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uncle aric might need to edit that a bit for your little ears, nephew.
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these past 4 days have been nuts. this book and I have had an on-again/off-again relationship for the past 3 years, so I guess that it just slowly became an all-consuming part of me. but starting last Thursday, it became something else. it took the first step into being in someone else’s hands. that’s both fun and scary.
by the end of today – again, just 4 days in an advance run – we’ll most likely be in back order country, which is amazing. it’s amazing because I sold 85% of these on Facebook, and the other 15% from here. no paid marketing, no Google Ads, nothing.
and this is all from a book people haven’t read - that’s what I keep reminding myself.
there’s also the argument now to whether or not we go ‘public’, IE: buying an ISBN number, getting on Amazon, etc… to be completely honest, I’m torn with this one. I walked away from two publishers when this first got started for the reason that I wanted complete control, as well as I couldn’t stand waiting around. there are more books in my head [after reading this first one, you might not care to purchase any more, but still...] and I’m already 3-years older than the kid in this book. and it’s time to evolve. I also like the fact that, through extreme luck and fortune, I was able to find a team to help me with this book who are also operating under the same ‘rogue’ description. so I’d really like to be able to sell a handful of these things without ever going to the monsters. everyone now knows how to search for a book, and, if we’ve done our jobs right, then that search will end up here. I’d like to think that everything was bypassed and this book still did decently.
did I mention being 5 books away from a back order? without this book ever seeing anyone’s hands but mine? 195 people. that’s a helluva lot for a first-timer with no advertising. and it has little to do with me.
it must also be said that I’m in talks with a PR team. maybe they want to be on these big sites and they’re much smarter than me. but I’ve spoken to a number of people who are also interested in self-publishing and I’d like to be able to use this first attempt as an example.
so there’s that.
and then, there’s the problem I’ve been running into since this whole thing started. the problem is that I come from two families: The McQueens, and The O’Conners – both Irish. meaning we’re no good with monies. I was taught this at a very young age. money is helpful, but it’s nowhere near the top of things important. so I had this amazing thought of being able to click ‘reject’ on the PayPal button for everyone I owed a great deal of gratitude to.
I started running down the list, doing the math in my head as I went.
and ended up with 7 people who I’d let pay.
seriously.
but, in the end, I got people to pay and a print order to settle up, so I went ahead and took it all.
rest assured though, if I didn’t have these bills, it would have been a pleasure.
a
As long as it doesn´t end up costing you more then you get… ^_^
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( did I hear someone say *bestseller* ?
1) That kiddo ranks right up there with one of the top 7 cutest baby boys I’ve ever seen.
2) Let them all pay – we’re all certain it’ll be worth it.
3) How many of us can really say we personally know a published author?
4) So tempting to go big, but understand your desire to stay rogue. It suits you.
I appreciate the sentiment, but after years of freelancing, I’ve become a big believer in getting paid for whatever work I do. Looking forward to reading the book — I know already that I’ll have gotten my money’s worth.
(Also, ditto Kari C. re: the baby.)
I agree with Brendan. When you are applying your craft or skills to make a living–there are limited circumstances in which you work for free. Surely this is as much about getting these experiences in print as it is anything else. And, if you make some scratch that’s good too.