Indie Writers

Hello, I am finding out something interesting that I like very much. It seems the more rebelliousness I show - or, let out, the more people seem to like my hubs. Yay! Because that's who I really am. YOU like me! You really like me!! (Grin)

All-righty now, let's get on with it. I am elated to talk about Indie Writing, formerly known as self publishing. Not so very long ago, say six months ago or so, it was thought that only hacks with no writing ability had to self publish. Or people that wrote cook books for their families, or maybe genealogy books. And then there were the delusional people that self published because they thought they were great writers and eventually they would be "Discovered" by one of the big publishing companies or a great literary agent. (Snort) Not likely.

I admit, I fell under the category of the delusional. I thought I was a great writer. Luckily, I've found out that I may or may not be a great writer, but I do write great stories - there is a difference you know. And through my extreme marketing efforts and KTBanks.com - the little website that could, (my son helped me create it when he was 11, he's now 16) other people besides my family and friends started reading my books, and I guess they told other people about them. I get tons of hits on the site now from all over the world.

My first book, STAND AND PROTECT, got pirated. Yep, it really did. With the popularity of ebooks it got pirated even more. Suddenly I was finding out that it was selling in the U.K., Australia, Russia, China and many many other countries. At first I couldn't believe it. So I followed up on an ad that said they were selling it at a store in London. I even ordered a copy from that store. Paid a small fortune for shipping and all that. But six weeks later, there it was in the mail. And on the inside of the book, it actually says Printed in the U.K.

The rest of that is a long story, but to sum it up, the pirating was actually a good thing. Suddenly my name and more importantly, my books are being talked about all around the world. So, guess what? When the sequel, NICO'S GUILT, came out, the sales were immediate. I was smarter about how I published it the second time, so at least I know it is much harder to pirate. But it turned out to be the same premise as selling an ebook for .99 cents. It's a hook. It's how you build readership. And it works - IF... you write good stories. If your stories suck, you probably wouldn't get pirated in the first place.

The first book was published with one of THOSE companies, those so called self publishing companies that subtly promise to help you become a best seller if you give them more and more money. You actually have to buy your own books from them, and they nickle and dime you to death. They sound so helpful, and just like any good con-man, you really believe them. They will even say things like, "We cannot promise you great sales, it depends on how good your book really is." And they just say that because they know it makes them sound more legitimate. But they will happily take more and more of your money along the way.

Being the researching spy that I am, I quickly (after a couple of years) learned that a lot of the things they offered, you could do yourself for about one hundredth of the price. For instance, some of them advise you that you need a Book Trailer Video. And guess what? They can now do that for you, for a thousand or so bucks.

I found a way to do the exact same thing, with a company named animoto (I love them) for around $7. to $10.00! And you can do it YOUR way! It seems like everything that THOSE companies offer, you can do yourself, especially in this wonderful world of technology. (My computer has behaved nicely today, so I can say that)

For my second book, I really did do it all myself. I created my own book cover and most people either don't seem to care, or they don't seem to notice. The important thing is that the readers really like the books. That Thrills me! :D

Okay back to the story. I got bids from about 15 different printers, and negotiated with all of them until I got a fair price. I hired a Virtual Office Assistant to do the formatting and proof reading. and I turned out a really good book. But again, I've kept researching for ways to make it easier. I love being a Writer, I don't love being a publishing house and doing the distribution and all of that.

Luck is on my side again, my timing is great. Just recently a famous, Best Selling Author (and a great guy) by the name of Barry Eisler decided to turn down an offer from a big publisher, and become an Indie Writer. That really shook the world of Publishing, and ebooks are really shaking the world of publishing.

So now there are companies out there that are finally understanding that a LOT of really good writers are tired of waiting to be discovered. Now there are companies realizing that to work with the intelligent writers of Today's World, they should treat us fairly and with respect. There are still the Rip Off companies out there: Be Warned.

But if you have a good story to tell, and you do find it in yourself to completely finish a manuscript, you can do your research and find the best way to get it published for you. Read a lot of articles and take the best of them. Put together lists of what you think will work - and go for it. Don't be ashamed to say that you are an Independent Author ( remember, now it's getting cool to be one) And there are many advantages to it.

There are still some people out there telling you that it will never work. That it used to be called vanity press, that you're just printing a book so that your family can read it and you can say you're an author. But if you're serious about a writing career, you just know you have a lot of good stories in you, do it. And do it right! You've really got to do your research, but if you have a computer it's not that hard to do.

I'm about to finish my third manuscript and have outlines for 3 more^{. I actually have a waiting list for this upcoming release of SPY PLAY.}

First things first, complete a good manuscript. Get some feedback - not just from your spouse or parents. And by then, if you still don't know where to turn, you can always call on me. I love nothing more than paying it forward. I've had a few awesome people step in to help me, I call them Earth Angels, but you must be a nice person, I don't work with a-holes, at least not anymore I don't. lol

Good luck and God Bless!

KT Banks