Adventures in Epublishing: Too Legit...Hey Hey
At this time last year, epublishing wasn't a thought that ever crossed my mind. Ever. I did belong to the masses that thought that self-publishing was a bad word, a badge of shame to be worn by those not good enough to make it.
I have to admit, even in November when I first started, I was a little hesitant to explain my publishing situation. People would say, 'oh, I hear you have a book published', and I would tell them that it was only epublished. In the few months since November, I have a new-found confidence. And it's not just because I've been lucky to sell a few books.
It's from watching everybody else.
I check out the Writers' Cafe on Kindle Boards at least once a day and am constantly motivated and inspired by what I see there. Here are some actual post headlines from the last few days:
Congrats to Victorine (she made #81 on the USA Today bestseller list)
Whoa, cracked the UK top ten
Just hit 10,000 sales for Out of Time
Movie Deal? It might happen (for Amanda Hocking)
The Big Countdown to 10,000
1,000 True Fans
I did it! I broke 10,000 sales!!!
10 Copies!!!
Selling 1000 books a month
1,000 copies!
Holy Cats! I made the New York Times ebook bestseller list!!! #31
I am now twenty sales away from selling 500 books on Amazon
And that's just a sample, people on Kindle Boards are hitting best-seller lists, getting agents, getting traditional publishing deals, getting foreign publishing deals, having an Oscar-nominated screenwriters option their books for a screenplay (congrats Amanda Hocking!), selling tens, selling hundreds, selling thousands, selling tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, maybe a million copies this year (again, Amanda), paying the electric bill, paying the car payment, paying the mortgage, making a living, quitting the day job...
I'm running out of breath even typing these.
But this says it all. I'm proud to be an epublished author, and no more do I try to explain it away. I'm so lucky to be surrounded by successful, hardworking people who make me want to put my best work out there so I can be just like them someday.
And so it's for all of you awesome indie/epub authors that I present:
I have to admit, even in November when I first started, I was a little hesitant to explain my publishing situation. People would say, 'oh, I hear you have a book published', and I would tell them that it was only epublished. In the few months since November, I have a new-found confidence. And it's not just because I've been lucky to sell a few books.
It's from watching everybody else.
I check out the Writers' Cafe on Kindle Boards at least once a day and am constantly motivated and inspired by what I see there. Here are some actual post headlines from the last few days:
Congrats to Victorine (she made #81 on the USA Today bestseller list)
Whoa, cracked the UK top ten
Just hit 10,000 sales for Out of Time
Movie Deal? It might happen (for Amanda Hocking)
The Big Countdown to 10,000
1,000 True Fans
I did it! I broke 10,000 sales!!!
10 Copies!!!
Selling 1000 books a month
1,000 copies!
Holy Cats! I made the New York Times ebook bestseller list!!! #31
I am now twenty sales away from selling 500 books on Amazon
And that's just a sample, people on Kindle Boards are hitting best-seller lists, getting agents, getting traditional publishing deals, getting foreign publishing deals, having an Oscar-nominated screenwriters option their books for a screenplay (congrats Amanda Hocking!), selling tens, selling hundreds, selling thousands, selling tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, maybe a million copies this year (again, Amanda), paying the electric bill, paying the car payment, paying the mortgage, making a living, quitting the day job...
I'm running out of breath even typing these.
But this says it all. I'm proud to be an epublished author, and no more do I try to explain it away. I'm so lucky to be surrounded by successful, hardworking people who make me want to put my best work out there so I can be just like them someday.
And so it's for all of you awesome indie/epub authors that I present:
LOVE it. :)) Epic post. Rock on, girl! So proud of you!! And all those epublishing "stats"--totally awesome! And you are definitely too legit. Hahaha.
ReplyDeleteI will be considering the epublishing route this year as well, and that is without even trying the traditional route. You have been a big part of the decision making process as well.
ReplyDeleteIf more people did the research, I suspect more would indeed go this route as well.
Great post, Karly. Congrats on your sales and your new found freedom as an Indie author. Many authors are considering it as a viable option and there's plenty of proof to support that if you put out a quality product, the sales will come.
ReplyDeleteThis is a fantastic post. KB inspires me so much every day!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Karly! We all need inspiration sometimes and this is a great way to remind ourselves!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great post, Karly. I love KB and all the great people there.
ReplyDeleteExcellent post, Karly! Reading KB gives me a boost too. Everyone might not achieve Amanda Hocking's sales levels. But it's inspiring to know such success is possible for self-published authors!
ReplyDeleteI love KB! The success stories keep me motivated. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI am days away from epublishing. I've been so nervous I almost hoped it would keep getting delayed! Thanks for this. I needed it!
ReplyDeleteKarly - I never saw the appeal of the traditional route, so I never made the attempt. Would I have made it? Who knows? I put my 1st book on Kindle about 6 weeks ago, after 2 decent years in print. My 2nd book (also YA) went live on Kindle today & sold a few dozen copies before I even knew it was out. Go figure. I have to check out the Kindle Boards & see what's up there. Maybe I'll even try some (*gulp*) promotion. Good luck - nice covers BTW. Dave
ReplyDeleteThanks Dave! Congrats on all the success already! That's awesome! It's stories like that that make me happy!
ReplyDeleteAnd good luck to everyone else! Can't wait to hear your good news!
Great article, Karly! I think I'm heading over to Kindleboards now! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, I will bookmark and be back again
ReplyDeleteE Publishing