I prefer not to simply publish links to other people’s content on this blog, but this warning from Amanda Hocking was aimed right at me.
She’s done what I want to do: e-self-published through Amazon and Smashwords, and she’s making thousands a month doing it. She’s snagged an agent. She’s making a good living as an author.
But she warns here that she knows another author, J. L. Bryan, who doesn’t sell as well even though he is a good writer and performs the same marketing moves that she does.
The warning is clear. Even if the writing, promotion and cover are all great, your book might languish simply because you didn’t strike a cord, hit the right topic or simply didn’t appeal to the reading public.
It’s all a big gamble. Just ask a traditional publisher. Luckily with e-books, the upfront costs aren’t as huge as print books.
