Why Speed Matters

Have you heard of Amanda Hocking yet? You will. She’s the poster child for self-publishing at the moment; a runaway success story that most of us can only dream of. After going down a storm as an indie author, she has just signed a two million dollar (count ‘em) four-book deal with St. Martin’s Press. There’s a lot of buzz about that and her reasons why, but that’s another story.

Thats Amanda Hocking. Wow, look at her go! Neeeeeaaaaoow! Image courtesy of Nathan Bittinger. If you like this one, he's got a billion like it.

Now, there are many reasons why Amanda Hocking has been a success (and no doubt I will examine a few more in the future), but a big contributed has to be the speed at which she can put out new books.

Here’s the thing, to be a success you need volume. Okay, there are different kinds of success, and I guess you could luck out and get one stellar hit. Sigh, I’ll rephrase: to be a commercial success, what the vast majority of us need is volume.

Having one book out there won’t do it. Having many books out means two things:

1. There is more chance of someone picking up one of your books if you appear more than once in the book list (the chance of this is increased if you put out books quickly).
2. If a reader likes your book, they will likely pick up your others. You get to sell to the same customer more than once.

That last one is important. Suddenly, each sale is not worth £6.99 (or whatever. Amanda Hocking sells her digital books for $2.99), but £13.98, £20.97, or £34.95.

There are other opportunities as well, such as being able to offer bundles or BOGOF offers, but the two above are the main ones.

So it’s easy to see the advantage in being able to get the work out fast and accumulate a body of work.

How fast is fast? I had a quick look around and Miss Hocking has ten books out, all published in 2010/2011. Is that right? That can’t be right, can someone check that please? Oh God, tell me that’s not right!

The argument against speed

There is an opposing view (isn’t there always), that favours continued polishing over publishing. The assumption is that by taking your time over a piece of working and continually refining it, you will produce fewer, but much higher quality books.

Does that make for more sales? I can see a couple of circumstances where it might.

• You release one absolutely amazing piece of work – seminal in fact, that took you years, but is revered as a classic.
• You release a trilogy over many years (let’s say, over ten). The quality is such that the popularity of each book is enduring, and in addition you get the added bonus of multiple sales per customer. Hell, you can even sell your books at a higher price than most.

Actually that last one wouldn’t necessarily have to be a trilogy, just three books of any description, I guess. Anyhew, that’s my off-the-cuff-not-very-analytical-sweeping-statements bit out of the way. Seriously though if you know of any relevant data on this feel free to link to it in the comments.

The point is, I think for vast majority of us, having more books out there wins every time. Of course, if it’s not sales you’re after, none of this applies. If your ambition is to make this book the best (maybe only, in which case the former goal is easy) book you could ever ever write, then you don’t care about the money and that’s fine.

There is of course an exception to the “volume wins” rule, which I will title “crap-heaping”. You still have to write great stories, even if you do it quicker than others. If you’re just piling crap upon crap, it doesn’t matter how much you make, people still aren’t gonna wanna buy it.

I’m not taking my sweet time on purpose!
Or, so what’s your damn problem, loser?

How rude. But seriously, I should just write quicker, yes?

NnnnghraagaaghaaAAAAA!

Yes, I know I should write more, and I know I should try and set more time aside than train journeys and Saturday mornings, but… but… I’m so tired!

And this is me. Aw, look, I'm sleeping. Bless! Image courtesy of Ernst Vikne

I am not a full time writer, like Amanda Hocking. I have to work and stuff. Eating and keeping my home are important things to me. I actually did what I consider to be a fairly good about of writing last week, on top of a busy work week. But I was knackered.

On the other hand, this week I’ve been more lax, and I feel pooey. I would rather feel knackered than pooey.

But even if all my weeks were like the last, it would still be a terrifically slow pace. This is a marathon of ‘ickle mouse-steps, and it makes me anxious. I worry that should I ever finish something, it will go unnoticed; I worry that by the time I’ve put enough work out there to make a difference, the market will have changed so much that it won’t make a difference; I worry that at this pace, in not improving very fast either; I worry that I can’t do anything about any of this. I worry, basically.

But I see no way out of this at the moment. I will have to plough on in obscurity for a good while yet, trying to convince myself that any progress is still progress, and worth my time, and trying to ignore the voice that says it will never, ever be enough.

Useful links

• Amanda Hocking on Wikipedia
• Amanda Hocking’s blog (not necessarily about writing)

In truth, no.  I am merely in a place where I feel “Meh, is that it?  So what now?”

I shall be honest.  I have never completed a project before.  Sure, I’ve finished that novel (despite doing endless redrafts) but it’s still sitting in my hard drive, as opposed to sitting on the shelf of the local bookstore.  I’ve finished several screenplays, but again, they live in my hard drive next to my novel, as opposed to being on several screens at the local multiplex. 

This is the first project I’ve finished which is actually going to be in the public domain (Albeit after that final do over to incorporate editors notes.) 

But that isn’t why I don’t feel the achievement.  And I’ve been finding it hard to place why.  Is it just the typical artist thing of never being happy, or satisfied?  Is it because I’ve been working on this for so long, and more importantly, so intensively that to get to the finish line (or damn near) that it seems like an anti climax?  I promise this will be the last time I drag out this whole writing/marathon metaphor. 

It’s All about the Race, Not the Finish Line

This is the only way I can summarise this feeling.  Of course, now that I’ve finished it, part of me wants to take a break, while another part of me wants to move on to the next project. 

But none of this is useful advice.  I shall move on to that now.  So for this final post I want to write about that evil thing- 

Research

I never had a problem with doing this for academic essays.  Mainly because it was a requirement to do so, and I wouldn’t have known what I was talking about otherwise.  Research for fiction on the other hand, I’ve always been a little more lax with.  Mainly I always figured it was about making stuff up.  Which is hypocritical I know, because I personally hate it when books I read (or more particularly) TV shows I watch get basic principles entirely wrong.  Watch pretty much any episode of the X-Files to see what I’m going on about. 

Well, the final episode of my series is set in a place I haven’t been to in a few years, and have sketchy recollections of.  This is one of the reasons why I had to entirely re-write the last episode, because the geography that I remember and the actually geography didn’t match at all.  So I decided to do a little (lazy online) research. 

And it’s a good job I did. 

Because I discovered that the main location of my final episode hasn’t actually existed for almost three years!  Which is especially bad since the episode in question is set three years ahead of us!  When I found this out, my heart sank.  Did this mean I’ve have to entirely rewrite the whole episode over again? 

Thankfully, no! 

A little further research led to some significant relocation, just to clarify the geography, which in turn led to further edits of several of my other episodes. But in a way it helped to ground the episode more, and certainly in my mind at least, made it feel more solid and real, as opposed to taking place in this ephemeral head space that it had taken place in before. 

So yes, never underestimate the value of research, even just a bit of quickie research like I did.  Even if you’re writing something about spaceships with hyper-drives fighting ice breathing dragons in space, it still might pay to look up some basic physics, just to cover your bases. 

I’m still not entirely sure when the first episodes are going to be posted, but in the meantime, still do check out the site at www.owango.com 

Now, in traditional writer’s style, I think its time for copious amounts of alcohol.

Yes, the contract.  That moment that all of us, as writers, dream of, where our work gets picked up and takes that first step down the long road to actually being published.  Now, while I don’t have expert knowledge of the ins and outs of the whole publishing industry, I can however offer my views on that niche of it that I am currently entering.

Online publishing.

The Licensing Agreement

When I received the licensing agreement this week, it was exciting and terrifying in equal measure.  Here it was.  This makes it all feel much more official.  I am actually (hopefully) going to get my work published, in the public domain!  That’s the exciting part.  The terrifying part is actually reading the damn thing.

Yes aspiring writers, there will come a point (hopefully) when we all have to be prepared to give up a piece of work.  By that I don’t mean throw it in the trash!  Because of the way that this project works (i.e., serialised fiction) I believe (from what I have gleaned in what could laughingly be referred to as the “research” I’ve done in this area) that the agreement that I have is much like the agreement that a creator of a TV show must deal with.  Yes, you have your series picked up, but there are always conditions. 

Obviously, retention of intellectual rights to the property remain yours.  You created it after all.  But there is a point when you have to surrender some rights.  I know it’s your baby, and you’ve nurtured it, weaned, it, given it life, but then when you have to hand it over, it can be tough.  You have to sacrifice some responsibility.  This is what I feared amongst all the legalese.  But hey, dude’s gotta eat right?

Giving Up the Baby

So, how exactly do you give it up?  And what exactly does this mean?  Primarily for me (and I believe this stands for everything) the company retains exclusive rights to distribute any material for a standard period of seven years.  This means no sneaking off and getting it (or any related work), published on the side through somewhere else.  So ownership of the actual intellectual property remains with the author. Distribution rights lie with the company. This is all good, right?

Well, if you are writing a TV show, and it is picked up, yes, this is good.  Unless your show (which you’ve had a long term plan for) gets cancelled, then you have to wait seven years before you regain control over any kind of distribution rights, and therefore cannot do anything with the material, despite what your loyal fans may want.

In terms of what I’m doing, an online serialised story doesn’t have nearly the same kind of ramifications.  The ramifications that concern me are that the company retains not only exclusive rights to this piece of work, but to all my work.  Obviously this is why you have to read the small print.

While I wouldn’t in theory have an issue with this (I have several projects that could work on the site) my main project, that one that I’ve spent so much time pouring my very soul into (yes, its all very melodramatic) would most definitely NOT work in this format.

I’m not saying this is a bad thing!  Show me a writer who doesn’t want a multi-project deal, and I’ll show you a worthless liar!  Luckily, the project I’m writing does have a lot of follow up potential.  I’m unsure whether I’ve mentioned this before, but the way I’ve structured the project means that I could, essentially, write this thing forever, or until the readers get bored.  However, I do have this fear that by signing this thing, I may have to face the idea of giving up my original baby, which tears at me much more than having to write this online project in the directions my editors wish me to.

In Essence

So how do you proceed?  I’ll attempt to make some points…

1. ALWAYS read the small print carefully.

   This was the part that terrified me.  I know it’s no ones favourite pastime to wade through legalese, but make sure you know exactly what it is that you’re signing.  You don’t want to just skim over it, sign it, then find out three months down the line that you no longer have the rights to your own work.

2. ASK about anything that is unclear, or you’re unsure about.

   This sounds like a no-brainer, and you may be reluctant (as I was) to ask questions for fear of sounding like a moron.  But you want to make sure that when it says “the licensor retains any intellectual rights”, or something to that effect, it means more than you get to claim you created the world of the characters, while all the franchise/action figure/lunchbox tie ins are out of your hands, as are the profits that any of these generate.

3. Make sure you know what you’re getting into.

   It’s no good signing something only to discover that you’re bound to something that you don’t want to be bound to.  If you are signing a multi-book contract, then congratulations! That’s fantastic! However, make sure that you know the terms by which this three book deal is being signed. If you only envisioned your characters in one story, without any continuation, and you discover the three book deal is for three books with the same characters, you’re gonna have a bit of trouble getting the other books done aren’t you?

4. Find out exactly how the royalties work

   Again, I can’t speak for the whole industry, but I imagine this is pretty standard – you will only get paid royalties at a standard value rate.  By this I mean, you wont get a cheque at the end of every month for say, £3.57.  The royalties your work may generate (in my case, how much revenue it generates for the site, but generally the number of book sales) will accrue until they reach a particular value, and THEN you’ll be paid your royalties.  Yes, this may mean you may never see any more money after your initial payment, so be aware.

‘How did we ever get this far? I don’t know.’

The Godfather

Many people have asked me how I came about to get this far with the writing. I love when people ask me that as if I’m polishing my Pulitzer Prize for Literature already. The fact is, I know that this is going to be a long arduous journey. I know that I won’t be published with the next month or even six months. Hell, it could be a year before I see any results, but what I have now is:

• Step One
• And light at the end of the tunnel.

I shall explain why.

Writers are often stuck in a limbo when it comes to actual writing. We have an idea, we think it’s great and so we think, “you know what, I’ll draw up a treatment, write the first few chapters or pages and then shoot it off”…

BUT…

What if they love it? What if they say, “this is great, we want the rest in six weeks!”

So instead you think, “I’ll write the book. I’ll go from page one to page two-hundred and one and get this done. Then I’ll shoot it off”…

BUT

What if they hate it? Then I’ve wasted all that time for nothing!!!

Then comes our own personal Catch-22:To get published, you must have an agent. To get an agent, you must have been published.

Does your head hurt reading that? I know mine does.

The only thing I can suggest for those who are wanting to write is this:

DO EVERYTHING!

When you approach an agent you must have EVERYTHING that they want, from a synopsis to a character breakdown, to chapter analysis to who your target demographic is. If you are able to, post sections of it online (as I am doing now) get some feedback on what people like or don’t like. Find your audience and use that knowledge to your advantage. You are not selling a book, you are selling a product and so you must approach it like you are marketing a chocolate bar or a mobile phone.

• What makes what you have written special?
• Who will buy it?
• How many do you think you will sell?
• Is there an International market?

And the most important thing you should know:

EDIT EDIT EDIT EDIT EDIT EDIT EDIT EDIT EDIT EDIT EDIT EDIT EDIT EDIT EDIT

Those of you who think your first draft is perfect, take your head out of your ass and get someone else to look at it. Fresh, critical eyes, who can say ‘man this needs some work’. There is nothing worse than thinking you have a best seller on your hands, only to find it is riddled with plot holes and half of the time makes no sense! And don’t be afraid of criticism. It only makes us better writers. If you can’t take it, then maybe you should let go of the idea of publishing and maybe just write for yourself.

And of course to quote Yoda, “patience you must learn”.

Don’t think the first agent you contact will want you… or the second or third… I sent this book to twenty-six agents before I was accepted and even then who’s to know whether they can deliver on their promises and I end up being screwed over. (Touches wood!) But if you are determined and you want to keep going then do just that, don’t get disheartened by rejection, just see it as someone who missed an opportunity… add it to the pile of people you will laugh it when you do pick up your Pulitzer or like JK Rowling laughing at publishers like Penguin and Harper Collins who couldn’t see potential in a little book about a wizard at school. (400 million copies sold across the series and counting!)

And above all else:

Believe in yourself… there’s a fine line between confidence and smugness, which is where the editing and the criticism comes in… if you can ride that wave you will come out stronger and more able to take anything the world can throw at you.

Right?

You’d be lying if you say you hadn’t thought this way. Everyone has. But writing, as with everything, is a struggle and the biggest struggle we have to deal with is that fact there are simply too many writers. Publishers themselves receive thousands of manuscripts a week and if they haven’t asked for them they will either bin without looking at them or take a glance and then send the heartbreaking ‘does not meet our criteria’ letter. How do you break through? It’s simple, you get yourself an agent.

However, here lies the Catch-22:

‘To get an agent you must be published, to be published you must have an agent.’

Ok, I’ll let your brain stop swelling for a moment at that conundrum before I continue.

Yes, Agents also receive hundreds and thousands manuscripts a week and can only take on maybe one or two new clients a year. So you’re sitting there with potentially the next Harry Potter and after bumping into obstacle after obstacle it looks destined to become just another few MB on your computer or a few hundred printed pages under the bed.

Not anymore!

Disclaimer from Matt: Other self-publishing services are available. Comment if you recommend any

You can now self publish without the worries that a lot of self publishing has come with before thanks to the website www.lulu.com. Whereas before, if you wanted to self publish, you would have to pay for printing and manufacturing costs and purchase a number of books with the hope that you will recoup the money by selling the books, this is no longer the case. Lulu allows you to place your book on their site and depending on how much profit revenue you would like to receive for each book sold you can price them as you want and not spend a penny. When someone purchases a book it is simply printed on demand and sent to them direct.

How does this work? First up you must have a completed book. For those with just an idea, or halfway through, click Back and return in another few months when you’re done. Your book will not be proofread or edited by Lulu and so all spelling mistakes, grammatical errors need to be looked at by yourself before you put it on the site. If you have thought this far ahead in terms of what you want the book to look like you can upload pictures for the cover, however they do stress that these are original works and not copyrighted images. If you don’t, you can simply design the colour and font of the type of the book and then go.

Just Like Starting Over, by David Simpson on Lulu.

A few clicks and then there! Done!

This is where you really need to think about the ‘Why’ of all this, as in:

‘Why did you write this book?’

If you wrote it to make you a multi-millionaire then self publishing could be a great first step, or a bad one. Unless you have a cult fan base already, the amount of books you sell will be minimal, less than one hundred if you are lucky and though this is still a great amount, if all you are receiving is £2 profit from each book, the potential £200 isn’t exactly enough to give up your day job. (Remember most writers in the real world exist on their advance, the profit they get from the book can sometimes be less than 15%) Setting a price is a complicated issue, but personally depending on whether you actually want to make a profit I’d suggest the lower the better as obviously the more copies that exist in the world, the more exposure your book gets. Even if you were just to buy a number of your books to send to local newspapers, editorial columns or even agents, the price will be lower for you too.

Getting your book available on Amazon is certainly an attractive proposition.

Personally I think the whole idea of self-publishing could also be used as the greatest confidence boost to writers ever. How many of us have dreamt of having a book published and done? Some people will never see this and yet with this site, this seemingly impossible task is possible. You can send a copy to your Mum and Gran and have them place it on their bookshelves between Mary Shelly and Bram Stoker. Once you have that book in your hands, bound, the flow of confidence is amazing and then all those rejection letters, all those letters that said they ‘couldn’t see a market for it’ soon melt away. Granted, you still won’t find the book in Waterstones or your local library; however with this simple act you can be on Amazon and be accessed by millions of people who are just browsing through that site.

With sites like Facebook, Myspace and others also helping to promote what you place on Lulu you could find that this is the ticket to a million pound book deal.

Is it cheating? Not really. This is more like showing the writers what can be done if they were given the chance and rather than just letting all that hard work go to waste, doing something about it. It’s a blow to all those people who said it would never be a book and potentially the first step to real publication.