Another post about self-publishing

There are many misconceptions flying around out there about self-publishing. Yes, I've talked about these at length before. However, there are many people who are still very much in the dark when it comes to self-publishing. Unfortunately, everyone who self-publishes gets thrown into the general category of "hack." While there are many of these out there, not all who self-publish deserve this harsh and often hurtful label.

In particular, I'd like to clear the air about my own work.

1. I CHOSE to self-publish. I was not forced. I was not rejected over and over again by larger companies. In fact, I have several books with traditional publishers. Not as many as before, but that is because I CHOSE to cancel those contracts as they reached their expiration dates. I'm not saying this to brag, but I did not have any difficulty finding a publisher. There is also one that I plan to continue working with as I have learned a lot from them.

2. I do not turn out poorly edited/slapped together pieces of crap. Different patterns of speech and spelling variations are not errors. I'm not saying this to be a jerk, but I'm good at what I do. (Everyone should be able to feel this way about their work.) I have pride in myself and my work. I'm a professional. I look at each book as a product, not simply a creative outlet. Sure, I write because I love it. But keep in mind, this is what I do for a living. I take it seriously. Each of my books is professionally edited, several times by myself, and my writing partner/editor. Even if I write the book in only a few weeks, it will be edited for a month or more. 

3. Yes, I do my own cover art. I agree that not everyone should attempt this. I am an artist. Until  I did the cover of Frank and The Werewolf Tamer, my talents were used for my entertainment alone. I can't see paying someone to do work that I enjoy and can easily do myself. 

4. I'm not some nut job who just throws stories together and tries to make a profit. As I've already said, I put a lot of time and effort into what I do. Unfortunately, there are too many people out there who fall into this category and ARE self-publishing.

5. I am not a loser. Ha. Ha. Ha. Seriously, so many people assume this simply because I self-publish. Good grief.

6. I earn 70% on most sales for my self-published titles. Most ebook publishing contracts leave the author with 30-45%. I have bills that need to be paid. I'm a person just like everyone else.

One last thing that is slightly off topic. I am tired of getting spammed by companies (or individuals) trying to sell me some kind of promotional tools. Just because I self-publish doesn't mean I'm stupid. And obviously, I don't have the resources of a large press. Why the hell do I keep getting these types of calls and emails? 

So, for the record, if I am interested in a type of promotion or service, I will contact the company or individual. There is no need to call me on my cell or send me strange messages.

With very few exceptions, these are always scams. Sad but true. I have been contacted by a few legit companies. However, I had worked with them before, so it wasn't odd for them to send me a message.

I'm not talking about the emails from places who offer FREE promotion. I love to get those notifications. LOL Those of you who have also been spammed know what I'm talking about.

Okay, it's time for coffee ... and maybe some Skyrim. ;)

Everybody wants more happiness, right?

Well, there are several simple ways to boost your feelings of happiness. Most of these involve increasing production of the hormone serotonin. (This is the "feel good" hormone.) Everyone is under stress, no matter what they do for a living. However, writers face a different set of challenges. For one thing, writing is by its nature a very lonely profession. We spend countless hours alone with our computers. No matter how much you might be in love with your PC, it can't talk back and the closest it comes to showing affection is not contracting a virus. LOL

With that in mind, here are a few helpful tips to increase your level of happiness.

Eat oatmeal for breakfast. One cup of oatmeal contains 94 mg. of tryptophan, an essential building block of serotonin. Plus, if you add a banana to the mix, you get extra vitamin B6 a nutrient that helps convert tryptophan to serotonin. Eating this first thing in the morning helps you get off to a "feel good" start.

Snack on carbs. Yes, I used the "c" word. Ha. Ha. Ha. Eating a snack of carbohydrates alone speeds up the production of serotonin within 20 minutes. Don't grab a doughnut though. Go for fruit, veggies, and whole grain crackers. That way you can do something good for yourself and not feel guilty. Or, if it's been a really crap day, maybe go for the doughnut.

Get more vitamin D. Vitamin D is relatively cheap and can be purchased at most any supermarket. Taking this supplement daily can boost your serotonin levels by as much as 26%.

Read a book. This is a great way to keep your stress levels low. If you can only spend one hour a day reading something you enjoy, it will do wonders.

Drink hot chocolate. The combination of calcium and antioxidants in hot cocoa boosts your brain's serotonin output for up to seven hours. Indulging in this treat can make you calmer and happier, plus sleep sounder if you have this before bedtime.

Using these stress busting tips can decrease your chances of headaches, indigestion, joint pain, and even weight gain.

Now, doesn't that sound relaxing?

If you're wondering how I know all this, I researched it. Thoroughly. Now that's just one less stressful thing you have to worry about. You can just collect the information and move on with your busy life. :)

Time management for writers

If you're anything like me, the hardest part of writing (many times) is finding the time. There all of these other things on your list. People who need you, things you need to do for yourself, etc. The hardest part about time management is learning what is and is not a good use of your valuable time. That's another key step, realize that your time IS valuable. You provide a valuable service. You, as a writer, entertain people. You help us escape for a few hours. You give us a ticket to our mental vacation. Make no mistake, that is a very valuable service.

Hopefully, hearing some of the things that are helpful to me in managing my time will help others. It seems like I got more accomplished as a writer when I worked another full-time job. Why? Because I didn't feel as compelled to do everything around the house. Plus, people assumed I was tired when I got home. Ha. Ha. Ha. Sad but true. When you work from your home, many times others will assume you aren't busy or haven't had as tough a day as they've had. That's just the way it is. Perceptions vary and there's nothing any of us can do about it.

I struggle with time management, but I finally feel as if I'm starting to get somewhere. This is what I've been working on lately.

I'm currently (right this moment in another window) leaving all the yahoo groups from which I receive no benefit whatsoever. Why am I doing this? Because I'm tired of sorting through all the digests in my email. When I got my first publishing contract, I was thrilled about sharing my excerpts and news in yahoo groups. I made the mistake of thinking these groups would be as awesome as the old MSN groups. Nope. While I will (of course) remain in my publisher's groups (because I DO benefit from those), most everything else, I'm leaving. I have yet to find that posting excerpts or even participating in general helps sales in the slightest. I have studied this closely over a period of years and listened to what others had to say on the subject as well. The end result: Yahoo groups don't help you sell more books. Therefore, I have determined this is not a good use of my time. I mean no offense to anyone running a yahoo group. This is a business decision, not a personal one. I think I'm also going to delete my old group or turn it into a mailing list or something.

Online forums besides yahoo - While these can be fun, I've also found no concrete benefit here either. It would appear that my posts in other places of this nature get less and less views. I'm remaining on one of my favorite forums simply because I like the people I've met there. I've severely limited the time I spend on this because (usually), I am the only one there.

I've also left Triberr for the same basic reason. I saw no real benefit. No increase in sales or anything else. While I've heard others say it worked for them, the majority of people I hear from have experienced similar results. It is difficult to find a tribe that is suited to the interests of your Twitter followers. Many times the members of your tribe won't even post your stuff. Not to mention, some tribes add nothing but extra drama to your life. I don't know about you, but I'm not looking for drama unless I go to the theater.

I am active on Facebook, but not to the extent I was before. It's important to keep in touch with friends and to make yourself available to readers. But you don't have to live there.

Playing Castleville is NOT a priority. HAHAHA!! Seriously, I've battled with this one. I still play, but once again, I've severely limited my time.

I've done hours and hours of research, trying to find what magically makes books sale. Many people who read ebooks (my primary format) no longer read print magazines. Even when you find an online magazine that reaches your target audience, whether or not your ad will lead to sales is a shot in the dark. Obsessing over this was NOT a good use of my time. The only thing I can control is putting out another quality book. THAT I can handle, so THAT is where my focus is.

Scouring the net for any and all mentions of me and my work was also NOT a good use of my time. So, I stopped. Cold turkey. There is negativity everywhere, no matter what your profession. You will encounter enough without any help whatsoever. Don't go looking for it.

Exercise is a must. Make time.

Doing things with my family, is a good use of my time. (Like that pumpkin garden I love so much.)

Mowing the yard is a good use of my time. So is writing my next chapter. Do one or the other. Make a decision, do it well and stop obsessing over the one you didn't choose.

Another thing that has helped me is to set a word count goal for the week. I've only been doing this for a few weeks now, but it has helped tremendously. I feel such a sense of accomplishment when I make that goal AND get my house clean.

All these things are continuing to help me manage my time. Since I can't afford a national ad campaign, the only thing I can do is write my next book and make it a good one. Until I figure out what advertising works best, I can no longer afford to experiment.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to work on meeting that word count goal for the week.