DO YOU WRITE NICHE?
Traditional publishers won’t buy books that are too obscure or niche (that is until they prove their merit elsewhere). So if you’ve written a book in a niche genre, you may eshew the traditional publishing route and go it on your own.
Amazon, for example, has a huge range of genre subcategories. By placing your novel in a subcategory, you’re getting direct access to an exact audience and less competition than the major genre a traditional publisher might market you under. Self-publishing is also far more open to as-yet undiscovered new genres. The story of Abby McDonald, whose Millennial romance story was rejected by traditional publishers, illustrates how creating a new genre can lead to huge success. After she self-published her book Unbroken, she found the huge market of readers that traditional publishers hadn’t thought existed.
Niche genres are not a recipe for failure- in fact, they can lead to huge success, if you take the right path. And the right path, in this case, seems to be self-publishing.
SELF PUBLISHING EXPERTS SHARE THEIR TIPS ON PRODUCTIVE WRITING
For many writers, November marks the start of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), which means plenty of long hours spent writing. Self-published author Daniel Adorno asked 13 self-publishing experts and authors to share their advice on how to be productive as possible.
Joel Friedlander suggests non-judgmental free writing, saying, “…it will loosen up your writer’s muscle, and connect you to the great unending stream of creativity you have within you.” Author Bryan Cohen emphasizes structure, saying, “It’s having a set routine, with set hours, and a set location where you do your writing.” Angela Ackerman agrees, saying, “I know it sounds boring, but adding structure to your creative pursuits will allow you to identify and limit distractions so you can aim for reasonable, achievable goals.” Blogger Nick Loper suggests using a Google Docs spreadsheet to track your word count every day, and being sure to outline your work ahead of time.
There are plenty of great tips, but Jane Friedman has one that we can all relate to: “Turn off the Internet. Works like a charm.” Good luck to all of you attempting NaNoWriMo this year!
IN MEMORY
Dan Poyntner, a pioneer in the world of self-publishing, passed away on November 2nd at age . He began his career in the world of skydiving, but entered the book industry when he self-published a book on hang-gliding. This led to a lifetime of advocating for self-publishing. After a long and successful life, Ponynter passed away on Tuesday at age 77.
Poyntner published dozens of books, seminars, articles, and more on the self-publishing process. In 1979, he published the groundbreaking Self-Publishing Manual and changed the face of publishing with it. He was also the founder of Para Publishing, an independent publishing company that focused on technical books about skydiving but later expanded to encompass several other topics. Additionally, he helped found the Independent Book Publishers Association and won the Benjamin Franklin Person of the Year Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Many consider Poyntner to be the predecessor of a generation of digital self-publishers. He helped pave the way for today’s self-published authors. Tributes have been going up for him from different self-publishing associations including Smashwords and the Independent Book Publishers Association. You can find IndieReader’s obit, written by Danny O. Snow, here.
THE LIST WHERE INDIES COUNT
Looking for a bestseller list that includes indies only? Then check out IR’s list where indies count with titles culled from The New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists.
Have a great weekend, Indie Readers!