What Do Authors Want? Their Books to Be Published, Somehow!

 

Posing with my poetry book, Touched by Fire. I was thrilled when it was published!

This year has not been a good one for me author-wise so far. Not only did I receive the news that two publishers were shutting down, but books I was hoping to get out earlier in the year did not get released.

 

But like every good author, I’ve been picking myself up by my bootstraps and pressing onward.

 

The first thing I did was make a list of which one of my books was going out of print, and which publisher they were from. Up until then, I was able to keep this list in my head because there were only two books by two different publishers that were out of print. But recently, that number shot up to the double digits, so I had to write everything down.

 

Then I studied this list. After some thought, I selected which of my books would be self-published and which ones I would submit to a publisher who is willing to republish a previously published book. (I know of a few.) And I have been working on making that happen.

 

I have been posting about my ongoing quest to get my books back into print on social media. While I’ve been working on finding the right method to do so – such as getting books reformatted and either getting new or fixing up old covers for them – I have seen posts on social media from other authors way ahead of me in the game running into some problems. And it has really gotten me worried about running into those problems, too! Which is why I reached out to them to start a conversation on what sort of problems they were having and what’s being done to resolve these problems.

 

And while all of that has been going on, it has got me thinking about all of the things that we authors have done and are doing to get our books back into print.

 

See, when you’re a writer trying to get a book published, having a publisher accept your manuscript for publication is the best thing ever. Some of us are willing to sign with ANY publisher; a Big Five press, a small press, an independent publisher, or a hybrid publisher. Heck, even going through a POD service is not out of the picture – nor is self-publishing our books.

 

Whatever it takes to get a book published, that’s what we authors willing to make such concessions are willing to do!

 

Because then, our book will be published!

 

I know of one author who works with a publisher who doesn’t exactly do business as a publisher by the books, but he STILL publishes this author’s books and gets them out there. When I asked the author if he was okay with the way this publisher was doing business, he said he was just happy that his books are being published.

 

For many writers, that’s what they’re after. That’s the golden egg: Publication. And for many, they’re willing to get published no matter what it takes (well, outside of sacrificing their firstborn, of course).

 

Of course, some of us can only do so much to get our books published. There are many of us not willing or able to part with hundreds or thousands of dollars to get our books published. (Sadly, many authors are, and realize too late that they have been scammed.)

 

The reality is that there are many independent publishers out there willing to publish an author’s book without charging them an arm or a leg, but the author who is usually taken for a ride by a scammer is either not aware of them or they don’t do enough research into the many publishers that are out there. This isn’t to say that all of them are really gullible – scammers can be really good at what they do to get cold hard cash from a newbie author – but taking the time to really do some research on publishers is worth it if an author does not want to be scammed.

 

While I understand that many authors really want to get their book published, it’s not worth it if you get scammed. Do your research. I know that getting published is important, but getting scammed by a so-called “publisher” will really sour the experience of getting your book published if you’re out thousands of dollars in the process. (I recommend consulting Writer Beware and subscribing to WritersWeekly. The Horror Zine also maintains a list of reputable publishers.)

 

Aside from this unfortunate pitfall in an author’s quest to get published, today’s technological advances means there are unlimited possibilities for an author to get their books published. Even getting a book published as an audiobook is an option. Books can also be published as installments on sites such as Substack or even through blog posts. Podcasts may also be helpful for the author trying to find a way to get their book published. There are just so many choices available.

 

On the other hand, getting a book published digitally is not the same as having an actual book you can hold in your hands. Many authors prefer this, so they do what they can to make that happen. I strongly recommend that such authors proceed with caution and do their research to find a reputable publisher for this if they do not wish to self-publish their books.

 

Most authors are willing to snap up the best method of publication that works for them, even if some people feel it is not the right one. But as long as their book is published, or back in print, the author will be happy that they have accomplished that goal. And for such authors, that’s all that really matters.

Stepping Away from the World to Get into the Zone

 

Photo Credit: Ron Lach via Pexels

Sometimes, the world is just too loud.

 

I don’t mean loud on an audible level. I’m Deaf, so noise doesn’t bother me. I mean loud on a mental level.

 

There are all of these things constantly going on: Social media feeds, emails, TV, outside distractions and books. Especially books!

 

And sometimes, I just need to step away from it all in order to write.

 

But before I can write, I need to get into a zone. If I know what I’m going to write, then I focus myself mentally and, if needed, emotionally for that particular kind of work.

 

In other words, I get into a zone.

 

“Being in the zone” typically means that you get so caught up with the work you are doing that you start to hyperfixate on it. You can’t focus on anything else until you are done with the work.

 

This will happen to me sometimes, but there is another kind of zone that I get myself into as well.

 

The zone that helps me to write.

 

Like I said, knowing what I need to write will help me to figure out what kind of zone I need to get into. But if I don’t know what I want to write, only that I WANT or NEED to write, then I shut down. I don’t look at my phone, read anything, check email, make any phone calls or go anywhere. No, I just sit in a place where I won’t be disturbed and get myself into a zone where I will be able to write something.

 

All of the stuff that we are exposed to every day – phone apps, TV shows, movies, music, videos, hobbies and activities – tend to distract us from tuning into our creativity. We get so caught up with these things and so distracted that we forget who we are: Writers. And we forget what we must do: Write.

 

So for this reason, it’s a good idea to occasionally step away from all of those things and focus on our ability to write.

 

This is why I often write first thing in the morning, before I do or see or read anything else. I put myself 100% into the task of writing and be 100% present for the work. I’ll put my phone upside down so it won’t distract me, keep the TV off so that it won’t distract me, and sit down to write in a place where I won’t be able to pick up a book or magazine to read. (One of the desks I write at is next to a bookcase, but all of the books on there are reference books, so I won’t pick one up to read unless I need to look something up – though I often use Google for that!)

 

But on the days when I don’t write first thing in the morning, I’ll still make sure that, when I need to write something, I get myself into the zone for writing first. That’s when I’m not available for chats or to answer emails or … whatnot. No, I’m focused on the work that I must do, and I must not allow myself to be distracted by other things.

 

This has helped me to get quite a bit of writing done far more effectively than other strategies. Sometimes, I just need to step away from everything going on in the world and all around me to get into the right headspace so that I can write. Doing this has also helped me to write on certain topics or in certain genres that required my full attention.

 

Some writers try to achieve this by changing their environment, routines, clothing or writing space. And all of those things can be very effective to help writers get into the zone to write. But, for me, all it takes is shutting down, being where I am not interrupted and without distractions, and telling my muse, “It’s time to write.”  

“I Saw Your Post on Instagram”

 

Photo Credit: Atlantic Ambience via Pexels

If a writer wanted to know just what it takes to spread the word about their work and/or their books, there is one common piece of advice that would be given: “Put yourself everywhere.”

 

Yes, it’s exhausting.

 

Yes, it takes a lot of time.

 

And, yes, sometimes it feels like shouting into the void.

 

But it works. Seriously.

 

I know, there are A LOT of people who will see that advice and respond with, “Not everywhere; just in the right places.” In other words, put yourself where your audience is. But what if your audience is spread out on different social media sites? What if your audience is too young for Facebook but on the TikTok bandwagon? Then get on the TikTok bandwagon too – but don’t neglect other social media sites!

 

That’s my opinion, anyway. As a freelance writer, author, and book reviewer, I try to be on as many social media websites as possible. The same goes for the work I do for Twisted Dreams Press.

 

And as much as it makes me cringe to use X, I use X (when I remember to!). But I only use X for Twisted Dreams Press.

 

So imagine my delight when I got an email from a prospecting author who started his inquiry with “I saw your post on Instagram.” If ever there was a form of validation that all those promotional efforts I do on social media sites is not a waste, this is it.

 

Sure, I don’t get these kinds of messages very often, but it is nice to receive them. It lets me know that I did NOT waste my time posting THAT particular thing on THAT particular site. (And, of course, this also means that my targeted audience is indeed on that particular site.)

 

I may not be doing much promotion on my personal Instagram, but for the promotional posts on Instagram that happen to catch someone’s notice, those are the golden moments that tell me that, hey, maybe I did something right!

 

But it’s not just receiving a message that I pay attention to when it comes to gauging whether or not I am on the right path promoting on a site. I also pay attention to likes, reactions, and comments. I notice if a post goes viral (oh, I had FUN thanking over 100 people for sharing one post in particular after it got lots of reposts on Bluesky), as well as the posts that don’t do very well at all.

 

I used to wonder why businesses pay attention to such things and why it even mattered at all. Now I know that looking at how posts do on certain social media sites and if they go viral is just as important to the writer as it is for a business. We writers are trying to promote our work/ We’re trying to get the word out about something that was published. We also want to show that we are taking this writing thing seriously, because, guess what? Editors, agents and publishers notice these things. They are on social media too. It’s important for us to position ourselves as serious writers worth their time and attention.

 

Some people may feel that we should only focus our energy on the platforms that work, whether it’s Substack, Instagram, TikTok or YouTube. As for me, I’ll keep spreading myself out on various social media sites. I don't use all of them every single day (I'm usually on Bluesky and Facebook every day), but I'm there. Sometimes, I'll make an appearance on the other ones too. 

 

I don’t use all of my social media sites for my writing, but at least I’m still there. And I’m willing to share a post so that my voice among the hundreds of others on the site is not a silent one.