Self-Publishing Books Online

[Fappy]

I'm a hobbyist writer at best. Sure, I have a degree in Journalism, but literally anyone with half a brain can get one of those. I think I have a natural talent for writing, but with a full-time job and general laziness, I currently lack the time and dedication to become truly great. And you know, that's okay.

While I would love to make a living writing, as long as I have the ability to create and put my work out there, that's all I really care about. Professional writing is not something I desire so much that I'd be willing to throw my career away in order to pursue it, but I would absolutely love to have the means to share my writing with an audience that I can build and nurture.

In a nutshell, I don't care about making money. That massive concern out the door, I have been mulling over different ideas on how to go about pursuing this. It's pretty straight forward for artists and webcomics, what with Deviantart and all sorts of other image hosting sites and social media networks out there, but it seems quite a bit trickier with prose fiction.

My girlfriend directed me to an online book series called Tokyo Demons, and while I have not read it myself, it appears to function in a fascinating way. Basically, the author writes a chapter at a time, creates one or two illustrations to accompany the chapter, and then publishes it free on its website. That sounds awesome! Obviously there are some issues with that model when you consider the finished product (the pacing of your book may be pretty fucked up among other things), but I think a free amateur novel could get away with some imperfections. Besides, you could always go back and rewrite some stuff if you ever intended to distribute it as a finished product (which, if I were to get it officially published, an editor would most certainly demand).

It sounds like I've made up my mind, but I really haven't. There are still several things to consider and I'd like to get some feedback from you guys. Do you think this model could be successful in building an audience? Would you read a novel in this manner (assuming the plot/characters interested you)? Are you aware of any other similar publishing models?

I could go on and on with questions, so I'll stop myself here XD

 

[Zontar]

I think the model is best for trying to get a story with no real end goal out there, like a serialized show which doesn't really know what the end will be until it's already there. The problem with this, though, is that it leads to very uneven quality, tone and characterization within a story. Unless you're planning on writing a whole story and then posting each chapter on a scheduled, then it seems to work much like episodic storytelling. The problem is most writers I've seen who use it just write one chapter at a time then post it right away.

I actually know the feeling of being a hobbies writer, having my own small collection of stories posted online (most I only keep up as visible marks of my progress in refining my writing skills. Good god was I terrible not 5 years ago) but I'd need to use all my spear time over the better part of a year to write a real book.

I do take offence to the statement about a degree in journalism though. Sure it can come naturally to people, but unless the US has a much lower bar of entry then here in Canada it isn't something just anyone who tries can do (I've seen plenty of people try and enter and get rejection letters). Hell, most news relating to entertainment is by people who neither have nor have tried to get a degree in journalism.

 

[Fappy]

I think the model is best for trying to get a story with no real end goal out there, like a serialized show which doesn't really know what the end will be until it's already there. The problem with this, though, is that it leads to very uneven quality, tone and characterization within a story. Unless you're planning on writing a whole story and then posting each chapter on a scheduled, then it seems to work much like episodic storytelling. The problem is most writers I've seen who use it just write one chapter at a time then post it right away.

I actually know the feeling of being a hobbies writer, having my own small collection of stories posted online (most I only keep up as visible marks of my progress in refining my writing skills. Good god was I terrible not 5 years ago) but I'd need to use all my spear time over the better part of a year to write a real book.

I do take offence to the statement about a degree in journalism though. Sure it can come naturally to people, but unless the US has a much lower bar of entry then here in Canada it isn't something just anyone who tries can do (I've seen plenty of people try and enter and get rejection letters). Hell, most news relating to entertainment is by people who neither have nor have tried to get a degree in journalism.

Didn't mean to offend. As far as undergraduate degrees in the US go they're pretty easy to obtain, in my opinion. I wouldn't doubt it's easier to get a degree here than in Canada (I did not go to a school that specialized in Journalism, mind you).

I probably should have specified in the OP now that I think about it, but my the book idea I have is more a collection of short stories than a novel. Sure, it's got an over-arching story, but each chapter is a completely self-contained story. That would most likely work better for this publishing model.

 

[Frezzato]

Spoiler: TL;DR Chapter listings on the side and page numbers should do the trick. Make the content as easy to read as a book. The rest will fall into place I think.

I haven't really read anything episodic online. The closest I can guess are Dr. McNinja, Oglaf, and Hark! A Vagrant. Granted, both Oglaf and Hark! A Vagrant don't really involve extended plots but Dr. McNinja does.

The difference though is that I often get tired of waiting for Dr. McNinja to finish their stories (updates every Monday and Wednesday?), so what happens is I'll just go away for roughly 4-5 months and check every once in a while to see if the current story is done. I simply don't have the patience to wait several days to read one panel at a time.

There's another thing I noticed about reading anything online, like how websites format their content. The formatting has to be appropriate to the content, like with Dr. Cat for example. Missing a few panels of Dr. Cat can be confusing as I usually have to jump to the first page and recap. Thankfully each story is individualized, so I don't have to jump all the way to the beginning, like how it would be done with something like PieComic. I would normally bookmark where I left off, but my bookmarks are pages upon pages of disorganized text. And since Dr. Cat, like most sites, posts the most recent content first, things can get a little spoiler-y.

This is where it gets weird. See, I really like the layout of Sexy Losers because it's a full menu on the left side. Not only do you get to start from the very beginning and see the full context of the comic, you also get to see which panels have been tagged with specific characters or storylines. This is something that takes full advantage of the internet and how content can be experienced on the modern web.

If you could somehow utilize cookies to allow bookmarks on your pages, literally, I think it would invite readers back in. The ePub-Catalog plugin for Firefox is the perfect example. I guess what I'm trying to say after this huge rant is if you make it easy for readers to leave and return to where they left off, it would draw more people like me in. I don't like the tentative nature of having to leave tabs open and such. Strangely, this is something that hasn't really been fixed yet. I think that as long as you have chapter listings on the left (or right), plus actual page numbers, you could allow readers to come and go as they please, instead of requiring them to binge read. There's this level of commitment that I just can't bring myself to face when it comes to long passages online (ironic that, considering my wall of text).

 

[Vault101]

EDIT: I assumed you meant the "Amazon" route so thats what I've put here

ahhh trad vs self publishing...a hot topic in many writing comunties

snip

if youre into writing money shoulnd't be your main concern eather way, even those that manage to go traditional route anre;t rolling in cash

that and the fact the publishing industry is changing is...interesting to say the least

the thing is both require a lot of work, Self Publishing in particular...I mean yeah you can just upload and leave but if your serious then YOU are also responsible for being your own marketer, youve got to use the internet/social net working to your advantage.Even though many say traditional publishers aren't giving authors as much support in that regard

a lot of the stigma in regards to self publishing is really stugeons law, the "slush" pile now has an audience which IMO affects perception. I'm not gonna lie, when looking for something to read I don't bother with self published work, not because I think its all crap but because I don't have time and while publishers aren't an infallable measure of quality I KNOW that if its been traditionally published then its gone through some barriers that tell me "its readable"

I'd recomend looking up Hugh Howrys blog, recently he did an interesting peice called "the state of self publishing" he's been massivly sucessful and is a strong proponent of self publishing, and he makes some godo points...HOWEVER I think he's still biased

it boils down to one side saying "theres no quality control" and the other saying "the big evil publishers are out to screw us all!"

ultimatly both a valid options with pros/cons...its not easy eather way

in your case you seem more concerned with just getting your stories out there...I wouldn't rule out at least going for the "submit to agent" route one day, but in your case self publishing seems like a neat idea...though your still going to have to work to get people to read your stuff...and your novel might not be as ready to throw out into the world as you think, editing is a good idea

and for the LOVE OF GOD get a decent cover....

off topic: also probably not cool to belittle what people do "anyone could do it" because...its not cool

 

[Fappy]

-Snip-

All good points. I actually completely agree that traditional publishing is a better option for readers/writers alike, but for now this is just a hobby, and if it's considered slush then it's considered slush. Most writers' first big projects never see the light of day, so I'd just be grateful if I ended up with a small audience that read/appreciated it in all its amateur glory.

If I did end up getting more serious about writing on a professional level I wouldn't rule out self-publishing, but traditional publishing would probably be what I pursued first.

EDIT: Also, I should mention that I would likely include illustrations to add some flare to it (I know a lot of talented artists who would do it gratis) and that each story/chapter would be HEAVILY proofed and workshopped with other writers I know.

 

[Vault101]

All good points. I actually completely agree that traditional publishing is a better option for readers/writers alike, but for now this is just a hobby, and if it's considered slush then it's considered slush. Most writers' first big projects never see the light of day, so I'd just be grateful if I ended up with a small audience that read/appreciated it in all its amateur glory.

If I did end up getting more serious about writing on a professional level I wouldn't rule out self-publishing, but traditional publishing would probably be what I pursued first.

I wouldn't rule out "getting good" eather, I'm actually a bit like you in that I want to put something out there (like a webcomic) but I'm not going to untill I personally feel I've reached a reasonable level of quality...and that may take me a while

 

[zen5887]

If you just want people to read your work then putting on a wordpress, blogspot, or even a tumblr page would be the quickest and easiest way. Promoting that page is a whole different thing, but at least your stuff is out there in a readable format. It's definitely not optimal, but it's a start, right?

 

[rob_simple]

In terms of attracting/building an audience, I certainly think it's a valid method of distribution. I read almost all of my mangas as they are released, so only twenty pages a week, give or take.

The only real downside to this is that you'd pretty much need to make every single chapter end on a pretty big hook to keep people wanting to know what happens next; a standard world-building chapter or bit of backstory might not go over so well when people need to wait a whole week to get back to the meat of story.

My advice to you would be to just try it. Since you're not betting all your future successes on it, what's the harm in giving it a go?

 

[Ninja-Jordan]

If you love writing, just write. It's true, there are several outlets for you to put your work onto, even if you pay the $100-odd a month for your own website. When I started my own webcomic, I avoided stuff like deviantart or blogspot, because I wanted a space where my work could be my own. Of course, this means getting it to the general public is a bit harder, but any pursuit in the arts means you're going to spend a bit of time in anonymity. The point is, you do it because you love it, and it's just the nature of the internet; people will find it.
Also, if you've heard of Patreon, you could try putting your work up there. It's like kickstarter for artists. Who knows, maybe people will give you money for it.

Also, it regards to the "Tokyo Demons" thing. I've learned from experience you never just start writing like by the seat of your pants, because what you end up with are weak characters, an incohesive plot and a narrative that just sucks. If you had plans for something, write most of it first, or at least build the general skeleton of your work, then start adding the meat to it. It's like any serialized show, or comic if your story is strong enough, people will wait anxiously for the next part.