Pages

Wednesday 1 January 2014

Woohoo! A new year!

My new year got off to a pleasant start with Wolf by the Ears finishing the month at #4 on the YouWriteOn charts, entitling it to a professional critique from Random Penguin or Orion. 

I used to be very active on YWO - I always say it's the place I learned to write - but I only put Wolf up to get more opinions on the all-important first chapters of the novel. The top ten is a bonus.

2013 had its ups and downs. It's getting more difficult to sell ebooks, though many indie authors are still doing extremely well. Persistence is, I think, the most important factor leading to success - certainly more important than talent. Publishing is still changing, and who knows what opportunities are just around the corner? We need to keep writing, stay nimble and fast and ready to take risks. In my opinion, trad pub is here to stay. After years of stoutly maintaining that ebooks were no cheaper to produce and handle than print books (a thumping lie) publishing houses are currently making a fortune from digital. But a big chunk of the market now belongs to self-publishers, and trad pub won't be regaining that lost territory.

Here's wishing all my readers a fantastic 2014.

14 comments:

  1. I loved the book, Lexi (and I reviewed it on amazon).

    Traditional publishers are still selling ebooks for £4.99 and upwards when the paperback is often available cheaper (even allowing for postage and packing). It's some form of insanity but at least it leaves the field open for indie authors who price their books sensibly.

    I do hope you continue to find a market for your work. This is purely selfish: I want you to be able to go on writing and produce lots more wonderful stories for me to read!

    Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you, FH! All words of encouragement welcome :o)

    I hope you had a wonderful skiing holiday.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I did, thank you. I came back with a fluey cold and I've had a few days mostly in bed, but it was worth it. (I could just as easily have caught a cold over here!)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I hope you are pampering yourself - or better, getting your nears and dears to pamper you. Hot lemon, honey and whiskey is good for fluey colds. If it doesn't cure you, it'll stop you caring :o)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Well done, Lexi! I wish you a wonderful 2014.

    ReplyDelete
  6. You too, Norm! It quite took me back to the old days, going on YWO. We did have fun back in 2006/7.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Enjoy 2014 - whatever in brings!

    ReplyDelete
  8. What if 2014 brings a zombie apocalypse? Do I still have to enjoy it?

    I suppose I might if I'm a zombie...

    ReplyDelete
  9. Nice job! Happy New Year and all the best for 2014.

    Cheers

    MTM

    ReplyDelete
  10. You too, MTM. Let's hope quantities of fairy dust get scattered over our books in 2014.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Well done, Lexi, and here's wishing you a happy and creative 2014.

    I had a wry smile at Fairyhedgehog's comment about pricing. I priced my ebook at £1.91 and sales are gradually picking up. My next book published by a traditional, though small, publisher who priced the ebook version at £4.99 is hardly moving - except for the few days it was on Kindle Countdown. I get 70% royalties on my own ebook but a fraction of that through the trad publisher. I think I know what I'll do for the next one!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Mary, I'd always thought it helped to be a hybrid author - but I guess that's only if your publisher is good at selling your book. You'd think they'd experiment with different price points, at least, after the success of Thursdays in the Park at 20p.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Congratulations - bonuses for our efforts are always nice. I'd never heard of YouWriteOn, which looks like a good resource.

    ReplyDelete
  14. YWO is quieter now than it used to be - apparently there was something called The Great Knitting Circle Scandal, after which many members left, some under a cloud. I hope more writers join and perk the old place up.

    ReplyDelete