LET'S TALK...ebooks, kdp and ish...

2012 has been an interesting year in its infancy, it seems like I woke up in January with more of a business mind about how I am going to handle my books and my other ventures and it has been full steam ahead. I chose to embrace some things that others found scary, mostly of the unknown. I signed up for Amazon KDP which basically is a program that Amazon offers that allows you to offer your ebooks exclusively through them in 90 day intervals and within that period of time, you can offer your book free for up to 5 days. I researched it, prayed about it, then moved on with it. I chose not to allow any voice other than God's voice and my own intellect and instinct guide me. I heard the naysayers, read the conspiracy theorist bloggers and still went on and did my own thing. You know why, because I am a grown woman, who owns her own product, copyrights all her books, keep meticulous files of my work and and am willing to take risks to realize my dreams. Now do I think for one moment that Amazon does not have motives, of course they do. They wish to run the book world and as such they are making deals hither and yon and to and fro. But, they are not hoodwinking me or landing me on a fake plymoth rock. I know what I am doing and why I am doing it. I was raised by women who raised me to be fearless and to rely on God and my own smarts and it has taken me far and wide. I came late to publishing ebooks because I wasn't much of an ebook reader; but once I researched it, I realized as an independent publisher, it was win, win. I tried a few other venues, but early on I found that amazon worked for me, and that was before KDP was an issue. It just felt right. I had worked a few years ago with the amazon shorts program and that had earned me a slew of readers. And frankly the idea of giving away my work actually appealed to me on so many levels. The first being I believe in what I write and I feel that if people read it, they will talk about it and others will then read it. Ebooks also allows me to offer my product at a very affordable rate, where almost any reader can afford to purchase and it allows me to publish a plethora of books to give away, from short shorts, to novellas and slowly but surely build a nice sized reader base. It has been so wonderful to hear from all the readers who read one book that may have been free or greatly reduced and then go back and purchase everything I have published. There is rarely a day when my ebooks are not selling. Sometimes it is in trickles, other times it pours rather nicely and it does not bother me one bit, about it being exclusive. I know some who have other devices will probably say I missed sales by not offering my book in other venues, but the way I see it is, people support what they wish to. Secondly, we as writers, publishers, particularly independent ones must do that which is best for us. And we must be strong minded about it. There is not a day that passes when I don't read something negative, putting down the quality of KDP ebooks or saying that people are stealing work, or that we are dumbing down the market, etc. and while I know the risk is there for all of that, I am also savvy enough to know that sometimes people just aren't thrilled with others bounty and will often throw shade on another's sunshine. Also, free ebooks allow ME to read those I might not have and I am here to tell you that if I love the free book, you are going to get more and more of my money. My only advice is that if you believe in your product and what you have to offer, you must do the legwork and research yourself and then decide what is best for you. You must also work on placing your best work forward and being open to critiques both wanted and unwanted. And please thicken your skin, because every book isn't for every reader and some can be downright brutal about it, they will trash your work and tell everyone within earshot how much they disliked it. This publishing business is not for that faint of heart, because putting your work out there for view is much like walking around naked in public, hoping people like your body. Some will, some won't and usually the ones that won't will have the most to say. But, keep your head up and focus on the supportive ones...because they make it all worth it. And at the end of the day recognize that this venture is here today and may be gone tomorrow...but I am one who doesn't spend a great deal of time on the what if I hads, I simply do my work, pray fervently and allow God to work in my behalf, because I know, uneqivocally that not a bit of this is done under my own power.... BE BLESSED! angelia