Writing

Advice to Aspiring Writers from Hugh Howey

This is a link I just have to share.

For some time now I have weighed up the pros and cons of self-publishing versus the expected merry-go-round of manuscript submission.

This article puts into perspective what has been going around in my head. I’m all for keeping control of my work, mainly so it has some hope of getting there, instead of being pulped, and not being able to do a thing about it unless the publisher relinquishes the rights.

The odds of a perceived failure are huge when one goes the traditional route. And, if I’m expected to undertake the bulk of promotion anyway, I may as well organize the rest.

This article is a real eye-opener.

Hugh C Howey – My Advice To Aspiring Authors [please google – I had to remove the link as it was attracting massive amounts of spam comments]

🙂

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7 thoughts on “Advice to Aspiring Writers from Hugh Howey”

  2. And I can tell you that being published by a recognized publisher ain’t all that you think it is. Unless your book walks off the shelves – by what means I have NO IDEA ! – overnight, they won’t do anything for you. Not just mine – none of them. They don’t know what they’re about, any more: in these days, when they should be pulling out all stops in efforts to get their authors’ book sold, what they’re doing instead is flooding the market with book after book in the hope that ONE will make it.
    From my point of view, as my book was not put on display in a single bookshop, nor given a review by a single ABC radio show, I was history before I started.
    Self-publishing is FUN, too ! – well I found it so (I’d almost got to the endgame with CreateSpace when I submitted it to FP and they said “Yes please !”).
    However, remember that dealing with Amazon is bloody hell. Absolute hell. But all that’s required is to ensure you understand every word of anything that looks even remotely like a contract, and you’re find: you can quote it back to them by heart …

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      • Thanks M-R. Actually it was your own experience with publishing that pushed me more towards self-publishing and this article pushed me right over. Your experience belies the initial euphoria you must have had when FP said yes! I expect I’ll go with Smashwords. Thanks for the headsup about the url, I forgot to test it.

        I will leave it a few more days before I do a review on your book M-R, just to put some more space since the reblogged one. By the way, not sure I told you, but I loved it. 🙂

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