Indie Year One: Great (?) Expectations

Posted by on Thursday, August 18, 2011 · 3 Comments 

It’s Thursday! I’m back *wink*

Last time I was here, I talked about why I decided to go indie. Everyone asked some great questions and I’ll be getting to as many of them as I can in the coming weeks.

But first, before you start formating or deciding where to post your book or how to price it or what the cover should be, tell me… what are your expectations?

Do you just want to share the stories you love with people. To be an author and enjoy the ride? Awesome!

Are you in it to sell big, quit your day job and become famous? Wow! Great!

But, are you being realistic?

I’m not saying no one can sell big and quit their day job. I’m asking, have you planned for it? Have you planned the time and connections and marketing work? No one makes it big without a lot of leg work (or paying someone to do a lot of leg work)

I bet all those people saying, So glad I said I just want to enjoy the ride, are giving a big sigh of relief. But, are you being realistic.

Are you prepared to do well? To suddenly have to pay attention to your book and readers? Look out! It could happen! Are you also prepared to sell almost none… because, there’s a good chance no leg-work equals low sales.

Here’s the thing –> It doesn’t really matter. Either (and anything in-between) are valid reason to produce a quality product and indie-pub it. But, expectations are the foundation for joy and appreciation… and how do you know when you’ve succeeded.

So, before jumping on the indie bandwagon, there’s a couple questions to ask (yes, before diving too deeply into hiring an editor and getting a cover and learning to format):

What do you expect to put into the experience?
What do you expect to get out of this experience?

The honest truth, just like anywhere else, is you’ll get out what you put in. Indie pubbing isn’t a magic bullet. It’s work. It’s a joy type of work, but still work. So, map your indie path now before it’s time to head out so you know when you’ve arrived.
 
~Caitie~

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Caitie writes stuff. Stuff that’s funny — hopefully.

If it’s not funny, you can totally blame the weather, or her lack of chocolate, or the formatting, or her cat. Wait, she doesn’t have a cat. Scratch that last one. Check out It’s in His Kiss on Amazon.

Caitie blogs at caitiequinn.wordpress.com, or you can check her out on twitter @CaitieQuinn or email her at Caitie.Quinn (AT) aol.com




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Comments

3 Responses to “Indie Year One: Great (?) Expectations”
  1. Susan Saxx says:
    August 18, 2011 at 6:53 pm

    Hi Caitie!

    These are great questions. I’m glad you started with this, as it’s likely the basis of everything that follows, and it’s a terrific reminder. What are you willing to put in at the beginning, and then, as you (hopefully) get crazy busy? Going indie means you have to think about the time and energy commitment, as you’re in the driver’s seat.

    Thanks again for giving us such an excellent starting point. =)

  2. Caitie Quinn says:
    August 18, 2011 at 7:51 pm

    Thanks Susan. So often we rush headlong into the “exciting parts” when really, the entire journey is exciting. Building a strong foundation is always the right first move :)

  3. Donald Machine says:
    August 19, 2011 at 9:05 am

    I learned a lot from this post, great help for me, thank you!

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