tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2676691386361883927.post4835795569043411277..comments2024-02-28T12:45:42.761-05:00Comments on Hoosier Ink: The Evolution of an Indie AuthorThe ACFW INDIANA Chapter Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07282742986179364847noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2676691386361883927.post-72551257776374645202013-06-05T11:17:56.157-04:002013-06-05T11:17:56.157-04:00Wow, Sharon, I really identified with you journey,...Wow, Sharon, I really identified with you journey,especially "Lord, what are You trying to tell me? ...What’s next? A battle rages within...a shadow seems to hover...doubt my calling, doubt my ability..."<br /><br />People who read my work say, "I don't understand how you're not traditionally published." I too consider e-pub on an individual basis, still the hardest part for me promotion. <br /><br />Thank you for posting this. It was helpful to read it from someone outside my head. Mary Marie Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07140800346217363866noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2676691386361883927.post-21834175772933345462013-05-31T17:07:53.265-04:002013-05-31T17:07:53.265-04:00I'm so glad that the Lord knows our hearts. He...I'm so glad that the Lord knows our hearts. He gives us various gifts expecting us to use them for His glory. That's my prayer where my writing is concerned. I didn't publish UP A RUTTED ROAD as a matter of pride. But I should do what I can to get the word out that it's available. I'd do no less if I opened a pie shop and wanted folks to know about it. <br /><br />Christian storytellers face the same issue. To book gigs, we need to get the word out about our program offerings. That's not being boastful; that's saying, "Here's what I do. Here's my experience. Here's what others say about my shows. May I tell at your event?"<br /><br />Whether I'm writing and pubbing a book or weaving an oral tale, I do my best for His sake.<br /><br />Write on!<br />Because of ChristSharon Kirk Cliftonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10218763567211993842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2676691386361883927.post-23254965901861023442013-05-31T16:51:51.578-04:002013-05-31T16:51:51.578-04:00Thank you, Sharon.
I've had the same experien...Thank you, Sharon.<br /><br />I've had the same experience with friends and relatives who know I write. "We want to read your books," they say. Now they can read it!<br /><br />UP A RUTTED ROAD is set in 1950, which is in that middle time, also--not quite "historical," but certainly not contemporary. <br /><br />I appreciate your comments and hope I get to hear from my readers. That would be a blessing.<br /><br />Write on!<br />Because of ChristSharon Kirk Cliftonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10218763567211993842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2676691386361883927.post-3407607396056653322013-05-31T07:45:23.085-04:002013-05-31T07:45:23.085-04:00Great article Sharon Kirk Clifton. When my sister-...Great article Sharon Kirk Clifton. When my sister-in-love asked when my first novel would be published and would she ever get to read it~ I said maybe there is a reason it is not getting published.<br /><br />But because of the time line (1973) which none of the traditional publishers would look at from a new author, my agent gave me her blessing to (gasp) indie publish it. And so I did!<br /><br />And I love hearing from readers who responded and said the book blessed and helped them! Story and Logic Media Grouphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13317731231950753140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2676691386361883927.post-41888190590394974182013-05-31T07:34:11.266-04:002013-05-31T07:34:11.266-04:00Thanks for your comment, Sharon.
My comments on ...Thanks for your comment, Sharon. <br /><br />My comments on motivation are not so much about why people self-publish as to how the self-publishers, wanting your money, try to motivate you into pursuing this. And as I commented, I'm not anti-self-publishing, even though I've gotten burned. Like you, I was interested in self-publishing before that bad experience and still considering e-publishing to get my book in the market.<br /><br />BTW, the writing author who impacted me the most is Ron Benrey, who encourages everyone to get an agent. He does have a chapter on self-publishing in his great book, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing Christian Fiction, and points out there are times when self-publishing is a good idea, such as when you have time issues (he uses a novel planned aimed to capitalize on the 75th anniversary of the Scopes monkey trial as an example) or a story that needs to be too edgy for the CBA market.<br /><br />Thanks for hearing me out. Like I say, my experience has made me skeptical of some of the outfits out, and I do feel traditional publishing fits the proverb "Let another praise you and not your own mouth" (paraphrase of Prov. 27:2) more than self-publishing.Jeffrey C. Reynoldshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03260244563274650475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2676691386361883927.post-47845065523237108572013-05-30T19:01:13.409-04:002013-05-30T19:01:13.409-04:00Absolutely, Millie! That market grows daily. Absolutely, Millie! That market grows daily. Sharon Kirk Cliftonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10218763567211993842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2676691386361883927.post-18304518048766067692013-05-30T17:07:43.230-04:002013-05-30T17:07:43.230-04:00Sharon, I haven't read your book yet, but I...Sharon, I haven't read your book yet, but I'm guessing it's a great one for the homeschool market -- that's a market I plan to do more with. . . soon. . . :-)Millie Samuelsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00448444518496748872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2676691386361883927.post-31218348998788856282013-05-30T13:21:42.032-04:002013-05-30T13:21:42.032-04:00Wow, Millie, what an excellent testimonial! You...Wow, Millie, what an excellent testimonial! You've made many excellent points. And as a first-time indie author/publisher, I'm encouraged. At this point, I'm also waiting for the numbers of middle-grade e-book readers to increase, as I believe it will, as the prices of digital reading devices come down. If I recall correctly, you read to your grands, as I do. We need to promote that! It's really nice to have a whole library handy to draw from. Right now, I'm reading Jules Verne's 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA. We have about a quarter of the book to go. Guess what's next. Yup! You got it. UP A RUTTED ROAD! Huzzah!<br /><br />Write on!<br />Because of ChristSharon Kirk Cliftonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10218763567211993842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2676691386361883927.post-85765734453894621042013-05-30T10:19:33.527-04:002013-05-30T10:19:33.527-04:00I know you've "heard" me say this be...I know you've "heard" me say this before, Sharon, but I say it again for your readers who may not have heard it from me: so many "at the top" have recently changed their viewpoint on self-pubbing/indie pubbing, including long-time die-hard Jerry Jenkins! And yes, lots of self-pubbed books are not quality, but that's also true of lots of tradionally pubbed books! And just like trad pubbed books, our indie books also improve with each printing and each new book. I'm all for using pubs where there are no upfront costs, like Amazon's CreateSpace and Kindle, just royalties per book. But what I LUV best about being an indie is control! I can create my own cover, include photos where I want, edit whenever I want (and yes, the longer an indie book is around, the better it gets), choose my own titles, and most importantly, price my books at low enough prices to sell, plus give them away freely. Can you tell I'm happy to be an indie?! I praise God every day for enriching my retirement years with heaps of indie author opportunities, including book sales in the thousands! So far, the trad contracts offered me would have benefitted the pub more than me. BUT HEY, if the right contract with a traditional publisher is offered me, I'll take it! Until then, I'll joyfully and prayerfully indie on. . . :-) Millie Samuelsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00448444518496748872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2676691386361883927.post-72055048674817625652013-05-30T09:09:22.895-04:002013-05-30T09:09:22.895-04:00Hello, Jeff~
Thanks for sharing your experience. ...Hello, Jeff~<br /><br />Thanks for sharing your experience. <br /><br />Frankly, I'm glad UP THE RUTTED ROAD wasn't pubbed by the big firm early on. The MS needed to go through those revisions and edits that followed, and I needed that growth as a writer. God is, after all, in control, and He knows the plans He has for us. I rest in that. <br /><br />Believe me, I didn't go indie because of greed. Few there are who get rich writing. I did it because I had a story I wanted to share. Though I don't think it's wrong to earn money, that's a side issue.<br /><br />Any writer who self-publishes out of impatience is, as my mama would say, "biting off his nose to spite his face." A work produced from that motivation likely isn't fully dressed and shouldn't appear in public. It will prove to be an embarrassment. (I've heard writers who were published traditionally say, in fact, they were embarrassed by their early books. We grow--or should--throughout our careers.)<br /><br />I wish you success in your writing.<br /><br />Write on!<br />Because of ChristSharon Kirk Cliftonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10218763567211993842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2676691386361883927.post-37320948129092560282013-05-30T08:13:57.388-04:002013-05-30T08:13:57.388-04:00Sharon,
I had a similar experience to your favori...Sharon,<br /><br />I had a similar experience to your favorite agent retiring before reading your book. Except in my case it was a self-publisher that would have published my book, leaving me no closer to being published and a couple of thousand dollars poorer.<br /><br />I also notice self-publishers have two main arguments for using them -- <br />1) My book needs to be published (appeals to my impatience; wait, that's not a godly quality), and<br />2) I get 100% of the profits from my book sales (appeals to my greed; wait, that's not a godly quality).<br /><br />That being said, is there a chance I might eventually go with self-publishing? Yes, especially with non-fiction. I'm considering e-publishing when I finish the re-write of the novel that would have been self-published -- and is much better after going through three or so rounds in ACFW critique groups than it was when I planned on publishing it.Jeffrey C. Reynoldshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03260244563274650475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2676691386361883927.post-87529977473934244892013-05-29T11:00:18.332-04:002013-05-29T11:00:18.332-04:00Kathryn, hello! Good to hear from you. I sat direc...Kathryn, hello! Good to hear from you. I sat directly across the table from you at the recent ACFW luncheon in Fort Wayne.<br /><br />I agree with your assessment of many self-published books. Hurrying to publish does nothing to recommend a writer's future work. There are no shortcuts. UP A RUTTED ROAD endured tough critiques from an ACFW Scribes group, at least three full revisions, and multiple edits. Is it perfect? No. Have you ever read a book that was perfect? I haven't. <br /><br />I'm glad I wrote it with a trade editor or an agent in mind, however. It kept me on my toes and helped me see it with a semblance of objectivity.<br /><br />Thanks for your comment.<br /><br />Write on!<br />Because of ChristSharon Kirk Cliftonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10218763567211993842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2676691386361883927.post-87807902959363305782013-05-29T09:35:36.219-04:002013-05-29T09:35:36.219-04:00Sharon, are you sure you didn't steal my writi...Sharon, are you sure you didn't steal my writing journey? I did find a traditional (though small) publisher for my first book, but I just self-published my second after going through much the same mental process through the years. There are a lot of great self-published books (and hopefully ours are included in that), but there are still too many people who use it as a short-cut rather than first learning how to write, hiring people to edit and proofread, etc.Kathryn Page Camphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03458122715766846442noreply@blogger.com