By Natalie Burg
These days, everyone’s an entrepreneur. That includes creative professionals, such as artists, musicians and authors, who used to be considered nearly the vocational opposite of businesspeople. Not anymore. Thanks to the advent of self-publishing, crowdfunding and e-commerce, indie artists of all kinds are launching their creative careers as solopreneurs.
We all know how tough it is to get just the right name for a character.
One of my first sales of a short-story, back before I got OFF the Dead Tree Publishing hamster wheel, featured a Japanese character. Not to put too fine a point on it, the story really isn’t about Japanese culture at all; it’s a sci-fi story that blends computer programs and origami. All I really wanted was a name that I could verify as being Japanese and male and I was off!
But for most of my main characters, I take just as much care and effort into their name as I do into crafting any other aspect of my story.
In this article it has come to light that publishing super-star JK Rowling conducted a very interesting experiment:
She published a book under a pen name, using a traditional publisher.
It didn’t make a huge impact.
Let’s think about this for a moment:
Copyright JK Rowling
I’m pretty sure that anything that JK Rowling writes is as good, or even better, than her writing in Harry Potter.
So why didn’t the book have huge sales and massive followings and become a household name?
Because traditional publishers are risk-adverse, especially for “new” authors. While they may publish a book by an known, the amount of marketing effort they’ll give that book is limited at best.
First off, we have to understand that any book written by someone as well known as JK Rowling would be launched through a media tsunami with press releases, a news junket, author interviews and a book tour.
Very few authors receive this red-carpet treatment so we start out with an unfair disadvantage.
In my career as an author and now as a publisher, I’ve heard too many stories of authors who have given up on their manuscript. They got too many rejections. It just couldn’t be sold. It wouldn’t make enough money in the mass market.
For every story that you hear of the “overnight” success of an author who finally had a book published after twenty or thirty rejections there are hundreds of other authors who had to abandon the dream.
Does this mean that they were inferior? Or that the dream was inferior?
Nope. It simply means that at some point an author has to look at her time and say: I believe in this story but I have to live my life as well. I have to work or write another project or take care of my family or… Whatever. It’s time to stop pursuing a publishing contract.
And then there’s one Colorado author who realized that you don’t have to chase a publishing contract to have wild success. You can take matters into your own hands.
A huge shout-out to all our service men and women who put their lives on the line for us so we can have our backyard BBQ, fireworks, parades, and daily celebrations.
I have a confession to tell you:
I never really “got” it until recently. I never really understood our Veterans and what they’ve given and done and sacrificed to our country. Isn’t that kind of sad? But I wasn’t raised in a military family. I had a few acquaintances who had ties to the military, my uncle sends regular care packages to troops overseas, a former roommates’ grandma makes blankets, a friend’s daughter graduated from the Air Force Academy.
But me, I never really GOT it.
Announced today, two major traditional publishers will be merging: Penguin and Random House. The merger will create a new world superpower in the publishing industry.
Read some articles:
So what does this mean to you, as an indie author?
In the beginning, not much. The merge has been on the tables since October 2012. And for the first months of the new imprint, the new company will be focusing on the internal shakeups that come from any huge business change.
But after that?
Kindle Worlds Is Growing—Amazon Publishing Announces New Licenses from Valiant Entertainment and Best-Selling Authors Hugh Howey, Barry Eisler, Blake Crouch and Neal Stephenson
Any writer can soon publish fan fiction inspired by Valiant comic book heroes Bloodshot, X-O Manowar, Archer & Armstrong, Harbinger and Shadowman
Writers can also create new stories based on Howey’s Silo Saga, Eisler’s John Rain novels, Crouch’s Wayward Pines Series, and the Foreworld Saga by Neal Stephenson, Greg Bear, Mark Teppo and more
SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)– (NAS: AMZN) —Today, Amazon Publishing announced that it has secured licenses for its new publishing platform, Kindle Worlds, with leading comic book publisher Valiant Entertainment and best-selling authors Hugh Howey, Barry Eisler, Blake Crouch and Neal Stephenson. Through these licenses, any writer will be able to create and sell fan fiction inspired by the popular Worlds of Valiant superhero comic book series Bloodshot, X-O Manowar, Archer & Armstrong, Harbinger, and Shadowman, with more to be added at a later date, as well as Howey’s Silo Saga, Eisler’s John Rain novels, Crouch’s Wayward PinesSeries, and the Foreworld Saga. Kindle Worlds is the first commercial publishing platform that will enable any writer to create fan fiction based on a range of original stories and characters and earn royalties for doing so.
“Since announcing Kindle Worlds just weeks ago, we’ve been energized by the interest and enthusiasm for this new program—from writers and readers alike,” said Philip Patrick, Director, Business Development and Publisher of Kindle Worlds. “With content from 2012’s Diamond Gem award-winning Comic Book Publisher of the Year and the work of several best-selling authors, we’re excited to expand Kindle Worlds and give writers even more options to be creative and earn royalties.”
“Kindle Worlds presents an amazing opportunity to bring Valiant’s wide-ranging universe of characters to a new medium, and empower fans and aspiring creators,” said Gavin Cuneo, Valiant’s CFO and Head of Strategic Development. “Comics are well known for their passionate and interactive fan communities, and, through the Kindle Worlds platform, we’re excited to give aspiring authors and fans the opportunity to work within the Valiant Universe, make their stories accessible to a large audience, and earn revenue for their work.”