Some Thoughts from Independent E-Author, Colette Duke

Please welcome Colette Duke to Suspense Novelist. Colette's focus (well, sorta—read the post) is science fiction, but we all know the very best science fiction has a lot of suspense going on.

SPECIAL NOTE: Even though the bones of the story are available for free on Colette's website (she's way too generous, but she and I haven't had a chance to talk about that), she's agreed to provide a FREE download that unveils deeper characterization to one lucky person who makes a comment to her post on Suspense Novelist.




Science-fiction romance writer Colette Duke has been a sci-fi fan all her life and considers the countless years she's spent watching Star Trek in all its forms Very Important Research. She prefers Picard and Data over Kirk and Spock, and Lieutenant Worf will always hold a special place in her heart. She doesn't care if that gives away her age.

Colette's books explore the dangers and pleasures of romance in other galaxies, and sometimes the dangers and pleasures of falling in love on an Earth colonized by alien races. Because love can happen anywhere.

She loves to hear from her readers. You can contact her at her website: www.ColetteDuke.com.


SN: Self-publication used to mean the writer wasn’t good enough to be published traditionally. Has that changed?

DUKE: It’s changed completely. You see plenty of successful traditionally published authors releasing backlist titles as self-published e-books. They’ve certainly proven they’re “good enough.” For new writers who choose to bypass traditional publishing completely, the issue of quality depends on the writer. There are some stars of self-publishing who’ve rocketed to success on a combination of good storytelling, good covers, good networking skills . . . I don’t know about the actual statistics, but I’d guess the percentage of mega successes in the self-publishing industry might be about the same as the percentage of mega successes in the traditional publishing industry. You hear about the ones who make it big. The rest, not so much. There are literally hundreds of thousands of books on Amazon that are selling pretty much zero copies.


SN: What do you see as the major differences between the traditional and independent publishing?

Duke: The big difference is who pays for and performs the work that goes into turning a manuscript into a book.

Traditional publishing: The publishing house pays for multiple editors, cover art, interior layout/design, formatting, marketing, (OK, maybe not so much in this department unless the author is Dean Koontz), advertising, and more.

Self-publishing: The author either pays professionals to do some/all of the above or learns to do it herself (or himself, but I’m a girl so I’ll say herself). It’s tremendously time consuming.

Either way, the author is expected to handle most, if not all, of her marketing.


SN: What about the quality of e-books?

Duke: Some are fantastic. Some suck. It depends on the writer and her ability to either wear a lot of hats (and look good doing it) or hire competent people to take care of all the things that go into making a great e-book.


SN: Don’t most writer organizations have certain publisher requirements in order for books to be considered for contests?

Duke: Yes, but they’re gradually changing their guidelines and requirements. Writers are the lifeblood of every writers’ organization. The organizations have to evolve along with publishing, or they’ll have no one to pay their annual dues. Oh, woe, right?


SN: What was the hardest part of the process?

Duke: What part of the process wasn’t hard? Writing is hard. Learning enough HTML to create a cleanly formatted e-book was hard (you should have seen the little piles of my hair scattered around my computer). Learning to use graphics software was hard. And try setting up publisher accounts and online payments with Amazon, PubIt!, and All Romance EBooks as a non-American—it’s a wonder I have any hair left at all. But to answer your question: for me the hardest part was stepping forward as a self-published author in a publishing climate that’s traditionally frowned on self-publishing.


SN: How will you know if you’re successful?

Duke: I will sell enough copies of my books that self-publishing is my sole income (a scenario that doesn’t involve eating only generic mac and cheese, by the way). I’m a long way from that point right now, but I’m in it for the long haul. I have plans to publish in several genres rather than putting all my eggs in the science-fiction-romance basket, though I heard recently that a major publisher has picked up a fair number of SFR titles recently—which is very cool if you write SFR. Which I do. ☺


SN: Will you continue to seek traditional publication?

Duke: Yes. 1. I like validation (some people think a publisher’s validation isn’t worth much, but hey, they can think what they want and I’ll think what I want). 2. I know how much time and energy goes into publishing a book, and it’s OK with me if a publisher wants to share that. 3. Self-publishing and traditional publishing can complement each other very well; while I think self-publishing offers a lot of creative freedoms and opportunities, I’m not going to throw out the baby with the bathwater.

SN: What would you like everyone to know about self-publishing?

Duke: I’m doing it! Buy my book on Amazon! Buy my book on Barnes & Noble! Buy my book on All Romance eBooks! Tweet @ColetteDuke! Like me on Facebook!

Seriously, though: The publishing industry is changing. Change can be good. But writers, we need to keep our heads on straight. Don’t just barge forward and neglect to learn the skills that will enable you to self-publish well. Realize it’s like anything else worth doing: it’s a lot of work, and there’s a steep learning curve (think Everest). We need to take the time to get the details right.


SN: What question should I ask that I haven’t?

Duke: Who is the lovely couple in the photo of my work area, you ask? They’re my grandparents. Of all the people I’ve ever known, they had the happiest, longest marriage. A good source of inspiration for a romance writer!

Thanks a bunch for having me on your blog, Peg.



CR: While the Savage Sleeps by Andrew E. Kaufman.

It's all better with friends.

Twelve Independent Author Steps—As I See Them

Everyone has to admit that this is a new walk to walk. There are no gatekeepers. Rather than working for a publisher and paying an agent because they landed you that gig (like an employment agency), you're working for yourself. And your readers.

Here's how I line up those steps right now, thanks in large part to advice from LJ Sellers. I invite discussion from everyone, and enlightenment from those that have gone before me. But this is what I think a writer has to do to do it right:

1. Write your manuscript.
2. Rewrite and edit as many times as necessary until you think it's as good as you can write it. For now. This would include getting feedback from critique partners as applicable. At this stage, your manuscript is still green. Young. Kind of stupid.
3. Find a few readers you trust. Provide them with the full manuscript and a list of things you want them to keep an eye on. I'm talking between three and five people. Two readers are simply not enough. Fifteen and your goose will be cooked. Guaranteed. UPDATE: Check out today's blog post at Crime Fiction Collective regarding beta readers.
4. Rewrite again based on the feedback (qualified by you) that comes in. Your manuscript has just gone through another critical stage. It truly is the best it can be without professional intervention.
5. Get professional intervention. Pay an editor to go through the entire manuscript. Argue with said editor. They will make you prove your position; make them prove theirs. They will usually be right.
6. Hire a formatter. You could probably learn to do this yourself, but wouldn't you really rather be working on your next manuscript? You will want something that will be beautiful in numerous formats. You want your novel to be perfect whether someone buys it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
7. Unless you have amazing graphic art skills (some do, most don't), you'll want to hire someone to design your cover. "What? It's an e-book." Well, yeah. But the eye still buys. Well, maybe not buy exactly, but a great cover will get someone to at least take a closer look.
8. Now it's time to proof-read the final product from your formatter. Do not skimp at this point in the game. And don't believe for one minute that you can catch everything. Even if it was perfect when it went to the formatter, strange things can happen. Have your manuscript proofread. By more than one other person.

1-8 are things you need to do at a minimum. The rest are things I think you need to do to get your novel to the highest level possible.

9. Form a publishing company. You are the owner. You are the publisher. You will probably be the only author. But, pick a cool name, and maybe even a logo.
10. Go to CreateSpace (or something similar) and make arrangements to provide print copies of your book. There will be some readers who do not have access to e -readers. Even some who have dug in their heels and refuse to consider them as options. Make sure your book is available to as wide an audience as possible.
11. Look at your distribution options. You will probably want to handle Amazon and Barnes & Noble, but what about all the other small players out there? For them, you want someone else dealing with the nuances. Again, your want to make sure your book is available to everyone.
12. Don't forget audio. It's not a huge market, but it is a market. Don't neglect it. It might take awhile (and here, you'll be dealing with gatekeepers again), but don't write this one off.


Anything you disagree with? I need to expand on? Add?



CR: Where's Billie? by Judith Yates Borger.

It's all better with friends.

King of Kindle by Parnell Hall

Many of you have probably seen this already. If you have, here's another chance to smile.

As tongue-in-cheek as it is, it underscores a Brave New World that we are experiencing in publishing. There is uncertainty and upheaval everywhere we look.

The good news? The great news? It's not a demise, it's a dawning. And I think there will be room for a lot of wonderful things.











CR: Live to Tell by Lisa Gardner.

It's all better with friends.

Burning Questions About E-Publishing

With the emergence of the e-book market, I have a few burning questions, in no particular order:

1. Where do agents fit if an actual sale isn't involved?

2. If you're offered a contract from a publisher, what sort of provisions do you want in the e-book clause? When Amazon is offering 70% to the author , and allowing prices as low as $2.99 in order to achieve it, what are publishers offering? And does it make a difference to you?

3. How long do you intend to continue your pursuit of traditional publication? Is there a point where you will get tired of leaving your fate up to the whims of others?

4. Does knowing that much of the marketing is left to you whether you make pennies on a sale of a traditionally published book or dollars on an e-published book make a difference?

5. Is there an opportunity here for small presses that the large houses can't (or won't) take advantage of?

6. What about the unpublished author with no reader base? Is the Sales Hill the same climb the e-pub route as the traditional one?

7. Do you see the time coming when e-pubbed books will have the editors name on the front as well as the authors? Or some kind of Better Writing Seal of Approval because it's been professionally edited?

Here's a terrific tie-in blog post from Michael Hyatt, the CEO of Thomas Nelson: http://tinyurl.com/2ut8s7d.


What are your questions? Do you have any answers, or even guesses? What do you think about this as an author? A reader?




CR: Racing the Devil by E. Michael Terrell, and wondering why I let it sit in my TBR pile as long as I did.

It's all better with friends.