This is such an important conversation. Like many others, I read the incendiary article and some of the reactionary ones as well. While I've chosen the indie route for my personal reasons, I have a dear friend who recently signed a book deal with a traditional publisher for her own reasons. Both our choices are 100% valid. I appreciate that authors now have multiple options. I love the conclusion of this article, that writing is worth it regardless. Thank you, Russell and Leslye.
Thank you for this post. I know too many people making money from selling their books to ever believe that no one buys books or reads anymore.
Before half of the things on Netflix existed, they were BOOKS FIRST. People love books & always will. AND there is a rising trend of younger generation readers falling more in love with libraries and hardcover physical books again. Not to mention the killing that Brandon Sanderson is making on Kickstarter — he’s hit $41 million this year! Changes in traditional publishing do not equate “book industry is dying.” Those are two different things.
I've been indie publishing for just over a decade and am still selling strong. I don't think the book industry is dead. It's absolutely getting harder to sell books IME but we just have to keep adapting and pivoting. I now sell some books in KU, some wide, and some on my own store. And thanks to all that you've shared about Kickstarter, I'm considering trying that too. I'm a big believer in multiple income streams.
YAAAS! Do it! That Morally Gray world series has all sorts of cool patches, shot glasses, etc for the club, too. Contemporary doesn't do as well as paranormal for sure, but if you want to do something like merch or something beyond books, it would be a cool thing, maybe. Or even if you have an anniversary coming up that would be a good time.
Oh, right. You said other things before Kickstarter. I hear that word and I see green. Fragmentation is definitely something we talk about a lot in DSM4A.
I used to do mystery boxes for my MC readers years ago and we're bringing them back but for sure a Kickstarter would be really interesting to do because I do tend to underestimate just how interested my readers are in my merch and special edition books.
This is a great piece and I appreciate all the thought and care that went into it. I also shared some numbers in a TT I made last night because bookseller membership in the US is at a 20 year high. https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLuXGnTx/
I've never really bothered with publishing because of what I write. For years no one was publishing novellas and short story collections. I've never been able to sell in magazines because of the length of my stories. Writing stories of 12,000 words, I was never able to sell them. Sure, I got published on line with a couple of sites, but they never paid. When I found Substack, I thought that this is exactly what the doctor ordered. I didn't have to worry about word counts, and could write what interested me. But the publishing world is fluid, as they say. Novellas are starting to sell. So the question remains for me, do I try and sell my stories to a publisher, or do I try to make my Substack into a best seller? Maybe if I were younger, it wouldn't be a question I have to ask myself. But at 66, I'm closer to 70 than I am 50, or 40, or even 30. If I'm lucky, I'll have 20 years. Do I take that 20 years and stress myself out with the idea of becoming a traditionally published writer, or do I stay here and plod along at my own pace, doing my own thing? I don't expect a lot from any of this, and that might be the best way to approach it. The stories I write, I write for me. The people that Follow me, or Subscribe to me, actually like the stories I write. Let's just say, I haven't had anyone say: "You suck!" I haven't had anyone say: "That's cultural misappropriation!" because I write about a Mission in Manchuria that is attacked during the Japanese invasion...or a story about the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya.
I'm left with the question of what to do and where do I want to go with this. I don't have the answers. Do I want an agent? Do I need an agent? Will I falter under the pressure of producing something simply because I have to write a book in a certain amount of time? And self-publishing? Once bitten, twice shy. So I won't even bother with that. Which brings me back here. Sure, growth is slow, and sometimes comes to a standstill, but that might change with the next thing I put up. I like the idea of a challenge in making something of this. So maybe I'll just hang around for a while until I have a dozen novellas I can pick and choose from. Maybe I'll just let the chips fall where they may?
Lots of people are having success with Amazon writing shorts. They have for years had a short read category that is curated differently from their other books. Maybe that's a place to look.
Or put together a collection. I have a collection of short stories coming out later this year from ones I've written in the past several years.
I did the Amazon shorts once. I put a couple of my novellas on there. But then some web-crawling bot came along and took my stories and put them on a FREE site. (Of course, this shit only happens to me.) I was wondering why no one was even looking at my stories, and so googled my name, only to find my stories on another site, for free. So I wrote the guy an email, asking him what he thought he was doing. He said: Sue me. I said, I can't, because you've stolen the income I would have had to pay the lawyers. I mean, one story was downloaded in the thousands. So I contacted Amazon, and they shut the site down. I told myself then, I'm never doing that again. And I haven't. I'm happy with where I am right now. Sure, self-publishing works for a lot of people. And I don't have an issue with it at all. But at the time, I was pretty pissed. I told myself, if I can't publish the traditional way, well, too bad. And then they made Substack. I'm happy where I am right now. I don't need a lot out of life anymore. I'm thinking as long as I have quality stories, I will grow an audience. And I have.
Knowing what you really want out of your writing is key to choosing the path. Each method of publishing has its own downsides and upsides, and knowing what you're wiling to deal with and what you're not makes all the difference.
Thank you for such an amazing article, Russell! As an avid reader I found it fascinating. I don’t think nobody buys books any longer, Russell. Every year, at the International Book Day-23rd April-, they have books stands on the streets for a week in Barcelona city, Spain, and the sells results are incredible, this year they sold more than last year. Every year they sell more.
Also, I wish I could buy more books as I used to before I started with my spinal cord issues and had to stop working. My income is very low now and KU(Kindle Unlimited) is, honestly, a life saver. Of course, I’d love to read those famous authors’ books as I used to, but frankly, 15€ for an ebook is not permissible for me at the moment, imagine the price for a paperback.
I found it difficult to wade through Elle's long, wooden essay, and even more difficult to understand the motivation behind it, from a writer who is, it seems, widely considered successful, including financially.
Thanks for this thoughtful and inspirational article! I thought this was an amazing read. I particularly appreciated how you talked about why writing a book is important, as well as the financial considerations.
This is such an important conversation. Like many others, I read the incendiary article and some of the reactionary ones as well. While I've chosen the indie route for my personal reasons, I have a dear friend who recently signed a book deal with a traditional publisher for her own reasons. Both our choices are 100% valid. I appreciate that authors now have multiple options. I love the conclusion of this article, that writing is worth it regardless. Thank you, Russell and Leslye.
Thanks! The fact that we have so many choices now is amazing.
Thank you for this post. I know too many people making money from selling their books to ever believe that no one buys books or reads anymore.
Before half of the things on Netflix existed, they were BOOKS FIRST. People love books & always will. AND there is a rising trend of younger generation readers falling more in love with libraries and hardcover physical books again. Not to mention the killing that Brandon Sanderson is making on Kickstarter — he’s hit $41 million this year! Changes in traditional publishing do not equate “book industry is dying.” Those are two different things.
Exactly! During the bad times of 2020, book sales rose. Publishing is changing, but reading is still going strong!
I could not agree more! Thank you Leslye 😊
I've been indie publishing for just over a decade and am still selling strong. I don't think the book industry is dead. It's absolutely getting harder to sell books IME but we just have to keep adapting and pivoting. I now sell some books in KU, some wide, and some on my own store. And thanks to all that you've shared about Kickstarter, I'm considering trying that too. I'm a big believer in multiple income streams.
Multiple streams makes the most sense with all the changes constantly happening in publishing!
YAAAS! Do it! That Morally Gray world series has all sorts of cool patches, shot glasses, etc for the club, too. Contemporary doesn't do as well as paranormal for sure, but if you want to do something like merch or something beyond books, it would be a cool thing, maybe. Or even if you have an anniversary coming up that would be a good time.
Oh, right. You said other things before Kickstarter. I hear that word and I see green. Fragmentation is definitely something we talk about a lot in DSM4A.
I used to do mystery boxes for my MC readers years ago and we're bringing them back but for sure a Kickstarter would be really interesting to do because I do tend to underestimate just how interested my readers are in my merch and special edition books.
A great reason to do a Kickstarter for sure
This is a great piece and I appreciate all the thought and care that went into it. I also shared some numbers in a TT I made last night because bookseller membership in the US is at a 20 year high. https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLuXGnTx/
Thanks so much! There are so many indicators that hope is not lost!
I love this.
I've never really bothered with publishing because of what I write. For years no one was publishing novellas and short story collections. I've never been able to sell in magazines because of the length of my stories. Writing stories of 12,000 words, I was never able to sell them. Sure, I got published on line with a couple of sites, but they never paid. When I found Substack, I thought that this is exactly what the doctor ordered. I didn't have to worry about word counts, and could write what interested me. But the publishing world is fluid, as they say. Novellas are starting to sell. So the question remains for me, do I try and sell my stories to a publisher, or do I try to make my Substack into a best seller? Maybe if I were younger, it wouldn't be a question I have to ask myself. But at 66, I'm closer to 70 than I am 50, or 40, or even 30. If I'm lucky, I'll have 20 years. Do I take that 20 years and stress myself out with the idea of becoming a traditionally published writer, or do I stay here and plod along at my own pace, doing my own thing? I don't expect a lot from any of this, and that might be the best way to approach it. The stories I write, I write for me. The people that Follow me, or Subscribe to me, actually like the stories I write. Let's just say, I haven't had anyone say: "You suck!" I haven't had anyone say: "That's cultural misappropriation!" because I write about a Mission in Manchuria that is attacked during the Japanese invasion...or a story about the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya.
I'm left with the question of what to do and where do I want to go with this. I don't have the answers. Do I want an agent? Do I need an agent? Will I falter under the pressure of producing something simply because I have to write a book in a certain amount of time? And self-publishing? Once bitten, twice shy. So I won't even bother with that. Which brings me back here. Sure, growth is slow, and sometimes comes to a standstill, but that might change with the next thing I put up. I like the idea of a challenge in making something of this. So maybe I'll just hang around for a while until I have a dozen novellas I can pick and choose from. Maybe I'll just let the chips fall where they may?
Lots of people are having success with Amazon writing shorts. They have for years had a short read category that is curated differently from their other books. Maybe that's a place to look.
Or put together a collection. I have a collection of short stories coming out later this year from ones I've written in the past several years.
I did the Amazon shorts once. I put a couple of my novellas on there. But then some web-crawling bot came along and took my stories and put them on a FREE site. (Of course, this shit only happens to me.) I was wondering why no one was even looking at my stories, and so googled my name, only to find my stories on another site, for free. So I wrote the guy an email, asking him what he thought he was doing. He said: Sue me. I said, I can't, because you've stolen the income I would have had to pay the lawyers. I mean, one story was downloaded in the thousands. So I contacted Amazon, and they shut the site down. I told myself then, I'm never doing that again. And I haven't. I'm happy with where I am right now. Sure, self-publishing works for a lot of people. And I don't have an issue with it at all. But at the time, I was pretty pissed. I told myself, if I can't publish the traditional way, well, too bad. And then they made Substack. I'm happy where I am right now. I don't need a lot out of life anymore. I'm thinking as long as I have quality stories, I will grow an audience. And I have.
Knowing what you really want out of your writing is key to choosing the path. Each method of publishing has its own downsides and upsides, and knowing what you're wiling to deal with and what you're not makes all the difference.
Thank you for such an amazing article, Russell! As an avid reader I found it fascinating. I don’t think nobody buys books any longer, Russell. Every year, at the International Book Day-23rd April-, they have books stands on the streets for a week in Barcelona city, Spain, and the sells results are incredible, this year they sold more than last year. Every year they sell more.
Also, I wish I could buy more books as I used to before I started with my spinal cord issues and had to stop working. My income is very low now and KU(Kindle Unlimited) is, honestly, a life saver. Of course, I’d love to read those famous authors’ books as I used to, but frankly, 15€ for an ebook is not permissible for me at the moment, imagine the price for a paperback.
Once again. Thank you for a great article.
Have a wonderful weekend! 🧡
P.S. I love your books! 🥰
Yay! Thank you :)
I found it difficult to wade through Elle's long, wooden essay, and even more difficult to understand the motivation behind it, from a writer who is, it seems, widely considered successful, including financially.
Agreed.
Thanks for this thoughtful and inspirational article! I thought this was an amazing read. I particularly appreciated how you talked about why writing a book is important, as well as the financial considerations.
Thanks so much! I'm so glad you found it inspiring!