Independent Vs. Traditional Publishing: Why I'll Stay Indie!

As mentioned in the first of this series, I have had some interest from a mid-sized publisher for my blog Here She Comes.

Read first article here: Independent Vs. Traditional Publishing

At first, I was very excited that my work was considered worthy and still am. The publisher that expressed interest specializes in books with photographs and illustrations. They are located on the East Coast and focus on regional distribution. I would prefer not to have any illustrations for this project and I also don't wanted to be limited with where my books are available.

From what I have found, many small to mid-size publishers require the author to purchase a fairly large quantity of their own books, and though there are many authors out there who love being with their publishers, I have decided to stay independent.

I make Reality Books. This means I rely on other people's submissions to keep me going. I have three blogs up now with the intention of turning them all into books. The stories come in waves. Sometimes I get a lot; other times, I get busy and focus on other aspects of being an author. The stories will come in their own time and I don't want to feel pressure to have it done on someone else's watch. I want the quality of the entries to be worthy of the final product. This may take more time than a traditional publisher would permit.

I happened upon an article today that Penguin Books has now joined the self publishing game. Read the article: Here. They claim to respect the new wave of independent publishing and while that may be true, the truth is the Big Six are realizing their industry is being dramatically and quickly changed by the onset of authors getting fed up with all the rules being forced upon them. They know they now must be a part of this wave in order to stay competitive and in business.

When reading the interviews with the authors who have traveled both forms of publishing, it is clear that staying independent is the right choice for me. At least it is for now. I will admit, if one of the Big Six were to offer me a deal, that would be a whole other ball game and of course I would be a fool to decline.

It would give me the "credibility" that takes much longer to achieve when you go it alone. But I can guarantee that once I was able to make my living solely as an author, I would go back to self publishing. That's where the money really is if you have a decent following.

I would like to thank everyone for participating in the interview process and celebrate all the authors out there who help to entertain, inform and inspire!

Read all of the interviews:

Author Interview Sally Franz: Click Here,  Author Interview: Dorinne Davis  Click here,  Author Interview Geoffrey Hopf  Click Here ,  Author Interview: Betsy Balega Click Here,  Author Interview: Debra Ann Pawlak  Click Here

Visit http://www.arkstories.com/ to learn more about my works.

Independent Vs. Traditional Publishing

I am an independently published author. My company ARK Stories is run by my mother Ann Werner and me. Ann writes fiction and together we put out Reality Books.

Our decision to self publish with our first joint effort, The Virgin Diaries stemmed from a few things.

We had a difficult time finding a literary agent and we wanted full control. Ann published her book The People Next Door in 2000 with iUniverse. She had some sales but her experience with them was less than thrilling. The percentage of royalties is quite small, on par with traditional publishing and she still had to do all the heavy lifting with marketing.

With the new wave in the publishing world and more specifically with eBooks, the landscape has changed dramatically. When choosing to independently publish, the authors have all the control with content, formatting, covers and pricing. We have recently discounted our paperbacks for the holidays. Something you cannot do with a traditional publisher.

Recently, I received some interest from a good, mid-sized publisher for my blog; Here She Comes. A Tasteful and Titillation Exploration Of The Female Sexual Response. I researched the company on the Internet as well as contacting someone who currently has his book published with them. He reported that he is very happy with the look of his book, the cover and interior but he does all of the marketing. He also explained that if he sells 500 books, he sees $17 in profit. They also hold the rights to his eBook.

Now that I have two books on the market and the benefit of a much higher royalty, I started to wonder if I really wanted to go with a traditional publisher.

Pros: Placement of paperbacks in brick and mortar locations. Slightly more prestige as the mainstream media gives more merit traditional publishers and they often send ARC's (Advanced Reading Copy) to the bigger newspapers for review. In some cases authors receive a cash advance, though if their book doesn't do as well as hoped, they will either get a smaller advance for the next book or nothing at all.

Cons: Your percentage of royalties are significantly less, you still have to market like a demon and you don't have as much control.

I decided to put out the call to both kinds of authors to see what their experience has been. I have received more replies than I expected. Some indie, some traditional and some who have done both. I wanted to see for myself what others have to say and also share so that the other writers out there, especially the ones who don't know which way to go, can make a more informed decision based on other people's experience.

Some of the interviews surprised me and once I finish posting this series, I will let you in on which way I will proceed.

The Questions:

Indie Autors
Why did you decide to self publish?
When did you self publish and which company did you use
What has your experience been? Do you utilize social media? If so how?
Would you prefer to go with a small to mid-size publisher?
Have you been rejected by high profile media outlets who you've pitched because you are self published?
What is your advice to a new author investigating the choices out there?

Traditionally Published Authors:
- Who is your publisher and what kind of deal did you get? (If you got an advance, you don't have to disclose the amount unless you want to) but let the readers know if it was small or large. Please tell us if and how many books you were contracted to write at the time of signing.
- How long have you been published with them and what has your experience been?
- Do you utilize social media? If so how? How much does your publisher market your book for you and how?
-  Have you been featured in any high profile media publications or web sites as a result of your publisher or being published?
- When your contract is up, will you stay on or self publish and why?
- Have you sold enough books or gotten the recognition you've wanted enough to justify the smaller royalties?
- How much control did you have with the book cover and pricing?

To see more information about my books, please visit: arkstories.com 

Why I Write Reality Books

I wrote this post for someone who was interested in possibly posting it on their blog. It was rejected because I have a blog on the female sexual response. As you will see, this post is not sexual or salacious. It constantly boggles my mind that people have such an uptight opinion where sex is concerned. It's in our face everyday, all you have to do is turn on the computer or TV. The person who rejected my entry said she had no personal problem with what I've written but was afraid her readers might take offense.

My thoughts are; If the content in this post describing what my blog is about is too offensive, then, you don't have to click the link to it. Sex is why we are all here and I see no shame in it.

In January of 2004, I had the idea to interview people about what it feels like emotionally to have first time sex. I remembered what it was like to be a virgin and no one ever told me what to expect. I got a lot of misinformation from my friends and other than the "sex talk" from my mother, I was left to figure it out on my own. After a long conversation, my mother who writes fiction, Ann Werner, suggested a book would be the best way to go about it. People would probably wish to share only if their anonymity was guaranteed.

Initially, I had no real intention of making an actual book, I just wanted to see if I could do it. I never aspired to be an author. So I set out to interview women. As the stories came in, I decided to open it up to men because they also have an interesting story to tell. I received one story from a gay female and I then put out the call for gay stories. I would drop the project for a time and then pick it back up. In August of 2005, my mother (who writes fiction thrillers) joined me in collecting the stories. We put out a call on the Internet and it took a few months to have enough to make a book. We pitched it to agents and publisher with no success.

While compiling these stories, I had a vision of making Reality Books. I didn't know what direction I would go in but I have always enjoyed asking questions. A lot of questions. Everyone has a story and I like to get it out of them. In order to fulfill that dream, I needed to get this first book published. In 2009, I became aware of the new wave of independent publishing that was happening and I loved the idea of having total control. I knew it would be a tough road but I also knew that if I had gotten interest from a small to mid-size publisher, I would still have to do much of the marketing myself.

The Virgin Diaries was released in April of 2010 as well as the launch of ARK Stories, arkstories.com, the publishing company I run with my mother. TVD has been well received by my target audience; Virgins as well as parents hoping to educate their teens in a sex positive way. Most parents are afraid of the book but when they give it a chance, they see the value it has.

The idea for my next book came from a friend. In our discussions about men and how much they confuse women, she suggested I interview them on what they go through when they suffer from a broken heart. In December 2010, the call went out to men and by May of 2011, I had thirty-eight stories from anonymous men that surprised me. The candor and eloquence of the stories they shared is so moving and quite eye opening. A decent portion of the men report they were not intimate with a women after a hard break-up for many years. WOW!!!! News to me! Women are often under the impression that men have it so easy and Ain't No Sunshine: Men Reveal The Pain Of Heartbreak shows that males have a harder time because society calls for them to appear strong and macho. They claim to do much of their suffering in silence but they do have a lot to say about it. Once again, the veil of anonymity gave them the freedom to be very honest. I like to say that it's a rare glimpse into the elusive male psyche.

I currently run three blogs where I am collecting stories as well. The Body and Self Image Blog is really a labor of love for me. I was an actress and worked on the daytime drama Days Of Our Lives for seven years. My experience as an actress was fun but hard on my self image. I always battled with my body and the way I look. I saw actresses who were bone thin and tiny. I am 6 ft tall and though I am slender, I have never been skinny.  When I started the blog that will later be a book, I wanted the focus to be both men and women and ask people to write about whatever they wish. The result is fascinating. Some of the topics include: Male Body Dysmorphic Disorder, Thinning Hair in Both Genders, Cancer, Weight, Acne and so much more. Most choose to be credited but some choose to post anonymously. The one thing I have found is that we all feel inadequate in some way. Some people have overcome their obstacles but most deal with it daily. \When I read the stories as they come in, I am always moved and it makes me feel less alone when I am feeling insecure. It goes to show that there IS comfort and healing in sharing.

I dove back into the sexual arena with  Here She Comes! A Tasteful And Titillating Exploration Of The Female Sexual Response. I am collecting stories from anonymous women and they tell men exactly what to do and what not to do in the bedroom. I got this idea because of my conversations with so many women over the years about sex. They would admit that they were not getting the same pleasure their male partner does when it comes to sex. They also express inhibition when bringing the subject up for fear of being rejected. The more I thought about it, the more frustrated I became and saw a need for this to be in the open. Why should women feel scared to tell their mate what works for them? If the men are never told, they really have no idea they are not satisfying their partner. Resentments can build up and their sex life suffers. It's my hope to provide these stories so that couples can start a dialogue in a positive way and incorporate fun back into their sex lives.

My latest project is Mom. I want to get stories from and about the moms of the world. There are many mom blogs out there dealing with parenting and I wanted to put my spin on "Mom." My mother and I have a very close relationship. I can only imagine what great stories will come in. I am excited to read them and looking forward the the eventual book.

I love asking questions. I love the answers people give. There are many books out there written by experts and they have merit. It is usually from one point of view. I like to provide many different opinions and views. I provide very little commentary. By sharing our stories, we can all learn and empathize as well as maybe even seeing something in a new way. This is what motivates me.

I don't expect to change the world but I do hope to inspire, entertain and inform. I try to pick subjects that are interesting to me and have a universal appeal. I think people are interesting. Everyone has a story. What's yours?