The ONLY Right Way to Publish

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Anyone else tired of the debate?

Self-publishing versus traditional publishing! One is right, the other will lead to certain doom! Dun dun dunnnnnn!

Seriously?

It's been, like, four years since self-publishing took hold of the marketplace. I've been in it for three years (well, on Feb, 11th, it'll be three years).

At first, I was scared! What would people think? Would I lose friends? Would I become an outcast?

 Well, people thought I was nuts. I lost friends. I became an outcast.

Most of those people have come around now because they've realized self-publishing isn't evil. In fact, it's kind of fun!

 So, self-publishing must be the only right path since it's clearly proven itself to be so freaking awesome!

WRONG!

The right path to publication is WHAT IS RIGHT FOR YOU!

Look, anyone who says one way is the only way is um....

Do your research. Talk to as many authors as you can. Attend conferences. Learn about the industry. Figure out what works FOR YOU!

I'm tired of the arguing and the one-upping and the debate over who is better.

We're all writers. We're all lovers of books. Let's support each other. :)

XoXo,

Megg, Miss Enchanted ePubber

www.meggjensen.com  

*All these amazing gifs via ReactionGifs.com

Let's Talk Money...Again

Tip of the Day: What would publishing look like if Hugh Howey was in charge? Check it out!

There's a lot of talk going around Facebook & the web about how much traditionally published authors make and how much self-published authors make. Wendy Higgins, a YA author, had a post up, but then was forced (?) to take it down, detailing her income over the last two years. Basically, she made $6,000 as a traditionally published novelist.

I can't link to Wendy's original post, but Google cached an image of it here:
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache%3A6FHJqkM6ShQJ%3Awww.wendyhigginswrites.com%2F2014%2F01%2Fhonety-pot-average-traditionally.html+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk

(Just more proof that nothing can ever be deleted.)

I think Wendy sounds like a total sweetheart. I also think she's very happy with the decisions she's made in her publishing career, for the most part.

Here's what we need to take from this: assume NOTHING about how much authors make. Some make tons. Some don't. Just because a book is on the shelf at your local Barnes & Noble, it doesn't mean that author is rolling in dough.

Most authors cannot make a living at writing. On top of that, most authors who make enough to support themselves have NO GUARANTEE they will be able to sustain it over the long term.

Publishing is a fickle lover. One day you're on top. The next, you're forgotten.

So, really, does income matter? Sure. It matters to me. I want to put my kids through college someday. If I can't make enough money writing, I'll have to get a job. It's that simple. I'm also lucky in that my husband is the primary breadwinner, so my income is a little less important.

In 2012 I made over $50,000 self-publishing.
In 2013 I made over $25,000 self-publishing.

Why the difference? Well, I put a lot more effort into 2012 than I did into 2013. In 2013, we had to deal with my husband's major health crisis and then we moved (and were between houses for nearly 6 weeks). I just didn't have the time or energy for as much writing and marketing as I did in 2012.

Even though it's less, my 2013 income was still more than what I would make at a part-time minimum-wage job (which is really all I can get since I've been an at-home mom for 12 years and my degree in medieval history is fascinating, but useless).

I hope to make more in 2014 than I did in 2013. With a little effort, I'm sure I can.

Now you know what I made. So what? It's not that big of a deal, really. One author's income doesn't correlate to another's. You can't assume you'll make what your friend does (or doesn't) make.

Publishing is a lot like gambling. You don't always get out what you put in. The best you can do is follow your heart, make the choices that work for you, and always remember that it's about the reader and entertainment. Try not to take yourself too seriously!

XoXo,

Megg, Miss Enchanted ePubber
www.meggjensen.com

That Obligatory 2013 Recap Post (or Writing Related Reality Check)

Tip of the Day: Want to see a author/businessman's trailblazing predictions for 2014? Check out J. A. Konrath's 12/28/13 blog post. Wild and crazy, or spot-on? Time will tell!

Welcome, readers, to 2014!

I thought I'd go back and update my post from about one year ago on my goals for 2013, but, um, I guess I never did one. So, starting from scratch, and so I have something to ruminate over at this time, here are the fab readerly/writerly/librariany things that happened in the past 12 months:

1. I read 180 books! To see my faves, check out my LiveJournal post here.

2. I attended the NYC SCBWI Conference with three other ROC ladies and had a great, inspirational, fun time.
3. I wrote a fast draft of a new MG novel, and mostly rewrote the second draft.
4. I launched my website www.DeenaLipomi.com.
5. I self-e-pubbed my YA novel, BLACKOUT -- and people actually bought and read it! (THANK YOU!) (Of note: I've been writing fiction seriously for 9 years, and this is the first time I've made any money from it and am so glad I took the epub plunge.)

6. My husband created a book trailer for BLACKOUT with original music and it rocks.
7. I wrote more of the BLACKOUT sequel.
8. Teen Book Fest volunteering. Need I say more?
9. I signed with a fab agent after she read my MG novel -- which is still on submission...fingers crossed! She totally helped me nail the revisions and I am hopeful that an editor will fall in love with Joanie and Anna in 2014.
10. I met up in Dublin, OH with Tina, Em, and Kate for a writing/gossiping retreat.
11. I was offered and accepted a gig writing kidlit reviews for Genesee Valley Parent Magazine; they should go live in print starting next month! (Of note: this is my third review gig, but the first in which I will be paid in actual dollars! I am moving up in the world! :-D)
12. My husband bought me a MacBook Pro to replace my dear but failing Dell laptop that has been with me for the past five years. Man, is this machine slick!
13. I did YA Best Book presentations for Rochester BOCES and Wayne County/Finger Lakes Library Leadership Academy -- and got to see Steve Sheinkin do a keynote speech at the latter! Cool guy.
14. I got a YALSA grant for Teen Read Week and hosted A. S. King for the Fourth Annual Greater Rochester Teen Read. It was an amazing week!
15. I bought an iPhone and downloaded Candy Crush. Oh, wait, that's actually an anti-writing device....

Am I forgetting anything? Probably, but that's OK. It's been a busy year and I look forward to 2014. Thanks to all my friends, family, and colleagues who have helped make it great!

Writing things I plan to do in the coming 12 months:
A. Polish my next MG novel (hint: tween library volunteers + Native American artifacts!) and get to my agent for thoughts.
B. Finish writing and revising DESERTED, the BLACKOUT sequel, and epub it.
C. Read through two YA mss, run by my agent, and either prepare them to sub or epub.
D. Start rewrite of new MG novel, a rewrite of an old YA (hint: haunted cottage in the Adirondacks + Ouija Board + water wraith)
E. Anything that an editor asks me to do if they want to buy my MG (!). Just putting it out there for the universe! :)

Phew! Can I do it? Maybe with the new MacBook Pro I can!

And less Candy Crush....

Happy New Year!

Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing

Am I a Bestseller or Not?

Tip of the Day: According to an editor/friend of mine....here's how the terms are used:

bestseller - noun
best-selling - adjective

Or you can see it here on Dictionary.com

***

Am I a best-selling author?

Technically, yes.

My books - every single one of them - have hit multiple best-seller lists on Amazon.

Whoop dee doo.

Maybe I'm snobby. Maybe I'm too critical. But I'm not going to prance around the internet claiming best-seller status with hitting the top of one of Amazon's gabillion lists. I've even hit the top 100 on Amazon overall (paid, yes, I've hit the top 10 overall free multiple times) and I'm still not willing to flaunt it.

I don't think I'm snobby or critical. I just think I still have my head in the clouds.

I want to be a NY Times Bestseller or a USA Today Bestseller. I want to hit the big time, baby. Small successes are definitely worth celebrating. I've posted many a FB picture of my books on prominent Amazon lists. Yet...I won't let my cover artist put that coveted title next to my name.

What do you think? Am I a bestseller? Or still a wannabe?

In the meantime, pick up my YA contemporary novel, Shucked. It's free today on Amazon. :)

XoXo,

Megg, Miss Enchanted ePubber

Long Time, No See (or What I've Been Doing While Not Blogging)

Tip of the Day: Don't forget to enter for a chance to win a paperback copy of the hilarious MY FAKE BOYFRIEND IS BETTER THAN YOURS!

Hello A2A Readers! Oh my goodness, it has been way too long since I've blogged. But I have been busy busy busy and while I do not yet have a book contract, I have been doing many other very cool Librariany and Writerly Things.

Like what?

Let me share a la list format!

1. After the amazingly awesome Greater Rochester Teen Read Week starring A. S. King, I got a mention in School Library Journal! How awesome is that for our fourth year of GRTRW? Thanks again, Amy! (And if you haven't read her REALITY BOY yet, omg you must!)

2. I got offered a gig writing monthly reviews for board books through YA lit! (I will say more when my first review goes live, because, ya know, I'm slightly paranoid like that.)

3. I presented K-12 book talks with my two amazing colleagues at Library Leadership Academy yesterday for Wayne County/Finger Lakes BOCES -- and got to see Steve Sheinkin do a hilarious/telling keynote lunch speech! Last year I raved about BOMB and was so excited when it won FOUR AWARDS. Getting to hear Steve talk about how this book came to be was so exciting. And he seems like such a cool, real guy who has not let medals on his book cover go to his head. I would love to sit around and talk history with him. Fortunately, I believe he is coming to my town this winter to talk at the middle school.

4. Last night I attended the RACWI (Rochester Area Children's Writers & Illustrators; a local division of SCBWI) holiday party, and what a fun, hilarious, and inspiring night it was. I nailed my "talent" for the talent show (named all 44 presidents in order -- boo yeah!), and chatted with the lovely Robin Pulver about characters with special needs, the prolific Vivian Vande Velde about what she's working on next, the strong Marsha Hayles, the vivacious Linda Sue Park & tall M. T. Anderson about the Rochester Teen Book Festival (no, M. T. is not from Rochester, but was in the area for a school visit so of course we "let" him come as Linda Sue's guest!). I enjoyed spending time with all the other writers and illustrators in attendance as well at my beautiful crit partner's house.

5. My siblings came to visit over Thanksgiving and stayed at my house and we had so much fun! This may not appear to be directly related to the world of librarianship and writing, but you see, they are both writers as well: my brother the professor publishes his research in journals, and my sister the LMT writes original books and continuing ed material so others can keep their certification. They are very talented and cool and we all "get" each other's crazy humor.

6. I finished reading a draft of Megg's adult fantasy dragon novel. I can't wait for everyone to read it! (Head to her website for more info!)

And now it is nearly the second week in December. WOW. I will get back to cranking out the rewrite of my MG novel that takes place in an old mansion-turned-library and keep my fingers crossed that someone wants to buy my insane asylum MG!

What have you all been up to?

Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing

What's Your Standard Writing Day?

It's that time in the book cycle where I'm filling out a gazillion interviews before a book launch (this time it's the launch of the paperback for My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours- 12/31/13) and a common question I seem to get is describe your typical writing day. I like this question because I'm always curious how other authors work. So I'll tell you guys my typical day as a writer and you tell me yours okay? Here goes:

6:15am- get all the rugrats up, fed&dressed, and then off to school by 7:45.
8:00am- breakfast and errands with the littlest rugrat who has afternoon kindergarten. Then home to work on all book marketing related things- contests, promotions, interviews, social media, you name it.
Noon-drop the little off for kindergarten and back home to write like a maniac until it's time for pickup at 2:35.
3:00pm- all the homework/activities and so on, dinner, and kids to bed between 7 and 8.
8:00pm and on- catch up on e-mails and and book marketing related tasks still to do.

So it seems like my time is pretty split between writing and doing promo stuff. Is this how it is for everyone else? I see people say things like they write all day and I wonder how they do it. Maybe someday I'll get to that point but I'm pretty comfortable with my current schedule.

What about you?

Kristina, Miss Author in Action

P.S.- Stop by my contest between now and 1/15/14 on my blog for a chance to win the Fake Boyfriend Prize Pack. Lots of goodies!

Stuck? Read Lyrics

All writers have been there - you're writing, or editing, and you cannot move on because you're searching for the perfect turn of phrase or a clever metaphor, and the only words your brain supplies are "duh" and "blah." Nothing sounds good. You have simply run out of words and creative ways to use them.

For some authors, they re-read beloved passages from favorite novels, hoping to spark their creativity. Not me. I head for my favorite song lyrics.

Think about it - in three minutes, a musician must tell you a story. Not just any story, but one that grabs you around the throat until your emotions spill out in song. The best songs force you to sing along (no matter your level of talent). You sing because somewhere deep inside, the lyrics have spoken a truth to you.

To me, that is incredible power.

Some of you may ask, "Why not just read poetry?"

I don't know if it's the way my brain is wired, but poetry puts me to sleep. I don't understand it a bit. But put poetry to music, and suddenly my brain clicks on. Maybe it's the same reason I obsessively listen to music while I write.

So who are some of my favorite musical poets?

Nina Gordon - you may remember her as the lead singer of Veruca Salt. Nina put out a couple of solo albums and it's just the type of music I like to drown in.

Example:

"Now I'm bleeding like watercolors
Keep me dreaming in pale blues and greens"
-Watercolors

Alanis Morissette - Say what you will, I think she's a modern poetic genius. I love all of her music and can't wait for another new release.

Example:

"I have been running so sweaty my whole life
Urgent for a finish line
And I have been missing the rapture this whole time of being forever incomplete"
- Incomplete


I could go on for a long time, but that's not helpful to you. For all I know, you're reading these and thinking, "These are terrible. They don't make any sense to me."

And you're justified in thinking that. lol. The beauty of this exercise is that we all have our own favorites, so next time you're stuck, read the lyrics of some of YOUR favorite songs. If it speaks to you, then it will help. Trust me.

Good luck!!!!!

XoXo,


Megg, Miss Enchanted ePubber