tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7956176634474051220.post2492803429615497259..comments2023-08-23T01:12:35.906-07:00Comments on Dollars and Deadlines: Five Good Reasons to Go PODAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12518158232642872324noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7956176634474051220.post-5348395953330150452011-01-06T08:48:58.068-08:002011-01-06T08:48:58.068-08:00Thanks so much, Anne! I hope you find it helpful.....Thanks so much, Anne! I hope you find it helpful...let me know what you think and if you have any questions I neglected to address. :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12518158232642872324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7956176634474051220.post-36762353221377398152011-01-06T08:21:49.292-08:002011-01-06T08:21:49.292-08:00Hi Kelly! I'm late to this thread, but just wa...Hi Kelly! I'm late to this thread, but just wanted to let you know that I just purchased your book (so happy it's available on Kindle!) and can't wait to read it. I'm in the middle of ghosting my first project and am sure your book will be a great resource. Thanks for all you do for the freelancing community.Anne Fordhttp://www.anne-ford.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7956176634474051220.post-90786032262071332622010-11-29T12:15:28.640-08:002010-11-29T12:15:28.640-08:00Thanks, Abby! I think you'll find it helpful, ...Thanks, Abby! I think you'll find it helpful, and yup, it's chock-full of specifics! :) Please let me know what you think and if you have any questions about it afterwards. :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12518158232642872324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7956176634474051220.post-78449526902350808192010-11-29T11:55:59.803-08:002010-11-29T11:55:59.803-08:00This is really interesting, Kelly. I had no intere...This is really interesting, Kelly. I had no interest in ghostwriting until I started to read more about it & opportunities came my way. I will definitely check out your book. One of the things I've always admired about you is how open you are about your career and how you DO give those specifics that are crucial for independent writers. Where else are we going to get that info if not from successful writers willing to share it? So thanks. :)Abbyhttp://www.abigailgreen.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7956176634474051220.post-67575551296854945192010-11-29T10:20:14.102-08:002010-11-29T10:20:14.102-08:00Great comment, Louisa--and you're right. POD g...Great comment, Louisa--and you're right. POD gives you a lot more time and flexibility to build your audience/readership. You really have to take a "long-sales-cycle" approach to selling your books--something I "knew" before but now really *get*.<br /><br />And congrats on your book and your great sales--as I know from personal experience, fiction is much harder to sell than nonfiction!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12518158232642872324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7956176634474051220.post-49374722888427980132010-11-29T10:13:34.755-08:002010-11-29T10:13:34.755-08:00Interesting post, and as someone who has observed ...Interesting post, and as someone who has observed and participated in the explosion of self-publishing in the past two years, I am delighted to witness another person giving it a try.<br /><br />In response to Kristine, one of the ways that people who do not have a platform get readers is very similar to how a book that hasn't hit a bestseller list in a bookstore does--only you do it through eretailers like Amazon. You make sure that your book can be found through key words (tags) and browsing categories-(just as you would want your book to be shelved in the right place in a book store), and you make sure you have a title and cover that would strike someone as interesting. You have a product description and reviews that act the same way that the back cover and blurbs do on a traditional book. And you offer sample chapters-so the prospective buyer can get a feel for the book and make sure it is well produced.<br /><br />And, unlike a traditionally published book, if you don't already have a market-you have time to build it. I know the common wisdom is that you need to have a platform built before the book comes out (blog, twitter following etc) and this certainly helps, but it isn't necessary. When I published my historical mystery, Maids of Misfortune, last December I didn't have a platform, I started my blog after the book was out, I had a facebook following of about 50, I didn't have any reviews. But in the next 5 months I built that platform, as the book slowly began to sell. By month 6 it really took off, and I sold 500 books in November alone (most on Kindle). But if I had a traditionally published book, by month five the book probably woulld have been judged a failure and the returns would have begun.<br /><br />So, one of the benefits of POD, or self-publishing an ebook, is that you can take the time to build your readership, and your rankings, and your world of mouth.M. Louisa Lockehttp://mlouisalocke.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7956176634474051220.post-32029975384818265372010-11-15T12:01:30.866-08:002010-11-15T12:01:30.866-08:00Good point, Kristine. And the short answer is that...Good point, Kristine. And the short answer is that authors need a following today, even before their book comes out. That's what has changed--it used to be that you could sell a book and build a platform from that. Now publishers expect you have a platform ahead of time--and that's just as true if you go POD or self-publish. You do that by writing articles about the subject, blogging, speaking, using social media, and doing other things to develop your expertise and build a readership as well. For more on this idea, check out Christina Katz's excellent book, Get Known Before the Book Deal.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12518158232642872324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7956176634474051220.post-34798524685458394032010-11-15T10:41:21.717-08:002010-11-15T10:41:21.717-08:00Kelly, I'm sure I'll be buying your book s...Kelly, I'm sure I'll be buying your book soon because I have read "Six Figure Freelancing" and love it. That's my point--you have an already established following, and we trust you, and that's why I'm willing to buy your book. But for authors with no following/expertise, how could buyers take the chance of buying something that might (with no publisher to flesh it out) be bad? Yet because I know your work and your expertise and your abilities, I'm definitely signed on to get this!!!Kristinehttp://www.kristinemeldrumdenholm.comnoreply@blogger.com