Q&A Time: My Journey, Writing Routine, Author Platform Tips, Global Publishing And Mistakes

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• Hi Joanna,
  As a rule, I don't watch videos (I know, a throwback), but I have always watched yours all the way to the end, and this was no exception. Great stuff. I think you touched on every important aspect of being an author/entrepreneur in just 30 minutes!
  I especially liked your answer to the Author/Entrepreneur time-split question, which is that you don't :-)
  Michael

  • Thanks Michael :)

• Most of your website videos have a download link, which is great. But this one does not. Can you provide a download link for this one, too? Thank you.

  • Hi James, it's a YouTube vid rather than a self-hosted - so you can do it yourself using a tool like http://www.clipconverter.cc/

• I really enjoyed listening to this - lots of information delivered with enthusiasm plus some great slides to help focus (always an issue for me as I'm very much a visual and get distracted quickly and easily if there's nothing to look at :-) ). I really liked the way you stressed that this all takes time and it will build up as you keep going - I've been looking at a lot of sites and reading heaps of info, and was starting to feel overwhelmed. Thanks for putting it all into perspective for me.

  • Glad you found it useful, Cate. The time thing is both a nuisance and also a blessing :) It's been 6 years for me so far and I have needed that time to grow into my voice and my confidence in this new world - it's basically a completely new career so not something that you can just easily become successful in quickly. All the best!

• Hi Joanna,
  Very good video, although I also tend not to watch videos. They take too much time and I'd rather read what you have to say (although I did watch all of this one!).

  A couple of questions for you, if you don't mind. You touched on hiring editors and cover designers and go into much more detail in arguing for them in your two books, "Business for Authors" and "How to Market a Book." Both are really worthwhile, by the way.

  However, if money is tight (and when you start out , it is), hiring editors and cover designers seems to be a stretch if you're serious about running a business and maintaining cash flow. I realize the value of editing and good covers, but don't you think writers can bootstrap the editing and covers if they spend time at them? Most of us starting out have a lot more time than money. And what about short stories, which sell for much much less than novels and would take much much longer to recoup the costs of editors and cover designers?

  Much of my thinking about this comes from Dean Wesley Smith, who advocates for as little editing as possible so as not to ruin your unique voice and suggests that writers can learn to do decent covers.

  I'd be interested in your thoughts.

  Thanks,
  Ken Talley

  • Hi Ken,
    A few things -
    Dean Wesley Smith is a virtual mentor for me too - I am in one of his classes right now and have just signed up for another one.
    I know he says don't edit - but I think that is only true for people who have internalized the structure of a story and know how it should all work - which he says is after 10 novels. If you really think your novel can't be improved by editing, then fair enough - but in my experience so far, I need an editor - but it has taken me a number to find my 'perfect match'!

    If money is an issue, then you can barter with authors of the same genre, or work with a partner in a writing group - anything to get other eyes on the work before it goes out there. However, that said, there are plenty of examples of people doing really well without editors - so I guess it's not mandatory :)

    In terms of free/really cheap cover designs, I recommend http://www.Canva.com which has some great Kindle templates and also this post http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2013/10/20/book-cover-design-ms-word/

    I hope that helps - thanks, Joanna

    • Crikey, I AM an editor but would never dream of going to press without at least one other pair of eyes scanning what I've written. Especially in a big book (mine was 520 pages), having a pro appraise the work and point out inconsistencies, errors and omissions was a godsend.

      There's a time to pour one's ego onto the page but then we need to show our baby to a small band of people who are rooting for us and want to make sure that, to use an analogy, we're not going out to dinner with our flies undone. We need to take a cold, hard, analytical look at our work and hone it so that it's as good as it can be. A doctor doesn't get personally involved with his patients, but he cares about there welfare. That's what an editor (and designer) do.

      Nice video, by the way. My quick question – forgive me if you've mentioned it elsewhere and I've missed it – is it Screenflow you use to create thse videos?

      • ...and guess who forgot to spellcheck their post just now... :-( Doh!

• Hi Joanna,

  I was your recent Escape School event. I'm the reluctant police officer with an astro PhD.

  It's really impressive what you've achieved, an inspiration.
  Interesting video above btw. I just watched it.

  I have a few questions that I didn't think to ask last Monday evening. I wonder if you could answer them, or if they're best left to the 8th Nov event?

  1. Do you run your business as a sole-trader or limited co? Issues around this?
  2. In your Author2.0 you mention the importance of self-hosting a website. I assume you don't mean running your website on a server at home? That's what I understand by 'self-hosted'. I would prefer to have a consultant create one for me, which I can then add content to and fiddle with.
  3. When you started, how did you find your way? I'm guessing you didn't benefit from someone sign-posting the way, in the way that we have you and others? Did you simply feel your way and make educated guesses?
  4. How have you managed to be so amazingly productive? Eight novels, Four non-fiction (approx?) in only a few years.

  Grateful for any thoughts you can share.
  Peter.

  • Hi Peter, Thanks for coming along on monday and for dropping by here :)

    1) I have a Limited company but you certainly don't need to have one to sell your writing. Many authors operate as sole traders - and of course, there are differences by country and personal situation as to what is right for you. I'm also not a lawyer ... blah blah blah :) Regardless of your setup, you will need to report the income - but talk to an accountant to see what's best for you.
    There's also a chapter on this in my new book, Business for Authors.

    2) Sorry, I didn't mean to confuse - I mean pay for hosting, rather than using a free site - as then it can never be shut down. If you don't own it, it can always disappear. I use Siteground http://www.siteground.com/ and my tech guy is Andrew Rondeau http://www.webuildyourblog.com/ - do tell him I sent you :) or you can try a DIY solution by checking out the tutorial on the Rocking Self Publishing blog: http://rockingselfpublishing.com/create-amazing-author-website-free-video-course/

    3) Like everyone else, I read books and blogs and also discovered by doing. You just need to have an attitude of playing around with things e.g. when I say, try createspace for print on demand, go create an account and click through and see how it works, or join Amazon KDP and actually go through the screens. That attitude of play will dramatically accelerate the process :)

    4) It's funny, but I don't feel very productive in comparison to writers I admire, like Dean Wesley Smith, or Kristine Rusch, or Russell Blake, or HM Ward or Bella Andre, or Mark Dawson, or CJ Lyons ... so many more ... there's no point in comparing ourselves - just decide what your goal is, how much you want it - and go for it!

    I hope that helps :)

• Thanks for your link. We've been linked since you spoke at Gold Coast Writers and I'm still struggling to get a handle on blogging.
  I've just viewed your interview with Michael Lister, very informative, and inspiring thanks

  • Hi George, wow! That was a while ago now :) Hope your writing is going well!

• Dear Joanna,

  Thank you for your video. As someone very new to building a platform, having it laid out so passionately was a great inspiration! I think I'll be re-watching this every time I get too overwhelmed/depressed with everything out there.

• Thanks so much for this video, Joanna. I love your podcast to pieces, but on the weekends when I have a cup of coffee in front of me and some time, I consume videos. I would definitely watch them if you produce them! I have watched many of yours on YouTube.

  I am learning so much from you, I want to say thank you again!

• Oh I needed this. Thank you! I love your content!

• I use online converter from the site http://youtubeconverter.me/ very quickly we can create a YouTube to mp3.