Hark, indie authors!

This post is intended for those young authors who grew up in an era when English teachers did not teach this kind of thing. As surprised as I am that they just don't know, I thought I'd take the time to explain a couple things, just two, that really irritate me when I'm reading. I'm just a typical reader in some ways. But in this way, if you don't know this, you should. You should know how it's making my blood temperature rise.

First, don't change your time strategy mid-stream. That is, you can tell a story in present (I wake up, I look out the window, I see snow) or tell a story in past (I woke up, I looked out the window, and I saw snow), but don't tell your story in both. How did it happen that people don't know this? I have my own explanation. It became clear over the last twenty years or so that both are acceptable; in fact, you can have the same result with either - a good story. Present is more immediate, more dramatic, more in-our-face. But it's a perfectly good way to tell a story. The problem is when you switch back and forth. We can't handle that. We are still paying attention to the time. EIther it happened, or it's still immediate. But not both!

Second, if your parents have a house, it is your parents' house. That's because they own it together. It is very unlikely that you can write about your parent's house, because if you have only one, it's more likely to be your mother's house or your father's house. Possible, but unlikely. What happened to putting the possessive apostrophe on a plural? People just don't do it anymore. They didn't learn it. But they should.

We readers are tasked with figuring this stuff out, getting meaning from it. Telling us you have two parents and then that one of them has a house buy you're not willing to tell us which one, or you're willing to let us guess that apostrophes are totally random in this book and just don't matter - sorry. that's like hitting me in the face. You're a writer. Get this stuff together. If you have any questions, just ask. I hate sitting around getting mad at you.

100 percent indie

I've started using the tag #100percentindie on twitter, because I am. I don't pay anyone to do anything for me. The hardest two things are covers and proofreading. I thought proofreading would be easy, since I'd done it for years for other people. No, proofreading my own work is incredibly difficult.

Just plain marketing is a problem too. There's a steep learning curve. I'm finally in the position where I can get a few Amazon ads, but I haven't done it; the whole thing intimidates me. I did try it once, and learned a lot, but really I should keep at it to get better at it and to really see it have results. I've never made a sale from an Amazon ad; maybe I can change that.

An interesting experiment would be to target a certain market with an Amazon ad, say amazon.co.ne, or perhaps es or it. By certain market I mean those who would buy something in English, but through that Amazon. I would probably do ok in the UK, Australia or Canada too. But I'd have to understand Amazon ads well before I started.

I find authors with all kinds of strategies. Generally, if you get yourself out there, you find results; if you do nothing, you get nothing. I worry sometimes that in the big picture, what I've done hasn't amounted to much. This is true, but I had to start somewhere. I've got more now than I had before I started.

Twenty seven books, an Amazon page, a few good ratings, and something to do during retirement.

interesting friends

I've made a lot of really interestng friends in this business. That's actually a huge perk because I've got ten kids, spaced out over forty-four years, and I've become a little tired of school recitals, shuttling kids across town for this or that, my poor wife's endless complaints about things I've forgotten or neglected. It's good to know there's a whole world out there and people are doing interesting things.

Some are like me - have the ability to put together a novel, crunch it through the KDP system, come out with a kindle version and a paperback version, in some cases a hardback version, and then go out and present themselves as a novelist. It's actually kind of a miracle that I got this far, given the situation. At times I take a breath and look up and say, I'm ok, splayed out all over the ratings as I am with my 27 books.

I have no hardback copies, none at all. All my books now have both kindle and paperback version, but in some cases one or the other isn't doing so well. they at least exist. I have friends who produce only on kindle; others who just don't worry about paperback versions. They are somehow able to make a living anyway.

I can't in any way say I'm making a living. I had a good month and I'll be lucky to get a couple of steak dinners out of it. That's no problem though, I've been working all my life, and anything I get totally out of something I created myself, is well worth it just for the sake of having something to show for it.

But back to the friends. They are in scattered places and I'd love to meet them. Some are a little vague about exact location since their writing might offend some people - some are at the cutting edge of producing what is now allowed now that gay marriage is accepted. Sure, all that stuff was always out there. But now it's gone a little more mainstream and I admire the people that are cranking it out.

To them, I'm kind of old school. But at least I read their work, and like it. It's an interesting world. I'll keep you informed, got to run.

One Woman's Voice

Now on ACX
Narrated by Yarnell Henrie
https://www.amazon.com/One-Womans-Voice-Biography-Elocutionist/dp/B0BH69D2M1