F. P. Dorchak

Speculative Fiction (New Weird) Author

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Going Indie—What I’ve Learned (So Far)—Part 9

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Pay or Die! By W. M. Goodes (Nye, Bill: “Bill Nye’s History of England” (1900)) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.
Pay or Die! By W. M. Goodes (Nye, Bill: “Bill Nye’s History of England” (1900)) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.
Taxes.

Note to IRS: Writing is NOT a hobby to me.

We had our taxes done this past week, and, once again, I got hit with the standard spiel about “Hobby/Loss” rules. About my pitiful pittance of so-called “profit.”

Why?

Because I’d spent a couple thou on releasing two novels of mine last year (not counting my normal writing expenses) and hadn’t made a profit. Though I was physically and mentally exhausted at this tax meeting, and was, admittedly, a bit angry with the same (insert favorite expletive) admonishment I’ve been receiving since about 1987, I don’t really hold it against the man reading me the riot act. He’s just part of the process and covering his ass. Making sure I understand the position of my ass. I get that. But I was tired. Even a little annoyed at myself for how much I’d spent and at the small return—especially once I saw how many e-books were downloaded and no associated reviews or whatever (even bad ones) with all those downloads. Free downloads. Sure, Mark Coker (whom I’ve met and talked with—and a super, super GREAT guy) and the rest say that’s that M.O. for Indie publishing—giveaways. They will earn themselves out sometime…near or far future…but still…I was miffed. I gave away hundreds of books, and figured they were all languishing in the dark, dank corners of hundreds of harddrives, ignored and never to be read. Bit fillers.

Okay, I’m projecting and generalizing, there, because I was tired, but that was what was going through my mind. I can’t assume to know everyone’s mindset when they acquired my work, but I was happy that so many had acquired them. At that point, I just wasn’t happy with the lack of the almighty frigging important profits…and I was unhappy with the mere thought of profits!

Profits.

You see, folks, taxes bring out the weak links in businesses. The whole idea behind businesses, we are taught, is to make money. Not that we make the world a better place by the businesses we bring into existence, not that we’re out to help others. Not any other thing—

Profits.

Yes, that severely chafes me. Because every year I have to put my Business Hat on and talk money.

Artists don’t like talking money.

We don’t do what we do for the money. But…if we want to live…we have to make some sort of remuneration. Many of us have other jobs that do make money…but all of us, well nearly all of us—I don’t presume to know everyone’s motives—would love to be able to do the one thing that keeps us going…that feeds our souls…and make a living at that.

The IRS.

But this conflicts with IRS rules and regulations, if you’re making any money. Cause, if you make money, you must pay the piper. I don’t mind paying the piper. The piper is fine. We live in a great country, and somehow, we have to pay for things in this great country, and taxes are our mechanism. Live with it. Get over it. Taxes are how we get to reap the benefits of living where we live…whether or not they are properly managed is a whole ‘nother, exhausting argument.

I don’t want to bore with all the intricacies of the IRS Code, because I don’t know it and would have to research it, and, frankly, I’d rather force-vomit-up repeatedly the entire day than have to read that stuff, but here are some case studies on the matter of writers and taxes. The basic takeaways are:

  1. Treat writing like a business.
  2. Must prove the intent of making a profit in the business of writing.
  3. If no profit is made, show that it was due to circumstances beyond one’s control, like customary business risks, casualty losses, or depressed market conditions.

Now, I’m oversimplifying, and there are many and various methods to those steps, and I’m not gonna get into them, because I’m not legal counsel and the tax law is far more complex than it needs to be, but check out that link for interesting case studies and consult your tax folk. It’s interesting that there are cases where the IRS deemed a writer as not a writer-for-profit, the case then taken to court, and the court decreed that the writer was a writer-for-profit. So, all is not lost. One of the other things in those cases, was that the writer had to prove that their not making a profit was due to the third item above. In any event, nothing’s easy, nothing’s a given. You have to make every effort to treat your writing like the business it is, if you want to claim anything on your taxes and not use hobby/loss rules. There’s always a chance you could get audited, but, if you do, you can still “win,” as long as all your ducks are in a row.

Okay, so in the interests of showing how business-like I am, here is what I’m doing, plus/minus:

  1. I get up every damn day (twice on Sundays…okay, also Mondays-Saturdays, since I appear to have RLS), whether or not I feel like doing it, and write something. Promote.
  2. I log all my time on the computer for all my writing time.
  3. I log my submissions and important events in a logbook.
  4. I spreadsheet all expenses, income, and mileage.
  5. I spreadsheet inventory.
  6. I blog.
  7. I interact on social media (WordPress, Twitter, Pinterest, FB, AboutMe, LinkedIn the occasional online forum, like, currently, an Amazon forum).
  8. I push the Indie Publishing agenda.
  9. I interview on traditional and Internet radio.
  10. I try to get any gig where I can to advance the Indie Agenda, and get my work out there.
  11. I annoy and guilt others into buying my book, when severely hopped up on caffeine—which, I’m finding, I seem to need more of as I get older. Iced Tea doesn’t seem to be cutting it any longer (see RLS, above). I do same, to get readers to review my work. Note: why do I do this? I do it so others will see how much other readers have liked the book, so they, too, might like it and buy. If this was just for a frigging hobby, I could give a shit if someone liked it or not (as in I’d be doing it for my benefit and relaxation and it doesn’t matter if you like or don’t like that…) and wouldn’t keep embarrassing myself into asking readers for reviews—even short ones. My ego does not need stroking (some might say it strokes itself…). But, again, I’d really like to make a living off this stuff, so….
  12. I try to get writer conference sessions.
  13. I’ve submitted my work for official reviews, like The Midwest Book Review and BookReview.com (whose link, curiously, seems to be down, since I sent my work to them…).
  14. Am constantly prowling (yes, prowling) for any opportunity to further advance the cause of my work (note, I didn’t say me…my work…). I’ve even got my dad trying to sell my books in upstate New York. Any of you can also help out by trying to get me in anywhere you’d think I’d fit (note, I’m not 165 lbs…am currently about 200, so keep that in mind). Get me a radio phoner interview (where I’d call in, versus showing up in-studio), invite me to your library or writer/reader groups, if in driving distance (or “they” pay for my airfare and hotel…  :-] ), send links to my work all over the planet, talk my books up whenever you can, interview me for your blog. I’m a fun guy. Witty sometimes. See, I am prowling, even trolling (note double entendre, which, originally, was “double entente,” c. 1670s)…

Thing is, I’m no longer 23 and can’t do 20-hour days anymore. I do do (go on, laugh, it’s allowed) 18-hour days, though. I have a day job that’s frequently been more than just a day job and do get quite exhausted by day’s end, so that curtails evening events (frequent ones, anyway) at the moment. I also workout after work. That takes a couple hours. Staying fit is important on many levels, but to Mr. and Mrs. IRS that should mean it makes me a lean-mean-profit-making-machine. Or tries to, anyway, but, given the glutted publishing market and “customary business risks, casualty losses, or depressed market conditions,” it’s hard to break into and make a profit in the publishing world. But I’m still in there swinging. Because I lift weights. Cardio give me longevity.

Now, yes, some of this all might sound decidedly mercenary (in actuality, reviews are not just about the promotion to me, I’m truly curious about how people interpret and feel about the stories; I’ve written them to touch and impact in some way, even inform…), take some of the romanticism out of us writers, but, sigh, we’re just trying to make a living. We’re not egotistical—most of us don’t even like the limelight—but we have a driving need to write. To convey stories we hope others might find fun or interesting. What do each of you do to stay employed? How do each of you sell yourselves? It’s a true pity so much focus is put on profitability, but you have to also look at it from the IRS’s point of view: people cheat. Once you understand that, everything else falls into place.

Don’t hate the writer. We just wanna write…and without us, you don’t have anything to read.

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Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest

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Well the contest everyone loves to hate by the company everyone loves to hate has opened its entry period February 16 – March 2, 2014, for the 2014 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest (ABNA).

It’s open to all unpublished and self published, English language novels. The contest will remain open until March 2, or 10,000 eligible entries have been received. Entrants can log into CreateSpace.

There will be one Grand Prize winner, who’ll receive $50,000, as well as four First Prize winners, who’ll receive a publishing contract from Amazon, and an advance of $15,000.

The categories are general fiction, mystery/thriller, romance, science fiction/fantasy/horror, and young adult fiction.See the Official Contest Rules for more info, and the prizes page for, you know, prize stuff, et cet.

You can only enter one manuscript per category.

The Uninvited and ERO can fit into two categories. Am I gonna enter?

Plan on it.

UPDATE Feb 22, 2014:

Upon reading the Amazon contest contract, I noted a curious clause, called the “Moral Rights” clause. It kinda disturbed me. It states that we waive all moral rights, which means the rights of attribution and integrity. Here’s  a link describing said clause, and below is a response from a fellow writer/publishing lawyer, Susan Spann, who has graciously allowed me permission to post her response:

“I’ll pipe in from the publishing lawyer’s perspective.

‘Moral rights’ are more important abroad than they’ve traditionally been in the U.S.

The right of attribution means the author’s right to have his or her name associated with the work. That’s critically important, but generally dealt with elsewhere in the contract (with U.S. Contracts, anyway).

The right of integrity is the right to prevent ‘mutilation or alteration’ of the work. Again…important to most of us, but dealt with in a section usually titled ‘editing.’

Ultimately, moral rights are the right of the author to have his or her name associated with the work and to prevent non-permitted changes to it. Most of those rights are addressed elsewhere in U.S. contracts, and many publishers do ask for waivers of moral rights. Most authors just don’t notice them lurking in the legalese. That said, there may well be other rights-grabs in the Amazon rules that warrant attention.”

But, you have to enter the contest, stay with the contest, then win the contest to even be considered for/get an Amazon publishing contract, which means you have to abide by giving up all moral rights to even get the publishing-your-book contract where “all this” would “be handled.” And by who—you? Better get an agent…but, of course, that’d be too late, since you already gave up your moral rights by entering and staying with the contest contract.

Read that contract. I am/still going over it.

So…I’m considering withdrawing from the contest. I’m perfectly content with the result of my indie releases, and was just looking to gain a publishing house, so I didn’t have to pay out money to publish. It appears…TANSTAAFL…still applies.

Additionally from Susan:

“Normally a moral rights waiver is pretty clear. The language will be something like ‘Author waives all moral rights in and to the Work.’ That clause may stand alone, or may lurk elsewhere in the document. Generally speaking, though, the language is actually going to use the words ‘moral rights.’

The true lurker versions of this language get rid of the moral rights piecemeal (which is more common in the U.S.). The words ‘Publisher has the right to edit the Work, and the right of final approval over the form and content of the work’ are essentially a waiver of the moral rights against defacement and alteration – because the author is giving the publisher the final right to edit and approve the work. Where the author requests additional language that says ‘provided that Publisher’s changes may not substantially alter the substantive content of the Work,’ the author is rescuing some of those moral rights — the ones that deal with substance and content.

The same is true of the attribution right. When the contract states that the Publisher ‘will’ credit the author as author of the Work on the title and verso page, that’s a protection of the author’s moral right of attribution.

In one sense, this has become a lesser issue in the U.S. because we deal with the individual rights that make up “moral rights” separately in our standard contracts.

Also, this clearly needs to get into my #PubLaw posts somewhere. I’m not sure I’ve done one on moral rights.

I used to teach this as part of the intellectual property and copyright courses I taught at the law school level, and I can tell you it gave new lawyers issues too.”

Susan also had issues with other parts of the contract that gave me increased pause for thought. For instance, the Grand Prize winner’s grant of rights in all forms and formats doesn’t terminate like the other “levels-of-winners” do. And there’s no specifics about when the “all forms and formats” runs out.

So, given I no longer have an agent, and given all the terrific info Susan—a publishing lawyer—gave, I’m withdrawing my submission.

Thanks, Susan, for all your advice and information!

Disclaimer: And, just to be clear, Susan did NOT recommend any course of action to me (she did not recommend I withdraw in any way, shape, or form), this is all and totally MY decision.

Be[ a]ware.

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The Unmaking of a Psychic….

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I am back at work hot and heavy in my next novel-for-release, and as I’ve previously alluded, it’s givin’ me a run for my money!

The novel is currently titled Psychic. It’s a follow on to Sleepwalkers (reviewed here, by Marc Schuster, a truly fabulous writer! Catch his novel, The Grievers, and his other work), and details the origins to The Man With No Name (or, “MWNN,” as I call him). It’s more action/adventure than Sleepwalkers, all conspiracy theory, and gritty. Yeah, there’s nasty stuff in it, but when you’re dealing with government conspiracies, it ain’t no ride in the park…unless someone gets offed…and many get offed in this book. I’m billing it as “the ultimate conspiracy,” and you’ll just have to read it to see why. Can such things happen? Stranger things have happened…like the creation of a real government group of psychics, called remote viewers. For real. Years ago, I became aware of the program through the book, Remote Viewers: The Secret History of America’s Psychic Spies. Anyway, more on all that, later.

But, wow, my writing has really improved since I began work on Psychic, back in 2000 (and if you really wanna go back in time, I actually began the groundwork for the novel in 1994…), and that is most likely why the reworking of it has become so time consuming…because I’ve gotten better over all these years, so, I’m naturally gonna find things I can improve, and improve, and, well, rework the hell out of.

But, it’s fun.

Yes, fun!

It’s a great story, a crazy one, and I love the characters. Can’t wait to bring it out into the public…but I seriously think I have at least a couple, maybe several months of work yet to do. Several have already read it, and a couple years ago, a friend of mine, Dave Lirette, even gave me an idea I simply had to incorporate. I did, and it simply caps the entire story—I know I’ve said this to you before, Dave, but thanks a billion for that idea!

Anyway, here are some comments from a couple of people who have already read it.

“Psychic…is a page turner…full of mind-numbing worry and questions….”

Madelon Rose Logue

Editor/Publisher The Black Sheep

F. P. Dorchak, author of Sleepwalkers, has upped the game. His new novel, Psychic, is a ground-breaking, reality bending, mind expanding metaphysical mystery and action thriller that had me hooked from the very beginning. There are passages in the work that describe the nature of existence as beautifully as those in the Seth material, but are uniquely his own. I loved Sleepwalkers…Psychic blew me away.

Joyce Combs

Creator of the Seth Deck

The Way Forward

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Graham Chapman: I think all righthtinking people in this country are sick and tired of being told that ordinary, decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired.

All: Yes, yes…

Graham Chapman: I’m certainly not! And I’m sick and tired of being told that I am.

Not Sure?: Mrs. Havoc-Jones.

Mrs. Havoc-Jones: Well, I meet a lot of people and I’m convinced that the vast majority of wrongthinking people are right.

From Monty Python, “Right-Thinking People,” at  Monty Python.net

Apologies for the lack of posts, but, wow, 2013 had been a rough year!

For one thing I had several physical issues rear their wonderful heads, some corrected, some “the new normal,” and a couple “heady” issues also joined the party, not the least of which was parting ways with my agent of five years.

But, I’ve also had some really cool stuff happen!

Like going Indie with my work and releasing two novels, The Uninvited and ERO. I also had a couple radio spots, one Internet, one traditional/local, and was interviewed on a podcast. There was and is lots of work involved in not only bringing these two works out into the public, but also over the cumulative 12 years of working, reworking, reworking, and agenting them. There are so many opinions and points of view and you-name-it out there on what one should or shouldn’t do, it makes your head spin, your stomach turn. I realized going into this that all I can do is all I can do. There is no longer (if there ever really was) one way to publish anymore. But, even now with all the Indie options, there are still all the pundits and “right-thinking people” ranting and raving about the right way to this and that. Sure, there’s some really good information out there, but what it comes down to (IMHO) is you could staple your working manuscript pages together and pass it around (replete with whatever typos and grammar issues remain unchecked), and if it strikes a chord in everyone’s soul, hits the Big News of the Day, it will become an unimaginable hit. There just is no one, right way, anymore. But, the Internet and social media gives everyone’s voice an outlet (yeah, even mine). Many will never strike the gold vein, so the rest of us must do certain things to bring our work to the people. Make it the best possible read. And most appear to imply you must do ALL of them. NOW.

Exhausting.

Me? I feel you just need to do what you can with the resources you have. Yes, it costs money and time, and there are even those out there who chide that if you can’t afford going Indie, then don’t. Defining “afford” can be time or resources, so there is some element of truth there, but even a small circle of influence on your part might be all you’re looking for, so, if so, do it. Not everyone wants to be BIG.

I’m still working on my next release, Psychic, but it’s been like slogging through a swamp. It’s like I’m a totally different person each time I go through the thing: How the hell didn’t I see that before?! Yes, I’ve had a freelancer go through it before, but, still…I’m changing turns of phrase, word choices, you name it. I’ve also had to change the structure some, since it involves an alternate history with JFK (yes, the JFK) still walking the Earth, and he’d now be late into his 90s, so I had to back up the story a few years into the 1990s. It looks more like a second draft than a 12-years-later draft #356.7, but, it’s getting there.  It was tough creating the first draft, back in 2000, and it’s been a hard fight ever since. Some books are just like that, but it’s all about putting out the best product. Psychic is book two in a proposed three-book series that started with Sleepwalkers. I’m hoping to bring Psychic out sometime this year….

And…I still am looking into creating a newsletter, so, if interested, sign up at the “Newsletter” to the upper right on this page. Thanks!

So, here it is, 2014. Wishing everyone out there the very best in the coming year! Let’s all make the world a little better!

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Going Indie—What I’ve Learned (So Far)—Part 8

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Busy
I Can DO This! (Busy. Photo credit: AJC1)

Wow, could things get any busier?

I have been pushing more of the social media thing, the past month or two, at the expense of working on my manuscript-in-progress, Psychic, and kinda “burning the candle at both ends.” It gets exhausting…but cool to find new avenues, like iAuthor. I’m even considering starting up a quarterly newsletter, but when will that happen, since I’m stuck on the initial insert the subscription widget onto my blog site part! No, I’m not all that technically inept, but it seems as though some crucial “it’s easy” step or two is missing from the WordPress instructions. I’ve e-mail their Help depot.

Okay, since my last post on this topic, here are some more things I’ve learned on my adventure of “Going Indie”:

  1. Selecting ISBNs on CreateSpace.  Be careful with you go in and select which type of ISBN you want for your book, and whichever one you do choose, ALWAYS also select the expanded distribution. Read the different types very carefully before selecting, because once you select, you cannot change the ISBN—unless you totally delete your book’s account and start over. I recommend the custom ISBN option for $10 and then get a graphic designer (which will cost you, of course, but is well worth it!), like Lon Kirschner, to design a “faux imprint” for you to have on the bottom edge of your cover, like my Wailing Loon. It looks cool and gives you a brand for your work, other than the generic “CreateSpace.” You can display a little more your own creativity of “who you and your books are.”
  2. Changes To Your CreateSpace file. I found I had to go back into The Uninvited to add some missing front matter. It’s kinda “scary,” doing this, because you really don’t want to F-up your already nitpicked and edited file, but it’s easy to do. You simply select the interior or cover portion of your file, under “Setup,” on your Project Homepage for the book in question, and on the next page, you’ll see a place that says “Make Changes,” and go from there. You don’t have to change anything other than what you need to change, like, for me, the front matter blurbs. You can just “Next” on through the other stuff. Just be careful to not touch anything else. And for any proofing, you can have an actual “proof” copy of the book sent to you (versus doing this all online, for free), though you have to pay for it (like $5, plus shipping), and on the back page of the book is stamped “Proof.”
  3. Interested in signed copies? I decided to get that PO box, so I could mail stuff back and forth to any readers out there. I’ve posted the address about, but it’s F. P. Dorchak, P. O. Box 49393, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80949. The Post Office says you can do a 3-month version, but you have to also get the automatic renewal, which makes zero sense, because that makes the term 6 months. So, really, the lowest amount of time you can get a PO box for is 6 months. That’s government reasoning for you. But it’s cheap (mine is $39). If you get something larger than the box you have, they just give you a key to a larger box, for no charge.
  4. Chain Reviews and World Domination. I put out there that if anyone was interested in reviewing my books, I’d send free, autographed copies. The first 5 per book would get a free book. Offer still stands.
  5. Book Review Outlets. I’m looking into these, you know, what with all the free time I have. Check these out.
  6. Facebook. So far, this is a bust. No more begging from me! And still no “FB Superpowers,” i.e., I still cannot “Like” other pages or save the world. But, not giving up, cause it’s still early, but, feel free to drop by my FB page. Thanks!
  7. Newsletters. Found a great couple of Writers in The Storm links for newsletter info. Thanks, WITS! Thought I’d do this this year, but may have to wait until next year.
  8. Word of mouth. This is where I get lots of comments from people, either by e-mail or through my wife. This is where people rave about my work. Not Facebook (well, at least not so far…). And, of course, I have some “virtual friends” with which I routinely interact, and they’re very supportive (thanks, again, folks)! But, word of mouth seems like the biggest factor in my marketing and promotion. It’s everyone one of you, out there, reading my work and talking about it. Telling others. I hope you will also write an online review (e.g., here und here) at your favorite outlets, too. Please. Thanks!
  9. iAuthor. Found a new overseas outlet, out of the U.K., called iAuthor, so I added The Uninvited and ERO to this site (Sleepwalkers doesn’t have a HighDef cover file, so I’m told by the site it most likely wouldn’t be allowed, because it would degrade he overall quality of the images). It’s free for authors. But…the site seems to have issues during the “height of the day” in loading and such (just now, the site didn’t load right; it should display tons of book covers). I had to do my uploads in the early hours of the morning (i.e., 3 a.m.) before I got them to work, so be advised.

That’s all I have for this year, for my ongoing “Going Indie” adventure. As always, thanks for stopping by, and have a Happy Holiday Season, in whatever way you choose to celebrate (or, uh, not celebrate…) it!

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The Same Old Thing….

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Indie Pub'd, The Uninvited, © F. P. Dorchak
Indie Pub’d, The Uninvited, © F. P. Dorchak

Okay, it’s been kinda busy around here. Not much writing in the “novel manuscript” sense, but writing in many other senses. It’s all good…though missing working on an actual manuscript. I’ve been trying to clean up my next book to be release, called Psychic, which is tied to Sleepwalkers and that novel’s Man With No Name (MWNN). It’s more action adventure and details the MWNN’s origins. Anyway, as I try to catch up with all the blog posts I’m supposed to be following while working weird hours, it’s interesting seeing all the points of view and feelings about indie publishing versus traditional. Not to be dismissive to the writers and their opinions, I’d read how some had gone “digital” with an “official” publisher for many reasons, one of which was that it gave them more time to write, versus doing all the “other stuff” we indie folk must do. I thought about that for a spell.

Would it really give you more time to write, going with an “official publisher”?

Hmmm.

Okay, so, you go with the traditional publisher. You still have to promote, promote, and whatnot…and won’t that still come out of your extra time, your theoretically to-be-banked “writing time”? This, along with all your proofing and approvals and various and sundry interactions with your “official publisher” staff? Your agent?

I really don’t see how doing that saves nor lends any more time for writing than what I’m doing. See, I know I can’t do everything, so I don’t even try. I’m busy with a life and a full-time job like everyone else, and since I know I can’t do everything, I just work on what I can do, and make notes for the rest. No one is forcing me to “do” social media until I bleed out my eyes. I don’t do my own cover and I don’t do my content formatting. All I do is the writing, reviews, and approvals. Sure, I no longer have an agent, but I’ve already spent time editing and dealing with those who’ve poured over my manuscript over the years. Sure, I did not pay thousands for an “official editor,” but I’ve had writing fellows read it, have actually had people who were editors, at one point or another, read some of my work, and, well, as a tech writer myself, have done much of my own heavy editing. My agent at the time didn’t have too much to cut from my work, though the most ever edited out was on ERO (dang it, just saw Amazon further discounted ERO—sorry, Blackcatpratt!, but you did get a bonus book…), a handful (20 or so) pages—which I did. My eyes, other’s eyes. You still have to review what traditional publishers do for you, and you still have to create your pitches…or have already done so, so you just expand upon them for your marketing use. Still work I’m doing.

And working with my cover folk and content editors has been anything but “time consuming.” It’s been a joy—absolute fun! A fun respite from all that writing. You can’t write forever, you’ll literally hurt yourself, you have to take some breaks. During those breaks, you do other stuff. This is that “other stuff,” but, as mentioned, you’ll be doing the exact same thing! You’ll have to review your cover, your copy. Still no savings.

The “other eyes,” thing. Already mentioned that above, I’ve had other eyes on my work, some quite brutal (Inky! ;-] )!

Okay, “professional” eyes.

Done that, been there. Still no difference.

So, since I have never been privy to all that traditional houses do, perhaps I’m still missing something? I just fail to see where going with an “official publisher” saves anyone any “extra” writing time (hey, and let’s get real, here—how much time do you goof off during your day! Be honest!). It’s just another way of doing business! And that’s just fine. More power to you! You can get publisher name recognition and their distro channels, which I don’t have—but even my indie work has distro channels, and some name recognition by going through such outlets as Smashwords and Amazon. I still have a team of people I use, just like the “official publishing” staff; maybe not as “deep,” in hierarchy, and maybe some of mine pull double duty, but, as already mentioned, I still have my cover people, content people, and those who I’ve called upon to read and comment (and I do/have paid a small stipend for their efforts). Now, sure, thing is, I can disagree with my staff and get the last word, where, usually, the traditional staff does…but I’m not married to any of my words…just in making the best damned story. So, I’m very open to other’s opinions.

So, we both have to write, review, and perform on social media, attend conferences, get our names out there.

Where’s this extra writing time coming from?