Hey everyone,
I know this will come as a tremendous shock to most of you, but I’m a big fan of studying and understanding your market.
These days I’ve been studying small and independent publishers the way I once used to study magazines and newspapers. Looking through their catalogues, ordering their books, looking at the biographies of their authors and which parts of their careers they highlight.
One reason for this is, of course, that I might one day have a book to sell to one of these publishers and it would be good to see which ones might be right for which title. Another reason is to just see what’s being published, what subjects are trendy, and what the public is resonating with. The biggest reason, however, is that if I want to indie publish my books, I need to think like a publisher, albeit a small one.
When I first started thinking of indie publishing, it was about getting books I knew I had an audience for, but that publishers won’t pay for me to write, into the hands of my readers. I chucked them on Amazon, but that’s about all I did with them.
This year, I want to do it better. I want to take it more seriously. I’ve played the amateur game for a while and that was good. It showed me that there was opportunity there and money to be made. I’ve made an income from my books every single month for the last 26 months, even if it’s been small. This is with little to no effort. I barely even talk about my books in this newsletter or on social media.
So what could happen with more effort?
With more books?
With more attention?
That’s what I want to explore going forward, as I’ve been talking about recently. Therefore, the endless hours spent on publisher websites.
Here’s something I noticed that I want to share with you to bring this all together:
I was on a publisher’s website earlier today, looking through their titles. I love this publisher. Their covers are gorgeous and their books have a modern and multicultural feel, which I love. The topics are extremely relevant too—I wanted to buy the entire catalogue. And as I scrolled through their titles, from the ones they’re publishing now to the ones they were publishing eighteen months ago, the difference is marked.
Eighteen months ago, I wouldn’t have bought a single title they had on their list. Today, I want all of them.
Two lessons there, for me as much as you:
- Excellence takes time, it takes practice, it takes experience. Sometimes, doing something well means doing it badly first.
- When we look at people who are doing things perfectly, it’s important to remember that they had a journey too. They had to learn everything we’re learning.
I’ve been beating myself up quite a fair bit these last few months, for not having done more with my books, for not promoting them more, for not putting them in places where readers can find them, for not giving them the love and attention they deserved.
I’m reminding myself today that the second editions of my books will be better and the next books I release will be, too.
If that’s the case for a publisher with funding and resources and over a dozen team members, then why on earth would I assume it wouldn’t be the same for me?
Why would you assume it wouldn’t be the same for you?
Cheers,
Natasha