Trying to publish my own book but...

[emberling]

2) Fantasy dwarf erotica. No, really. Game of Thrones will come out soon, and all those single ladies out there will fall in love with Tyrion. Currently there's not much being written in terms of fantasy dwarf erotica novels, so you'll be able to scoop up the entire market. Don't keep all those young lonely maidens waiting with only HD pictures of Peter Dinklage's rippling pectorals and copies of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to get them through the night. Get started.

Funny you mention that, there's this one person that keeps trying to get me to work on my book (which I greatly appreciate), but every time, she insists that I add gay dwarf sex.

She hadn't read ASoIaF, so I advised her to begin it to at least read some non-gay dwarf sex, and she has done so.

[The faceless others]

First, #2 should not put you down. The story matters first, formatting can come later.

In terms of ideas, just because you have hero vs villain stuff, it doesn't mean it's completely unoriginal. It depends on how you dress it.

I, too, am trying to write books, and have often stopped because of similar reasons, but not because an idea was unoriginal, but because the feel of the story was too close to other books, and that's because I tend to get too inspired by the books I read.

Same here, I was starting to write another one of mine, then when I gave it a second look, damn it is too near the Malazan feel.

[Kosciuszko]

TBH my main WIP is very Mistbornish in its current form I realized, so I decided to tell a different story in the same general setting (hey, I liked my setting).

[The faceless others]

Now I know why some authors refrain from reading when they're working on their own works to avoid breaking the law.

[Renasko]

Welcome to the board.

Write, write and write some more. And for ideas? You need only look around you.

[The Evil Hat]

First, no, most authors do not start with self publishing. Self publishing is a dead end that steals the rights from your work and takes your money in return. As for formatting, which Velos got into, read here.

[pat5150]

No one should self publish. No one.

:agree:

Word.

Patrick

[The Evil Hat]

Well, no, you should absolutely never self-publish something you'd like to get paid for. In fact limit any and all online exposure to a few pages at most. Even an email can be considered published, I think.

Email is not first publication. First publication online would be a public blog or forum. A password protected site is fine, as is email and the like.

[Gabriele]

First, no, most authors do not start with self publishing. Self publishing is a dead end that steals the rights from your work and takes your money in return. As for formatting, which Velos got into, read here.

Not entirely. There's a difference between self publishing and vanity publishing. Honest self publishing providers like Lulu basically rent out the printing technology to you and will get your book listed on Amazon etc. They are very upfront about the fact that you have to do the typesetting, cover design, marketing and all. And they only charge per book actually printed via PoD. You keep the rights to your book; if you want to take it off their site they'll delete it. It's definitely a venue for niche publications.

Vanity Presses play a whole 'nuther game. They tell you that new authors will not get a chance with the big houses and that it's their mission to help those poor sods. They will edit your book, typeset it, give it a shiny cover and distribute it all over the world. You can get Silver Package for 2500 bucks that includes editing and marketing, and Gold Package for 3200 bucks that includes the stars from the sky. You may even manage to sell ten books with them but when you finally decide to take the book elsewhere because it has never been edited, the cover sucks, and getting one exemplar printed takes three months, you'll discover the small print in the contract. Oops.

[The Evil Hat]

You're right, self publishing is valid for niche works. But if you're going for a mainstream fantasy novel or what have you, it's not going to succeed. Yes, there is the rare self published author that sells more than the obligatory six copies for the folks, but they're statistically irrelevant. And when you go to sell your self published book to a major publisher, with no other writing credit and seven sales to your name, you won't be able to offer them the first publication.

[Gabriele]

Absolutely. Traditional publishing is always the best way for novels. Or, if you decide to go the other way, be aware of what you're doing. I have a friend who self publishes her historical fiction novels, but she knows she'll only reach a limited readership that way. She doesn't want to become a professional author; it's more a hobby for her.

[The Evil Hat]

You're right. It's perfectly fine to go into self publishing knowing what it is. Just don't make the mistake of thinking that you're going to be in the window display at B&N any time soon (or anywhere else in the store, for that matter).

[Ebenstone]

If you are serious about it, there is a Boarders Writing Novels thread in the Literature section. (It's actually the 3rd such thread, IIRC!) You can sort of see where everyone is in the process and see the steps. In addition, there is a BWB Writer's Group that's run by a boarder. Good place to put your stuff up and get great feedback if you are willing to return the favor. (I'm a lurker there since I've got a very full plate right now.)

[TerraPrime]

Here's the brutal truth:

Nobody who plans on being taken seriously will ask in a public forum for ideas for their books. That is not authorship.

Being a professional author is a business, and just like any business, you need to educate yourself before throwing yourself into it. What you're doing now is no different than someone proclaiming that they plan on opening a restaurant while asking people what a sautée pan is.

If you are serious about being an author, then use some of that research skill you used in preparing your story and research a bit the business side of this.

[White Walker Texas Ranger]

I suspect you've all been trolled.

[unJon]

This is the funniest thread. Ever.

[Forderz!]

If you want to self publish, I suggest heading over to this site and listening to some podcasts. Be aware, however, that even the wildly successful self-published authour stresses its a bad idea, and should only be done to sell your first 1000 copies at maximum.

[pat5150]

This is the funniest thread. Ever.

Have to admit that it's mighty weird... :worried:

Patrick

[The Evil Hat]

If you want to self publish, I suggest heading over to this site and listening to some podcasts. Be aware, however, that even the wildly successful self-published authour stresses its a bad idea, and should only be done to sell your first 1000 copies at maximum.

First thousand? Optimism's a fine thing and all, but you might want to set your expectations a bit lower.

[Ebenstone]

It's like the kid in Gentlemen Broncos...but not as funny...wait, strike that, it's funnier.