Hi Carolyn and thank you so much for taking the time to
share with us! I just discovered you recently, actually, Tuesday the 16th
of December, 2014. I ran out of Karen Moning, Jim Butcher, Diana Gabaldon,
Ilona Andrews, and Kevin Hearne books so I asked the Googles which indie
authors were similar to Ilona Andrews, I think. Your name popped up so I went
to Goodreads and read the cover copy for Mind Games.
OMG. Love at first sight! If any of you readers haven’t
discovered Carolyn yet, here’s a link to her Goodreads page. You’ll thank your lucky stars. I have finished the whole trilogy and
I’m totally fangirling.
--April!! Thank you
so much for this fabulous intro! And for taking my series for a spin and having
me to your blog!! Wow, those are some of my favorite authors up there that you
listed off. How cool that my name popped up. Especially Diana Gabaldon – she is
who kind of who got me into genre fiction and helped me rediscover my passion
for reading exciting books.
Anyway, I saw on your Goodreads profile that you used to be
main-streamer, published with Random House and Samhain, but now you have gone
the indie route. I would love to hear
your story. I’ve put some questions below but feel free to offer any additional
bits you feel like.
Here we go:
Q: Your first book was Mind Games, right? I’m assuming The
Disillusionists trilogy was published through a major publishing house. I indie
published a trilogy, my first books ever, and was considering querying agents
for my next one but I can’t decide. Can you share with us a bit of what the
main-stream experience was like from query to contract?
Yes, my first book
(published) was Mind Games. I’d written a few before that were not picked up. (
A good thing now that I look back!) I
found my agent, Cameron McClure, on Agentquery.com and queried her cold in a
group of 10 agents for the Mind Games manuscript. She asked to see it and then
she wrote back that she liked it, but she wanted to see things changed (it was
set in the future! And she was like, why does it have to be the future?) Her
comments on that and other things made sense; I converted it to present time
and she took it on. It was sold to Spectra, an imprint of Random House. At the
time—it was sold in 2008—going indie was not a very viable option in my mind. So
it was huge for me.
There is something
really wonderful about being published by a big publisher when you’d been
dreaming of it for a long time. Every step was kind of fun, from the editor
interaction to the cover design stuff and talking with my agent. I really felt
like Cinderella for a lot of it, though the waiting was just excruciating (20
months!) However, I was a small fish in a big pond, less than a midlister, and
so, it was a little sink or swim. It was a two-book deal, and when Mind Games
didn’t sell that big after a few months, they decided to drop the series at two
books. I was devastated. And, I’d written it as three, and I could not change
it. So I published the third through Samhain.
Q: What made you decide to go indie?
I got a taste of it
doing an anthology with Jill Myles and Meljean Brook. It was 2011 and it seemed
so radical to me at the time, and fun. And I liked the immediacy and
excitement, so I kept doing it. I sort of look at being dropped by Spectra as a
blessing in disguise, because I enjoy the freedom of being an indie, and I feel
I’m suited to it.
Q: As someone with experience on both sides of publishing,
how does self-publishing compare to being backed by the big guys?
I think the decision
between going indie or the publisher route is sort of a temperament thing,
like, asking which is better? City or rural living? It depends on the person.
There is something seriously wonderful about only having to write a manuscript
and do promo (because, indie or published, that promo will fall on you. I think
my publicist at Spectra sent the book to RT Magazine and that was pretty much
it). But they did a lovely editing job and put out a nice product and it got
into stores where I could go see it. That was wonderful.
With self pubbing,
you’re in charge of everything. You control it all. It’s exhausting and it can
be scary, too. I made tons of mistakes starting out. Just dumb stuff, like
awful covers. But you learn, and when you have control, you can support your
books in the marketplace in a way you can’t when they belong to a publisher –
you can make bundles and play with the pricing and cover and stick it in
anthologies and all kinds of things. So you win or die by your own sword, kind
of. I like it, though. And you make way better money per book, of course. I
make way more money on a 2.99 book compared to a $5.99 copy of Mind Games. I
think if I wrote faster, I’d try to get a series with a regular publisher in addition
to the three I’m writing nowadays. Because I like diversity.
Q: Speaking specifically about PR and marketing, do you feel
that being main-stream helped get your brand out there? As an indie, what has
worked and not worked for you?
I think being first
published mainstream helped lend me credibility, in a way, but I don’t think it
did much marketing-wise. Also, when I went indie I jumped genres from urban
fantasy to romantic suspense, and so I was starting over with a new group, in
part. Some people followed me, but not all of them.
As for what
works…with both my series (The Associates spies books and Taken Hostage by
Kinky Bank Robbers) I just hit 3 books, and that has been important. Consistent
quality, a strong visual cover look, and at least three books is kind of where
the game starts. With the bank robbers, I created a 3-book bundle with an
attractive price, set the first free with a strong plug for the bundle in the
back (creating a sales funnel) and advertised the hell out of the freebie, like
with email ads like freebies listing and bookbub type ads. I took a huge price
hit, but I made more that month than I ever expected and my newsletter list built
like wildfire. That worked miles better than anything I’ve ever done. So I’m
going to do something similar with my RS series once I have the 4th out. I
learned about sales funnels in Write Publish Repeat. I don’t agree with
everything in that book, but the sales funnel info is great. I’d also recommend
The Naked Truth About Self Publishing.
I’m also trying to do
facebook more. Some of the most successful authors seem to be great facebook
users and I believe it is important, kind of to gather a tribe. Honestly, just
getting out there and trying to do anything and seeing what works is important.
You never know what will lead somewhere.
And getting on indie loops or reading something like the kindleboards is
key, too. There is so much to know.
Q: What advice would you give indies regarding the mystical
“platform building” concept?
Lol it is mystical!!
I am not that good at this stuff, either! My “author brand” is a little
slapdash.
Q: What parts of the publication process do you outsource?
Examples: Covers, editing, website?
I outsource
covers—I’ve had good results with Book Beautiful, Earthly Charms, and Novak
Illustration. I have several critique partners where we exchange early drafts,
I run the spy books through a developmental editor, I typically use 2
proofreaders after that. I’ve just started having BB ebooks Thailand do my
formatting—I was doing that myself. I’m pretty good, but you can’t beat BB for
excellence and cost.
Q: What self-publication service do you prefer and why? Have
you tried others?
I would not recommend
those services. I feel like with a bit of education you can do a better job
yourself.
Q: How do you feel about the whole Kindle Select and Kindle
unlimited schemes?
Oh, that is quite the
controversy! I can see where KU feels like a leg up to authors, but I don’t
like it for my own goals, which are long term. I feel it is not in my best long
term interests to ignore other vendors, especially iBooks, in order to cater to
people who want cheap books and likely won’t convert into real buyers. I feel
like it’s critical to get a foothold with the other vendors early and build an
audience—iBooks, Google Play, Kobo, B&N—they’re all important. I have
actually gotten emails from people who have said things like “I don’t read, but
I tried your free book from my iBooks app and went on to buy the others.” Like,
iBooks is creating new readers! I will not be ignoring them.
Q: What about bookstores? Are you doing mostly online sales
or have you approached brick-and-mortars like B&N?
I haven’t tried. I
tell people they can order mine from a B&N, but I don't know if they do.
So, I’m all online.
(If you don’t use Createspace skip this question)Q: It seems
that most bookstores want a 40% wholesale discount with returns. Createspace
seems to be standard at 20% or so and defaults to non-returnable. Do you know
how to change that?
Hmm – I haven’t tried
this route! Maybe skip this. I guess I’m passing over the brick and mortar
game.
Q: What do you feel has been the most important factor of
your success – aside from your overwhelming talent and skill, of course.
You are so lovely to
say that!! Xoxo. It’s been really hard for me to let go of the idea that if you
write a good book, it will just do well. It has been important for me to work
against it embrace the more methodical, boring business side. Or, like, to
study what successful authors do and just do that. (Because, If I have free
time, I want to be writing!) So, it’s a process I’m in now, but I feel like,
that’s where doing this funnel came from.
Q: What is the biggest mistake you’ve made as an
author/publisher?
Doing my own covers.
They weren’t bad, but they were not good. Also, ignoring genre niches.
Q: Are you a member of any book clubs, writer’s guilds, or
associations of any kind? If so, which ones would you recommend?
I’m a member of RWA
(Romance Writers of America). I love them, and they’re very indie-supportive. I
just joined NINC.
Q: What is your biggest pet peeve regarding self-publishing?
I hate when
traditionally published people automatically think I look down on their
choices. I think there has been too much “I’m right, you’re wrong” self pub
talk by a few people and it has created a climate of polarization.
Q: Regarding income, both in general and per book, do you
feel like you earn more as an indie than you did/do being backed by a big name?
I know I earn more
per book now. You get 70% on a typical
self pub book, but In NY publishing, you get 25% …meaning of that 70%, so what
is that? 18%? And print is less. With smaller pubs like Carina or Samhain, you
do a bit better and get more personal treatment, and that’s a nice route for a
lot of people. I didn’t get any really huge advance from Spectra, so I think I
matched my NY pub income after two years. And I feel like the opportunity to
make more is there as an indie. For me, anyway. Some people thrive with a
publisher. Somebody like Kevin Hearne is
probably doing better with a publisher than he would on his own. That’s just my
opinion but they have him in stores in a way you don’t see as an indie.
Q: Have you considered/attempted adapting any of your books
for TV/movies or pitching such a prospect?
Omg, the
Disillusionists was optioned by a production company to pitch to CW as a TV series!!
It didn’t get picked up but wow, was that ever exciting!! They took Kim Harrison’s series instead.
Thank you so much for your time. I’m sure your answers will
help both aspiring and veteran indies out there.
Hey, I’m so glad you
reached out! This was fun and you asked such great questions. And I so
appreciate the kind words about the Disillusionists—you’re an author, you know
how much that means.
It’s been an honor to have you with us, sharing your
experience. I wish you JK Rowlingesque success!
Links:
For books and info from Carolyn Crane click here.
For books and info from her kinkier alter ego Annika Martin, click here.
Follow her on twitter @CarolynCrane or just click here.
Keep up with her on facebook too. Click here.
For her newsletter click here.
Bio:
I am a RITA-winning author of romantic suspense,
urban fantasy, and other tales of love and adventure. I’ve been published by
Random House and Samhain, and I presently go the indie route. I work a straight
job as a marketing writer, I love to run and read in bed, I’m passionate about
helping animals, and I make my home in Minnesota with my husband and two cats.
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