Book Schmook, or schmuck?

Before I delve into a work day I'm loathing and cringing over, I have a small tangent.

For a while, there were a few websites linking, daily, to free amazon ebooks and I obtained quite the kindle library during that time period. One of those books, which I dove into yesterday, was "The Rich Minimalist: A Guide On Getting Rich, Simplifying Life and Retiring Early." Self help books aren't my thing, but this 'simplifying life' and 'retiring early' title attracted my interest and I made an exception.

The author has some clear phobias: Fat people, a solitary life and editors. This book is so incredibly terrible it's like a car wreck, I can't seem to look away because I keep trying to figure out what exactly could be next. He talks about how he made six fingers (figures), simplified life, got passive income and that there are 5 laws (which are like, 8 laws with 3 tucked loosely into others). There are sections that are copy-paste repeats of other earlier paragraphs, same typos and all.

He goes on to say something about fat people, that he decided to right a book because people who eat less and move more do things with life but there's nothing wrong with fat people. With me so far? He says, he decided he wanted to write a book, so he did. Then he had to get an agent, so he did. And he found out the agent had to get him a publisher, so they did and he got published.

IF, if, IF he had an agent, he should have been fired for not providing him a contact for editing. There is NO WAY a publisher that isn't under his own name would have taken on the book in the state its in. Now he makes 6 figures. Really, thought I, how does one make 6 figures on a book like this? How? he charges 4.74 a book. If you sell 20,000 e copies of this book, that's 6 figures. He's produced and published (agent or not) 16 ebooks! That means he only has to sell 1250 of each book (a doable number) and he makes 6 figures.

WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING!

So I sat down last night and worked on my book. If HE can make 6 figures with badly written "edited" "agented" "publisher house" published books, then I can make 7 figures without an agent, self publishing WITHOUT editing.

Oh my gosh. Why didn't I think of that. How to get rich: write a book on... how to get rich.

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Sweetened, self publishing (Smashwords?) has opened up the world to illiterate boobs who think they have something to say.

I will admit here that I am a bit of a voyeur when it comes to ereader downloads. I want free or 99 cent books. At first I thought, stupidly, that I could find something worth reading. To be honest there have been a couple that I was pleasantly surprised with. There are people out there of great talent who have no editor or agent and offer well written, amusing works as a lead to have you visit their blog. BUT...the majority of what I have downloaded is, as you say, a tragic car wreck. I can't look away as I read on, gripped with regret, but a morbid fascination as I mutter, you have GOT to be kidding! I download them now so I can see for myself how truly bad some writing is and it makes me think, why don't I do this? WHy don't I mortify the reading public for fun and profit?

What are you doing wrong? Okay, I'll take the bait. Your first mistake is you have some literary standard you wish to uphold. GET OVER IT! Write your schlock, get it out there, and let people be disappointed. THey have given you their 99 cents and they can't ungive it. ANYTHING you self publish will be better than the majority...therefore buyers will be pleased. I think the real genius would be to self publish a mostly acceptable series and encourage your readers to stay tuned with their paypal account, or credit card, for your next installment, one week hence. You'll be like a drug dealer of questionable literature. You will be rich!

So why aren't you also getting rich? Because so far you just haven't Googled the extensive instructions on how to publish to Smashwords. I have. If I was a smidge more computer literate, I might do it. And give you a run for your 99 cent work. Hah! Just do it! Do it!  Don't think about it, do it!

I've read a ton of terrible free ebooks. All fiction. Total number of GOOD free ebooks I've read? One.

I do follow my favourite authors on twitter, and they tend to provide links when Amazon puts their books, or the books of their author friends, on sale for $0.99. I get most of my new reading material that way. Anne Stuart has three on for $0.99 right now, if that's your thing.

Think about it though, sell a million books for $1, and that's a million dollars!

No, I have signed up for Lightning Source publishing. I will release both ebooks and paperbacks when I publish.

I was going to say, on the downside, self publishing means you are buried under a ton of other self publishers with no promotion, no distinction, nothing to make your book stand out as worthy of reading.

To sell 1000 books under those circumstances is HUGE. And a lot less than a million dollars. Still, $1000 is $1000. Not so bad if you can sit at home and type lies for a living.

uno wrote:I was going to say, on the downside, self publishing means you are buried under a ton of other self publishers with no promotion, no distinction, nothing to make your book stand out as worthy of reading.

To sell 1000 books under those circumstances is HUGE. And a lot less than a million dollars. Still, $1000 is $1000. Not so bad if you can sit at home and type lies for a living.

Lightning source direct markets to Amazon and other ebook distributers.  Amazon, monthly, browses new books on lightning source and buys small lots as test runs for paperback sales.  If I offer my ebook up at .99 when it debuts, I'm likely to get quite a few experimental downloads.

In addition, self publishers tend not to market themselves, pounding the pavement to local book stores and offering discount purchase deals.  I'm in the business of marketing and advertising. That's what I do

Sweetened........I really like your idea. Go for it. You'll never know until you try.