If You Need More Writing Advice, Then Check Out "Alice The Author" And "Tabletop Mercenary"

I've been running this blog for well over a decade now, and I like to think that I've given folks a lot of good advice. Whether you're a writer looking to improve your craft, or an author with questions about how words on the page turn into money in your pocket, my goal has been to help people get to where they want to be, and to avoid as many pitfalls as possible on their own paths.

Things are pretty damn hectic on my side of the screen, though. So I wanted to take a moment to direct my readers to some other useful resources, while also explaining how checking them out can help me keep doing what I'm doing from week-to-week.

Help us keep helping you!

Before we get into the nitty gritty this week, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Lastly, to be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree!

Lastly, don't forget to check out my Vocal archive for additional fiction, articles, explorations of weird history, and more! And, of course, check me out on Blue Sky, since that's what we're talking about today!

First Off, Tabletop Mercenary!

For folks who don't know, in addition to being a blogger, a novelist, a former journalist, and more, I'm also a tabletop RPG designer. And to help catalog that journey in particular, and to blaze a trail for folks who are thinking about giving it a go themselves, I put together the series Tabletop Mercenary over on the Azukail Games YouTube channel.

 

This series currently has 42 episodes, and you can listen to the whole playlist here. With everything getting tougher and tougher these days, keeping the numbers up for the channel is one way my publisher can continue to make money, which allows them to keep paying me and other creators to get our games on the market. So if you're interested in hearing more about my experiences in this little sliver of the publishing world, please check out the show... and if you want to help a little more, subscribe to the channel and check out all the other videos I've got on there as well!

There's something for everyone, so take a stroll through the archive if you're of a mind.

Up Next, Alice The Author

Alice Liddell, my partner and co-creator of The A.L.I.C.E. Files, has been writing even longer than I have. She's published dozens of books, she's survived the fashion industry, and she isn't shy about telling fellow authors (both the experienced and the hopeful) what's what about writing and selling books.

Now, I've mentioned Alice and her YouTube channel Alice The Author several times on this blog, but I wanted to bring her up again because we're currently dealing with a somewhat dire situation. She has to relocate in the very near future, and we're trying to open up as many income streams as we possibly can to help make that happen. Despite the sheer amount of great information on her channel for writing, publishing, marketing, and even which conventions to go to, Alice is still short a lot of subscribers, and about a thousand or so watch hours to get YouTube to allow her to monetize anything she makes... so she's just been doing all of this for the love of the game up until now.

Please go check out her channel today, and subscribe if you want to do your part to keep it going. And if you want to do more to help her cover her moving expenses (and just generally survive in this terrible world we live in), please review the blog entry Author and RPG Designer Alice Liddell Is Moving, And Really Needs Our Help To Make It Happen! It contains all the way folks can help her land on her feet, and help the both of us keep making things.

My Thanks In Advance For All Your Help!

With everything getting more expensive these days, it's harder and harder for creators to actually pay our bills. But every time we get new subscribers, and every time you watch our videos (with ad blocker and VPN turned off, if you can, as YT doesn't count those views) it helps us keep making stuff. We depend on all of you to help us spread the word, and find fresh readers and writers to join our community.

So thank you for reading, for subscribing, and for watching. Don't forget to upvote stuff you like, and to leave a comment or two if you're so inclined!

Support The Literary Mercenary

If you want to see me produce more work, consider some of the following options!

- My Facebook

- My Blue Sky

- My LinkTree

- My Weekly Newsletter

- The Azukail Games YouTube Channel (where I contribute video content)

- The A.L.I.C.E. Files (an audio drama channel I launched with Alice Liddell)

And if you happen to have some spare dosh lying around, and you want to be sure my supply doesn't run low, consider become a Patreon patron, or leaving a tip by Buying Me a Ko-Fi!

Also, if you're curious about how to write for tabletop RPGs, don't forget to check out my show Tabletop Mercenary, which you can find on both the Azukail Games channel above!

Like, Follow, and Come Back Again!

That's all for this week's Business of Writing! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, or my most recent short story collection The Rejects!

 

And to stay on top of all my latest news and releases, collected once a week, make sure you subscribe to The Literary Mercenary's mailing list.

Authors, Be Realistic About Your Book's Return on Investment

When you're writing a book it's all too easy to fantasize about being the next Stephen King or George R. R. Martin. To imagine your book is so great that it's going to develop a cult following, and that people are going to line up down the hall at conventions and book stores just to get your signature on their copy. Just like every other writer out there I've had my share of daydreams about what it would be like to get big, fat royalty checks in the mail that allow me to just relax, enjoy my coffee, and focus on the next novel without worrying about bills, or car repairs, or any of that boring, real life stuff.

There's a hard truth that a lot of writers out there (particularly the indie and self-publishing folks) need to hear, though. Because unless you already have a huge, receptive, eager audience in place, you're probably not going to make any real money from your books for a while.

Hell, you might not even make pretend money.

Before I get into more details, wanted to remind folks to subscribe to my weekly newsletter if you want to stay on top of all my latest releases! And if you like the work I'm doing and want to help me keep my blogs going, consider becoming a Patreon patron. It really does help!

Can You Make Money? Yes...

First, let's talk numbers. Because as I mentioned in Unfortunate Facts: Without Sponsorship, Most Writers Can't Eat, the average number of sales for a self-published book will amount to less than $500 a year. While it's certainly possible you could make above average sales with your book, it's equally possible you will earn below $500 a year, especially as your initial audience peters off as your friends, family, etc. get and read their copies and you need to reach out to a fresh audience.

From what I've seen, these numbers aren't that inaccurate. I know plenty of successful indie authors, like K.M. Herkes and Lauren Jankowski, who earn well above this number. My own novel, Crier's Knife, did slightly better than estimated... but not all that much better. I've also met a lot of writers who put out their first novel, and then just stopped writing when the audience didn't spontaneously manifest.

Trust me, you have to go find your readers, not the other way around.

If you take nothing else away from this post, understand this. The quality of your book, and how many copies it sells, are only in a vague, tangential relationship a lot of the time. If a tree falls in a forest, and no one's around to see it or hear it, then no one knows about it. By the same token, you could have written the most amazing novel ever... but if you don't go out and build your audience (attending cons, being active on social media, getting a large mailing list, etc.) you're never going to sell any copies because nobody knows about it.

And if you don't have a legion of fans ready and eager to hand over greenbacks for your next release, then don't dig yourself into debt putting the book together. Because I promise you that, barring a miracle, you're never going to break even much less make a profit.

Don't Shell Out For Things You Don't Need

Self-publishing a book can, theoretically, be done for free. You can write your novel on a free word processor, design your own cover free of charge using royalty free public domain images, and even publish it through a free service like Amazon. However, most writers out there are going to have to put in at least a little money in order to cover the skills they don't have when it comes to making their book the best it can be.

And you should do that. But you need to keep a realistic eye on what your earnings are going to be, and how much of this starting investment you're going to recoup.

Like this fine piece, for example.

One of the biggest things I've seen authors waste money on is super-expensive cover design. Now, to be clear, artists should be paid for their work... but if your book is going to make maybe $300, and you pay an artist $800 to $1,000 for a unique, one-of-a-kind cover, you're coming out on the short end of this deal however you look at it.

That's why a lot of indie authors and small publishers will actually use stock art for their books, rather than commissioning fresh art every time they have a new release. I talked about this in detail in Looking For Cover Art For Your Book? Try Drive Thru RPG!, but it bears repeating. The art for Crier's Knife up there? I paid $5 for the right to use it. Because that is an investment I knew I'd be able to recoup.

Another place I see writers throwing money into a hole is when it comes to editing. Again, you should have an editor look over your manuscript before it goes up for sale. However, it is important to make sure that is the last step of the process, and that you can actually afford the services in question. Because there are some writers who give the manuscript to an editor as soon as they finish it, rather than after they do all their own editing, give it to beta readers, etc. And if you pay to have the book edited, then your beta readers point out an alternative direction that would be better, and you re-write a big chunk of the book, now you have to pay to have it edited again... and that's just poor use of resources. Lastly, be real with yourself. If you're an independent writer who is making a first foray into the market, you don't require an editor who used to work for Tor, or with 30 years industry experience... nobody cares who your editor was. You just need somebody who can do the job, and make sure your book is presentable. That's it.

This same kind of logic can be extended out to your advertising and promotion. Because while you can probably get a dealer's booth at a big convention like Gen Con, it's less expensive to get a spot in author's alley (something you should always ask about for convention prices). You could pay for a full page spread in a local newspaper, or for a slot on the radio, but those kinds of ads might not be the best way to reach people who are looking for a book... especially if you can get those outlets to review your book, or interview you as the creator, free of charge as a local interest story.

Don't Just Throw Money at Your Challenges

If you're self-publishing your book, you do need to polish up as many aspects of it as you can. You need to go over your document, ensure your headers are smooth, and that your pages aren't crowded. You need to find good cover art, choose the right finish, get a compelling back cover blurb, and do everything you can to get that book in front of as many readers as possible.

But as they say, the best way to make a small fortune as an author is to start with a large fortune, and wait.

There are very few of us who get rich doing this job. So hedge your bets, and any time you have an expense, shop around to see what your options are. Evaluate your budget, and look at what you can realistically expect to make. Ask other authors how they did it, and if they have recommendations. Lastly, and this one might sting a bit, take your ego out of the equation. This book you're writing isn't a baby. It's not a beautiful extension of your mind and heart. Or, at least, it's not only that. Because it's also a product you are trying to sell.

A product that can't make a profit is how businesses go bankrupt, and whatever else you are as an author you need to remember that you're a cottage industry unto yourself.

Like, Follow, and Stay Tuned!

That's all for this week's Business of Writing!

If you'd like to see more of my work, take a look at my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my noir thriller Marked Territory, its sequel Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife as well as my recent collection The Rejects!

If you'd like to help support my work, then consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page! Lastly, to keep up with my latest, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well!

The 5 Stages of Hand Selling Your Book

For those of you who aren't in the Chicagoland area, I'm preparing to head up to Capricon this week (and for those of you who are in the area, come by and say hello!). And since I'm going through my list of stuff to pack, and it's been a while since I've talked about the ancient art of hand selling. One of the toughest parts of the hustle for most authors (especially those of us who aren't the best at the marketing and social interaction part of the job), I thought it would be of use to some of my readers to go through the flowchart of the hand selling process.

All right, let's do this thing.

And for those unfamiliar with the term, hand selling is when it's you and a potential reader, face-to-face as you make your pitch the old-fashioned way. It's also what you spend a majority of your time doing if you're an author looking to bring home fewer books than you brought to a signing, event, etc. If you're not sure how to go about the process, or if you find it intimidating, hopefully this breaks it down for you a bit.

Stage One: The Setup

Here reader, reader, reader... I've got a treat for you!

The first stage of hand selling your book is making sure that you set the stage for the sale to come. Most commonly that means setting up a table, whether you're doing a signing in a book store, or you're in the dealer's hall of a convention center.

So lay out the set dressing.

Make sure you have your books on display (I highly recommend using folding wooden easel holders, as they take up less space in your travel bag and look pretty elegant to boot), and focus the attention toward a central area. If you have a series, put them in order from left-to-right, as that's the direction folks read. Usually I recommend placing yourself in the center, as all the books lead to you, which helps funnel attention.

Don't be afraid to get creative with it, though. If you need to draw some extra attention to yourself, lay out a book cloth with contrasting colors. Bring a knight statue to hold your signing pen. Put a skull on the table. Set up a flag along the front, or on a stand nearby so people can see you from down the row. And if you want to stand out, put together an outfit that gets people's attention. It doesn't have to be complicated, but props to you if you go all-in on a theme (Victorian adventurer for a steampunk series, wig and fake feet for a Hobbit parody, etc.). The idea is that your trap needs to get people to slow down long enough to enter stage two.

Stage Two: Engagement

Yes... come closer. This one likes you, I can tell.

Getting a potential reader to glance at your table is sort of like having a fish nibble at your hook. You need to engage them, but you don't want to drive them off by jumping the gun. It's a delicate balance, and it can be tough not to get too salesy with your approach. Keep things relaxed and natural, and open a conversation with someone. Once you get them talking, you've gotten them to stay in your orbit.

This is particularly easy if you're at a convention. Asking someone how they've liked the event so far, or picking out a piece of fandom they're displaying is typically enough to spark at least a little conversation. This goes double for folks in cosplay, or who are actively sporting references to their own favorite parts of pop culture. Bonus points if you're both fans of the same thing, and you can get them to talk about themselves for a little bit. It's an odd quirk of conversational law that once you've let someone else talk, they'll often return the favor and let you talk about what you're doing. And if you pay attention to what they say, and the signs they show, you can often make stage three a lot easier.

Also, bonus tip; have a game, a handout, a bowl of candy, or something to give to people. Everyone loves free stuff, and if they feel like it's a compliment to their taste in TV, movies, books, comics, etc., then they'll be flattered to boot.

Stage Three: Sinking The Hook

A classic pulp fantasy, you say? What's it about?

Sometimes you get lucky and your potential reader will skip straight to this step for you, but you should never rush to get here. If you try to sink your hook with someone whose interest hasn't been gauged, it can be pretty hard to make a sale.

In short, this is the part where you try to convince the potential reader to buy a copy of your book. Sometimes it's easy. For example, when I brought a box of From A Cat's View to Windy Con a year or so ago, all I had to say is that it's an anthology of stories told from the perspective of cats. Half the folks were already reaching for their wallets before I told them about my story Stray Cat Strut, and how it was basically what you'd get if Disney ever did a rendition of The Big Sleep. Other times it can be tough to figure out what your potential readers are looking for.

Also, sometimes you just don't write the sort of books they want to read. However, there's usually a way to get someone to at least consider what you've got on-hand. Don't be afraid to ask them questions about what they like in their books, and to try to cross-reference it with something in your inventory. Incidentally, it also helps if you've got more than one book with you. Because if someone wants a sword and sorcery novel, then Crier's Knife is going to be right up their alley, but if they're more of a pick-and-mix fan then they might find that my new release The Rejects is more their style.

Options are definitely your friend at this stage.

Step Four: Get The Book Into Their Hands

Go on... pick it up. See if you like it!

This is actually a trick I've learned over the years from fellow con authors, and while it sounds silly, it works. If someone looks like they're on the fence, and they're trying to tell themselves no, hold your book out to them. Let them get a good look at it if they haven't picked it up yet. Sometimes that tactile sensation is all it takes to turn, "Well, maybe if I have the budget later," into, "Sure, here's my card."

I don't know why this works as often as it does, but it's a handy trick. Also, if someone is holding it, don't ask, "So, do you want one?" Instead ask, "Would you like one or two?" By steering the inertia toward a sale, it makes people more likely to at least grab one copy. Might be a little underhanded as far as tactics go, but psychological warfare is the name of the game here.

Stage Five: Take a Card

Go on, take a card... it's free!

Even if someone isn't interested in your book (or at least in the books you've got with you at that time), don't let them leave your table empty handed. Make sure they have a business card, a bookmark with your name and covers on them, or something so that they'll have a token to remember you by. If you've got an email list, try to get them to sign up. Everyone loves free stuff, and if you never lay eyes on them for the rest of the convention that token should connect with the experience they had with you, and it might make them look you up when they get home. Bonus points if you offer them something for free, like a digital copy of one of your books if they send you an email.

Also, if someone does make a purchase, be sure they take something with, too. You can never sink the nail so deep that one more whack with the marketing hammer is truly wasted.

Like, Follow, and Stay Tuned!

That's all for this week's Business of Writing! If you'd like to see more of my work, take a look at my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife as well as my recent collection The Rejects!

If you'd like to help support my work, then consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page! Lastly, to keep up with my latest, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well!

Tax Deductions Every Writer Should Know About

Being an author has a lot of perks. You get to make your own hours, you get to go to a lot of cool events, and generally speaking you have an excuse for all kinds of eccentric behavior. For every up there is a down though, and one of the biggest downs is that authors are generally considered to be self-employed as far as the government is concerned. That means when the tax man cometh you aren't looking forward to a nice, fat check like so many other people; you're making sure you don't lose more than a pound of flesh.

Even Death can't cheat taxes.

The year is drawing to a close, but there's still time for you to hang onto what little you managed to make this year. Whether you're a novelist, a blogger, or any other sort of author I have a secret to tell you...

Any money you spend as part of your profession can be claimed as a tax deduction.

Any Money, You Say?

Within reason, yes. You probably can't get away with calling your new tattoos a career expense (no matter how cool the font is), but there are a slew of expenses you probably aren't thinking about that are perfectly legal for you to claim as an author that could strip hundreds or even thousands of dollars off of your gross income before you pay your taxes. For instance...

Your Bills

Everyone has bills to pay; it's why we do what we do. However if the services you're paying for are a necessity for your career then that makes them a business expense. For example, say you were a reporter. As a reporter you need to have a smartphone capable of taking pictures, shooting video, and browsing the Internet. You need to be able to call from the field in order to get hold of your editor. As such at least a portion of your cell phone bill, and often the cost of a cell phone upgrade, can be deducted as part of your job.

You know you've been eyeing that new model.

As another example, say you were a blogger. Writing blogs is where your money comes from, and you can't do it without Internet access. Therefore at least a portion of your monthly Internet bill is also a work expense. Sure you're also using it to chat with your friends and faff about on Facebook, but if you need it for work then it's still a work expense.

New Stuff

I mentioned a cell phone upgrade a moment ago, but there are all kinds of things you can claim as a deduction when it comes time to pay the IRS enforcers off for the year. Did you buy a new laptop so you could work on the road? Did you buy the new edition of The Writer's Market so you can submit your novel using updated guidelines? Did you buy a microphone to record audio books, or a new camera so you can vlog? All of that qualifies as a work-related expense.

Not everything qualifies.

If you're not sure whether one of your purchases counts as a tax write-off then it's best to chat with a tax expert. Still, if you bought a $750 laptop it's a good idea to hang onto the receipt and to let the tax man know you spent that on your career instead of on yourself.

Travel and Events

While you might write a novel at your desk in the basement, you have to leave your house if you're going to market it. You need to meet with reporters for interviews, show up at radio stations to be a guest speaker, get to the bookstore where your signing is going to be, and perhaps most importantly you must arrive on time to the convention in order to do readings, man the signing table, and make connections with your fellow authors.

There are literally two dozen readers you must reach here.

What counts as a travel expense? Everything! Did you drive to an event specifically for your profession? Then you can claim the mileage as a cost. Did you have to buy a badge to the convention? A hotel room for your stay? A plane ticket? Congratulations, if that is an event you need to be at for professional reasons then you can claim all of those expenses on your taxes. It doesn't matter if you also got to have a fangasm moment at a panel, or that you're there to see friends and get hammered at after parties... the point is the event is important to your career, so you can write it off.

Miscellaneous Expenses

There are a lot of little things that authors don't even think about that can be written off come tax time. Sometimes it just doesn't seem worth it (it's just $3 for a signing pen, after all), but if you add up all of the costs you might find you spend a surprising amount of money throughout the year on your projects.

Do you go out to dinner with your publisher and pick up the tab to get on his good side? Do you have a membership to an industry magazine that helps you get the information you need? Do you pay a membership fee to a website like www.elance.com in order to be able to bid on projects? Did you go on a historic tour or buy reference books to research your plot or to ensure your blog was accurate? Lastly... did you buy a new signing pen?

Every one of these beauties is tax deductible.

It's actually kind of amazing the sheer number of expenses you can claim, as long as you can A) show that the expenses are necessary for you to do your job, and B) that you have a receipt to back up how much you spent on a given purchase.

Does this make up for the fact that as a self-employed individual authors may lose as much as 30% of their income to taxes? No, of course not. But if you manage to pay a few hundred (or a few thousand) dollars less on your taxes then you have money leftover for things like food, rent, the cost of health insurance, and of course enough to buy just one more book.

Lastly, before you just send in a stack of forms telling the government you don't owe them anything, it's a good idea to consult with a tax professional. While dropping a C-note on something you can ostensibly do yourself might make you balk, a tax professional is easily worth their weight in the savings he or she will provide.

Trust me.

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