Thoughts After 15 Years of Being Published

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Okay, it’s more like 19 years. My first book, a Myrtle Clover, came out in 2005. But I really count my breakthrough as being in 2009 with the publication of Pretty is as Pretty Dies by Midnight Ink publishing, an imprint of Llewellyn. That’s when I started really putting everything together, both with my writing and with publishing, in general.

Here are a few of my thoughts on publishing:

The rise of digital reading happened a lot faster than I thought it might. And I embraced it quicker than I thought. I remember in 2006ish, I was in a writing group where the other writers were talking about digital books. At the time, they were talking about a Sony ebook reader (I think Sony was first on the scene) and how it would change publishing. At the time, I didn’t think readers would really go for it. I wasn’t sure I would really go for it. I was wrong on both counts.

Hosting as much on your own site as possible keeps stressful changes less-stressful. Twitter changed to X. Facebook shows whatever it wants to show to your followers. Amazon has its own algorithm. Newsletter services come and go and change their rates. But your website is forever. Host your blog there. List your books and their retailers there. You’ll feel less-stressed when changes occur.

Being able to pivot is a great skill in life and writing. I remember in 2020 that the big word was “pivot.” It was thought that restaurants who pivoted by quickly transitioning to takeout or to outdoor seating were the ones that survived the pandemic. The same applies to authors. If we can handle the changes social media, publishing, and AI throw at us, we should be able to make it for the long-haul.

After writing ten books, my income started improving. Part of that may have been audience and the amount of “real estate” I occupied with my books online, but some of it was definitely because it was around that time I was self-publishing in earnest. Yes, I made/make a lot more self-publishing. Proviso: I was traditionally-published first and may have gained an audience that way.

Practice doesn’t make perfect, as far as writing goes. But it sure makes it better. I still need every beta reader and editor I have. But do my books flow better? Are the later ones better than the earlier ones? There’s no doubt.

I’ve noticed changes with my writing as I’ve aged. The writing comes much easier. Sometimes the words don’t come as easily, though. More often, words are on the tip of my tongue, and I have to tease them out. PowerThesaurus has been helpful.

It’s important to keep informed about what’s going on with publishing. This goes along with pivoting. You need to know what you need to pivot in conjunction with.

It’s much easier to continue series than to start new ones. I’ve said this many times, but it’s absolutely true. Long series are profitable. The setting is generally the same. The primary and secondary characters are the same. The biggest challenge is to keep them consistent for readers (which readers like . . . more on that below), while offering something unique with each story so that the series doesn’t become stale.

However, it’s important to start new series. The new series have opened up more income and often new readers who haven’t read my other series (but may, once introduced to my writing).

Readers don’t particularly like change.  Wanting to take your characters/series on a road trip? Want to start a new series? End a series? Often, readers aren’t crazy about any of this. Change needs to be gradual or perhaps under pen names.

Traditional publishing wasn’t awful. But it wasn’t good enough for me to go back to. You don’t have nearly as much control. Rights to various editions are held, but not exploited. Self-publishing is a lot of work. But once you get used to self-publishing, you don’t want to go back.

This is what I’ve got on my list, but what do you think about publishing? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Image by info254 from Pixabay