Self Published Writers Forum

[TerryRodgers]

It's up. Go to the main page and look at the bottom of the first section.

Paul can you copy this thread over to it and un-sticky it? Maybe change the title to Old Writers Forum?

[pls]

I'm having another try at getting my manuscript ready for publishing to Smashwords. I stopped mid-format a few weeks ago because I realised my ending was pathetic and I've now written a much stronger one. So far, I've had no trouble with formatting the new version but I've reached the part in the Style Guide dealing with Tables of Contents. Mine is a short novel, only 48,000 words long. Do I really need a ToC? I see that Smashwords recommend it, but I've never created one in my life. What is your take, pls or Rebecca?

Unless each chapter is significantly entitled, I see no need for a ToC in a book of fiction.

[pls]

It's up. Go to the main page and look at the bottom of the first section.

Paul can you copy this thread over to it and un-sticky it? Maybe change the title to Old Writers Forum?

I can, indeed, and I left a "shadow" thread in place, which means that any new posts to this thread will end up in the new forum. I also merged your post into the older thread.

[Starchaser3000]

I only self published my work because during the formative time in writing my first volume, I was advised by more than enough people on the internet to do so. I always had positive encouragement, but both those that liked and disliked my literary writing concept said it was too avant garde and anti commercial for a literary agent to take a chance on me.

Almost one year later after I self published the financial rewards is pretty much non existent. With that said, I was drawn to the notion that I could actually write the fiction/fantasy book that I never read or heard about. I like doing it MY WAY and not have some commercial savvy editor butcher my manuscript and maybe change the names of my characters or omit adult/controversial content GGGRRRR!!

Still I regret not at least trying to seriously query out my work in the beginning. Regardless, even as an amateur self published author I have already obtained decently positive reviews and an encouraging editorial critique in this year's Writers Digest Writing Contest. I did not intend to write for commercial gain anyway, so I think my on record writing achievements is pretty good for just being in the game less than a year. Yet I would be happy if it is only a matter of time before my writing will be recognized to warrant maybe a little financial gain.

[Linton Robinson]

There is no reason to regret no trying other avenues to publish.
You can do so at any time.

[CrystalSpiritinc]

Greetings all,

I have a question. What are some of the reasons that you decided to Self-Publish? I self-published many years ago and because of some of the challenges, I decided to start a small press publishing company. So, I understand why I did it eight years ago, but I am interested in understanding why authors are choosing this route now.

Thanks

Vanessa
Crystal Spirit Publishing, Inc
www.crystalspiritinc.com

[pls]

Vanessa, I belong to several Facebook groups of indy authors. Most of us self-e-published for the following reasons:

1. Better royalty returns
2. Quicker times to getting published
3. No middleman (agent)
4. Little or no expense
5. More control over published content

Another reason for me was that I'd written five YA novels and was tired of fooling with them - I wanted to move on to other writing projects. So I made a few changes to link them together as a series, uploaded them to Smashwords (et al) and Amazon, did minimal promotion, and moved on to other projects. Since then I've added a sixth novel to the series and uploaded another unrelated YA novel.

[wondo]

All of Paul's reasons plus:
Since it takes five years (or many more) to get established in traditional publishing and I am getting older I may be dead before I get published.
I am a bit hard headed and like to write what I want to write. Self publishing is pretty much open. You may write what you want and still have a reasonable chance that someone will buy it
I really do believe that over time self publishing will become, and may already have become, a reasonable route to get traditionally published.
I really don't care that much about becoming traditionally published. I just want to make some cash with my writing and self publishing allows me to do that.
Plus I like a bit of a challenge. I know next to nothing about setting up a publishing company. I did and I am learning. There is so much more to learn.

[pls]

I'm not sure that I tried to make it plain that I wasn't going to spend the rest of my life revising the same novel over and over again, and that I wanted to get it "out there" and move on.

Too many writers believe that they're the next Harper Lee, who wrote one novel, said all that she wanted to, had phenomenal success with it, and never wrote another one.

Better two write one, learn from it; write another, learn from it; etc. Very few writers have ever made a living from their first (and only) novel, although we've seen a few on this forum who wrote one and expected the rest of us to treat it as if it were one of the tablets that Charlton Heston handed … oh, never mind.

[wondo]

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