After reading Dean Smith's article, I've made a goal this year to put 20 things on amazon starting with my backlist, not all novels and probably not any novels. Since I'm starting with my backlist, some of these things will probably be published under a pen name. Stuff I wrote before I decided to be a writer isn't YA. I didn't even know what YA was then.
And I've altered his plan a bit though. After 2010, the year of rejection, I know I need a confidence boost. So I've made a list of publisher's who publish anthologies in genres I can write and will start there first. I won't get tons of rejections, because I'll write a short story that matches the theme of that anthology. The publisher will either except it or not. If so, I have a good publishing credit and an ego boost, if not I'll self publish it on amazon, because publishing short stories and novellas shouldn't really hurt my debut numbers for a novel. I haven't decided if I'll self publish my novels, but I know I'm open to it. Either way, I'm excited. I feel like a "real writer." For the first time ever, I have an actual business plan, and one that isn't contingent on someone else. Because either I'll publish some short stories and query with publication credits, or I'll self-publish and build a following. I have no illusions. I know building a following through self publication is easier said than done, but I also know that as 2012 passes, I'll be writing anyhow. I can make my work available and some people will hate it, but some people will like it. They will tell their friends about it. Even if that's a marginal minority at the end of a couple of years, it will add up.
So I'm starting my first short fiction Friday(on Fridays I only write short, and I only write short on Friday) by editing a story I wrote in 09 getting it ready for publication. It's actually been edited a couple of times and shouldn't take long. After that I plan to write a 5,000 word short story which I will revise next week and submit.
Thanks so much for being with me on this journey. Have you developed a business plan? Either way, what do you do with your Fridays?
And I've altered his plan a bit though. After 2010, the year of rejection, I know I need a confidence boost. So I've made a list of publisher's who publish anthologies in genres I can write and will start there first. I won't get tons of rejections, because I'll write a short story that matches the theme of that anthology. The publisher will either except it or not. If so, I have a good publishing credit and an ego boost, if not I'll self publish it on amazon, because publishing short stories and novellas shouldn't really hurt my debut numbers for a novel. I haven't decided if I'll self publish my novels, but I know I'm open to it. Either way, I'm excited. I feel like a "real writer." For the first time ever, I have an actual business plan, and one that isn't contingent on someone else. Because either I'll publish some short stories and query with publication credits, or I'll self-publish and build a following. I have no illusions. I know building a following through self publication is easier said than done, but I also know that as 2012 passes, I'll be writing anyhow. I can make my work available and some people will hate it, but some people will like it. They will tell their friends about it. Even if that's a marginal minority at the end of a couple of years, it will add up.
So I'm starting my first short fiction Friday(on Fridays I only write short, and I only write short on Friday) by editing a story I wrote in 09 getting it ready for publication. It's actually been edited a couple of times and shouldn't take long. After that I plan to write a 5,000 word short story which I will revise next week and submit.
Thanks so much for being with me on this journey. Have you developed a business plan? Either way, what do you do with your Fridays?
I don't quite have my business plan cemented, but I have a WiP that needs polishing before the end of June. ^_^
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend.
good luck!
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