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| Photo by Matthew Henry on Unsplash |
It’s September, and the first Wednesday of said month so you
know what that means. Yup, another post for IWSG.
Even though I’ve spent this year in Queryland, I am still
very much Indie Proud. But the indie life ain’t an easy one. To be indie, you
have to wear all the hats and it can get majorly overwhelming. It would be nice
to focus on just the words, but realistically, that’s not the case. Instead we
have to write, but then also edit (and I know for some that’s not a hardship, but
for me it is). There’s formatting, and even if you hire someone to do it for
you, there’s the research to find the right person. Same goes for marketing and
finding the right professional editor. And don’t even get me started on the
techy side, trying to build a professional looking website.
My cup runeth over with things to do.
Adding to my already overly stressed state is the
announcement that Createspace is closing and the books have to be moved over to
Amazon’s new print house, KDP. One more freaking thing to worry about. The
various Facebook groups I’m part of have had mixed reviews on the process. Some
say it was easy, others have had complications. Knowing me, I’ll have
complications.
I already have mixed feeling about ‘The Zon’ and all the
things that have happened as of late. I’ve never been select and have no plans
to, that whole all eggs in one basket thing, so to be reliant on Amazon for
printing as well, it’s not 100% comforting. And yes, I realize that CS was an
Amazon company, but something about it being separate made it doable.
I only have two books out, but still the idea of trying to
figure out the move is daunting. And not something I want to have to deal with.
Same with finding other POD companies to try instead of relying on KDP. It’s a
real case of ‘there’s always something’ and it makes my head hurt.
So what are your thoughts on the move to shut down
Createspace in favor of KDP?
September 5 optional question - What publishing path are you
considering/did you take, and why?
~Well, from the above post, you know the answer to the first
part of the question. I am an indie author. If any of my submissions find a
home, then I’ll be hybrid, but indie is sorta my home.
Why? Well I’ve mentioned before that Fiendish got its start
as a blog story. Because of that I’d already ‘published’ it myself so when I
made the move to make it into a book, self-publishing made sense. I never
really considered any other option. Not to mention it’s sort of a homeless
story, genre wise. So, not something that is easily sellable for the
traditional marketplace.
Because I did Fiendish, Not Broken followed the same path
and I never once considered another option even though that one is more
straight laced (for the most part) genre wise. I’m querying now to learn the
other side of the business. Crafting a query letter and synopsis is a whole
different skill set, and even if nothing comes of it, the time spent has been a
learning experience. So win!
The Insecure Writer’s Support Group is a home for writers in all stages; from unpublished to bestsellers. Our goal is to offer assistance and guidance. We want to help writers overcome their insecurities, and by offering encouragement we are creating a community of support.
Thank you to this month’s co-hosts: Toi Thomas, T. PowellColtrin, M.J. Fifield, and Tara Tyler!
Until next time,
~Meka
Until next time,
~Meka
No more createspace? Wow. Hey, I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but are you aware that your Gravatar is being directed to a blog called Meka's Quickies? I only ask, because for us Wordpress users, that's the blog we're sent to when we click on your comments.
ReplyDeleteNo more createspace. They are merging into one company so Amazon can have all it's publishing stuff under one roof.
DeleteThanks for the heads up on the icon for WP. I responded on your blog. Hopefully I got it fixed.
thanks for stopping by
I think self publishing is the best and the future. So many people work from home these days. Writers have always done this, but now they get to add the publishing side.
ReplyDeleteTeresa
Yes. Self publishing is picking up steam. It's an uphill battle to fight the stigma around it, but I think with more and more writers going that route and taking pride in their work, we'll get there.
Deletethanks for stopping by
You need to go read Elizabeth S. Craig's post this past week on moving from Createspace to KDP. She outlines it well and had only one issue.
ReplyDeleteOh, I will Google to find the post and read up on it. Thank you!
Deletethanks for stopping by
I did the move for my mom's picture books already. It was surprisingly easy. A click of a button and signing in to KDP, and about a ten minute wait and they were there, but I later had problems where I had to redo the covers for her books since Createspace's cover creator isn't compatible with KDP's. And the manuscripts disappeared and had to be re-uploaded. I had trouble with the disappearing again and again and the new covers not uploading for about a day before it worked, but that was because KDP was overrun with people moving there books over.
ReplyDeleteOh yay! I'm glad it was an easy migration for you. I've been hearing the covers could be an issue. Even if you didn't use CS cover creator. Like the approval process is different and CS apparently fixed things on the back end and KDP won't. Either way I suspect a headache when I try.
Deletethanks for stopping by
I don't do change very well and need to let it go for a while. The processing is done while I ignore 'the change' and then after a bit I go take a look, keeping my steps small and doable.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you're feeling overwhelmed. Forget about it for a bit, then take a look. It might not be so bad. :-)
Anna from elements of emaginette
Yeah. I'm waiting until I get the official email from CS that others say they have gotten. I'm hoping that once I get that, it'll not be to hard to do the actual move.
Deletethanks for stopping by
I'm not looking forward to the move from CreateSpace to Amazon. Even though CS is/was an Amazon company, it was friendlier to work with. Until I get the email that it's time to move my book over, there's not much I can do about it.
ReplyDeleteThat is my general feeling. I knew CS was an Amazon company, but I've not been all that keen on some of the things they've done as of late. I'll be doing the same thing, waiting until I get the official email.
Deletethanks for stopping by
I hear you on the Indie life being overwhelming--I've seen so many of my friends go that route though, and do very well, so it IS possible to do.
ReplyDeleteI know I'll suck at it, so I'm following the slow trad route--we'll see how that goes.
You have the right attitude on querying--I learned a lot about my novel from shaping my query, and my agent has helped me tweak all the bits on the novel that were not working.
Here's to your successful hybrid journey--may you get to have the best of both worlds!
Damyanti at Daily (w)rite
It is a lot to juggle being Indie. It is possible to do well, but you have to put in the time and energy. Promote yourself and write great books to build that following.
DeleteYay for having an agent! It's great to have that guidance. One of my CPs got one back in June and she's so excited. She's learning, growing, and passing on her knowledge. :)
Thank you. We shall see if anything comes of it.
Thanks for stopping by
Indie life can be a bit overwhelming, but in exchange you keep complete control of your work, which is definitely a perk.
ReplyDeleteHope your switch from CS to KDP is smooth. I have also heard mixed experiences. Luckily, I just recently went from eBook only to print, so I have only used KDP. For what it's worth, working in that format from the beginning is pretty simple. So once the switch is made it should be easy.
I agree with the control aspect 100%. I like being the final word on what happens to my work, but with that, the stress level is higher.
DeleteSo far I've not done the move. I just recently got the email and I'm waiting to have a new cover for my first book done first. I've heard some people say that KDP is easy-ish so we'll see.
thanks for stopping by
Agreed. Indie publishing is a lot harder than people think, especially to do it well. If you still need a good editor, let me know--I can connect you with mine. He edits Ellen Jacobson's books as well.
ReplyDeleteI love hybrid publishing, as the traditionally published books can pay for the indie ones. It really is the best of both worlds. As for my indie ventures, it's the marketing I struggle with--staying on top of it and doing ALL THE THINGS. Glahh!
As for CreateSpace moving to KDP, the process was easy for me. Just wondering when those outstanding CS royalties will be paid.
Yes it is! Sadly there is still a stigma surrounding Indie publishing, but it's not so easy when done right. A lot of balls to juggle, and hats to wear. Thank you for the offer of the editor. I'm currently in the 'dating' stages with one. She worked at a small publishing house and I met her at RWA. She incidentally was my very first rejection when I started querying (at the pub where she worked) but she was nice about it. Told me why it wouldn't work for their imprint. I even thanked her for the rejection when I met her at RWA. LOL
DeleteThat is my hope! I would love to save some of those upfront costs on a couple of books so I have more to focus on the books I do myself. YES!! I'm a major fail with marketing. I do a few things upfront leading up to the release but after that I move on and rarely look back. I need to do better.
hahaha funny on the CP royalties. I noticed the other day I have a whole. 0.43 waiting on me. I haven't moved mine yet. I'm waiting until I get the new cover for Fiendish, but soon.
thanks for stopping by