Hi,
My name is May Freighter. I'm an internationally bestselling author of Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, and Sci-Fi Mystery. Today, I want to talk to you about my journey from Wattpad to becoming self-published.
First, I want to mention that I have tried to get an agent as well as published by a publishing house in the past. I'm sure that many of you would agree that such a feat is not easy. There is a particular kind of stories publishers want, and I just didn't fit that box. Some said, "It's too long," other responded with, "not enough romance". Words like that can really bring a person down. So, I want to you know that there is nothing worse than giving up, especially if you are serious about writing.
I believe I started considering becoming a writer in my 4th year of university. I have posted three of my novels' drafts on Wattpad and had a good response to those books. One of them, RUSSIAN ROULETTE, was even featured in Vampire genre for over 1.5 years. To me, that was a huge achievement. I even decided to try out Radish—a platform that allows you to publish your books and earn some money from the chapters when the reader spends coins to buy them. When those coins came in, I was over the moon. People wanted to read my work and pay for it, OMG!
At the same time I joined Radish, I was preparing and editing my first book in the HELENA HAWTHORN series on Amazon—a major step and a daunting one at that. It's scary when you press "publish" for the first time. Worries never end, like, "What if the world hates my work?", "what if I only get one-star reviews?", etc. You have to realise that no one is perfect. There will be readers out there who will absolutely love your work and those who will loathe it. That's inevitable. There's 0% chance that 100% of the population will like something. If you get a bad comment or a review that brings you down, don't sweat it. My advice would be to prepare for it in advance, if you can. It will sting less with each mean review/comment.
That said, it's not a way out for you to think that taking onboard criticism is out of the question. On the contrary, listening to what readers are saying, pondering their meaning, and adapting is the only way to survive. You have to write to sell. If you are a full-time writer, you may end up writing things you don't care for or the genres you aren't necessarily a fan of. But, once you assemble a base of fans and dedicated readers/buyers, you can then move on to try and be a little more adventurous. If you are writing as a hobby, then there is no pressure on you to make enough to pay your bills. In a way, that is the most comfortable approach. One, sadly, I cannot partake in at the moment.
In a way, I do miss the days when there was no pressure to release the next novel. There were more discussions going on with my readers. I could talk to them, have fun, and get to know what they thought about my work. The only times I get feedback now is through the reviews or when my beta and ARC teams read the books before release. And, even then, if the story is just praised, it's hard to tell where you can improve further.
To me, progress is important. Without it, we cannot grow as writers and people. Plus, in my opinion, constant praise can lead to overblown egos. I have seen too much of that going around in the writing community and cannot fathom why a few authors change so suddenly when they get a title like NYT or USAT bestseller. It's as if they get a personality transplant or something. Being humble is the way to go. You didn't get that title by yourself. You had help from readers, betas, ARC teams, author friends, fans, editors, proof-readers, cover designers. The list goes on. It's important to remember those who gave you a hand. Alone, this journey is impossible.
Mistakes That Can Be Made:
When it comes to mistakes, I can think of a few that I or my fellow friends have made in the past.
Not marketing hard enough. I cannot tell you just how quickly you can become invisible on Amazon. It takes constant work, trying to scavenge honest/unbiased reviews, interacting with other authors, keeping up with Amazon changes, which they release approx. every 2-3 months. I swear Amazon is slowly trying to strangle self-published authors.
Feeling down when getting a bad review. This is inevitable. I have mentioned this before; you WILL end up getting one of these at some point in your journey. The most important thing is not to dwell on it and keep on working and improving your craft. Maybe two, five, or ten years down the line you will have published dozens of fantastic novels. Sure, you'll have some bad reviews, but they will just be dust in the wind.
Being gullible. This may not be particularly my mistake, but I have seen many new authors suffer from this. They don't know where to market, how to sell their books, or where to spend their money, so they try to do everything at once and waste a ton of money. There were even cases where people threw away thousands on marketing and never made them back. Personally, I have a rule. I won't spend more than I make, and most of everything I make, I put back into marketing. Sure, that means less money for personal things (bills excluded here), but it works out fine. As long as each month you can make more than you've put in, you're in the black. Then, you know that whatever you're doing is working.
I've got to say, there will be people out there who will want to make money off of you. There are too many "experts" who are trying to get you to pay them for "formulas for success". And, sure, some of them have legitimate advice. But, at the same time, many of them provide nothing more that you cannot learn by being part of the author communities and paying attention to the posts regarding marketing, money, advertising, design, etc. Always try your best to keep up to date on the goings-on in the industry.
Stopping marketing your early books. You don't want to do this, because your novels will disappear off of the Amazon radar. Doesn't matter if you have 5 or 500 reviews. If your book isn't being marketed somehow, it will blend into the mountain of books that are released each day. I know authors who release a book a month. EVERY MONTH! That's insane. I think my fingers would fall off and my ass would merge with my chair. It's already well on its way there, lol.
Not reading the books that are in the same genre(s) as yours. This is important. Reading authors who are popular and in the same genre can help you get an idea of their structure, what works for the readers and what doesn't.
Don't be afraid to shop around for an editor and cover designer. Ask for sample edits from the editors to see if they are up to par. If you are on a budget, it's important that you also brush up on grammar as much as possible, so you can catch anything your editor misses if they aren't a pro. Trust me, typos and missing commas happen, at least, once per novel.
Don't self-edit a novel, unless you know what you're doing, and then release it on Amazon. I spent 2-3 years studying editing in my spare time. I think I had to look up almost every second sentence at one point because of my lack of knowledge. Don't be afraid to learn these things. They are as important as breathing. Sure, you may be a writer, but if your writing in as clean as can be before it goes off to an editor or agent, they are more likely be happier to deal with your work.
Grammarly is your friend and not at the same time. Know your grammar. If you aren't sure, ask for advice or look up grammar rules. Software add-ons like Grammarly or ProWriting Aid will toss suggestions your way, and it's up to you to decide if they're giving you the correct ones. Never, ever accept all suggestions at once. It could warp your story, change names, or turn sentences into something bizarre.
Always have your book proofread by someone else or multiple people. Editing is just a part of getting the book done. Your novel is still not finished at that stage. You HAVE to get it proofread, or you are leaving a lot up to chance. What are the odds that you or the editor did not make human errors in an 80,000 word manuscript?
Ever-changing Industry:
I probably have said this before, the publishing industry changes and evolves all the time. The marketing advice you've read in 2017 may not work in 2018. The readers may shift towards another genre, depending on the fads. I think vampires come back into fashion every 10-15 years. I just about missed out on the vampire popularity that came from TVD, Twilight, and True Blood series.
I hope I haven't bored you with this post. This is some of the fundamentals I think many new authors need to know before jumping head-first into self-publishing. If you are interested in me or my work, you can find me at the following:
Website: https://authormayfreighter.com/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/default/e/B01JJ39R0C
FB: https://www.facebook.com/authormayfreighter/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MayFreighter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mayfreighter/
*****
Here's a Little Bit About My Work:
RUSSIAN ROULETTE Blurb:
Who could guess that one brush of a fingertip over a shimmering soul-string could flip your world upside down and inside out?
Nineteen-year-old Helena's life changes when her spirit enters the Angel Realm in search of her father. But, things don't go as planned. Against her guardian angel's warnings, she binds her soul to a vampire—a creature she thought only existed in horror movies.
Lucious has spent his immortality looking for the monsters who killed his sire. The last thing he needs is to be vulnerable because of a bond with a reckless girl. Yet, he sees how he can turn this to his advantage. Believing that Helena possesses great power, he plans to use her against the Council as a bargaining chip.
When Helena meets the gorgeous and also terrifying vampire with whom she's now stuck sharing an emotional bond, she realises that her life will never be the same. Despite fighting against Lucious's manipulative ways, she can't deny their attraction.
As their desire for each other intensifies, she needs to know if she can trust him. After all, her life and soul are on the line.
Purchase link $0.99: https://www.amazon.com/Russian-Roulette-Fantasy-Helena-Hawthorn-ebook/dp/B01JJGL306/
You can read the first three chapters on my Wattpad page.
Also available on Kindle Unlimited.
Kelly Anne will also run a giveaway from me where 5 winners can get a 2-book bundle of RUSSIAN ROULETTE and DEMON GATES.
Good luck and thanks for sticking around!
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