A few years ago a writing magazine suggested over 25 million people are attempting to write fiction for commercial publication. That same article stated that less than 2,500 people in the world make a living as a commercial writer.
Another blog has discussed the ethics of authors’ rights regarding posting online for free and later publishing for sale.
To me the bigger question is — how do those authors expect to make enough money from publishing to make it worthwhile?
Nom de Plume developed a marketing method several years ago in which he post stories for free online that identify the author as having a book for sale (The Jessica Project). Jenny Walker also attempted to sell two of her novels. Through discussions with the two of them I get the feeling that anyone thinking they will sell more than a few hundred copies of their book, even with extensive marketing, is kidding themselves. Should you want to check how The Jessica Project is currently selling, or want to order a copy, go to Amazon and check its selling ranking.
I have donated several of my books to Erin for her to sell through Doppler Press. Periodically she tells me what the total sales have been. Although the total income to her has been meaningful, as she gets the total revenue, none of the books have sold more than 100 copies.
Top bestsellers have a hard time getting more than $10 for a book (the Kindle price for many). At $10 the author would probably make a dollar to $1.50. Self-publishing allows authors to make a little more, but vast riches just are not in the cards for a TG author unless they catch lightning in a bottle.
Everyone should go after her dream. Perhaps an author just wants to see if people will pay to read their book. Authors should be forewarned that the odds of making a good amount of money are about 10,000 to 1.
Jill M I
Angela Rasch
Comments
Why I write on BCTS
Angela,
Thank you for your eye opening information. As much as I like to write I know that writing for Big Closet Top Shelf will be the epitome of my writing career.
I can make money in another realm and am beginning a business. I turned down the Curves offer due to the CEO's personal views about people who are not Christians and are in the LGBTIQ arena.
As for writing, I write short stories because I would never be able to write coherently to complete a book. Maybe a book of short stories and poetry would be nice but I know that the exposure would be very limited and th total numer of sales would be less than twenty.
Again thank you for you insight and revelation.
Jill Micayla
Be kinder than necessary,Because everyone you meet
Is fighting some kind of battle.
Jill Micayla
Be kinder than necessary,Because everyone you meet
Is fighting some kind of battle.
Making money writing TG Fiction? I don't think so...
There have been website that offered TG Fiction stories for sale, I don't know if any remain today, maybe one?
Fetish sites are another matter though. Red Light comes to mind and they offer publications (magazines) with stories and pictures under several different categories.
TG Fiction authors in the bigger cities have a better chance using a POD publisher such as Lulu and Doppler. If they go to the fetish boutiques and those that cater to the TG and cross-dressing clients. Ask them to offer your book for sale. They will do so if it is any good.
The price tag as Angela mentioned is always a drawback. It isn't cheap getting a book ready for publication no matter the mode used. Just think about editing number one and then there are specific requirements of what MUST be included in each manuscript. So many blank pages in specific places. There are even more requirements if you want the book registered with the library of congress! (That's another story)
Anyway, it takes me enough time and effort to write my simple stories and post them here at the Closet no matter trying to make them letter perfect for publication in book form. The money it costs up front to get them published through a POD is expensive enough. I can't see me spending postage and packaging costs to send my manuscripts to publishers that will mostly ignore them in the first place.
Try getting an agent and then a publicist! Good luck!
It's hard enough finding a good editor and I gave up on doing that a long time ago. To me all it means is making something I enjoy doing into a chore, a job.
Once I retire I'll be offering several stories and the complete "Angel O'Hare Collection" as down loadable E-Books. The E-Books are very affordable and you get them the instant you pay the small fee. No waiting for weeks and sometimes even months to receive your printed book.
Beware of which POD publisher you use as well. I know several writers who used XLibris and their friends waited for over a year to get a book they had already paid for! The author was extremely angry because she paid top dollar for all the extras such as marketing and such and ended up getting the worst service ever. They'll take your money and you then have to hope they fill the orders for your book as they come in. Some actually wait until they have what they consider a minimum order before they'll even print the damn thing!
Just imagine being the eighth person to order and the minimum is ten and the tenth order never comes? What do you do then? You do what her friends did and keep pestering them until they give in. THAT SUCKS!
No, E-Books is the way to go if you want happy readers and customers. The price is affordable and they get their book instantly. The author doesn't make as much, but in the long run they do because in reality, more people will spend a few bucks and get an instant book to read than pay big bucks and then have to wait for delivery.
Just my humble opinion on this topic
Huggles All
Angel
"Be Your-Self, So Easy to Say, So Hard to Live!"
"Be Your-Self, So Easy to Say, So Hard to Live!"
You're a Lulu
I have three books on Lulu and have had good experience with them -- as has Jenny Walker. Some people have bad things to say about Publish America, although Nom de Plume said he had good experience with them.
http://leegoldberg.typepad.com/a_writers_life/2005/01/the_pu...
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
That's in line with...
what I've read. Doesn't mean I don't want to actually finish writing some stories - getting them published and actually selling them to a significant number of people? Nah. Not likely. LOL I think I'll keep my day job. (If they let me.) Speaking of which, I'd best get back to it.
Thanks,
Annette
10,000 to 1
Possibly less, unless you study the marketplace and write what people want to read.
If you want to write the "breakthrough" TG fiction that makes it to the top of the NYT Best Seller list, first become a bestselling author in a mainstream field, and *then* write an "experimental" novel with a GLBT (pick one) character.
Sara Paretsky has done fairly well with V.I. Warshawski, but "Victoria" (she hates the name) is relentlessly heterosexual.
Laurie King has two detective series, her Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series, and another featuring Kate Martinelli, who happens to be a lesbian. Guess which series does better in the bookstores.
Even Rita Mae Brown, the ground-breaking author of The Hand that Cradles the Rock and Rubyfruit Jungle, both published by mainstream presses, is writing Stinky-Pie Brown books these days, about a cat detective.
There's a small market for gay male detectives, or gay male anything, but the public is much harder on women who don't fit the norms, so the prospects of carryover are very slim, even after your wonderful success in the mainstream men's action-adventure, women's romance, or whatever.
All in all, your best chance at fame and fortune as a writer (or employer of a ghost writer) is probably to become a right-wing candidate for President (or Vice-President) of the USA. Sarah Palin's contract with HarperCollins for Going Rogue is reportedly good for seven million US dollars.
http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/sarah-palins-millions-...
These deals are almost always profitable for the publishers, because "supporters" can make indirect payments to the candidates through purchasing large quantities of the books as giveaways.
Cheers,
Puddin'
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Cheers,
Puddin'
A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style