What an exciting time for authors. I had my first book release 10 years ago. Holy cow! It never occurred to me that it had been that long until...well, now! My first several books were erotic romance ebooks, released by an e-publisher. Starting out that way was very helpful. I learned a lot about playing well with others--and not because I always did.
By 2007 I had moved up to a small press, which was also the largest e-publisher in the world. It may still be...I'm not sure. Ellora's Cave gave me my first print books. I learned a lot from them too. My first book signings were exciting. I learned that signing with groups--or at least one buddy was much more fun than sitting by my lonesome. I met one of my dearest friends at one of those signings. You can read about our story on our yahoo group, if you're curious. We have loads of fun there, so don't hesitate to join in! https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/ashlynsnewbestfriends/info
Next milestone was to receive a contract from a traditional publisher and see my books in Barnes and Nobel, etc. By now the Kindle had been invented and book signings were beginning to decline. However, ebook sales were getting better and better. I reached a whole new audience with those mass market paperbacks and many of them downloaded more of my books when they started using an ereader.
Now I'm moving into Indie or self-publishing. It's a bit scary for me, because I am SO not a business woman. But I've been inspired by lots of authors who are doing it. My first Indie came out in May. Pardon me while I give it a shout out. The Cupcake Coven can be found at all the major places books are sold, and as far as I know, it's the only book of that title, so you can plug the name into a search engine and it should appear. It looks like this:
I went to New Orleans to the RT conference. I had a great time, and I learned a lot more--not from the workshops. I didn't actually go to any. I just listened to my roommate. Terry Spear has been at this longer than I have. She's a USA Today best seller and she knows her stuff.
So, there it is. My journey--so far. What new milestone am I shooting for? I still want to see my books in a grocery store. That means becoming a best seller. I hope you'll tell me if you spot one of my books in your supermarket!
By 2007 I had moved up to a small press, which was also the largest e-publisher in the world. It may still be...I'm not sure. Ellora's Cave gave me my first print books. I learned a lot from them too. My first book signings were exciting. I learned that signing with groups--or at least one buddy was much more fun than sitting by my lonesome. I met one of my dearest friends at one of those signings. You can read about our story on our yahoo group, if you're curious. We have loads of fun there, so don't hesitate to join in! https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/ashlynsnewbestfriends/info
Next milestone was to receive a contract from a traditional publisher and see my books in Barnes and Nobel, etc. By now the Kindle had been invented and book signings were beginning to decline. However, ebook sales were getting better and better. I reached a whole new audience with those mass market paperbacks and many of them downloaded more of my books when they started using an ereader.
Now I'm moving into Indie or self-publishing. It's a bit scary for me, because I am SO not a business woman. But I've been inspired by lots of authors who are doing it. My first Indie came out in May. Pardon me while I give it a shout out. The Cupcake Coven can be found at all the major places books are sold, and as far as I know, it's the only book of that title, so you can plug the name into a search engine and it should appear. It looks like this:
I went to New Orleans to the RT conference. I had a great time, and I learned a lot more--not from the workshops. I didn't actually go to any. I just listened to my roommate. Terry Spear has been at this longer than I have. She's a USA Today best seller and she knows her stuff.
6 comments:
Uh, well, chances are good that your trading cards have been in grocery stores. So, your kinda sorta on the way. .
LOL
Love,
Sherry
LOL LOL
Hey, Ash, great post! Thanks for the mention! I hadn't expected that!
I was like you with a small epublisher before ereaders were really the thing. Then I was with a print only publisher. Yes, she didn't believe in ebooks either. And they weren't in stores, so what do you do with print books that aren't in stores? You sell them on your own. Then ebooks came in big, she resigned us to include ebook rights, this was before self-publishing was an option, and voila, sales took off.
Oh, and another print publisher bought 2 of my books, and then folded the YA line before the book came out...and so forth.
I never thought ebooks would take off, not with the dismal start of them. And self-publishing? Whole new world out there. Love being a hybrid author!
Good luck with all your books, Ash! Fun being your roommate and look forward to attending Romcon with you!
Why do I have a vision of myself standing on your coattails, holding on for dear life?
Dalton, you aren't on my coattails. It might feel that way because I'm less patient, and I'm holding onto your hand for courage.
Fascinating post. Interesting to see the progression.
Thanks, Victoria! Glad you stopped by.
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