Today’s guest post is from YA author M.F. Lorson. Want more insight into her Writer Mom Life? Check out her interview in episode 10 of the podcast.
In football the line of scrimmage, represented by a blue line on your television screen, indicates where the play starts. Cross the blue line and your team progresses toward their goal. Fail to cross the blue line and things get ugly. The only thing that lives behind that line is setbacks, failures and Eli Manning.
There is a blue line in writing as well. It’s the place between profit and expense, income and hobby and just like on the football field it takes a team to get you over the line. How’d my team do this year? Let’s just say we are going to have a very high draft pick.
Self-Publishing is risky because every book starts behind the line of scrimmage. Think of it this way. The line of scrimmage is at fifty yards and you get a five yard penalty for every initial expense.
- cover design: five yards
- editing: five yards
- formatting program: five yards
You’re fifteen yards behind and you haven’t even uploaded your book to Amazon. You could launch at minimum cost having only paid for the above services but you’re likely to go three and out if you do. Launch that book without advertising and your rank will dip faster than Manning’s agent at the end of this season.
Advertising expenses can range from the small and affordable (AMS ads) to the horrendously expensive (Book Butterfly or Kindle Nation Daily). If your promo goes well and you make your money back, you maintain field position. But if it doesn’t go well, consider yourself penalized an additional five yards.
I’ve had so many failed promos this season that I’m not entirely sure my team is on the field let alone near the blue line. I could make like a Manning and eye retirement but I’m not quite ready to give up. After all, just this morning I got a 5 star review from a perfect stranger. That tells me two things. 1. People are reading and enjoying my work and 2. Someone paid for it!
So while my field position may be terrible I’m still in love with the game
And guys, I’m .35 cents closer to the line of scrimmage!
M.F. Lorson is a children’s librarian who lives in Eastern Oregon with her partner and small daughter. She likes, reading, writing and running. She despises furry creatures of all kind, the correct use of punctuation and income taxes. To get in contact with MF follow her on twitter as @reviewlibrarian, like her Facebook page www.facebook.com/mflorson or visit her website www.mflorson.weebly.com
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