I'm going to self publish!

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Al Stevens

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I'm not sure that warning people about the limitations imposed on self-published works is "use[ing] that fact and others to discourage or dismiss self-publishing". Isn't it better for writers to be fully informed?
Of course it is. The whole story should be told.
 

Rob Lopez

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Don't forget a bunch of working links on your sig line Celeste.

And I feel an apology is in order for the hijacking of your good-news thread by the hoary old self-pubber vs trad-pub argument.:rant:

Tactless and a little inconsiderate (could have been done elsewhere) and I assure you not all posts in the self-pub forum descend to this.

Do keep us updated on your progress (in a new thread if you feel the need).
 

Celeste Carrara

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Don't forget a bunch of working links on your sig line Celeste.

And I feel an apology is in order for the hijacking of your good-news thread by the hoary old self-pubber vs trad-pub argument.:rant:

Tactless and a little inconsiderate (could have been done elsewhere) and I assure you not all posts in the self-pub forum descend to this.

Do keep us updated on your progress (in a new thread if you feel the need).

Yes, I have to work on getting those links in my sig line!

No need to apologize, I don't mind it. I'm just ignoring it :roll:
I will keep posting updates here.

Good news, I have sold 3 copies so far on Amazon!!! I swear on my children I didn't make any of my friends buy it either lol.(I really only have 1 friend that knows about the book and no family members know about it yet.) I even called my husband at work to ask him if he bought a copy and he swore he didn't. So, I'm really excited!!:hooray:
 

Rob Lopez

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Yes, I have to work on getting those links in my sig line!

No need to apologize, I don't mind it. I'm just ignoring it :roll:
I will keep posting updates here.

Good news, I have sold 3 copies so far on Amazon!!! I swear on my children I didn't make any of my friends buy it either lol.(I really only have 1 friend that knows about the book and no family members know about it yet.) I even called my husband at work to ask him if he bought a copy and he swore he didn't. So, I'm really excited!!:hooray:


Congratulations! And I just had a quick look at your book on Amazon and I have to say the covers you've had made are stunning. Kudos to your husband.
 

Celeste Carrara

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Thank you Rob! (my husbands name is Rob also!)
Yes, I agree he did a fantastic job on my covers but one of them is looking a little too dark on Amazon so I have another job for him to do when he gets home from work lol. He also did my website which I love so much!
 

jaksen

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If/when one self-publishes, who is doing the final edits? Or read-throughs? I have read a lot of book descriptions on Amazon, etc., from writers who are self-publishing and they are often full of grammar mistakes, run-on sentences, and so many other errors it gives me little confidence to go ahead and purchase that book.

Other errors: subject/verb disagreement; misspellings; commas where there shouldn't be and/or missing commas. I think the most common error I see are run-on (forever and ever) sentences in which the writer tries to cram as much information into one sentence as he or she possibly can because they're afraid they're going to confuse the reader if said reader doesn't know every little tiny infinite detail about a particular scene.

I'm just wondering who edits the self-published.
 

Celeste Carrara

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If/when one self-publishes, who is doing the final edits? Or read-throughs? I have read a lot of book descriptions on Amazon, etc., from writers who are self-publishing and they are often full of grammar mistakes, run-on sentences, and so many other errors it gives me little confidence to go ahead and purchase that book.

Other errors: subject/verb disagreement; misspellings; commas where there shouldn't be and/or missing commas. I think the most common error I see are run-on (forever and ever) sentences in which the writer tries to cram as much information into one sentence as he or she possibly can because they're afraid they're going to confuse the reader if said reader doesn't know every little tiny infinite detail about a particular scene.

I'm just wondering who edits the self-published.

A self publisher can hire an editor. FYI I have read many traditionally published books by popular authors that had a bunch of errors. Things like spelling, tense, etc.


I started this thread to post about my adventures in self publishing. I want to use it to provide updates and info that might be helpful to others. For those who want to debate or discuss the self publishing & traditional publishing subject start another thread?
Thanks
 
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Old Hack

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I'm not sure that warning people about the limitations imposed on self-published works is "use[ing] that fact and others to discourage or dismiss self-publishing". Isn't it better for writers to be fully informed?

Of course it is. The whole story should be told.

And yet it often happens that when I try to do that, I am accused of being anti-self-publishing.

*heaves a weary sigh*

And I feel an apology is in order for the hijacking of your good-news thread by the hoary old self-pubber vs trad-pub argument.:rant:

Don't worry, you're fine.

You might wish to take that up with our venerable and beloved supermoderator.

I knew you had feelings for me, Al, I just knew it.

I'm just wondering who edits the self-published.

Self publishers can pay for someone else to edit their work if they like, jaksen. There are plenty of other threads in which this is discussed, but this thread isn't really the place to do it.

A self publisher can hire an editor. FYI I have read many traditionally published books by popular authors that had a bunch of errors. Things like spelling, tense, etc.

It's "trade publishing", not "traditional publishing".

I started this thread to post about my adventures in self publishing. I want to use it to provide updates and info that might be helpful to others. For those who want to debate or discuss the self publishing & traditional publishing subject start another thread?
Thanks

Celeste, I agree that this isn't the place to discuss this particular aspect of self-publishing vs. trade publishing; so why have you joined in with the discussion?

I also agree that it's best if everyone does their best to remain on-topic: but you don't get to direct the conversation in this way. Thanks.
 

Rob Lopez

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I also agree that it's best if everyone does their best to remain on-topic: but you don't get to direct the conversation in this way. Thanks.

Hypocrisy, followed by a slap to the thread originator. I despair. The age of chivalry really is dead.

And no I'm not fine Old Hack. You're a moderator. You're supposed to set an example. So well done you.
 

evilrooster

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Hypocrisy, followed by a slap to the thread originator. I despair. The age of chivalry really is dead.

And no I'm not fine Old Hack. You're a moderator. You're supposed to set an example. So well done you.

I would have expected someone so concerned about keeping a thread on-track to have pursued this leg of the conversation in private.

There are very good reasons that we discourage thread starters from feeling that they "own" or can direct the content of threads. And there are good reasons both for keeping threads on track (sometimes) and letting them wander (other times). There are also good reasons that we try to keep people from indulging in too much spurious culture-warring under the cover of other conversations.

Old Hack is where she is because she does a good job of walking the line between these conflicting objectives. If that doesn't match your immediate desires in this thread, that's deeply unfortunate, but not nearly the problem that you think it is.
 

evilrooster

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Thank you Rob! (my husbands name is Rob also!)
Yes, I agree he did a fantastic job on my covers but one of them is looking a little too dark on Amazon so I have another job for him to do when he gets home from work lol. He also did my website which I love so much!

I particularly like that he created a custom favicon (the little image that shows next to the page title in a tab). That's a nice touch.
 

Old Hack

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Hypocrisy, followed by a slap to the thread originator. I despair. The age of chivalry really is dead.

As evilrooster (our new mod for the publishing section, who I'm very happy to have on board) has already pointed out, you'd be better off having these discussions via PM in future, as it saves you from looking like a banana. But you're new here, so perhaps you didn't know that yet, which is why you're getting the patient version of this comment and not the one which comes accompanied by one of my steely-eyed glares.

You misread my tone quite badly. I wasn't slapping anyone; and I wasn't being hypocritical. I was just pointing things out. I apologise if you were upset by what I said. But in future, if you feel that anyone is out of line then do please report the comment or PM a mod about it rather than despairing about it in-thread: it makes for easier and more productive discussions.

And no I'm not fine Old Hack. You're a moderator. You're supposed to set an example. So well done you.

My bold. Thank you!

*bows*

And please try to remember, I'm not just a moderator, I am your venerable and beloved supermoderator. Al said it, so it must be true. Ha!
 

Celeste Carrara

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Pardon my ignorance of how things are done here. I'm a member of another forum (not writing related) for over 10 years and I am just so used to the way things are over there. It was my mistake to think it was the same here. So I can start a thread and it's not a problem if it goes way off topic, ok got it! :Thumbs:

I just added a blog to my website so I'll just use that to talk about my journey with self publishing.

Old Hack thank you for correcting me. I'll make sure I never use the terminology "traditional publishing" again. It's "trade publishing" thank goodness you are here to set me straight! Thank you! :)
 

Celeste Carrara

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Celeste, I agree that this isn't the place to discuss this particular aspect of self-publishing vs. trade publishing; so why have you joined in with the discussion?

I also agree that it's best if everyone does their best to remain on-topic: but you don't get to direct the conversation in this way. Thanks.

I only added my opinion as a way to explain why I chose self publishing & state the reason that I hesitated about it at the beginning.

Maybe I'm just narcissistic and wanted this thread to be all about me! :roll:
 

Old Hack

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So I can start a thread and it's not a problem if it goes way off topic, ok got it! :Thumbs:

That's not what was said, Celeste. As I suspect you know.

Old Hack thank you for correcting me. I'll make sure I never use the terminology "traditional publishing" again. It's "trade publishing" thank goodness you are here to set me straight! Thank you! :)

I'm going to assume that you're not being snarky, because I'd hate for us to set off wrong-footed. So, you're welcome.

The phrase "traditional publishing" carries with it all sorts of baggage: it was first coined by the notorious vanity press PublishAmerica; people who work in trade publishing tend to not understand it; and it's inaccurate. Far better to use terms which are established, widely understood, not associated with a vanity press, and accurate, don't you think?

Maybe I'm just narcissistic and wanted this thread to be all about me! :roll:
I'm sorry, that's not going to be possible. This thread is going to be all about ME and there's nothing you can do about it. Ha!
 

Deb Kinnard

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IMHO, bookstores not stocking self-published books has nothing to do with a stigma -- it's what's practical. Most self-publishers can't offer stores the discounts and return policies that big publishers can. The book store is there to make money, so they stick with the publishers who are most likely to do that.

This, yes and very yes. They're also very prone to turning their noses up at the output of royalty paying small presses. Ask anyone who's had a print book or a dozen released by such presses, and they'll tell you their experience with the large and small chain bookstores. Ain't a pretty tale!
 

stormie

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*stormie wanders back in*

Celeste, please continue posting here too, beside your blog. A lot of people here could use your take and experiences with self-pubbing. As I said previously, I might go this route with an MG novel I wrote a few years ago and the agent couldn't place.
 

Celeste Carrara

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That's not what was said, Celeste. As I suspect you know.



I'm going to assume that you're not being snarky, because I'd hate for us to set off wrong-footed. So, you're welcome.

The phrase "traditional publishing" carries with it all sorts of baggage: it was first coined by the notorious vanity press PublishAmerica; people who work in trade publishing tend to not understand it; and it's inaccurate. Far better to use terms which are established, widely understood, not associated with a vanity press, and accurate, don't you think?


I'm sorry, that's not going to be possible. This thread is going to be all about ME and there's nothing you can do about it. Ha!

Ok, let's get this straight because I don't want to start on the wrong foot either! I am very sarcastic most of the time and sometimes that doesn't translate well online. It was early when I posted so please ignore me lol.

I am not only a newbie here, but a total newbie to the publishing/writing world as well so I know nothing, lol. I'm being serious. Yeah I've researched but I really have learned so much from this forum and am open to learning more. I have been writing for years and am an avid reader but the industry has been so foriegn to me.

I had no idea that in this community straying from the original topic was allowed. It's not what I am use to on forums. I'm a member for over 10 years on another forum (not writing related) and the rules there are different so I am just so use to how things are done there. We are not allowed to stray off topic so it's just what I have come accustomed to. I really don't mind it straying off topic but I just didn't want the same old debate started here where it should be all about me!;):tongue
 

Old Hack

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Celeste, Celeste. When will you understand? It's all about me!

Seriously, though, it's usually best when discussions remain on-topic, but that's not always possible; and sometimes it's good when discussions go off on a tangent because it can often be very useful and interesting to us all. So the mods here tread a fine line between keeping everyone on track and not stifling good conversations.

Please remember, though, that once a conversation is started here no one owns it; we don't get to dictate what others can say. If you feel a thread is going too widely off-topic then let a mod know, and one of us will step in if we feel it's necessary.

AW is a big place and it has an established culture which can be difficult to get to grips with, although it's worth working at because it is, in my view, the best place for writers to learn and grow. You might like to read the Newbie Guide again, and if you still have any problems do feel free to ask questions.
 

Celeste Carrara

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I sold another book today! I know, it's only one book but hey I don't think it's too bad since I really haven't advertised!

I now have an author page on Goodreads, I also have a blog on my website and made more changes/updates to it. My site has also gone mobile! When anyone visits my site on their smart phone there is now a mobile site that really looks great. Again, all thanks to my husband!:Thumbs:
 
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