Any fiction writers here?

[Thegoblinchief]

I know a lot of you write your own blogs (myself included) but I was wondering if anyone here writes fiction.

I haven't published anything, other than a few shorts on my blog, but I've been working hard on a novel since November (wrote entire first draft during Nanowrimo and have been revising it and expanding it since) and have been writing fiction since high school.

So, any of you fiction authors? Published? Unpublished? Genre?

[Wolf_Stache]

I know a lot of you write your own blogs (myself included) but I was wondering if anyone here writes fiction.

I haven't published anything, other than a few shorts on my blog, but I've been working hard on a novel since November (wrote entire first draft during Nanowrimo and have been revising it and expanding it since) and have been writing fiction since high school.

So, any of you fiction authors? Published? Unpublished? Genre?

I write YA Epic Fantasy novels. I'm still unpublished. I have a meeting in April at Norwescon with a bunch of published authors to get feedback on my query letter and Synopsis. But I'm leaning towards self publishing soon.

I have a blog, but 90% of my posts are book reviews. I've discovered writing a regular blog is not something I can force myself to do.

[Thegoblinchief]

I write YA Epic Fantasy novels. I'm still unpublished. I have a meeting in April at Norwescon with a bunch of published authors to get feedback on my query letter and Synopsis. But I'm leaning towards self publishing soon.

Good luck. FWIW, the self-published authors that I know who have been moderately successful sales-wise have usually already been published traditionally, OR have cultivated an audience through their blogs.

[Wolf_Stache]

I write YA Epic Fantasy novels. I'm still unpublished. I have a meeting in April at Norwescon with a bunch of published authors to get feedback on my query letter and Synopsis. But I'm leaning towards self publishing soon.

Good luck. FWIW, the self-published authors that I know who have been moderately successful sales-wise have usually already been published traditionally, OR have cultivated an audience through their blogs.

I have two friends from my writing group, both have never been previously published or had big blog audiences. One started self publishing in 2012 and the other first published in December 2013. They both are doing amazingly well, and one of them got a contract with Barnes and Noble to sell their books in the B&N stores.

Of course, I also don't personally know anyone who has ever gotten their stuff traditionally published. But my field of reference is just the people I know from my writers group.

[CommonCents]

Go read prosaic's journal :)

[RootofGood]

Just non-fiction for me.  Occasionally embellished, but always based in fact.  Unless it's something allegorical.

[Thegoblinchief]

I have two friends from my writing group, both have never been previously published or had big blog audiences. One started self publishing in 2012 and the other first published in December 2013. They both are doing amazingly well, and one of them got a contract with Barnes and Noble to sell their books in the B&N stores.

Wow. Good to know.

Go read prosaic's journal :)

A link CommonCents? Can't seem to find it.

[Rural]

I have two friends from my writing group, both have never been previously published or had big blog audiences. One started self publishing in 2012 and the other first published in December 2013. They both are doing amazingly well, and one of them got a contract with Barnes and Noble to sell their books in the B&N stores.

Wow. Good to know.

Go read prosaic's journal :)

A link CommonCents? Can't seem to find it.

Not CommonCents, but here you go: https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/journals/buying-autonomy/

[ShortInSeattle]

I'm a newly self-published mystery novelist. Call it my next side gig. :)

[Wolf_Stache]

I'm a newly self-published mystery novelist. Call it my next side gig. :)

Nice!

[lizzzi]

I'm working on the last of an unpublished trilogy of early medieval romances, set in the U.K. and Ireland just after the Norman Conquest. I think in all honesty that as I can't get back there to beef up my research, that after this last one goes in to the RNA-NWS (Romance Novelists' Association-New Writers' Scheme) (sort of like the British version of Romance Writers of America), that I'm going to think up a five-book arc that is set during the French and Indian War, known in Europe as the Seven Years War--it was actually the first world war--not the World War I that we all think was the first world war. Anyway, I publish regularly in short non-fiction--did a healthcare column in New York for two and a half years, and do book reviews for Historical Novels Review. But I have not cracked book-length fiction. Since it's supposed to be my side gig now, I really need to stop being a whiney pants and lazy pants and just sell something, already.

[kkbmustang]

I'm finishing the first draft of my YA contemporary novel. Have taken a couple of workshop classes through Mediabistro. (Highly recommended, although not cheap.)

My nonfiction articles have appeared online nationally (CNN.com, FoxBusiness.com, etc.).

[Ian]

I write fiction.

Good luck. FWIW, the self-published authors that I know who have been moderately successful sales-wise have usually already been published traditionally, OR have cultivated an audience through their blogs.

This was true until fairly recently. I don't have exact numbers on hand, but there are now small groups of people who either make a significant amount self-publishing or have moderate success and land traditional book deals. Also a growing "digital midlist" of people who hold steady selling a few thousand copies a year. Given how quickly things are changing, it's hard to predict how long this information will be accurate, though.

[MissStache]

I'm unpublished, but have two half-finished historical fiction novels and 5 others that are roughly outlined.  If I finish them (I tend to do them in spurts then abandon them for a few months until inspiration strikes again), I will almost certainly self-publish. 

I actually started an old thread about self publishing that has some good info: https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/do-it-yourself-forum!/has-anyone-published-an-ebook/msg148739/#msg148739

[thelamb]

Wrote one fictional novel.  It was a serious endeavor, spent over a year, took a brief LOA, hired an editor...  After the 7th draft, I was reasonably happy with it but exhausted and couldn't imagine seeking publication, so I self-published.  Results were not good, meaning all sales were friends and family.  The books is probably not good; it's impossible for me to read it anymore.  But looking back, man was it a fun process and I would love to write many more in ER. 

[CommonCents]

I have two friends from my writing group, both have never been previously published or had big blog audiences. One started self publishing in 2012 and the other first published in December 2013. They both are doing amazingly well, and one of them got a contract with Barnes and Noble to sell their books in the B&N stores.

Wow. Good to know.

Go read prosaic's journal :)

A link CommonCents? Can't seem to find it.

Not CommonCents, but here you go: https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/journals/buying-autonomy/

Hey sorry, was typing on my iphone so couldn't link earlier, but that's the thread, yes.  Very inspirational.

[rubybeth]

I write fanfiction and publish it on Fanfiction.net.

[Wolf_Stache]

I write fanfiction and publish it on Fanfiction.net.

Man, I used to spend hours reading that site. I even published a few things there myself.

[Daleth]

Yep. Very moderately published (a few short stories), have finished one novel that I'm shopping around to agents and started another. IMHO self-publishing is only likely to work if what you write is either some kind of how-to guide or personal growth book (though the latter requires a ton of promotion, public speaking etc.), or genre fiction in a popular genre--though if you can write good genre fiction, you should be able to get an agent and a traditional publishing deal.

[Thegoblinchief]

I actually started an old thread about self publishing that has some good info: https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/do-it-yourself-forum!/has-anyone-published-an-ebook/msg148739/#msg148739

Thanks for the link to that thread. The links in that, plus prosaic's journal are quite interesting.

I'm about 25% done with a serious second draft, with my wife (who's a paid book reviewer on the side) helping me fine tune the third draft as I give her each second draft chapter.

Once I have the third draft, I'll probably try and get a few "beta readers", then decide whether to shop it for traditional publishing or get it edited for a self-pub.

[ShortInSeattle]

Some of you might find wattpad.com interesting. Mps

[CommonCents]

I actually started an old thread about self publishing that has some good info: https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/do-it-yourself-forum!/has-anyone-published-an-ebook/msg148739/#msg148739

Thanks for the link to that thread. The links in that, plus prosaic's journal are quite interesting.

I'm about 25% done with a serious second draft, with my wife (who's a paid book reviewer on the side) helping me fine tune the third draft as I give her each second draft chapter.

Once I have the third draft, I'll probably try and get a few "beta readers", then decide whether to shop it for traditional publishing or get it edited for a self-pub.

How did your wife get to be a paid book reviewer?  That's a job I've considered doing since I was about 14.  (My dad suggested it to me because I am voracious reader.) 

[Trede]

Last summer I posted in off-topic about breaking into indie publishing shortly after joining the forums. 
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/off-topic/learning-about-indie-publishing-and-promoting-happy-to-share/

I now know the term for what my husband and I are doing is a "side hustle."  :)  He's just finished drafting Book 3 of his scifi series, and I handle some of the editing, all of the formatting and publishing (ebook and recently now print on demand), and all of the nagging for him to keep his promotional efforts up (blog posts, tweets, etc.).  We'd now fall under the "midlist digital" efforts Ian mentioned I think.

[Thegoblinchief]

How did your wife get to be a paid book reviewer?  That's a job I've considered doing since I was about 14.  (My dad suggested it to me because I am voracious reader.)

It's not glamorous at all, at least not her position. She works for a review service (think Kirkus Reviews) and most of it's vanity press stuff. Laughably bad. It pays $20 a review, which is probably under $3/hour.