Guest Post & Giveaway with Author Lisa Rusczyk

Is Indie Publishing for You?

In a few short years, the literary landscape has changed with devices like Amazon’s ereader, the Kindle, and Barnes and Noble’s Nook. In the past, writers had to go through agents to get to big publishers and that was the main way to do things. POD, or Print-on-Demand publishing was available, but costly. Now, authors can publish their own novels and short stories in minutes, making their books available for free or a set amount for a big audience in a matter of days. It takes some know-how and research, computer skills and the Internet, but there is a wide, blossoming independent writing community on the web waiting to help you get there if you want to go the indie route.

How do you know if this will work for you? Have you tried the traditional route and had no luck breaking down the doors of major publishing? Do you have an ereader and find you love the ease and comfort of reading ebooks this way?

First, you need to be aware there are costs with self-publishing unless you are adept at cover design, editing, promotion and a number of other things that may come up. Editing is perhaps the most expensive, running anywhere from three hundred dollars to six hundred dollars, depending on the service you use and the length of your project. There are countless editors cropping up in the field and it’s best to take advice from other writers on who to use.

Covers can run anywhere from fifty dollars to two hundred dollars. As with editing, a cover design price is based on who you get and how he works. You can look at other indie books and write the authors of books whose covers you like. Ask them who they used. Most indie writers love to help other authors and will be happy to answer any of your questions.

As an indie writer, you’ll have to promote yourself and your work. There are hundreds of book bloggers and book forums to visit. Never spam your work because it annoys readers, but rather engage in conversation, and if readers get curious, they will take a look at your book. There are high-traffic sites where you can buy ads for your book promotion. Most of these run between twenty dollars to fifty dollars. Expect to wait a while on these. Such spots are bought fast.

Study your market audience. Read high-ranking indie books in the ebook stores. Read the reviews of the books to see what your readers want. Follow different books’ progress from publish date on to see how other indie authors fare. Take every bit of advice you can, but remember, this is a huge new market and there are no set rules as to how to make money and have a successful writing career as an indie.

Good advice is to write the best book you can, make it shine with an editor, cover designer, and promotion, and don’t give up. Continue to write and get better. Believe in your book. Going indie means you’re the only one who does in the beginning. If you believe in your novel and writing, it will show in the books themselves and in your promoting. You won’t get the dreamed-of advance that comes with big publishing, or your book on bookstore shelves, but with hard work, dedication, and a good attitude, you may find indie publishing to be the niche for you as a writer.

Lisa Rusczyk writes various stories abuot various things. She currently lives in the Southern United States with three cats, a laptop, and a coffee maker which means she sometimes neglects to drink tea.

You may visit Lisa's blogspot at the follow URL: http://lisarusczyk.blogspot.com/
and her MySpace Page at http://www.myspace.com/bluepen
or stalk her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/people/Lisa-Rusczyk/539800704

Want to win a copy of the first 2 books in her series?! Enter below!