Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Act Like You've Been There Before

Stop justifying and be proud.

A lot of authors are taking up blog posts, twitter updates, yadda yadda (yeah, my usual pet peeves) to justify why their book is an e-book only. Whether they are with an upstart e-book publisher (who, by the way, are all AWESOME) or they're self-publishing, they need to go out and write and write and write about why they aren't on pieces of paper.

You know what?

At this point, it's unnecessary. E-books are here to stay. They're books. They have words, sentences, paragraphs, chapters, and eventually tell a story. If an editor was a wonderful person and picked you up, that means he or she loved the story. If you and your agent sent the book around, got a few close calls, but didn't get an official bite... and you published it yourself... if you're getting good reviews. Then stop worrying.

Too often e-book authors like to jump on the the interwebs and act like the little brother. They NEED to matter. They NEED to be noticed.

To use an overused sports cliche, act like you've been there before.

People respect e-books. They buy them. They read them. You've made it. Be happy, be proud.

But all these blog posts, Facebook statuses (stati?), and Twitter updates explaining WHY YOU HAD TO PUBLISH AN EBOOK... are written for once small, teeny, tiny group of people.

Other e-book writers.

And maybe a few people considering going e-book.

Remember your audience should be everyone. Not just this corner of the blogosphere that the crime fiction or sci-fi or paranormal adverb-filled romance community. More people read than the 200 people who visit your blog.

Be proud.

You're an author.

You're awesome.

2 comments:

Dana King said...

Timely, in my case. My second e-book comes out this week; self-published. I had a couple of close calls and finally decided I lacked the time and the energy (and the patience) to put up with what it takes to get a book published in today's environment. I have enormous respect for the authors who are able to overcome those hurdles, and they deserve all the kudos they can gather. That's just not how I decided to roll.

The first book received several flattering notices from writers I respect a great deal, and I made almost a hundred bucks. If the new one does as well, I'll be delighted.

Thomas Pluck said...

If you want writers to read your blog (and not buy your book) blog about What I Learned From E-Publishing (That Konrath and Locke Said Already).
If you want readers, blog about yourself and your stories and things you're passionate about.