Choosing a title for your book is important too. I have learned to go on Amazon and type in the prospective title for my books before I decide on them. You want your book to stand out and if you write something that has the same title as ten other books, yours has a much greater chance of getting lost in the crowd. I have heard of get-rich-quick scam artists who purposefully write copycat books with incredibly similar titles to best sellers, but you don’t want your success to be a fluke. You won’t build a readership by tricking people into buying your book. Writing for a living requires you to be talented and willing to put in the work. Checking out prospective titles isn’t difficult, so even if your heart is set on a title, be willing to change it if need be.
You should also make smart choices about your book cover—if you have a say in the cover, at any rate. I always encourage people to print their name on the book at least as big as the title. Everything needs to be legible even in a thumbnail size. You may love an exotic font, but if the characters are too unique they may be difficult to read. And remember, Amazon is the biggest bookstore in the world and whether you are traditionally published or indie, you’ll want to do well on Amazon. The shopping experience on Amazon is very straightforward: they have small pictures of the front cover of your book. So make sure your cover is clear even when it is really small.
Your cover should clearly illustrate what your book is about to the best of your ability. The title is obviously important, but the illustration or photo should convey the idea of your book. People say don’t judge a book by its cover, but everyone does. Let me say that again: people will judge your book based on its cover. The cover sends a clear first impression, one that many people can’t get past. If the book cover looks bad, if the art is subpar, if the design looks like someone taped things together and then ran it through a copy machine, people won’t buy your book. It is very important that the cover illustrates the theme of your book.
I’ve seen book covers that just look horrible and I have seen covers that are completely generic; both make a bad first impression. When I talk to authors with bad covers I usually find out that a spouse, child, or other relative worked up the cover design. At other times I hear people defend their covers by saying that after a person reads their book the cover will make sense. Unfortunately, the cover needs to make sense before they read it. I like to choose powerful, iconic images for my books, but I have also commissioned illustrations for my books. There is no single right way to go when it comes to book covers, but do your best to create something that accurately illustrates your book’s theme.
Art vs. Business
Writing is a creative endeavor, even if you are writing non-fiction. And while some people tend to think of literary books as art and everything else as commercial, writing in my opinion, no matter the topic, is an art form. Some people have a special ability to make stories come to life. I think Patrick Lencioni does a fantastic job of illustrating powerful business ideas with simple fables. His book The 3 Big Questions for a Frantic Family is a wonderful book about discovering the values that are most important to your family and using them to create a better life. I used those same principles in deciding how I would determine success in my writing career. Lencioni took business principles, applied them to his own family, and used his skill as a writer to convey those principles in a way that affected my family and subsequently my career. In my mind that is art at its finest.
When I think of my writing I consider it an art form. I write what I want to write, what my creative voice compels me to write. But my career is a business. I try to make the wisest choices in how I write, when I write, how I market, and to whom I market my books so that I can earn as much money as possible for my family. I think any writer who hopes to make a living by writing books must balance the art with sound business practices. That’s not to say that some people who just see their ability to write as a talent won’t take a more business-oriented strategy with their writing. And sometimes people make choices for their artistic integrity that keeps them from being very successful from a business perspective. Your goal should be to find the balance that works best for you and moves you toward the writing values you have established.
My values were being read, being in control of my stories, including the publishing process, and earning enough to make a living for my family. I didn’t pick my genre based on what I thought would sell the most. I write what I want to write. But I have written books in genres that most of my readers don’t enjoy. When I published The New World, my science fiction adventure novel, I thought it would enjoy the same success as my fantasy novels. I was a little shocked when it didn’t appeal to most of my readers. That lesson reminded me to recognize what my audience liked. I thought there would be more crossover between science fiction and fantasy, but there really isn’t.
When Amazon first started the Kindle Unlimited program they paid authors per book read. It occurred to me that I might be able to earn more money writing serial novels that would sell for .99¢ but earn closer to $2.00 when someone read them in KU. So I experimented with an adventure story set in the very popular zombie genre. It was a story I wanted to write, but more importantly I made good business decisions and tried a new way of publishing. That book, which I now sell in an omnibus format, had modest success, but again nothing close to what I enjoy in fantasy.
I’ve also written under a pen name when I wanted to write something completely different than fantasy. It made sense to me that people who like a modern crime story might not take a chance on a fantasy author, so I wrote the story I wanted to write but made the business decision to publish it under a pen name.
I believe every writer at some point faces decisions that are more business-oriented in nature. Embrace the challenge and remember that you are a brand. Treat your brand like a business and you’ll be happier in the long run. Don’t believe the lie that art and business can’t coexist—find a way to balance both.
Treat Your Readers Right
As a final note, if you want to write for a living, make it your highest priority to treat the people who make it possible with kindness and respect. I have written to authors only to be ignored. There is nothing quite like being shunned by the people you look up to. Our readers are the most valuable asset we have. Without them our books would be worthless, and not just monetarily. I truly believe the greatest honor we receive as writers is when people read our books.
I have found that my readers ask very little of me, other than writing faster. And their constant support and encouragement have meant more to me than I can ever express. I make it a point to always respond to every message I get on Facebook and every email that comes through my contact page on my website. There are times when readers want more of me than I can afford to give them, but I always strive to respond with kindness.
I don’t, however, read my reviews. When I first publish a book I wait eagerly to hear what people think, but I let my wife read the actual reviews. At times reviewers are cruel, and it can be hard to shake the negative associations that we are left with. I choose to surround myself with positive people and positive thinking. That’s not to say that I don’t listen to criticism, and for new writers getting feedback is crucial to growing as a writer. But reviewers aren’t vetted—anyone can leave a review online—and many choose to do so without giving their real names. When I want criticism of my work I look for people I trust and respect to challenge me in ways that lift me up, rather than simply tearing my work apart.
It is also wise never to respond to reviews. Let readers who have legitimate questions, or criticism go through your website. I don’t leave negative comments up on my Facebook page either. Remember that your social media presence is a reflection of your brand and in my opinion should be positive. Sometimes people ask me about reviews, and the truth is that you actually want some bad reviews simply to give your book authenticity. Not everyone will love your book and that is okay. We aren’t all the same, and it isn’t realistic to expect everyone to lo
ve your work. If all you have are five-star reviews, people will assume only your friends and family have read your book or, if you have a large number of reviews, that you paid some shady service to write fake ones for you. A few bad reviews among the good is normal and in most respects, healthy. But just because you have a few bad reviews doesn’t mean you have to subject yourself to reading them, and you certainly shouldn’t take the advice given in them.
Respond to your readers. Be loyal to them and they will be loyal to you. Find ways to thank them and encourage them to not only continue reading, but also to share your book with others. But don’t ask them to do anything they might be uncomfortable with. I have occasionally asked my readers to share a Facebook post, but nothing beyond that. And I have given away books and codes for audio books that they can download from Audible. Hopefully, in time, I will get to meet many of them in person so that I can shake their hand and thank them for making my dream of writing for a living come true.
Afterword
I wanted to write this book for the people I meet on a regular basis who have a dream similar to mine. So many people love books and have stories of their own that they want to tell. That doesn’t mean that everyone who wants to be a great writer can be, or that every good writer earns a living writing. But I truly believe that everyone who is willing to work hard can write a book.
The great thing about books is that there will always be room for more. Books are not one size fits all. The world is filled with people who have a wide variety of tastes and opinions and in most cases, people will read more than one book on a subject or genre if the writing and subject are good. If you are like me, you are always on the search for good books and know the feeling of joy you get when you find a book you really love.
Writing for a living isn’t just about money or even the amount of money you need to make. If you’re single, living on your own, the amount of money you would need to earn is probably much less than if, like me, you are married with four children. My goal isn’t to tell you the lost secret of writing success (which doesn’t exist, by the way), but rather to inspire you to chase your dreams. If I can do this, anyone can. You simply have to be willing to work for it.
My final hope is that you found this book useful. The publishing world is difficult to break into and many times cold for aspiring writers. Let this book be a reminder of what is possible—not because I published indie over traditional, but because the world is wide open to the people who are willing to work hard and never give up. We have more opportunities than ever before and it is my sincere hope that you will find your path to success. Until we can meet face to face, shake hands, and I can express my gratitude to you for reading this book, let me say to you, “Good luck.” Now go make it happen!
You can learn more about Toby’s books at
www.TobyNeighbors.com
or
www.Facebook.com/TobyNeighborsAuthor
1 The Wages Of Writing, The Authors Guild Industry & Advocacy News, September 15, 2015, https://www.authorsguild.org/industry-advocacy/the-wages-of-writing/
2 Authors’ Income At Breaking Point, BBC News, April 20, 2015, http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-32379991
3 Book Cover Design, Joanna Penn, The Creative Penn blog, http://www.thecreativepenn.com/bookcoverdesign/
4 www.kdp.amazon.com/bookshelf
Table of Contents
Title Page
My Story
Defining Success
Best Writing Practices
Fiction
Non-Fiction
After The Outline
Revisions & Editing
Talking About Your Book
Writing Promotional Copy
Traditional Publishing
How To Get A Traditional Publishing Deal
Independent Publishing
The Process of Self Publishing
Marketing
Keywords
Social Media
Website & Mailing List
Ads & Appearances
Your Brand
Writing For A Living
Learn As Much As You Can
Write Another Book
Know Your Audience
Make Smart Choices
Art vs. Business
Treat Your Readers Right
Footnotes
Writing For A Living Page 9