I write sweet and steamy rom-coms with tear-jerker happy-ever-afters.
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This is where we talk all about writing.


I'm still new to indie / self-publishing, but if there's a question you'd like to ask me, please feel free to do so. 
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My Road to Publication

UPDATED SELF-PUBLISHING 101 FOR FILIPINO WRITERS AND AUTHORS

7/21/2020

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Hello again!
I thought I should post an updated beginner's guide to self-publishing for Filipino writers, since I've been getting Qs about this more often than usual lately, ever since quarantine started. 
And so without further ado...

KINDLE DIRECT PUBLISHING

  • kdp.amazon.com is Amazon's self-publishing arm.
  • Signing up an account with them is 100% free. 
  • Once you have your own KDP account, you will need to add a bank account in order to receive royalties. More on this later.
  • If you have your completed manuscript saved in Microsoft Word, you can upload the document (I tried this with a .docx file) straight to KDP, and the "system" will take care of the rest (i.e. formatting, and conversion to .mobi, which is the file format that Kindle apps and devices read). You'll be notified by email once your ebook is live on Amazon.
  • If you want or need your book to be formatted in a certain way, consider investing in software programs such as Vellum or Scrivener (Google is your friend with these two 💕). Another option is to hire a formatter for your ebook. 
  • Regarding covers - you can make your own, use Kindle's Cover Creator (free as well), or hire a cover designer.

GETTING PAID

  • When I first started self-publishing, the only option for getting paid back then was to receive your (royalty) check by the mail (a recipe for heart attack, in other words).
  • Thankfully, we have Payoneer now, and once you've linked your Payoneer bank account to your KDP account, it's all good. You can expect royalties to be deposited to your account every month.
  • This blog post provides an excellent step-by-step guide on how to receive KDP royalties via Payoneer.

KDP SELECT

  • If you upload direct to KDP, you'll automatically have the option of enrolling your book in KDP Select as well.
  • If you do opt in, you'll be required to make your book exclusively available on Amazon and Amazon alone for three months. After that, you can publish wide or re-enroll. Please note that there's a checkbox option for automatic re-enrollment.
  • As with all other ebook retailers, the first way for you to earn royalties is when a reader BUYS your book. If your book is priced anywhere between $2.99 and $9.99, you'll earn 70% of royalties. 
  • Anything below $2.99 will earn you 30% royalties.
  • If your book is enrolled in Select, you'll get to enjoy a second source of income, and that's pages read.
  • Kindle Unlimited (KU) is a subscription program that allows readers to read as many KDP Select books as they want for approximately $10/month. If your book is enrolled in KDP Select, and a reader downloads it using their KU subscription, you'll earn a certain amount for every page read. This amount varies on a month to month basis. I personally stick with a flat rate of .004 per page when calculating KU income. This way, if the rate is anything above that, it feels like I earned bonus money. > . <
  • Readers with KU subscriptions are usually more willing to take a chance on new / debut authors. This is why I personally recommend enrolling your book (or even just your first) in Kindle Select. You can always opt out afterwards, anyway. :)
I think that pretty much covers all of the basics. I wish you all well on your publishing journey! There is still no better time than NOW to write and share your work with readers all over the world.
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#FilipinoAuthors My Kindle Worlds experience and why you should give it a try

7/1/2016

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Yes, it's that time of the month again, and for a change I actually have some concrete good news to share. ;) 
Last April, I was lucky enough to be a part of Melody Anne's Kindle Worlds launch for her eponymous Billionaire Universe (thank you, Liliana, for getting me in!). The rules for writing a KW book were pretty simple, namely:
  • They own copyright to your book (sorry, that's how the way it really should go since this is basically legalized fan fiction).
  • Amazon & the KW owner will get a share of your royalties.
  • You can't write books about your KW characters outside Kindle Worlds or Amazon for that matter. 
  • Your KW book HAS to be a standalone. 
There were other rules (and perks!) as well, but I'm not sure if they were specifically for Melody Anne's KW books or KW in general, like---
  • They encourage you to write between X and Y number of words, in order to have your book priced at $1.99. It's supposedly the sweet spot for KW books, but if you write beyond Y number of words, Amazon would have to adjust your pricing.
  • Another thing I'm not sure about is that we (the first batch of authors writing for a new Kindle World) also received a cash bonus and it was a nice sum of money!!!
ヽ(゚〇゚)ノ
I didn't expect that at all. So imagine how thrilled I was, especially once I saw the amount converted to PHP (more zeroes, you know, haha!). But anyway, back to KW. I know some of you are thinking this is just basically a pat-on-the-back post, but it's not I promise. It's good news for both YOU and ​ME---
Off topic: Me Before You was a recent blockbuster, and then AlDub (yes, I’m still a fan, I just don’t have that much time to gush over them) has an upcoming movie, Imagine You and Me…mm…I wonder if I include the words ‘you’ and ‘me’ in my next book, I can get some of their good luck to rub off on me and I get to sell lots of copies. Mmmmm...
 Well, anyway (sorry for getting off track >.<). Back to KW. Our April books launched on the 28th if I'm not mistaken (but we uploaded on the 26th), and the thing with KW is that you don't ​actually get to see the number of books you sold until the month after (e.g. I only found out about my May sales on the first day of July), and it will show up on your AuthorCentral account rather than your KDP dashboard.
I didn't expect much from my April sales since we only had a few days, but I was also secretly and quietly hoping it won't be small change since Devoured has been my best-ranking book for 2016 so far. And well, the bottom line: April sales were much, much better than I expected, with Devoured selling as many copies as my best-selling books on their first days of release. This is rare IME because Devoured's characters obviously have nothing to do with my Greek billionaires, and I also didn't do that much promotion for it prior to its release. 
As for Devoured's May sales, well, let's just say it BLEW MY MIND, and is basically equivalent to 20% of my total income for the month. ONE BOOK, and it represents 1/5 of my monthly income, with no marketing from me. I have, like, thirty or so books and yet one book makes up for 20% of my sales for May! Imagine! 
But wait. 
There's more. ;)
Yesterday, I was randomly checking my Amazon rankings on my phone, and I was totally surprised when I saw this---
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This was at three in the morning and at first I was thinking, maybe my phone was loading an old page, probably because I didn't clear my browser's cache or whatever. You see, I also checked Devoured's ranking the other day and it was ranking somewhere between 4k to 6k if I remember correctly and down to #12 or #13 on KW's bestseller list. So you can understand my surprise. Anyway, just to make sure I'm not imagining things, I switched to my laptop and checked Devoured's ranking again.
And hey, it really IS #1. 
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Devoured on the also-boughts, with the orange bestseller flag
That was 3AM and at that time, Devoured ranked #1781. Now at 1430h, it's #2 on KW's bestseller list, BUT the book's overall rank actually improved.
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It's now #1140! On its THIRD month. This is AMAZING. Compare it to Prince of Darkness 1, for instance, which was released end of May and now ranks around 13k. When I Love, also released end of May and the last book of my stepbrother trilogy, ranks around...lemme check...10k (yesterday it was 8k), but keep in mind that Book 1 is currently free from Friday to Sunday, hence Book 3's improved rankings for the weekend (previous to Book 1 being free, it was down to 21k or so if I remember correctly). 
AND THIS, MY FRIENDS, IS THE MOST IMPORTANT REASON WHY I THINK (imho!!!) KINDLE WORLDS IS WORTH GIVING A SHOT.
Amazon is a for-profit business and as such there's nothing wrong about Amazon looking after its own interests. That said, KW books are one of those interests and that's why I believe Devoured gets to enjoy nice boosts once in a while. Don't get me wrong. Amazon is NOT manipulating sales or rankings. But what it CAN LEGALLY DO is make the book more visible using its own ad spaces on its own website to promote Devoured and other books Amazon published, which they also technically own. 
Now...one of the major reasons why I wanted to give KW a try was because I believed Melody Anne's fans could also like my books since we write the same stuff. I was hoping that if they liked Devoured enough, they'd give my other books a try. 
Two months after, I'm not sure if I did actually end up getting new readers (my post-Devoured sales for other books, new and backlist, remained pretty much the same) BUT it's still a win-win situation since what I did get instead was nice sales from Devoured and, as evinced by July 1's rankings, I can also be assured of the fact that once in a while the Amazon gods would remember Devoured and give it a nice boost. Considering how much I'm still struggling with increasing visibility for my backlist, having one book less to worry about is more than good enough for me! :D
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Rankings

6/2/2016

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So...I've been self-publishing since late 2013 (I started 2012 with a small publisher) and it's now 2016. A LOT has changed since then, not just qualitatively but quantitatively, too.
​Just to give you an idea of how much things have changed, I wrote this post back in Dec. 2013.
Basically, I did a quick search on "romance bundle" on Amazon, and I got 799 results. If you do that now, you will get 40,588 results. So you see just how much digital publishing (especially the indie aspect) has grown? 
If you click this link, you'll be able to see just how many ebooks there are on the Kindle store.  As of time of writing (05.27.2016), Kindle Store offers a little less than 4.5M ebooks. Crazy, right? That's the number of books people have to choose from each day.
BUT you don't need to think of them as your competition, though. At least I don't. My way of thinking is - you can't ever write as fast as your readers can read, which is why I'm always happy to recommend other books to them. At least they're still reading. At least they're still in "our" world. As far as I'm concerned, my "real" competition is other forms of entertainment (e.g. TV, movies, music, etc.) although honestly, I don't try to compete with those things, too. I have so many stories I want to share and need to write that I don't even have time to think about competing. All I care about is writing the best story I can for every release. 
But I digress.
Back in 2013, there was this chart I used (data provided by authors from the forum I'm a part of) that gave me a good idea of how many copies a book had to sell per day to achieve a particular rank on Amazon. It wasn't 100% accurate but it was reliable enough.
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My new book When I Love peaked on Amazon at #591. That's great, and I am thankful about it.
Back in 2013, however, I would have probably ranked somewhere between #200 and #270, maybe even in the 1XX range.
But like I said, it's different now. 
1. There are more books in the market. So even though your book's selling more or even the same number of copies each day, other authors may be selling more copies than you, which is why your ranking isn't as good as it was before.
2. You need to factor in pages read. Ever since Kindle Unlimited launched, I've given up monitoring sales ranking. I just don't know how to compute pages read, and I haven't yet heard of anyone who's been able to even come close to any kind of reliable formula (even if it's based on estimates) for this.
When I Hurt, for instance, is 110 pages long.
If 440 pages of the book were read (doesn't matter how many readers since Amazon is all about page count), then you could also read that as 4 copies sold, right?
Back in 2013, let's say that this would give me a ranking of #20.
Let's adjust this for 2016, and since there are more books now, I should have a ranking of anywhere between #30 to #40 (we're playing it really safe with this estimate).  After all, this is what happened to When I Love (to recap: it's Top 600 now, but three years ago, it would have been Top 300 easily).
BUT GUESS WHAT? The ranking of When I Hurt today is #10! 

3. Just because a book has better ranking than yours doesn't mean it's earning more. I've mentioned this time and time again, but I think it bears repeating. $.99 books only offer 35% royalties to authors while books priced $2.99 above earn 70% royalties. Of course, this doesn't mean I have anything against 99c books. Not at all. At the end of the day, pricing is just one of the 4 P's of marketing, and it just so happens that 99c pricing isn't part of my marketing plan. 

The reason I'm sharing this is because for a time I was really REALLY bummed over my book's rankings. I felt like my career was over (but then again, if you've been reading my posts for some time, you probably know that I always worry about this hehe). It was only when I consciously took a step back and spent actual time crunching numbers that I realized that it wasn't the case at all.
Originally, I believed that poor new release rankings = decreased popularity = income drop, but it's not the case at all. My new releases are doing fine, if I compare it to the number of copies I sell on release day. 
After doing more number crunching, it turns out that reduced organic visibility = decrease in backlist sales = income drop.
By organic I mean the way your book remains visible to readers even without the help of paid advertising. This is usually due to having your book show up on also-boughts and bestseller lists. Unfortunately, there's been talk on how the algorithms for also-boughts have changed. There's also been talk on how Amazon's been more proactive when it comes to advertising their own books (like those enrolled in Kindle Unlimited, Kindle World, and those that they publish like Montlake titles).
Whether these are true or not doesn't matter that much to me, though. They're outside my control anyway. The only thing that I - we - should focus on is doing what we can to keep our backlist alive. 
In the past, it used to be that making Book 1 in your series permafree was good enough.
Now, I'm sorry to say that it's no longer so. 
BUT...it's not all bad news.
I'll be experimenting with some stuff that other authors have had great luck with. So we'll see. Hopefully I'll have more helpful news to share next time. Fingers crossed!

p.s. In case you're wondering if traditionally published authors are doing better...

You might want to read the latest / February 2016 report from Author Earnings. Again, this is not to say that indie is better than trad pub in any way. Nope, nope, nope - we are never going down that road. In the end, each has its pros and cons, and it's up to you to determine which path to publishing is best for you. 
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Career 2.0

3/29/2016

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Disclaimer: The post below is purely my opinion. You are free to disagree with it. You are free to think I'm wrong or that I don't know what I'm talking about. That's totally okay, but just please elaborate your sentiments elsewhere. Thank you and God bless. 
A week or so ago, I had to turn down an invitation to be part of a major lit event here in PH, and for reasons that aren't hard to guess. AKA I'm shy  and never attend any public event as an author (okay, the sole exception was an in-person interview with Ms. Alma Anonas-Carpio, because she's the type of person you can't or shouldn't say no to, haha!).
Anyway, I've been thinking that I should at least write a blog post that could serve as my way of making up for missing that event (and missing out on the opportunity to help other writers, assuming that there are those who think I could be of help). I'm even more convinced now (of doing this), after reading a post on Facebook about the plight of several Wattpad writers and their (ongoing) battle for rights reversion.

This post is for you if:

  • You are legally free to publish (regardless of what name you have to use).
  • You are interested in self-publishing, particularly for an international market.
  • You really, really, really want to write and are willing to do everything to make a go at it.
P.S. A few years ago, I made the decision to part ways with my publisher, even to the point of borrowing money to get out of the contract. I did this because I truly believed I could make my writing my main source of income. But it wasn't all blind faith - I also did my research. I did the math.
​Everything you need to know about self-publishing and whether it's for you or not is readily available (for free, too) on the Internet. It's just a matter of how determined you are to learn more about self-publishing.

What should you self-publish then?

Listed below are my suggestions for jumpstarting your Writing Career 2.0. Again, let me stress that all these are suggestions. NONE of it is a guarantee for instant success. Everything is only meant to improve your chances of selling your book.
  • Consider the most popular trends in your romance sub-genre of choice. For contemporary, stepbrothers, billionaires, best friends are still / always hot. Athletes, CEOs, firefighters, even porn stars are pretty in demand. Rockstars are popular as well but to a lesser extent (those who have already established a name for rockstar romances still do amazingly well, though). In the end, focus on what you love and write best.
  • Writing in English (not Filipino, not Taglish) is a must for an international market.
  • Writing about Western characters is preferable and strongly recommended if you want to earn more quickly.  I also suggest the use of Western settings for the same reasons. (P.S. I have never been to Greece but I write about Greek billionaires. I have never met a werewolf or a demon, but I write about them, too).
  • Writing steamy is optional but it's easier to sell when you do. Sex sells. Sorry, it's a fact. But if you don't enjoy reading or writing it, forget it. It's still best to write what you truly enjoy.
  • Genre fiction is a means of escape for most readers, and this is especially true for ROMANCE. If you plan to kill off your major characters, I'm sorry but your book is unlikely to sell.
  • When writing your book, set aside all thoughts of negativity and doubt. Just focus on writing a story that you would personally enjoy reading. For now, let's not care about grammar and what your peers would say about your work. Just. Focus. On. Writing. An. Enjoyable. Story.
  • Write a standalone romance. Better yet, write a three-book series because readers prefer to buy authors who aren't one-hit wonders. Standalone, fyi, means a book with a non-cliffhanger ending. In romance, this means your couple gets their happy-ever-after (let's avoid the happy-for-now ending...for now, pun intended).
  • For now, come up with straightforward titles that let readers know exactly what they can expect from your book. Ex: The Greek Billionaire and His Secretary (that's mine, by the way).
  • Great looking covers are recommended, but yes there are exceptions (i.e. books that do spectacularly well despite having not-so-pretty covers). However, one thing I've noticed is that these exceptions tend to have compelling stories, and you know what they say: content is king.
  • Editing is necessary if - after objectively evaluating your story - you know that your writing will likely prove incoherent to native English readers. Objective is the keyword here. OTOH if you're confident about your ability to self-edit your work then that's cool.
  • Sign up for a free account at Mailchimp.com to build your newsletter. Research on how to do this.
  • Learn how to format your story for e-publishing. Again, a lot of info is available online for this, and it's free. You can also outsource this if you're willing to pay.
  • Work on your blurb. Basically, this is the product description of your book. It's the summary that you see on the product page. It can be short or long, up to you - just make sure it will get readers to click. Think about your favorite book. What about its blurb drew you in? Try to replicate the same thing with your book.
  • Prepare front and back matter (basically this is marketing info at the beginning and end of your book). Let's say you have a three-book series.
    • For Book 1, start with an invitation for readers to sign up with your readers and explain why they should do so (e.g. exclusive sneak peeks of upcoming books, random giveaways). At the end, invite them again to sign up and add links to Books 2 and 3 once they're ready. 
    • For Book 2, do the same but link to Book 1 and 3. You get the drift.
  • Give out ARCs to trusted readers or friends who are able to post reviews on Amazon. If they're also willing to buy the book on Amazon, SO MUCH THE BETTER! Verified reviews (this means reviews posted by people who bought the book) carry more weight than unverified reviews. And yes, we have a way of knowing this. Just check any book on Amazon. If you see a review tagged with 'verified purchase' then that's a review posted by someone who bought the book. REVIEWS are everything on Amazon and elsewhere so you want to collect as many reviews as possible and make a huge splash on your debut.
  • Decide whether you want to take advantage of Amazon's Kindle Unlimited (KU) or not.
    • What's Kindle Unlimited? This is a subscription program that requires you to publish your book exclusively on Amazon for three months. After this, your contract expires (as long as you didn't tick the box for automatic re-enlistment), and it's up to you if you want to sign up for another three months. With KU, you are paid $.004 for every page read. But you can still also sell your book (it's up to you to choose the price of your book) on Amazon. So basically, when you're in KU you can earn from sales and pages read but ONLY on Amazon. This means you can't publish your book on Nook, Google Play, Buqo, etc. However, you can sell your book in print wherever and whenever. It's only the ebook distribution that KU cares about.
    • KU Benefit #1: Free days! During your three-month contract with KU, you can set your book for free for five days. You can do this consecutively or you can do this one day a week. It's up to you. Anything goes for those five days. This is an essential benefit because free books are another promotion tool. It allows readers to try unknown authors risk-free, and if they like what they read then they're more likely to buy the next book. Without KU, you cannot set your book for free immediately on Amazon. You need to wait for them to price-match. More on this later.
    • KU Benefit #2: More visibility. Not surprisingly, Amazon favors books that are published exclusively with them and so KU books are given better rankings. The better your rank is, the more people are likely to see your book and the more chances of getting sales or pages read.
    • KU Benefit #3: So many readers have subscribed to KU, and since your books are technically free for them to read (their subscription rate doesn't change no matter how many books they read), they're more likely to take a chance on your work even if they don't know who you are.
    • KU Disadvantage #1: The $.004/page rate I mentioned earlier is an estimate. It can go up or down anytime. 
    • KU Disadvantage #2: Since you're exclusive with Amazon, your book can't be published elsewhere. This puts you at Amazon's mercy, in case they change the rules again (in a bad way).
  • My 2 cents:
    • If you're writing contemporary romance, I think you shouldn't jump into KU right away. You should see how your first books do by going wide (publishing everywhere).
    • If you're writing paranormal romance, I'll go with KU because they don't sell as great outside Amazon.
    • If you're writing young adult romance, I'll also go with KU because of the same reasons above.
    • If you wrote a serial instead of a series of standalone novels, I think I'll risk going wide.
    • Whether you wrote full-length books or serials, I would choose to make the first book free and then the next two books $2.99 each. This price point is my personal sweet spot, and I believe that my books are worth $2.99. This is also the minimum price you need to set in order to enjoy 70% royalty. Anything below this price point only earns 35% royalty.
  • To publish your ebook, you will need to set up an account on Amazon and any other retailer. Again, do your research. Consider downloading the self-publishing manuals by David Gaughran for more tips


​Marketing your book...

...does not require you to tweet or post constantly about your book. Instead, consider doing the things I've listed below.
  • Set up a Facebook page, Twitter account and other social media accounts you're comfortable using for your author profile. Start a website or a blog if you can't afford to pay for your website's domain just yet. Please research about this.
  • Set up your author account on Amazon's Author Central page. Add books to your author page.
  • Post on your social media accounts just once or twice a week about your books. Interact with your readers. 
  • Write your next book. This is the most important way to market your old books. Write as many as you can. Release regularly. Don't pay attention to bad reviews. As long as you've put your heart in your writing, then you did a great job. Continue writing. Continue reading. As long as you're objective with your work, then you'll be able to tell if you're not writing shit.


​New Release checklist

  • Book cover design (self or outsourced)
  • Editing (self or outsourced)
  • Title (be strategic still)
  • Blurb (work it!)
  • Front and back matter (invite readers to sign up for your newsletter, explain why, give them a list of your older books, and invite them to review your books, too)
  • Format your book (self or outsourced)
  • Give out ARCs and remind them gently about the need for posting reviews ASAP
  • Publish
  • Send out newsletter to let readers know that your new book is out. Include an exclusive excerpt (not the first chapter because this can already be seen in Amazon's Look Inside preview) and high-resolution image of your photo.
  • Update front and back matter of older books to include link to your newest book.
  • Post on social media accounts about new release.
  • Recycle and repeat.
​

Paid marketing

I'm lucky that I came just early enough in the game that it was possible to build a following without having to shell out large sums of money on paid marketing. These days though, it seems like paid marketing to an extent is inevitable. Please research this on your own. I don't feel comfortable suggesting stuff that involves money.
​

Keep writing.

If you're lucky, you'll enjoy instant success. If not, keep writing. If this really is the job for you then you'll eventually gain readers. It's just a matter of time, luck, and penning the right book for the right market. Good luck, and I hope this post helps. Please feel free to email me if you have questions! God bless!
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FOR #FILIPINOAUTHORS - is indie publishing for you?

9/10/2015

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Lately, I've been receiving emails from young writers (both sexes) wanting to know what their options are for getting their works published. I've been meaning to write this entry for them but life and work's gotten in the way.
Eventually though, I've realized that life and work
will always get in the way until I make time to write this entry. So here I am, and apologies for the delay.
Now, I've actually rewritten this post in my mind several times, trying to think of how to best explain the difference between traditional and self-publishing is. But now I'm thinking I don't have to do that.
Other experts have already weighed about the difference between as well as the pros and cons of self-publishing and traditional publishing, and their explanations are way better than anything I can ever come up with. 
So no, I'm not going to bother with that. I do recommend you read
Courtney Milan's take on it as well as this and this by Jane Friedman.
(Note:  I know that PH's publishing industry is different from the publishing industry in the US but there are also enough similarities for the aforementioned posts to still be applicable.) 
Anyway, what I'll be sharing with you now is a questionnaire
 that I hope can help Filipino authors determine whether it's traditional or self-publishing they're more suitable for.
Now, the rules:

  1. Each question is answerable by YES or NO.
  2. When you're done, tally your answers.
  3. If you have MORE YES answers than no then you're more suitable to self-publishing.
  4. If you have MORE NO answers than yes then you're more suitable to traditional publishing.
  5. This questionnaire is ONLY meant to be used as A GUIDE. 
  6. It DOES NOT GUARANTEE SUCCESS in publishing.

the self-publishing questionnaire for filipino authors


  1. Do you want to own copyright to your work? (Note: It's possible that you'll still own copyright to your book when it's traditionally published, but it's something you usually have to negotiate with the publisher. The advantages of owning copyright is that you DON'T need to ask anyone's permission when you want to promote or alter your book in any way. BUT if a publisher owns copyright to your work then you may have to ask their permission for just about, well, everything. Keep in mind as well that when you sign your copyright to a publisher's, it's very hard - in most cases - to get those rights reverted back to you. In worst case scenario, these contracts can actually STOP you from self-publishing your other works.)
  2. Do you want / are you more comfortable with having more control over your book covers? (Note: With traditional publishers, they often will consider your opinion but they almost always have last say over your books, and yes, that means they can choose to ignore your output. On the other hand, more control means YOU have to PAY for your OWN COVER. Then again, you can always make your own covers, and sometimes - depending on your skills - that could work, too.)
  3. Do you want / are you more comfortable with having more control over the editing of your books? (Note: I know a lot of authors who self-edit their work and are still able to sell a lot of copies. You need to be honest with yourself, though, and figure out on your own if you need professional help with editing. The main advantages with working with a professional editor: it frees up your time to write more AND your book is less likely to suffer from poor editing since you are working with a professional. However, this also means having to find a good editor to work with and paying for their services - something that traditional publishers typically do for their authors.)
  4. Do you want / are you more comfortable with having more control over the marketing of your books? (Note: It used to be that traditional publishers would spend a lot of money on every book they release. Now, that's no longer the case. Only a few handful - really few, to be honest - get to enjoy huge marketing campaigns. Of course, you can still do your own marketing even with a traditionally published book but if that's the case, you should be publishing your own work. On the other hand, being indie means you have to DEVELOP and PAY for your own marketing campaign.)
  5. Are you READY to think of WRITING AS A BUSINESS? (Note: You can no longer think of your writing as just art. You also need to see it as a business - in every aspect. You still need to write what you LOVE, absolutely, but you also need to make sure that what you love is what readers will love as well. This may mean tweaking your plot, setting, even your characters' names. This also means thinking about the right pricing strategy and how to package your work.)
  6. Are you ready to work on spreadsheets? (Note: I'm NOT asking you to be an accountant, but you do need to keep track of your expenses to figure out the ROI of each book. You will also need to monitor results every time you conduct experiments on your books in order to figure out what you need to keep doing and what you need to change with your strategy.)
  7. Are you OKAY with NOT having your books IN BOOKSTORES? (Note: It's possible for an indie author to get his/her books on local bookstores on consignment, but you'll need to negotiate your own contract and take care of all the logistics. It's not easy but not impossible either. Also, having your book in bookstores is considered an important milestone by many authors. Are you willing to let go - even temporarily - of this opportunity?)
  8. Are you READY to take FULL RESPONSIBILITY for your book? (Note: As an indie publisher, the buck will always stop with you. No ifs, no buts - whether it has to do with your writing, cover, editing, or even formatting - you're accountable for it. BUT then again, everything that's right about the book is also because of your own efforts.)
  9. Do you want to enjoy INCREASED CHANCES of EARNING? (Note: I say increased chances of earning because I can't guarantee that you'll earn from your work. However, if you take a look at AuthorEarnings.com, you'll see that indie authors out-earn their traditional counterparts in general. Primary reasons for this include being able to have higher royalty percentages for authors and indie writers being free to publish as many books as they want.)
  10. Do you want to START EARNING NOW? (Note: Amazon et al has a 2-month delay for royalty payments. What you earned this September, you will be paid with a check late November. For us Filipino authors, this check will be mailed and reach us early to mid-December. OTOH it takes publishers months to a year or even more to pay you royalties.)
  11. Are you comfortable with working on your own? (Note: Indie = independent, and most of the time you will be working all by your lonesome.  There won't be anyone to prod you about deadlines, no one to look after your interests except yourself. If you're the type who needs supervision while working then indie publishing may not be for you.)
  12. Are you good with TIME MANAGEMENT? (Note: You need to know your priorities as an indie publisher. You need to learn how to say 'no' to people or opportunities in order to FIERCELY PROTECT your writing time. Marketing and networking with other writers is important, yes, but it's not as important as getting the next book out.)
  13. Do you write FAST enough? (Note: The main advantage of working independently is being able to publish as many books as you want. But if it's an advantage that you don't think you want or intend to make use of, then you may be better off signing with a traditional publisher.)
  14. Are you comfortable with and excited about WRITING TO TREND? (Note: Imagine having watched this week's blockbuster movie and finding it so inspiring you want to write something like it, with your own twist. Imagine having read this week's NYT bestseller and again feeling so inspired by it that you want to write your own version. That's what writing to trend is all about: you're writing what's CURRENTLY POPULAR, regardless of your motivations. This used to be an ill-advised move in the past because then, we only had traditional publishing. Since it usually takes 1 to 2 years for a book to go out from the time you signed your publishing contract, there's no point writing to trend. By the time your book's out, the trend's no longer popular. BUT IT'S DIFFERENT NOW. Depending on how fast you write and how passionate, excited, challenged, and inspired you are about the trend, it's more than possible to get your next book out while the trend's still hot and readers are EAGER to pay for books that cater to that trend. Don't you want to be the author who gives these readers what they want?)
  15. Are you comfortable with approaching readers or reviewers about your work? (Note: I consider this as an inevitable and necessary part of self-publishing. With traditional publishing, your publicist or your publisher's marketing department will do it for you but since you're indie, you'll need to do this on your own. You'll need to come up with a system for determining which reviewers are best to approach, following them up, and monitoring reviews.)
  16. Are you READY to SPEND money on MARKETING? (Note: This is also something I consider inevitable and necessary. While there are many ways to market your book for free, in the end there are also instances when you just HAVE to pay for marketing, in order to boost your book's visibility.
  17. Are you FLEXIBLE? (Note: I still believe the ebook / digital publishing industry will continue to experience growing pains for quite some time, and because of that we as indie authors need to be ready to work with whatever changes that are sure to come our way. An example: KU changing its payment policies, which totally took me by surprise, but I've moved on and I'm already working on my next strategy. We can't waste time crying over spilled milk. We just need to move on, work harder, and keep writing.)
  18. Are you READY to face the STIGMA that still comes with SELF-PUBLISHING? (Note: People's take on self-publishing isn't as bad as it used to be in the past, and yes, I thank God for that. BUT it's not completely gone. There will still be people who won't consider you a "real" author because you don't have a book in bookstores. There will still be people who think you don't have a "real job". If you're not ready to deal with such stigma in a positive manner then you may not yet be ready to self-publish.) 

Now that you're done with the questionnaire, go ahead and tally your answers. Remember, though - THERE IS NO RIGHT OR WRONG ANSWER. How you publish is a matter of choice and suitability. ;)
Hope this helps!
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What type of author are you?

7/29/2015

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Just read another report featuring Anna Todd's epic rise to fame. FYI, she's the author who wrote 1D fanfic on Wattpad, which eventually scored her a six-digit deal with traditional publishing. Paramount has also optioned it for filming. If you don't know much about her, you should read the article. My favorite part of the article - which this post is about - is how she basically shrugs off all criticism with this:
Reading and writing isn’t supposed to be this exclusive club, it’s just supposed to be entertaining.
And I can't stress how much I agree with this.
Confession: I used to be a grammar Nazi. I used to be a snob when it comes to people who didn't spend enough time editing and polishing their work. But the more years I've been in indie publishing, the more time I spent studying bestselling books and the readers' reactions to it, I realize that my standards - even my perception of writing - have been largely dictated by traditional publishing. I'm not saying everything they believe in is wrong - DEFINITELY NOT - but there are new rules now, brought about by digital publishing, and writers today shouldn't be faulted just because they happen to thrive in those new rules.
I'm getting too vague, aren't I?
*Deep breath*
I'm going to be honest.
I no longer mind when a book I read has poor grammar and/or editing. I just find myself enjoying the story as it is, and I don't begrudge the author at all for his/her success. The thing is, many readers today don't even seem to notice or at least they don't seem to mind that the book hasn't been properly edited and proofread. All they care about is the story, its characters, and how the book made them forget, even for a little while, about how stressful their day-to-day living is. 
Same goes for cover design. I used to look down on books whose authors obviously didn't spend enough time conceptualizing the covers for their work. There has to be a connection at least, you know?
But now, I just ignore the unattractive cover and focus on the story. It's the blurb that grabs my attention the most, anyway. If you have a great-sounding blurb, I'll be most likely sold on your book regardless of your cover, title, and even your writing style.
Does this mean you shouldn't bother with professional editing and cover design?
NOT AT ALL. 

I still work with my editor and cover designer for every book I put out. But that's MY choice, and that's what makes it right for me. As for you and your work, it's all about your choice, too. 
These days, I've come to think of authors as being one of three types.
The first type is the author who would always have his/her "writer's hat" on. This type of author enjoys the intricacy, exactitude, and harmony of word play. This type of author focuses primarily on the beauty of word and doesn't care about the potential (or lack of) commercial value of his/her work. Work of this type of author has a high probability of eventually turning into a literary classic.
The second type is the author who works with his/her "storyteller's hat" on. This type of author is all about the story. Literary critics may be predisposed to dislike the work of this type of author because of the way it violates almost every rule of writing. On the other hand, given the right niche, platform, and enough marketing effort, this type of author has good chances of enjoying commercial success. 
The third type is a hybrid of both.
Whether you're Type 1, Type 2, or Type 3 - there is no right or wrong choice. Ultimately, it's about choosing what makes YOU happy and what meets YOUR publishing goals and emotional needs. 
Be at peace with the kind of author you are, but strive to take constructive criticism. 
Don't be too sensitive about your work (more about this in a future post). No matter how nasty other people are, try to find something positive in what they've said and remember that, not the negativity.
Also, there's always the chance that you may be a Type 1 today but you could turn into a Type 2 or 3 down the line...and vice versa. It happens. It happened to me. I used to be a Type 1, but in the end I found myself being more a Type 2. I can't even say I'm a Type 3 because these days, my #1 priority is story and I've also made a deliberate attempt to write simply so that more readers would be interested in reading my work. Don't mistake this for dumbing it down (but I won't kill you if you want to think otherwise; you're entitled to your own opinion). Rather, I'm doing this because I have a lot of readers who read on the go (during one-hour lunch breaks, train commutes, etc.). Readers have told me how much they love that my work is a fast and easy read, and how it's able to take them away from the real world even just for a little while. They don't read my work to think. They read my work to feel. And I love that because that also happens to be my goal as an author. As a storyteller.
I've experimented with this, actually. I took a random sample from my books and without fail those that have been written the simplest also happen to be my best-selling books.
Again, though. This is just my two cents, and this is what I did with my work. If I want you to take away something from this post, then it's to write from the heart. Forget about what everyone says. Just write from the heart, pray to God for grace, and that's it.
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For Filipino Authors Thinking about Indie Publishing

7/18/2015

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Every time I write a post about writing and marketing books, I’ve always had this niggling worry at the back of my mind, asking me if whatever advice I was offering would really help.
After all---
·       When I first started, I had a publisher to do marketing for me.
·       By the time I started self-publishing, I had a small but growing readership.
·       I received additional promotion from the boxed sets I had the fortune and privilege to be a part of, many of which made it to NYT and USAT bestselling lists.
·       I had mentors, whose advice was golden.
Now, a question: what if I wouldn’t be able to have any of this if I hadn’t started out with a publisher?

This has always bothered me…or at least it had until an experiment with another pen name has challenged me to put my money where my mouth is. So I applied my own advice, and I’m happy to tell you that the results have been astoundingly positive.
For a breakdown of the entire process, let’s start with what I did prior to releasing the book---
1.      I picked a trend in romance that I figured would still be hot by the time I finished writing.
2.      I worked on an outline for a trilogy with a possibility for continuing the series if there was a demand for more books.
3.       Each installment was about 10k words or less, and they had the dreaded C word for readers: cliffhangers!
4.       I ordered covers patterned after the latest bestselling romances targeting the same trend.
5.       I decided to price everything at $.99 and enroll all three in KU.

Books 1 to 3 were released in quick succession, the first 2 just days apart and the last one a week or so after. I made sure to do a bit of free marketing such as---
1.      Making use of Amazon’s free days for Book 1
2.     And reaching out to Facebook page owners while Book 1’s free to download, asking them if they could the post the book for me and offering them ARCs for reviews and/or giveaways.
3.     (Indirect marketing of sorts) I asked readers to let me know if they wanted a Book 4.

 Once Book 3 was out, I was earning approximately our daily minimum wage (net total for all three books), and almost all of it is from KU borrows. I was incredibly happy with the earnings, but I felt like I should also give paid marketing a try. So I did, and the results were even more overwhelming.
Let’s just say that for every $1 spent on paid advertising, I earned it back and $3 more. I do have to warn you, though: I was only able to enjoy this level of ROI with a medium-range budget for marketing. 

What does this mean for you?

If my pen name could do it without help from existing Marian Tee readers, then you could do it, too. 

Should You Invest in Paid Marketing?

I’ve thought about this long and hard, and personally, I think it’s okay not to do paid marketing at the start. Just see how things work out first. You have to be patient though; this is definitely the longer and harder road to profitability. I also have to admit that I only invested in paid marketing because I could afford it.
But if I didn’t, I’d have done things a bit differently.
·       Outline, write, and finish a series of novel-length standalones (length requirement  is because of KU's new payout structure).
·       Release in quick succession.
·       Enroll everything in KU, with the first one at $.99 and the rest at $2.99
·       If I don’t earn enough from KU, I’ll ditch it after three months and release wide.
·       I’ll set Book 1 free and reach out to Facebook page owners about it.
·       If and when I could afford it, do occasional paid marketing (low budget).
Rinse and repeat until I’ve grown my own readership.
And that’s it. If you have questions, feel free to post a comment below or email me. I know I’ve simplified things too much, and I haven’t talked about how to write a “good” book that would sell and all, but here’s the thing. I don’t think it’s my place to tell you what’s good or not. What works for me may not work for you, so I’ll just leave that part for you to figure out.
Always keep writing! 

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For Filipino Authors: Scribd and the New KU

6/30/2015

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Okay, technically KU didn't change but rather how Amazon pays KU authors did.
Selena Kitt on The New Kindle Unlimited - What It Means for Authors and Readers
Hugh Howey on Why KU Short Fiction Still Makes Sense
The Guardian on Amazon's Pay-Per-Page Plan Could Alter Writing As Well As Royalties
David Daughran on The Great Amazon Hysteria: Part 31
Now, me, my knee jerk reaction was - I hope this doesn't make readers eventually think quantity = quality (in terms of the book's length). But then I got to read other people's reactions - saw how they perceived it in a different way, and yes, I do see their points, too. Some people think, for instance, consider the new payout scheme is a great thing because authors who write real page-turners are rewarded more than those who, well, don't. 
BUT...
Remember when movies couldn't yet be downloaded online illegally? When there weren't pirated movies you could buy easily (or at least it's still so in Third World countries like PH)? Before movie piracy, there were video rental stores. Back then, I was one of their loyal customers. Sometimes, I'd end up paying them a visit more than once a week, and I'd usually borrow several so I can take advantage of their 4 + 1 free promo.
Anyway, there'd be times when I'd borrow Titles A, B, C, D, and E, but because of one thing or another, I'd only end up watching 3 out of 5. Now, do I get a refund for the two ones I didn't get to watch? Nope. And that's okay. It's only fair, IMHO, which is also the same reason why I don't think the new payout scheme is completely fair. 
Of course, I also know it's early times yet. Moreover, we saw how things eventually worked out for brick-and-mortar video rental stores. Could be Amazon doesn't want the same thing to happen to KU. And I totally get that, too.
Secondly, there's that new change over at Scribd, which announced its intention to rotate romance titles in its catalog. Two things I can't help thinking about this---
EITHER 
A) Scribd saw that KU would be earning more with their new payout scheme and thought that they should change their policies, too, to ensure they're still able to compete in the long run.
OR
B) KU foresaw what was coming for Scribd and took the necessary preventive action to avoid having the same thing happen to them.
And just so we're clear - those are only my guesses. (I feel it's too big a coincidence that these two major changes are taking place at about the same time.) 
Since I don't have any books on Scribd (or Oyster either, for that matter), I don't consider myself in the position to speak about how this would affect its authors. I just hope it eventually works out for everyone. As for KU...I know that their new payout structure is also meant to weed out books that were written solely to game the system (e.g. creating 10-page "books" so that merely opening to Page 1, which is equal to 10% of the book, will earn them a dollar).  I'm all for that but, personally, I'd rather Amazon offer KU authors a choice - higher pay-per-page rate vs. a low but fixed rate for the number of times your book's borrowed up to at least 10% (basically the old rule). 
I just feel this would be fairer. Getting paid per page will make KU worth it for authors with, say, longer novels or those who believe they've more to gain from it (i.e. they know their books are read cover to cover).
As for those who opted for a lower fixed rate, these authors may earn less per book but at least they also don't need to worry about whether readers who borrowed their works actually have time to read them, too.

What does this mean to Filipino authors?
I used to advise new or aspiring Filipino authors to give KU a try so they could enjoy added exposure / visibility for their titles. I also encouraged them to write serials - if their story allows it and they're comfortable writing it (like I am. I'm sorry, but I just love the high I get when writing a cliffhanger). 
However, due to these changes, I personally think it's best you hold off from enrolling in KU just yet. Let's wait and see how much the pay per page is after July (we should know mid-August).  You can publish your new book whenever you want, but just keep in mind that KU + new releases tends to work better than KU + old releases. Since with your first 30 days, you have a shot at getting on the Hot New Releases lists, you're likely to get more clicks if you're in KU while your book's ranking. 

P.S. Everything above is only my opinion. You're entitled NOT to believe it's right, and you're entitled to your OWN opinion, too. Also, I only have a few books in KU and they're not my biggest earners. I have little to (directly) gain or lose, regardless of how the new KU payout scheme works.
P.P.S. Today (July 1, 2015) is Day 1 of KU's new payout scheme. Let's see how it goes. Also, remember that you can un-enroll your books from KU anytime between July 1 and Sept. 30.


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ACCOUNTABILITY

6/29/2015

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If you haven't any idea about the lawsuit involving a self-pubbed book titled A Gronking to Remember, then you might want to read this first. 
I feel it's important to tackle since a recent discussion with another writer reminded me that there are still a lot of people - especially here in PH - who aren't aware of the ins and outs of self-publishing. More so when it comes to the legalities.
If you've read the article, then you know that the more pressing issue hasn't anything to do with the book at all. Rather, the big question is the outcome of this lawsuit could change the definition of 'publisher' where companies like Apple and Amazon are concerned.
(For the record: I do not consider Amazon et al as publishers. I'm the publisher of my own books, and they simply provide me with a platform or services to distribute my books to readers)
In any case, if you are self-publishing / have self-published your work, it's best to play it safe and consider yourself SOLELY RESPONSIBLE for everything that has to do with your book. If you don't take care with your choice of cover, use of copyrighted material in your book or marketing materials, you might very well be sued and imprisoned as well as fined for it.
If you are new to self-publishing---
  • Always make sure you have the RIGHT to use a photo or illustration that you want to use for your book's cover. You may or may not have to pay for this right. 
  • Even if you were the one who took the photo, it's also possible that you're not allowed to use it for your book cover (e.g. a photo of a celebrity). Same goes for your own illustrations (e.g. a drawing or even a caricature of a real-life senator, Mickey Mouse, or Sam Smith).
  • You are almost always not allowed to use lyrics - no matter how short - of any song in your book without express permission. You may or may not have to pay for use. Same goes for excerpts for most books, plays, articles, and essays (basically any work created by someone else).
  • You are definitely NOT allowed to include any company logo or trademark in your book cover without permission (e.g. Nike's check symbol or BMW's logo).
Last but not the least, when in doubt, ASK, and be sure to ask the right person/s (not me, though).


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THE LEGALITIES OF SELF-PUBLISHING

5/31/2015

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From time to time I receive questions about legal stuff related to self-publishing, and a recent email from a fellow writer made me realize that I haven't yet dedicated a post to this. As I'm neck-deep with deadlines this month and I'll be writing like a shark for most of June because of it, I thought today would be the best time to write a post about it.
  • What's the royalty rate of Amazon for self-publishers based in the Philippines?
It used to be that if you can't provide Amazon with a tax identification number issued by the US, you won't be able to take advantage of the tax treaty between PH and US. That means Amazon will automatically withhold 30% from your royalties. If, however, you were able to provide them with an US-issued TIN, then you'll be able to take advantage of the tax treaty and have Amazon only withhold 15% from your royalties.
Due to certain changes with KDP, however, I think you no longer need to provide Amazon with a U.S. issued TIN. I can't help with this, unfortunately, but if you try signing up for a KDP account, you'll be able to see if they still require one or not.
  • Does Amazon send royalties by check?
If you cannot provide them with a US bank account for them to deposit your royalties to, then Amazon will send your royalties by check. With the latter, you will need to open a US dollar deposit account. With the former, you can check requirements of US banks that allow individuals to open accounts with them online.
Please keep in mind that Amazon also has the same requirements for affiliate commissions. If you can't provide them with US bank details, they will also mail you a check for this.
  • How do you pay your taxes? 
Unfortunately, this matter isn't as cut and dried as we like. A lot of factors have to be considered, such as whether you set up a sole proprietorship as a self-publisher, etc. For this, I strongly recommend you consult an accountant.
  • How do I self-publish with other retailers aside from Amazon?
Most other non-Amazon retailers require you to either be a US citizen or have a US-registered corporation before you can self-publish directly with them. This is obviously a deal breaker for most, but don't worry - there's another way to get around it. Simply upload via websites like Smashwords and Draft2Digital. Just remember to send them a completed W8-BEN form so that they'll only withhold 15% of your royalties instead of 30%. 

I think that's it, but in case you have additional questions just drop me a line by email, posting a comment here, or using my website's contact form. Happy self-publishing!
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    Welcome!

    * Starting February 1, 2014, this blog will be dedicated to providing publishing tips for aspiring Filipino writers.
    * This blog is also where I share my theological views and how it affects my life and work as a writer. I consider myself an open-minded Catholic as I also have an uncle who's a Christian pastor. Luke 9:50 Jesus said to him, "Do not prevent him, for whoever is not against you is for you."
    I believe with all my heart that it is our personal relationship with God that saves us and NOT RELIGION.
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