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Traditional publishing or Self-publishing? That’s the question


There is a doubt inside a writer’s soul. There is always the possibility of not being read or not being able to introduce yourself into the bookstores. But when that insecure voice starts to paralyze your fingers, remember that times has changed and nowadays there are more options out there to publish easier, and increase your chances to make it as a writer.


To get published, you can go down through two paths. There is the traditional publishing method, which is the one we all know: printed books in bookstores. But there is also the digital self-publishing option, which is everything that is now digital and involves E-books, Kindle and Digital Platforms to get your books serialized by chapters. Both of them have their positive and negative points. So, in this article we will compare the good, the bad and ugly... let’s start by analyzing the traditional one.


Traditional publishing

· The feeling of being important.

In order to get your books shipped to bookstores you need to sign a contract with an agent or a publishing house. Your agent has to recognize your work. And once he does, you will have his validation, which generates a level of prestige and professionalism. An author that has published physical books is always considered a little bit ahead. And if you get this feeling, you’ll be more secure.


· Don’t worry, you’ll be distributed.

Once you have an agent, you don’t need to worry about your printing distribution. You can just lay down your “sofa”, because the agent will make it for you. Distribution, marketing and placement is part of his job.


· Literary prizes?

When you publish a book, you are more likely to be recognized also for literary contests and awards. It’s more likely than an author who has a published book can win a literary prize sometime, as there are contests that only evaluate printed books.


· To be professional work with professionals.

You will have a whole professional team to help you with the paperwork, distribution, editing, focus, strategy, cover, and printing.


However, good things also have some “cons”:


· It’s all t o o s l o w.

If you are expecting a fast publication, this isn’t the best solution. The process of getting published traditionally can be very slow. You first need to have your whole book finished and edited, second you need to find an agent that would want to work with you, third you need to do some changes, create a cover, print it, etc. After that, is time for distribution, and last you have to wait until it get sold. And we can be talking about months.


· Your economy depend on the sales.

If your books are not sale as you expect, your earnings wouldn’t fit your expectations. But if they are sale, the royalty rates, which are a percentage of the sale of the book, are also low. They can range between 7% and 25%, according to an article published on The Creative Penn.


· You’ll have to invest some money.

Agents always take a percentage of your work, and some of them take another percentage when you do self-publishing in the meantime, even if you do it alone.


· You marry your publisher.

Once you sign a contract for your book, it belongs to the publisher, and when things doesn’t come out like you expect and you want to change publisher, sometimes can be difficult. So our advice is to check the contract very carefully and know what you are signing.


Self-publishing in digital platforms

The other side of the coin also has very positive aspects:


· Creativity flows all over the way.

When you decide to publish by your own methods, you need creativity more than anything else. You should analyze how and what to write, to whom, how to attract your audience, marketing, how to create your own brand, etc. You’ll require ingenious strategies to place you into the market.


· That freedom of being single.

You will be independent without any bond tying your to a publisher. That freedom provides the opportunity of publishing in different parts at the same time while managing your time.


· The process is faster and effective.

As self publishing involves everything that is digital, it is a faster process… and also easier to distribute without any physical boundaries. If you finish a story today, you can publish it right in that moment, forgetting about all those old-fashioned long and bureaucratic processes. There are even platforms like Inkspired, where you can also publish chapter by chapter, which means that if you haven't finished your book, it is not a problem.


· Publish at different platforms and conquer the world.

There are many online platforms that offer the free publishing service: Medium, Inkspired, Wattpad, Writers Digest, Lulu, Radish, etc. And by using these platforms you can be read in any part of the world. The national frontiers are not longer a barrier, because technology knocks them down. Your potential audience becomes larger, and you can reach people faster than with printed book.


· Earnings become attractive.

You can also publish in platforms like Amazon, in which you can sell your book in a cheap price, and obtain up to 70% in royalties.


· In publisher’s eye.

Once you publish, and according to how well do you market yourself, you can get into publisher’s eyes, because someone can find you, read your stories, like them, and maybe receive a phone call to sign a contract.


But digital publishing also has its negative side:


· It’s all up to you.

You will need the motivation, the contacts, the strategy, the passion, the time, the distribution, everything. You will have to be in charge of all, because it’s your own job.


· The prestige or professionalism isn’t the same.

As we said before, the prestige that a publisher (depends on which) can give you, is a big step for attracting an audience, but in self publishing you don’t have it. You have to create it for yourself.


· The investment comes out from your pocket.

Maybe you will have to invest some money in your own marketing, brand, knowledge, workshops, etc, in order to offer a good story.


So, at the end, each side of the publishing industry has their pros and cons. It’s up to you to choose what’s more convenient for you as an author, and the stage of the book you are currently working on. Snatch the opportunity that can take you to the next level. :)

14 Mart 2017 17:06 1 Rapor Yerleştirmek 9
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Ways to get paid for writing as a freelancer


So, one day you decide
to live from and for writing. You know you have got the skills, the talent, the passion… Maybe you even studied something related to creative writing, or maybe not; but now you finally decide to make an statement, and go for it and tell your stories to the world. However, there is this big white elephant in the room: how can I earn money from writing? Publishing a book in digital platforms or as an ebook could be an option; but is that going to make up for a living?


First of all, it’s all about mindset. To make a living from writing, you have to make writing your living: make it part of your daily life, and get to know that sometimes it won’t be that exciting as you believe, when pressure comes to knock the door for instance; the ability to move forward will always rely on your passion for it. Other distractions, strict editors, innovative articles proposals, critics and the possibility of not being published are also some factors to be considered. Have in mind that is going to be tough, as everything in life that is worth something, but take the opportunity by the horns, and go for it, if it is truly what you love. You can write your book with a marketing strategy, but while that works out (we will talk about that in later post), you can also become a freelance writer. It pays… and it pays good.


Nowadays, thanks to the evolution of digital marketing and all the content being tracked by search engines, there are a lot of positions requiring content creation for brands. Some people call it “inbound marketing”, others just call it “content marketing”. There are thousands of options to write for many websites, online magazine, start-ups or platforms; as they are looking to become more relevant on internet and the way people search for their brand through the content they are generating. For you, as a next-to-be freelance writer, it could be an ideal job in terms of time management, flexibility and independence. You have your own time, and you can work in any part of the world. There is no need to be just in one country or settled in a corporate office.


There is a long list of blogs or magazines that are looking to receive original articles, or stories that you can write, and not everybody knows about them. That’s why many platforms write about them and they also offer articles with the best tips to become a freelancer. These platforms are willing to help you in the process of getting paid, by providing you information about what exactly those magazines need and what they are searching for.


These are some of the platforms that have gathered all the information about the sites that are willing to pay for an article. You can also find advice on how to build your career, as a freelancer, how to grow, and how to get published or market yourself:


1. The Write Life

2. Writing Platform

3. Make a living writing

4. All indie writers

5. Elna Cain

6. Your writer platform


Each one of them has a specific vision, but all of them have been created to help writers in their “seems to be difficult” publishing.


In the other hand, we have also a list of websites where you can browse through paid writing jobs, as you can search actual vacancies or contests, or receive a list of companies that are hiring writers at the moment.


1. Freedom with writing

2. Freelance writing

3. Freelance writing gigs

4. Upwork


The opportunities to write online content are expanding. This is a functional way of starting getting paid for writing, while you work on your next novel. Research a bit, read these websites, follow their advice, and take the risk to send your writings to every place you feel identified with. Just then you will find open doors where you once didn’t see any. But never, ever, forget about your dream of becoming a fiction author; and… you know, you can start right here, right now from Inkspired: get started today!

27 Şubat 2017 17:44 0 Rapor Yerleştirmek 7
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Use technology to become a recognized storyteller

The difficult thing about writing is that either you are published or not. But both aren’t related, neither mean that if you don't have your book on bookstore stands yet, you can’t be recognized as an author. Nowadays, thanks to the marvelous technologies, we can find thousands of ways to get published online, become renowned and get read by thousands of readers… even more people than the ones visiting those bookstores that you once envied.


So, let’s clarify the obvious. In order to be a good writer, you need to develop a fascinating writing style, and a consistent storytelling flow. That’s something that improves with practice, time, reading and caring about it. But there are somes tools that can help you in the quest of getting yourself known and read. To be a writer you only have to write, but the be an author you have to be read, and for that, you need to sell you, and your content. You need to learn how to market yourself, build a fanbase, expand your circle, and get exposed; because publishers love authors that are “commercial” as they say, and this is part of it. The more you make people follow your writings, the more publishers will look at you as a golden ticket.


And as we said before, technology gives us 3 tools to build our name as a brand.


1) Social media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc… Those social networks are very useful for marketing yourself as a writer. You only need to learn how to promote your own work and gain loyal followers. Pro tip: don’t be shy to show yourself. Remember that writers remain unknown if nobody reads them. You can find communities that already exist, and join them, which allows you to create a circle, learn from other writers and start building a diverse network.


2) Digital publishing platforms: These ones are highly recommended, and the ones that you have to seek. What is great is that you don’t have to marry any: you can several at a time - the key is to be everything, be reachable; expand your content to everywhere you can. Most of them are even free, and some of them allow you to even monetize, like Inkspired or Amazon. They also take away all of those financial risks of printing your own book, which requires time and money. These platforms allow you to create a profile and enter an already existing community, who will read your fiction stories and give you feedback. They open the opportunity to publish your stories serially, and edit each chapter as many times possible. Some of them even have writing tips, templates; book covers options, or money contributions for your creative stories, like Inkspired. And you can either use it in your computer or in your mobile. Nowadays there are a lot of writing platforms to help storytellers, and Inkspired is aware that each one of them is useful. So we created a specialized tool called Inkspired Writer, which besides helping authors to improve and edit their fiction stories in the process of writing, it allows them to write smarter and publish in multiple digital platforms at the same time. Being in this kind of platforms gives you the opportunity to be read by people from all parts of the world. After all, that’s what tech does… break down the borders. And you should take advantage of it.


3) Blog: These ones are “classic” for a good reason: If you use them well, they can help you in million ways. You can start by introducing your name into communities. A blog is free, simple to use and personalize and easy to read. It amplifies your professional network and connects you with people around the globe. A blog is a presentation card. If you start looking, almost every writer has one. Nowadays there is even a “professional name” for it: called blogger. Inkspired also allows you to start your own blog, for the same reason.

17 Şubat 2017 20:27 0 Rapor Yerleştirmek 7
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Writing as a career

Photo: careertipster.com

Often, there is many people who think that if your dream is to become a writer, you’ll not have a “good” future, unless, of course, you become a famous published author. But that is not entirely true. You do have a future if you are a writer. And the first thing you need to do is to choose the type of writer you want to be, and make the most out of it.


A writer isn’t only the novelist who sits alone in some remote place and start writing a book of hundred pages. There are different types of writers and even different careers involving the art of words. For example, there are journalists, creative writers, copy writers, novelists, poets, web writers and editors, and according to the one you choose, you can find a job in different industries, such as newspapers, universities, schools, magazines, web pages, marketing agencies, any type of business that requires writing skills, or even a successful author of a fiction series with an audience in digital platforms like Inkspired. 


But how do you know which type of writer are you? If you have problems figuring it out, try as many different types of storytelling as you can; that’s the only way to discover it.


Once you already know which path are you going to follow, the second thing you have to do is to get a writing education. We know that being a writer, as well as being an artist, is something you are born with, but it’s also something you educate yourself into: like a mindset. It’s necessary to put that talent into training, so it grows correctly, and becomes better, more mature. It’s like when you practice a sport. In order to be the best, you need hard training.


For writing, you can choose literature courses, or something similar. To do it professionally, a a degree might be good, but nothing will flourish without actual writing, and practice. Expanding your network also is a key aspect that most of us, writers forget. It is essential in this career, as it will open you many doors to possibilities. Be social!


The other positive aspect of creating a future as a writer is that you can become a self-employed freelancer, as the majority of the writers do (two-thirds according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics). And being a freelancer allows you to work for many magazines, or newspapers, editorials or agencies. You will be able to manage your own time and save your own writing style. But you must know that there will be times that you’ll have to write about things you don’t like, but that will get you experience, focus and identity.


The third thing you need to do is to work, or do an internship and create your own portfolio with all your writings. Maybe you can create a blog, or a webpage, or upload your fiction stories on Inkspired (getinkspired.com) or any other digital platform like Medium, because you’ll never know when someone important could discover your content and suddenly call you to work with him/her. Trust us, you’ll never know. And nowadays, through internet, everything can easily be found but you need to be traceable.


And our last advice: it’s always better to get specialized in something. It’s not fundamental, but specializing in a subject or type of writing, will allow you to grow and focus more on it, and you can be known because of that. Not just as a “good writer”, but as the best sport journalist, or the best romantic novelist, or the most creative fiction writer in fantasy worlds…


So what are you waiting for? Writers have to write. Go and start. Here at Inkspired is a good place to start it out, and publish your first chapter, and see where it goes from there.

10 Şubat 2017 16:33 1 Rapor Yerleştirmek 6
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