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

Romance Writers of the Philippines...yes?

7/29/2014

3 Comments

 
I've been trying to keep up with posts about RWA and it got me to thinking that it would be really nice if we had something similar here in PH. I mean, yes, we already have UMPIL and even Limbag Kapihan from NBDB but wouldn't it be nice if we had an association that was specifically organized by and for romance authors (aspiring and published, trad and indie)? 

If there ever was - or would be - an RWP, I'd love to have the following tackled:
  • More on copyright, specifically about protecting your rights, preventing them from being exploited, and what authors can do to have their rights reverted if they want to
  • More on self-publishing: formatting, proofreading and editing, cover design, and marketing
  • Talks b/w publishers and authors on how to better market ebooks, making readers see the benefits of buying ebooks, making paying for them easier (this is NOT the US where everyone practically has a credit card), and finding more ways to discourage (read: this is not pro-DRM) readers from pirating ebooks
  • Joint projects for Filipino authors to more effectively penetrate the international market
  • Collab projects between authors and artists to create manga or comics that can be eventually sold to manga-oriented countries like Japan, Korea, and China
  • Possibilities of local publishing companies and literary agencies helping indie authors sell foreign rights to works
  • Discussions to ensure that everyone concerned understands there is no "trad pubbed author vs. indie / self-pubbed author" issue. Writers are always better off working with each other.
  • Classes/workshops on romance writing (general and specific)

Obviously, most of what I'd love to see being discussed concerns me as an indie author. I'd also love to hear discussions that concern trad-pubbed authors here in PH but I really don't have any idea what such discussions should be since that's no longer my world. 

One major reason why it would be nice to have a specific org for romance writers is because you automatically negate the need to justify your choice of genre to other writers. There'd be less conflict between literary and genre writers, less conflict between, say, suspense and romance authors. It happens. We may wish it wasn't so but it happens. Thankfully, it's a possibility we can eliminate with our very own org. 

This is not to say, of course, that we should only care about ourselves and to hell with other writers. Our org can work with UMPIL and other orgs. I'm sure (or at least I hope) there are such projects where RWA, Authors Guild and SFWA join forces. All I'm saying is that it would be really, really, really nice to have a meeting where we don't need to talk about why writing romance is this or that. Instead, we can just focus on the matter in hand and talk about what currently and significantly affects our careers. 

Buuuut...in the end, this is just me. :D 
3 Comments
Lucas
8/10/2014 02:03:33 am

Okay, this is the very first post I’ve read of you, and like you I’m a writer (published on Amazon for 3 years[?] could more but no more than 5). The titles, well, they don’t sell that well (I don’t advertise and they’re slightly epic and urban fantasy), but I’m happy I discovered you, a Filipino just like me that publishes on Amazon (and various sites). And I know you know everything I know, and could be more. You know the Kboards and such as Hugh Howey, JA Konrath, Ms Ward, Hocking etc; knowing that makes my insides warm and fuzzy (that sounds odd…).
If you’re longer in the business than me, then you may know other like us, Filipino writers trying to have a break in the international market. Well, do you? I’m really curious about this for a very long time.
Also, like you, I’ve also queried agents for (the whole nine of trad publishing)… well, four years if memory serves—boy the response time was awful.

Reply
Marian
8/12/2014 05:25:38 pm

Hi Lucas. Right now, off the top of my head, there's Kate Evangelista who's not indie but has books on Amazon and is published with Entangled and another publishing house. There's Mina V. Esguerra - she's trad pubbed here in PH but also has self-pubbed books on Amazon. She did a #romanceclass workshop that got other romance authors to self publish. Eve Montelibano and Kat Madrid (they write Taglish romance) have also recently started self-publishing (it's the English versions of the books that are sold on Amazon). Those are all romance authors. For something closer to your genre, I think there's Eliza Victoria and Dean Francis Alfar. Safe to say, those who have books out on Buqo (Summit's ebook retail platform) are likely those who have books out on Amazon et al as well. :) I hope that helps!

And lol I know what you mean. Trying the trad pub route has taught me a lot and improved my writing greatly, but in hindsight I just wished I hadn't spent years trying to break into it. =D Self-pubbing is much more fun.

Reply
Lucas
8/15/2014 02:29:34 am

Thanks for the names :D
And indeed, self-publishing is more fun, especially when it's 70% royalty rate. wink wink* nudge nudge* LOL.
Thanks again.




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