A Note from S.J. Francis: So you want to be a writer. Good for you! I stand behind you 150%. Writing allows you the freedom to explore your mind. Take the time to tell a story you can't find on the shelves but you want to read. At the same time, writing is not an easy field to succeed in. It may take a very long time, years even before you get a paycheck for what you wrote. Once published doesn't mean the path is paved ahead for you. You may find you receive more rejections than acceptances. That is very discouraging. Keep with it. If you want to write, just do it. Don't let anyone sway you away. If you are writing, whether published or not, you are a writer. Never forget that. You are going to want to quit. Don't.
From The Book Life by Publisher’s
Weekly
Don’t
Be Discouraged: Tips from an
Indie Author
November
21, 2016
By
Drucilla Shultz
When
it comes to self-publishing, indie author Ben Batchelder stresses the
three Ps: patience, persistence, and prayer.
Indie
author Ben Batchelder – who describes writing as his fourth (and
final) career – says that he didn’t write his second book.
Rather, To
Belém & Back “first
wrote me.”
His
self-published tale of traveling the backroads of Brazil with his
black lab, Atlas, received a starred review from Publishers
Weekly, with
our reviewer describing the book as “insightful and poignant” and
praising Batchedler for “seamlessly combin[ing] the personal, the
political, and the cultural.”
Despite
his success, Batchelder says he wishes he'd delayed publishing his
book until he'd created a pre-publishing marketing plan. “How to
order and receive proofs over many months, prior to publishing on
CreateSpace, is not self-evident. So my official publish date was
months prior to the actual launch, which detracts from the freshness
of the project.”
The
author describes self-publishing as an “expansive undertaking” –
but one that was made easier by publishing his first two books
closely together – adding that being an indie author opens “a
vast new world of learning: new or updated software, finding readers,
new blog sites, designing covers...and proofing, proofing, proofing.”
Perhaps
most surprising to Batchelder was the positive response and
overwhelming support he has received from friends, both old and new:
“[Publicity] events have flushed out old friends, made new ones,
built contacts lists, and provided fodder for blogs and various
social media platforms.”
We
asked Batchelder to give his fellow indie authors some
self-publishing tips:
PATIENCE
“I
strongly recommend resisting the urge to publish your first work as
quickly as possible. Rather, proof it, reread it, get comments, proof
it again, and devise a pre- and post-publishing marketing plan.”
PERSISTENCE
“Don’t
be discouraged by rejection or settle for good-enough. In
marketing-speak, make it the highest quality product you humanly can,
and -- with some doggedness and hard work on your part -- the product
will then sell itself.”
PRAYERS
“Self-explanatory.
You won’t succeed by yourself or necessarily on your own terms.”
Regards,
S. J. Francis, Writing is my passion, but animals are my world.
Advocate for the underdog, and cat, and supporting writers, et al.
In Shattered Lies: "It's All About Family." Available now from Black Opal Books and for sale at all on-line retailers and independent booksellers.
Shattered Lies is a winner in the Fall 2016 NABE Pinnacle Book Achievement Awards for Women's Fiction.
Shattered Lies is a runner-up in the 2016 Shelf Unbound Indie Best Book Award Competition.
Shattered Lies is a 2016 Reader's Favorite Honorable Mention in the Fiction - Women’s category.
Shattered Lies was a Finalist in the 10th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards.
Shattered Lies was chosen as General Fiction Official Selection in the 2015 New Apple Book Awards.
The first, original book cover design for Shattered Lies was a semi-finalist in the 2015 Authors dB Best Cover Contest.
The 2nd new book cover design for Shattered Lies was a Finalist in the 2016 Authors dB Best Cover Contest.
My Black Opal Books Author Page:
http://www.blackopalbooks.com/author-bios/bio-sj-francis
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/sjfrancis419
Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/pages/SJ-Francis/480058115420325
My Writing Blog: http://www.sjfranciswriter.blogspot.com
A Book Review 4 U: http://abookreview4u.blogspot.com
A Consumer's View: http://aconsumersview.blogspot.com
One for the Animals: http://onefortheanimals.blogspot.com
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/sjfrancis419/
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And now for some legal stuff: Copyright 2017 by S.J. Francis. Opinions expressed here are solely those of the author, S. J. Francis and the guest author and are meant to entertain, inform and enlighten, and intend to offend no one.
