The Indie-Author Lament

[kaaatable]

I'd like to learn more about indie publishing what are some good free sources to learn more about it?

[melissaconwaywrites]

@kaaatable a good place to start is over at publetariat (dot com).

[trickslattery]

I'm only on writing my first books...but I am not even considering attempting the traditional route. I'm excited about where indie is heading. Love the video.

[3357diana]

Absolutely hilarious. You've obviously been inside my mind! Brilliant.



[conceitedperson78]

and after all that people have the nerve to call it "Vanity Publishing" xD

[PennieJames]

This is outstanding. Am recommending it to all my would-be published author friends.

[PennieJames]

My God. What does any really good and determined writer have to look forward to?

[melissaconwaywrites]

@PennieJames It's a struggle, that's for sure. But each and every victory is that much sweeter. ;o)

[ocwriter2]

bravo!!!

[athirstymind]

Excellent...I feel your pain! I format ebooks for a LIVING and I'm frustrated and stressed every minute of every day!

[melissaconwaywrites]

@athirstymind Oh, you poor dear! I feel YOUR pain. LOL

[LisGarrett]

So, so good!

[aubriedionne]

Very funny! I enjoyed this! 

[melissaconwaywrites]

@aubriedionne Thanks so much for saying so. :o)

[FlorenceTLyon]

Laughed.  Cried. Liked. Tweeted.

T

[melissaconwaywrites]

@FlorenceTLyon LOL, thanks Florence. And thanks Cheri @stirlingeditor, too! :o)

[StirlingEditor]

Awesome!!!

[Wubba2Write]

LOL!!! I LOVE this! Just posted it to my FB page. Best book promotion I've seen so far.... :-)

[melissaconwaywrites]

@Wubba2Write Yay, thanks Wubba! :o)

[myaggie2]

This is Aggie again (Promotion a la Carte) but from my iPad. Ive been sharing this link all over the Internet. One of the guys at one of my professional groups, asked when you were releasing the rap version. I hope everyone I've sent to view it leaves you a comment. Again, great job of bri ging us all together for a chuckle at ourselves and our careers.

[melissaconwaywrites]

@myaggie2 LOL - rap! It's funny, I'm from the west coast, but the "country" music loop I chose seemed perfect for my lyrics and when I was singing it, I found myself putting on a southern accent!

Thanks so much for speading the word, and especially for letting me know you liked it. M.

[LynnKelleyAuthor]

Hilarious!

[Jarobulian]

That is so right on! Nice video, loved it. :)

[melissaconwaywrites]

@Jarobulian Thanks! :o)

[cparker6002]

Love! I put this on my blog.

[melissaconwaywrites]

@cparker6002 Yay! Thanks so much. :o)

[BexxiesTV]

This is so awesome. Very creative.

Wishing you much success!

[melissaconwaywrites]

@BexxiesTV Thanks Bex! :o)

[Schooloftheages]

I'm with you, sister. -- Matt Posner

[melissaconwaywrites]

@Schooloftheages Thanks Matt - indie solidarity! ;o)

[kookoo8896]

Absolutely wonderful and so very, very true. Now untie your muse and go ahead and get back to writing. The sales will come. :) Remember to enjoy yourself too. It's a lot of hard work, but it's also exciting and fun.

[melissaconwaywrites]

@kookoo8896 Thanks Kookoo! I'm working on the sequel to one of my books right now. Very excited about it. :o)

[NancyJCohen]

How cute and how true. I'm going to pass this along on my social networks.

[melissaconwaywrites]

@NancyJCohen I really appreciate it, Nancy. Thanks!

[ReaderOfEverything]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!!!!!

[melissaconwaywrites]

@ReaderOfEverything Thanks Reader! :o)

[ReaderOfEverything]

@melissaconwaywrites Hey Melissa, I am an indie self-published author on Smashwords. That's how I heard about your great video.

[tyjohnston87]

That was adorable. Think you just described my life. Favorited and posted on my channel. Good luck!

[melissaconwaywrites]

@tyjohnston87 Glad you liked it. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment and favorite. I'm overwhelmed with all the good wishes from everyone!

[bqg75]

Now I'll never get this song out of my head! This was excellent, great job. From one indie author to another, I feel your pain.

[melissaconwaywrites]

@bqg75 LOL - Thanks! My friend told me it was an earworm... :o)

[Sturgeon3736]

OMG, I feel the pain! I'm an Indie author too, and yeah, it's tough. I'm trying to ignore sales and just keep writing. No matter if my book just happened to be #1 on Smashwords, or whatever, sales suck and I'm hoping one day I'll get one book out that will send my career up where I really want it to be- paying my bills instead of my measly Air Force retirement check.

Good luck on your ventures!

K. Rowe-author.

[melissaconwaywrites]

@Sturgeon3736 That's a good mantra: "Just keep writing." :o)

[CofCGuy]

I hear ya, sister. You pour your heart and soul into your thought offspring and you hope to at least get a rejection letter but instead there is clamorous silence. And then you wake up the next day to hear Bantam gave $1 million to Snooki.

[melissaconwaywrites]

@CofCGuy LOL!

[PromotionalaCarte]

Melissa, you sure wrote a winner! I think we can all relate. I solved the problem of spending all my time marketing my photoart and books by starting to write books about marketing and writing! And they are selling as well or better than my fiction! Great job. I'm still laughing!

[melissaconwaywrites]

@PromotionalaCarte Thanks! And that's a great strategy. Readers of your how-tos probably check out your fiction, too, so it's win-win! :o)

[greta22422]

I'm pushing closer to joining you in this crazy lament, and I'm only holding back to write another sequel while I wait. I feel your pain. Love this video.

[melissaconwaywrites]

@greta22422 Thanks Greta! And yes, that old "should I bother writing a sequel" debate! I think even if sales of the first book aren't that great the answer should be "Yes." My reasoning stems from the success of Amanda Hocking - she wrote a whole lot of books before hitting the big time, giving her fans something to come back to. :o)

[ClaudeNougat]

Great fun! Melissa you hit it on all the nails, didn't miss one! Lol, and many thanks!

[melissaconwaywrites]

@ClaudeNougat Thanks Claude! I had fun writing it. :o)

[paxilkitty]

Hilarious! Love this!

[melissaconwaywrites]

@paxilkitty Thanks PaxilKitty! :o)

[HollyG1503]

Hilarious, I loved it.

[melissaconwaywrites]

@HollyG1503 Thanks Holly! :o)

[cdyard1]

I loved this video so much that I tweeted it. Good luck with your book.

Claire

[melissaconwaywrites]

@cdyard1 Yay! Thanks Claire.

[AlexisHarrington]

Hang in there, Melissa! Indie is a rough way to go, but at least you have some control over it, and it will give you a better sense of accomplishment besides saving a shoebox of rejections. (I have some of *those*.)

Alexis

[melissaconwaywrites]

@AlexisHarrington Thanks Alexis! Indie-authorship IS rough - an eye-opening experience, for sure - but I wouldn't change things for the world. Having more control is a big plus. My little ditty was *slightly* exaggerated to play up the humor...I've had two or three people read my book now! ;o)

[KatyaS69]

I'm laughing, 'cause I wrote a 5-star review for an indie, but in it I mentioned a couple problems with the book - and she tried to bribe me to change it! heh. Anyway, I'm off to Goodreads to track you down, now I have heard of you, see if your book is something I'd like :-) Thanks to Arshad for passing this link along!

[melissaconwaywrites]

@KatyaS69 That's funny! I would have been thrilled to get any review, much less a 5-star one. Sheesh, no book is perfect! Thanks for watching the vid and for checking out my books. If you stop by indiereviewexchange (I can't put the link in here) and join, you can get any one of them for free if you promise to review it. ;o)

[2009Bowiefan]

Thanks, Melissa.

The name is a litmus test; the cool people notice it.  :-)

[2009Bowiefan]

Looked at "Xenofreak Nation", yes, it does seem to have spunk, so I paid up.

(I've long thought over ten bucks is too much for most books, but then again, under a buck?? Hmm.)

I plugged it on my blog Eolake Stobblehouse Thoughts.

[melissaconwaywrites]

@2009Bowiefan First off, may I say, and I'm sure you've heard this before, but your name is totally cool. Eolake Stobblehouse! (My grandfather's parents were from from Norway - his name was Witso.)

Anyhoo, THANK YOU, both for giving XN a chance and for posting my little ditty on your blog. I wanted to follow your blog, but you don't have the blogger follower feature...

[2009Bowiefan]

Well, will buy it anyway, it might have some spunk.

BTW, I'm just reading "How I sold 1 million ebooks in 5 months". Might be something, I'm not done with it yet.

- Eolake (.com)

[fever972]

Hey Melissa, you talked me into it. I bought your book and at 14% on my Kindle, so far it's well worth the price.

[melissaconwaywrites]

@fever972 Yay! Thanks for taking a chance on an indie, Fever, and I hope you like it. M.

[melissaconwaywrites]

LOL, nah. The song is really just me goofing around and blowing off steam about how hard it is to get noticed when you self-pub. It wasn't intended as an actual sales technique for my books. Anyone truly interested can find their titles on my YouTube channel and, as the song says, buy them on Smashwords, Kindle, iPad and Nook! ;o)

Thanks for stopping by Futurilla!

[Futurilla]

Wot, no link to where we can buy this awesome tome? ;-)