Update on Steel and Song — and Our WU Publishing Experiment
By Kathleen Bolton | October 26, 2014 |
photo by Corey Holms
As many may recall, in July, after a few years watching independent publishing go from vanity press to a viable path to publication, and after kicking the idea around, we took the plunge and decided to experiment with a project we are calling Writer Unboxed Publishing. We had no idea how the project would evolve – we needed a guinea pig! I offered up my novel Steel and Song: The Aileron Chronicles Book 1, to gauge the feasibility of such a venture.
Since then we’ve gathered valuable metrics. We’re still in the discovery phase of WU Publishing, but one thing is clear: the response of the WU community to both the proposed venture and to Steel and Song has impacted our thinking in unexpected ways. An engaged, active population is one of the strengths of the WU brand, and while we anticipated WU would be supportive in general, we were blown away by the magnitude of support and enthusiasm. I want to thank everyone who bought a copy, tweeted, Facebooked, blogged, left a review, and were in general amazing. We could not have asked for a better launch.
If we move ahead with this project, we’d like for WU Publishing to be more than an independent publisher. Because the strengths of WU are unique (and awesome), we would want WU Publishing to align with WU’s culture and leverage those strengths to both the benefit of the authors who are considering publishing under the WU imprint, and readers who are looking for unboxed books.
How we leverage those strengths to produce successful books is what we are currently focused on. Those strengths are:
- An engaged and active community
- Unparalleled support on social media
- Deep pockets of wisdom about the industry and the willingness to share that wisdom
- Community spirit that is supportive of authors and all kinds of fiction
It’s an enviable platform thanks to you, and one that makes WU unique and powerful. How to translate that platform into a publishing venture is the challenge. We have some very cool ideas in development, and one big idea (the only kind we know how to do!) that we hope will gel into the vision we are seeking. It’s a tall order, and we want to be clear it won’t happen quickly because we want to be thoughtful about putting the best possible structure in place. But we are excited about the direction we are heading. Look for a decision about WU Publishing in 2015.
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I promised I’d share lessons learned and resources that can help others who are considering independent publishing.
Reviews – So, as all writers know, online reviews are both the lifeblood and the bane of the new digital paradigm. Via the incredible WU network (thanks LJ Cohen!), we learned about a new project from Publisher’s Weekly called Booklife, currently in beta. Booklife is PW’s venture into independent publishing, providing services and resources (for a fee) to help authors publish their books. But where Booklife differs from the dozens of other similar services is that Booklife offers the opportunity to submit your book to be considered for a Publisher’s Weekly review, at no charge. Having your book selected for a (hopefully positive) PW review makes Booklife worth joining.
We’re pleased that, after a period of assessment through Booklife’s system, Publisher’s Weekly has selected Steel and Song for a PW review. Cross your fingers.
Netgalley – for certain genres like romance and Young Adult/New Adult, NetGalley has proven to be worthwhile. For those who are unfamiliar with NetGalley, it’s an online services that provides digital advanced copies to “professional readers.” Reviewers, bloggers and librarians can request an advanced copy in return for a review or providing early buzz about a novel.
I joined a co-op which featured my book for a four-week period for a reasonable fee. Steel & Song received a substantial amount of requests which yielded a handful of quality reviews immediately. But the long tail has been pretty good as reviews are still trickling in and being posted on Goodreads and Amazon. I found it a worthwhile investment despite some quirks and hassles.
Kindle Unlimited – Amazon’s latest venture, Kindle Unlimited, has caused a bit of a kerfuffle among the indie publishing community. For books that are published with Amazon in KDP Select, which gives Amazon an “exclusive” for a three-month period, books are able to participate in Kindle Unlimited. A sale is notched when a reader borrowing the KU title reads past 10%. Amazon launched KU about two weeks after Steel & Song went live, and since I’d chosen to start with KDP Select, we had no choice but to participate.
For someone in Phase One of building a brand, KU is helpful in terms of discoverability. Though a borrow pays less than a sale (anywhere from $1.50-$1.80), the borrow does count toward visibility in Amazon’s algorithms, pushing the book up the ranks. It’s a risk-free way for a reader to try a book. I’ve found that my (extremely limited) backlist is benefiting as well. Am I concerned that I might be leaving money on the table by participating in KU because I would receive a higher royalty from a sale instead of a borrow? Right now, no. I’ll take the trade-off of reaching more readers.
Do you have tips or tricks to offer others who may be considering independent publication? What do you hope to see for Writer Unboxed Publishing as we consider next steps? Let us know in the comments below–we want to hear from you.
Kathleen Bolton is co-founder of Writer Unboxed. She writes under a variety of pseudonyms, including Ani Bolton.
She has written two novels as Cassidy Calloway: Confessions of a First Daughter, and Secrets of a First Daughter–both books in a YA series about the misadventures of the U.S. President’s teen-aged daughter, published by HarperCollins, and Tamara Blake, for the novel Slumber.
I’m still excited! And I’m still looking forward to book two in the series, Kath. Thanks for providing some of your findings. I know a lot of folks are with me in rooting for WU Publishing!
Thanks, V! We’re excited too. The priority now is the Un-Con, which T has been working extremely hard over, as you can imagine. :-)
I love the direction this is heading, Kath, especially as I forge ahead in my fourth attempt at writing a novel (I am confident this time it will work – thanks to WU for Lisa Cron’s great post that connected me with Jennie Nash and weekly guidance this time around). The publishing industry is changing, and while I think the traditional market is still strong and a viable option, I am inspired by the opportunities that are evolving for writers who want to publish independently yet attain the same level of professionalism and access the same amount of distribution channels as they would by publishing traditionally.
I just read an article in Writer’s Digest on publishing partnerships which answered a recent “does such a thing exist?” question I’d been pondering. The reason I hesitate to consider independent publishing is because I want to do it right and doing it yourself means there are far too many way to do it wrong. I’d wondered if companies existed who offered the same quality of production and distribution as traditional publishers for independent authors. Of course, such “companies” exist – vanity publishers – but those companies are not built up out of the traditional model at all; they produce books with little to no editing, poor quality, and though they offer distribution it is notable that bookstores do not order from their catalogs (someone who worked in a bookstore once explained how their ordering system works). But what about something set up as a subsidiary company of the traditional publishers, wherein authors can cover production, marketing, and distribution costs, but where such services land the author in the same bookstores, with competitive product? Well, this writers digest article showed me that this exact thing is being done and in fact it may be the future of self-publishing for the authors who are serious about it. (For the curious, check out Inkshares, Wiseink, and Booktrope for some examples.)
I thought this was a great discovery and reading your post today brought it to mind. For anyone who hasn’t read last month’s Writer’s Digest and who is looking to explore more options for independent publishing services that will help give you a stellar product, I highly recommend reading that article.
I expect to be writing and perfecting my novel for all of 2015, so it will be exciting as that comes along to see how the options continue to evolve as finished product and thought about publication looms closer. It’s exciting to hear that Writer Unboxed will be undergoing lots of change in 2015 as well. This is my home away from home, the one I visit first thing in the morning with my first cup of coffee. Whatever choices I make with regard to publishing, I’m sure Writer Unboxed will continue to be my central hub.
You guys are the best! Thank you for making this growing community possible.
Thank you for your thoughtful comment, John! You quite rightly point out that the sky is the limit right now and entities such as WD and traditional publishers are willing to try lots of things. It makes it an exciting time to be a writer! Keep us posted about your own endeavor–we are rooting for you!
Thanks for everything, Kath, and I am very much looking forward to your next installment!
Oh, YAY! Can’t wait to see the review in PW! I’m so glad I was able to help.
And I’m SOOOO pumped for the UnCon!
Thank YOU for the head’s up, LJ. PW was picky so it’s validating to make the cut. It’ll be interesting to see how their Booklife community shakes out. But joining was definitely worth the opportunity to get a PW review.
Enjoy the Un-con!
Just finished “Steel and Song” and enjoyed every moment, every character, and I’m waiting expectantly for the sequel. Now have to attempt a review – find them hard to write well (and to read re my own novel). But really pleased that the book and the venture has taken off so well.
Giittus eatnat
Thank you, Roland, you have made my day! It’s making my current slog on Book 2 re-writes much easier. And thanks for considering a review, I find writing them difficult as well, and appreciate the efforts.
I am intrigued by this. I hope that as things progress you’ll keep us apprised and share submission guidelines.
Oh, well. I accidentally sent this comment as an email So…
Great post. Thank you. Your publishing venture could be huge. I can already see the storm of submissions slushing though your mailbox. Buy boots!
Thanks, too, for the news about Booklife. Can you say how much time elapsed after your bought in to Booklife and PW elected to write a review? Cheers, Jeff