The Benefits of Belonging to a Community of Authors when Publishing
Words fail to express how much my author friends have helped me in my publishing journey.
Without the help and support and bartering of services with Alicia Scarborough, I would have been forced to pay someone to create covers for my various self published short stories.
The various friends who have volunteered to either BETA read or edit my manuscripts saved me hundreds of dollars in editing fees for my self-published titles. While at the same time costing me many hours in BETA reading their manuscripts in return. However, reading their works is more of a pleasure than anything else.
I have said it many times, my favorite part of being an author is meeting new author friends. Most my author friends will never be able to BETA read one of my stories. Nor will they join my ARC (advanced reader copies) team, someone who agrees to read your book before the release and post a review of your book on release day. My friends are there to help to support me when I feel depressed. Or when I want to talk out a certain problem or plot hole, and so on.
In short, I have benefited greatly by surrounding myself with other authors, sharing each other’s frustrations, successes, and literary discussions.
That is why I chose to create the Burning Embers Author Discussion Group on Facebook. And that is why Ally & I created this blog. It is another platform we can use to reach out to and help more author friends.
Publishing costs can run anywhere from $0 – as much as you desire to spend.
I have not spent a single dime on any of my current publications, self-published or traditional published.
Here are a few various categories that may cost money:
Editing:
As I have shared before, I barter services for editing, so I am not familiar with editing costs. I do know from previous inquiries that some editors charge you by the page, others charge by the word count. If you confident in your editing abilities, then you may choose to edit your own books free of charge, but I am not confident in my own editing prowess, which is why I barter services. Content editing gets very expensive, but I hear the end result is worth the cost, both in the quality of your story and in the value of the experience to improve your own writing prowess. I know the one time I bartered services for a content editor, my content editor was instrumental in helping me see what did and did not work in my book, and helped me understand why.
Cover:
There are some fantastic covers out there that cost thousands of dollars, others that are fantastic and only cost a few dollars. And you have everything in between for both cost and quality. If you publish with a traditional publishing house, you do not pay for your cover, pending on your contract with your publisher. If you create your own covers, which some of my authors friends do, then you also do not pay for covers. And if you barter services, well, then you do not pay for covers with money, just time to accomplish whatever it is you and the cover designer agreed to.
Formatting:
So I get my formatting free in three different ways. First, I barter services for formatting for some self published titles. Second, I upload my books to either Amazon KDP Publishing or Draft 2 Digital, and they do all the formatting free of charge. Third, my publisher formats my books I have contracted with them free of charge. But if you want specific formatting done just the right way, you can research how to do it yourself, you can barter services with someone who knows how to format well, or you can pay for it. I don’t know if formatting services are expensive or inexpensive, but I do know it is one other cost that needs to be taken into consideration.
The one thing that all authors need to consider when looking at publishing costs is marketing and advertising costs. The larger the publisher, the greater that publishers reach and marketing value, but that does not mean they do not do everything for their authors. It does not matter who is publishing your book, you want to look into having a marketing and advertising budget. How much you spend will depend on several variables that I cannot tell you, because they are not universal. But, in general, if you want to find new readers, well, then not spending any money at all on any aspect of marketing or advertising will be detrimental to your sales goals.
Why Traditionally Publish A Book When I Can Do It Myself?
There are a quite a few pros to publishing with a publisher. First, you have the resources of your publisher to help you market and sell books. That by itself is potentially HUGE, pending on the publisher you sign on with.
Other Pros include:
*Editing services provided by your publisher. I strongly recommend all authors to edit their books to their fullest, either themselves or others, before submitting anything to a publisher. But, a new pair of eyes on a story is always helpful.
*Book Descriptions or Blurbs. One thing that I struggle with the most on my own is crafting intriguing book descriptions for my self-published novels. My titles published through my publisher, Cosby Media Productions, have better, more enticing book descriptions than anything I can craft myself.
*Book Covers. Publishers, pending on your contract of course, have their own resources for creating book covers.
*Formatting. Publishers, here again pending on your contract, take care of the formatting.
There are more Pros, but for me personally, the above are the biggest influences as to why I sought a publisher for “The United, The Realm of the Light Book 1.”
What are the CONS to going with a Traditional Publisher?
Like with the pros, there are quite a few different cons to singing with a traditional publisher, and different authors lists of pros and cons will vary. Here are just a few of my biggest cons.
*Setting Pricing. DISCLAIMER: I have not had this problem with CMP, but a former publisher. I discussed pricing of ebooks with one publisher who desired The United, my only published title at the time, to be priced at something like $15.99 AS AN EBOOK! I don’t know about you, but as for me, I would never buy an ebook at $16, no matter the author.
*You may not like the cover the Publisher gives your book. It happens. Some publishers I have heard of will talk with you about it and change the cover, others, not so much. On this count, I have been lucky. My CMP covers are the best.
*Release Date. DISCLAIMER: THE FOLLOWING STORY IS A COMBINATION OF THREE DIFFERENT AUTHOR FRIENDS WHO TALKED WITH ME ABOUT BOOK RELEASE WHOAS. I WAS NOT ONE OF THE AUTHORS ILLUSTRATED HERE, MY PUBLISHER HAS GIVEN THE MOST SUPPORT OF ANY ON BOOK RELEASES AND COVER RELEASES. My friend, let’s call him Jim, had book 3 of a series that I absolutely loved coming out with a small publisher. Jim was told the book would be released on Jan 1st. (No, not really New Year’s Day, I am using it for this example to illustrate what happened). But his publisher never gave Jim a pre-release link, nor a look at the cover, so he could do a cover reveal or promote pre-release sales. Searching for something else on Amazon the week before Christmas, Jim stumbled upon his Book 3, published and available for sale (not PRE-SALE mind you, but released for sale). That accidental find was the first time Jim saw his new cover, and he had to save the cover from Amazon because his publisher never released that to him personally. Moral of the story: research your publisher before you sign anything. If possible, talk with some other authors who are published with the prospective publishing firm.
*I’m tired of getting rejection letters from Publishers and Agents. On this point, some publishing firms, the BEST publishing firms among them, only accept manuscripts through literary agents. Some don’t. That does not make it a bad publisher. One publisher I would like to sign on with, and who sent me a rejection note on two separate occasions for The United, The Realm of the Light Book 1, was Shadow Mountain. They accept non-solicited manuscripts, and are a very good publisher that has seen success in marketing and selling of fantasy books, Brandon Mull’s best selling series, Fablehaven, is one of theirs. But it can be discouraging for a new author to get so many rejection notes, especially when you have faith in your book and you have the ability to self-publish.
*I want full control over every step of the publishing process. I have heard this, or if not this phrase specifically, something similar to it from many, many, many self-published authors. They want full control over pricing, marketing, promotional sales, book cover, book descriptions, etc.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Not all books are meant for every publisher. Some books will do better if self-published. Others will do better with a small press, others with a large press. Every book has its own journey, its own ideal home. I recommend you think about what you want to accomplish with the release of your current WIP (Work In Progress) before deciding how to go about publishing it.
So this is a topic that is near and dear to my heart, and brings a tear to my eye every time I think of it.
I love my Author Friends. I am so grateful to them for all their help and support.
I have not had to spend a single penny to publish any of my self-published works.
I have bartered services with friends for editing, teasers, book covers, and formatting. I will be the first to admit that the editing on my self-published titles are not the best. But, I will equally be the first to say my covers are as eye catching as anyone else’s.
One thing I have done on my own every time is create my own book descriptions. That is one failing I will own. I am working on improving my copyrighting, but it is still not that great.
But, my community helps me with that, too. I draw on the strength and prowess and support of my fellow authors almost daily.
This is my FREE introductory course to BETA Reading by JQM.
Before I begin, let me honest with you. I am no expert on editing. My degree is in Anthropology with an Archaeology Emphasis and dual minors in Russian and Geology. I only went to the mandatory English classes in high school and college, and that was many years ago.
What I have learned about BETA READING I have taught myself or have been told by authors with more experience. So here is my informal opinion on BETA reading.
What Is BETA Reading?
Well, that is a good question. Is Beta Reading content editing? Is it proof reading? Is it simply reading a book before it is published?
Well, BETA reading is when you have a book ready to send to your publisher or self publish. But it is not quite ready for publication. When you want a second opinion on the story.
So you ask a trusted friend or friends to look over your manuscript for a much needed second opinion.
What Do You Do Expect From BETA Readers?
You have such fantastic questions. Usually when I receive a manuscript from a friend, the author has expressed to me whatever concerns they have about the story, any specific items or details they want me to look for within the text.
On the other hand, when I send out a request for BETA readers, I am almost always looking for the same thing every time. To make sure that the ideas in my head translated well on paper. I do not always succeed, and my BETA readers help me figure out where I messed up, and we talk through ways to fix my literary blunders.
Is BETA Reading And Content Editing The Same?
No. Content editing is a little bit LOTS more intense. Content editing, as a friend of mine once explained, helps you restructure a lost story. It is very time consuming, and often very expensive.
However, BETA reading is reading a manuscript and commenting your thoughts, suggestions for improvement, etc.
What Do You Do When You BETA Read?
Your questions keep getting better and better. I love literature! I love to discuss literature. And I love helping my friends write better stories.
So to help my friends improve their writing prowess, I offer to BETA read stories. Usually on barter or just as favor.
I use either Google Docs or Word Documents, pending on what the author has to send me. I have no preference.
So, for example’s sake. Let’s my good friend in the Realm of Rai, Amanda Adams, Creature of Rai, Member of the Unicorn Clan asked me to BETA read her newest essay titled, ‘Why Unicorns Are Best.’
Amanda’s BETA reading request would look something like: “Hey JQM. I know your super busy right now, but can you look over my new essay?”
My initial reply would be: “Sure. You need help with anything specific?”
Amanda: “No. I just need a mortal’s perspective. Any feedback you can give me would be great. Here is the link to the essay on Google Drive. LINK-X-Y-Z. Thanks.”
Next time I am on my PC and have time to work on a writing project, I click on the link, and open the document. I only read the document through once. And as I read it, I use the comment feature to share my thoughts.
When I BETA read I try to never change the initial text. I only select either what I am commenting upon or would like to see edited, and make the changes in a comment box.
What Types of Comments Do I Make?
I make 3 main comments.
First, I share my initial unfiltered thoughts as a reader. That is my most common type of comment. Why do I this? To give the author a chance to see the types of initial responses potential readers will have. A fellow author did this for me on a previous BETA read exchange, about two years ago, and I liked her thoughts as a readers so much that I have been doing it ever since.
Second, I point any places where I think the author can improve the flow and content of the story.
Third, and the very least, I point out any grammatical errors.
MY DISCLAIMER
I am not a professional editor. I am simply a Fantasy Author who enjoys to BETA read for my friends. Nothing I said above is fact, it is simply my honest opinion that I am sharing to help out novice authors who are unfamiliar with the BETA reading process.
If you have any specific questions about BETA reading, you can find me on Messenger, Facebook, my blog, or email at jqm.serv@gmail.com
I hope you are all finding the best ways to employ your time. For those of you who are unwell, my prayers are with you. For those of you who are stuck at home for the time being, it is a great time to get better acquainted with my Rai Saga, I suggest you start with either Welcome to the Realm of Rai or The United, The Realm of the Light Book 1. Why is it a great time to get acquainted with my novels? Glad you asked.
I recently submitted Perfectly Evil, The Realm of the Light Book 3 and Shades of Mortality, The Realm of the Light Book 4, to my publisher, and we are hoping for a dual release later this year.
Why am I tell you this?
I am even more glad you asked. As a writer, I have a super power. I surround myself with authors who are more talented than I. These author friends have helped me perfect both Shades of Mortality and Perfectly Evil by volunteering to BETA read my books. As they read, they left me valuable comments about flow, content, and yes, grammatical errors. As i engaged them in discussions about my stories, they helped me craft a better story than my original drafts.
That is the power of BETA reading for fellow authors.
And you know what else? The more often I BETA read for my friends, the better I get at not only catching mistakes and issues with flow and plot holes in their writing, but my own writing improves.
So the next time a friend of yours asks if you have time to BETA read for them, and you actually do have the time, I highly recommend you do it. Not only will you be helping your friend perfect their story, you will be helping yourself improve your writing prowess.
Thursday this week I will chat a little more about BETA reading, and what i look for when I BETA read for a friend.
