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TB & Clare start the episode by chatting about their weeks. TB had a week of no writing, and she ended up doing a lot of organizing and a three-day juice cleanse, which she didn’t enjoy one bit.
Clare’s week started off badly with Tottenham losing the Champions League final. Workwise, though, she’s been smashing it. She’s nearly done with the second draft of her village romance novel, which officially has a title: A Taste of Love.
They got a slew of comments on last week’s episode, including two new commenters. This makes the duo happy, and they encourage listeners to weigh in on this week’s debate, which is a hot one.
Then they buckle down to discuss traditional and indie publishing. They launch into the pros and cons of traditional publishers after chatting about what constitutes traditional publishing in regards to lesbian fiction. Both Clare and TB are indie authors, and they give their insight into the pluses and minuses of going indie, but they do lean into the positives more. The big sticking points boil down to two key areas: royalties and freedom. And they burst a bubble about how much traditional publishers will market all books they put out. Spoiler: they don’t do all that much anymore. The big takeaway is to weigh all the pros and cons and make the best decision for your life and books, but the two don’t hide the fact that they think indie is the way to go.
For a listing of lesbian fiction publishers, visit this page on I Heart Lesfic: https://iheartlesfic.com/contact/lesfic-publishers/
Stop back next week for another lively conversation about the writing life. If you’d like to leave a comment on the episode, head over to www.lesbianswhowrite.com. They’d love to hear from you. Or you can email them at: lesbianswhowrite@gmail.com
I’m enjoying the podcast! I do have a question about your last episode on Indie publishing. How does Amazon work? Do you have to pay Amazon to put your book on their site? And if you get a portion of the sale of each book how does that work with Kindle Unlimited on Amazon? I know some authors don’t do Kindle Unlimited and some do.
Hi Missy! Amazon pays out a royalty of 70% on all Kindle titles priced between $2.99 to $9.99. For eBooks priced below $2.99 and above $9.99, Amazon pays out only 35%. As for Kindle Unlimited, Amazon pays a certain amount for each page read. In order to enroll in KU, the eBook can only be listed on Amazon. This is one of the big reasons why some authors, especially if they have a publisher who sell the book on their own website, don’t enroll the book in KU. The majority of my books are available via Kindle Unlimited and I make roughly 60% of my income from KU.
Let me know if you have any other questions. Happy to answer them and thanks so much for listening! TB
Thank you for making Mondays something to look forward to!
Aw, what a nice comment! Thank you for listening. TB
Brilliant once again, ladies. *insert Meryl Streep clapping GIF*
I’ve always seen myself as lesser than because I’m an indie author, but I’m earning more most months than I do in my actual job. You’ve totally put my mind at ease. I’m not 12 months in yet, but I’m loving every moment of self-publishing. I can’t imagine someone telling ME about the cover design or title. That’s something I feel is special to me and I should be the one to decide. After all, it’s my story to tell and I’m the one who put the work in.
Again, thanks a million for the sound advice you both provide. I will admit that I’m slightly disappointed Clare didn’t drop the C word. 😉
I’m totally picturing Meryl Streep clapping.
Way back in the day, when I announced I would go indie on one of my blogs, I got a lot of advice from people who weren’t authors or even thinking of becoming authors. The majority were supportive. Some not so much. I blocked out the negative and I’m so glad I did. I wouldn’t have made it in this business if I hadn’t gone indie.
And you’re learning firsthand how going indie earns money. We aren’t lesser than by being indie. We’re a vital part of publishing. Not to mention, the readers appreciate our hard work and stories. That’s the best, and most important, part. Having readers.
Thanks so much for listening. TB
Hello Clare & TB. The “How was your week” segment was off the chain and you ladies just keep writing. I’m impressed. Learning about the large publishing houses and being an indie publisher opened my eyes to truly becoming my own boss as a writer. Thank you for reiterating the importance of doing the research for what’s best for me. An informative session.
Hi Donna! One of the things that helped me decide early on to go the indie route was by listening to several authors who had tried both and the biggest complaint was traditional publishers not doing any marketing and I was like, well that’s what I really need them for and if they aren’t doing it, I better do it myself so it gets done.
If you have any questions about going indie, please let us know. We love talking about it.
Thanks so much for listening! TB