and scared on what my next review would be.


----------



## Susan Kaye Quinn (Aug 8, 2011)

> DON'T LET IT BE REGRET - learn to be critiqued and know that no one is going to steal your work. You're going to hear this time and again when you get with a group of writers.


Can't agree strongly enough with this. Also, your work is copyrighted as soon as you produce it - you don't have to register it with the copyright office or mail it to yourself or any of that. It is yours - for better and worse!

Here's a great post from my friend about why no one is going to steal your stuff.


----------



## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

Susan - just an extra to what you posted:

Ideas cannot be copyrighted. Words can.


----------



## Susan Kaye Quinn (Aug 8, 2011)

> Ideas cannot be copyrighted. Words can.


True enough! By "your work is copyrighted as soon as you produce it" I meant "as soon as you put your ideas into words on the page." So far, there is no copyrighting what's in your brain.  I'm waiting for the brainjack implants for that to happen.


----------



## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

I figured you knew. The comment was for those who didn't and who often think that people are stealing their work, when in fact it's just the idea.


----------



## ashel (May 29, 2011)

Krista D. Ball said:


> I figured you knew. The comment was for those who didn't and who often think that people are stealing their work, when in fact it's just the idea.


Nobody tell James Cameron that Dances With Wolves came out waaaaaaay before Avatar.


----------



## dwallacefleming (Aug 10, 2011)

Hello,

I have a variant on the "didn't do it sooner" regret. When I first started out, I was convinced that producing audiobook short story collections through CD baby and iTunes was the next wave of the future. And, who knows, it may still be. I'm proud of my short story collection on iTunes but had I really understood the extent of the
eBook revolution fuller, I would have gotten started with this community right away.

I've also gotten into podcasting (which again may still yield results)....


----------



## Tara Maya (Nov 4, 2010)

Like others here, I wish I had moved at least a year sooner. And I wish that before that I had not twisted my writing into a pretzel trying to get my book to an agent and publisher. For instance, I took to heart the advice that you shouldn't start a sequel if you hadn't sold the first book in a series. You should start a new series. As a result I have several beginnings of series, but even my most complete series still needs a lot of work. I wish I had followed my heart and just finished it, instead of re-writing it over and over trying to please imagined agents.


----------



## Nicki Leigh (Aug 25, 2011)

Tara, I have similar regrets. I regret having waited for so long as well as taking eight years off of writing back in 2001. Something inside of me snapped this year when I was still querying agents. I got full requests, but that was it. I've been sitting on my stories for a year or more. I wish I would've brought them out when they were ready instead of a year later. But it's a hard lesson to learn. I'm still a little nervous about bringing out my second book, only because I'm so new to this.


----------



## Susan Kaye Quinn (Aug 8, 2011)

> I figured you knew. The comment was for those who didn't and who often think that people are stealing their work, when in fact it's just the idea.


Got it!  And thanks for pointing it out.


----------



## Susan Kaye Quinn (Aug 8, 2011)

> For instance, I took to heart the advice that you shouldn't start a sequel if you hadn't sold the first book in a series. You should start a new series. As a result I have several beginnings of series, but even my most complete series still needs a lot of work.


Isn't it funny how considering self-publishing an option really changes how you look at what you're going to write next? I had exactly this revelation shortly before I decided to self-publish (and I'm in a similar situation). I'm busy working on Bk#2 now for the series coming out shortly.


----------



## AzureHorizon (Aug 18, 2011)

I regret not getting an editor before I self-published. Definitely looking forward to the shitty reviews slated for next year despite the fact that I'm dipping out of self-publishing until I somehow get the money to pay off an editor.


----------



## Ty Johnston (Jun 19, 2009)

PJJones said:


> Okay, so has anyone read Lizzy Ford's blog? Her hubby is an IT guy and they have come up with a brilliant marketing strategy, especially in driving more traffic to her blog.


Yep! I love that blog more every time I go to it. Matt, Lizzy's husband, is doing a lot of smart things, stuff I wish more indie writers would learn. They're utilizing SEO and other online marketing strategies which pro bloggers and online content providers have been using for years. Facebook and twitter are just the beginnings, and a lot has to do with _how _you use social networking sites and other online tools.

In fact, I like the site so much, yesterday I put it onto my 100 sites for fiction writers: http://tyjohnston.blogspot.com/2011/10/100-sites-for-fiction-writers-67.html


----------



## Christopher Bunn (Oct 26, 2010)

MosesSiregarIII said:


> My fear, if I can't get book 2 out within 6 months, is that I'm going to regret not waiting to release 2 or 3 novels at the same time.


This is a really important consideration, in my opinion, for series writers. I released book 1 in my series in November 2010, and then didn't realize book 2 until the spring of 2011. I wish I had waited until all three books in my series were ready, and then released them fairly close together.


----------



## ArtMayo (Sep 13, 2011)

There should be a thread for those who have been house-published.

I work for a nonfiction publisher. Like all publishers we have successes and failures. There is nothing more upsetting to me than the fate of an author whose book fails. 300-500 copies sold total (sometimes not even 50 digital sales) after being pushed like crazy by a dedicated sales team; posted out to dozens of choice reviewers; available through all possible distribution channels; professionally edited and designed.

And they only get their insultingly small royalties cheque every six months (with a percentage held back against returns, and only released in a further six months!).

And they are left without a right to the book - without the power to alter pricing, cover or anything else, or to adjust content, change title, sell chapters for articles.

And it's way more common than you'd think. It's easily more common than the runaway bestseller. (Thankfully not as common as the book that just does Well Enough, though.)

So however bad it's gone self-pubbing, it could have gone a lot worse with a publisher. 70% of $25 total earnings is 55% more than some authors will ever see.


----------



## Nell Gavin (Jul 3, 2010)

ellenoc said:


> I have no regrets. Maybe there are things I could have done better or differently, but the fact is indie publishing has made major and good changes in my life in the last 18 months and it came at a time I needed it.


I kind of agree with you there. To me this has been a long, fascinating ride and a learning experience. All the mistakes I make are just part of the landscape.

You have to be the sort of person who values learning experiences because you have to learn so much to be an indie. It's going to keep my mind sharp as I age into the sunset!


----------



## Susan Kaye Quinn (Aug 8, 2011)

> You have to be the sort of person who values learning experiences because you have to learn so much to be an indie.


I love this. (And that's the kind of person I am, so looks like I'm headed in the right direction. )


----------



## deana (Jun 7, 2011)

Susan Kaye Quinn said:


> Nell Gavin said:
> 
> 
> > You have to be the sort of person who values learning experiences because you have to learn so much to be an indie."
> ...


Ditto!


----------



## PJJones (Apr 5, 2011)

Ty Johnston said:


> Yep! I love that blog more every time I go to it. Matt, Lizzy's husband, is doing a lot of smart things, stuff I wish more indie writers would learn. They're utilizing SEO and other online marketing strategies which pro bloggers and online content providers have been using for years. Facebook and twitter are just the beginnings, and a lot has to do with _how _you use social networking sites and other online tools.
> 
> In fact, I like the site so much, yesterday I put it onto my 100 sites for fiction writers: http://tyjohnston.blogspot.com/2011/10/100-sites-for-fiction-writers-67.html


TY, how cool! Yeah, I wish my hubby was as talented an IT guy as Matt. I'm sure Lizzy has already seen this since they also keep tabs on this sort of thing.

This thread has really taken on a life of its own.

One more regret I need to add to the list is not putting my books in print. I am getting ready to do that now as I've heard some authors have strong print sales.


----------



## Patty Jansen (Apr 5, 2011)

I have no regrets.

I see self-publishing as a piece in the total puzzle that is a writing career. You may nor (or may) get the sales, but you have total control over what goes out there. Also, it allows you to finish a series and move on with the next thing. Being self-published is no longer a barrier to being picked up by a publisher, even with that same book, so yeah, why not?


----------

