#indie author shit

[thebibliosphere]

I love how transparent you are about what its like to be a self published author in this day and age, and i was just wondering if there was a difference on your side between amazon ebook/paperback and audible - and also if Scribd is any better, because i use it as an alternative to amazon whenever possible (and whenever the library doesnt own a copy of whatever im looking for) is it functionally all the same? What is best for you?

Thank you!

I actually did a huge long post a while back when I got the audiobooks produced and uploaded to various platforms. I included Scribd in the breakdown after people falsely claim that Scrib is better for authors than Amazon/Libraries.

A lot of people were not happy when I burst that particular bubble by showing that Scribd paid me 97 cents out of the 19.99 price tag. Which is less than what Audible paid me.

Now, obviously, Scribd is different because it's a subscription service, and you’re paying for access to multiple things with that subscription. But saying it is better than libraries is just false because I also showed the numbers for that, and my income from libraries was several times higher than both Scribd and Amazon combined (for audio), which is why authors are always begging people to request their work in libraries.

Libraries pay us better and are usually free. Not always. I know it depends heavily on the country, but for most of my English-speaking audience, that is the case.

Now, this is not to say people shouldn’t use services like Scribd. If Scribd is what you can afford and it gives you access to things your library can’t fantastic. Please continue to access our work through that legal option. I would much rather earn 97 cents than zero.

But uh, yeah, Amazon pays me more than Scrib for digital stuff and I really don’t like when people who aren’t on the author side spread misinformation and frame it as some more “gotcha.”

The sad truth is Most retailers pay us the same or within the same royalty range. The difference I earn between Kobo vs Kindle is literal pennies with Amazon coming out on top. I make my work available on multiple platforms to give people options, but unless you’re buying directly from my personal storefront, it's all roughly the same.

I do actually earn more from Amazon paperbacks than I do any other retailers (for self-pub, paperbacks are a flat rate regardless of how much a retailer is charging), but the difference is about ten cents, so I always tell people to buy from wherever is best for them.

I like bookshop.org because they give some of the profit on their end to indie bookstores. Same with libro.fm for audio.

Audiobooks are just a whole fucking nightmare. Audible sets your price point for you and takes 80% of your royalties. And because Audible does that, I have to then use that price tag on all other platforms or risk being fucked by the algorithm gods. Other audio retailers take about 60-70% in royalties, most of them veering toward 70%.

As we say in radical acceptance therapy, it is what it is—fucking end-stage monopoly driven capitalism.

Now, speaking personally, when it comes to digital media, I earn the most royalties from my Payhip store where I keep 90% of my income.

That's the best place for me.

It's also why it's worth looking up an author you like to see if they have their own storefront. It doesn't help our sales rankings or put us on any bestseller lists, but frankly after launch week, who cares. I’ll take being able to feed me and my dog.

I hope that helps!

[thebibliosphere]

Just going to drop these here because @unpretty's tags need to be preserved because they are spot on:

#reblog #and half the time the BUT WHAT'S IT ABOUT is about fucking #romance novels #it's about two people falling in love #that's what it's about #that's it that's the plot #sorry to the people mad about 'here's a book about queers with swords' but it turns out y'all don't buy shit #whereas the people who DO like 'here's some queers with swords' ALSO like spending money #it turns out if you make a big deal about how much you hate marketing and buying things #no one targets their marketing to you!! who knew!!! shocking turn of events!!!!! #'why is this post intended to sell a story not targeted to me' #'the person who buys nothing and responds to attempts by telling the OP to kill themselves :(((' #'it must be because art is dead'

I'm also now wondering if people just don't know what certain genres mean. Like that's a really good point about Romance and people asking "But what's it about?"

As a romance author, I get so many people telling me the Romance tag tells them nothing, and it just baffles me because Romance as a genre has set expectations.

It's so rigid that some die-hards argue that "Happily Ever After For Now" isn't a Romance because Romance has to end on a "Happily Ever After" period.

But basically, the whole purpose of Romance as a genre is that your characters get together and find love. There might be some other conflict that needs to be resolved along the way, but the primary focus is the character-driven narrative about overcoming obstacles and finding love. If they don't find love, it's not a Romance.

It doesn't mean "this story contains romantic scenes."

It means This Story Is A Romance.

Same with Crime or Mystery or Fantasy or Sci-Fi.

Those genres all have set expectations about how the plot and narrative will unfold. What makes them stand out is how they are written and the type of characters they are written about.

That's where the representation tags come in-- and those are what readers are primarily looking for these days.

They know what Romance entails, but they don't want to read another white, het, cookie-cutter romance hinged on miscommunication. So they go looking for representation tags that will (hopefully) tell them this story has the potential to be what they're looking for. If it looks good, they'll read the synopsis and then make a decision.

And for people who claim to LOVE books but hate how authors market them... I have to wonder if they really do love books if they don't even know what genres are. Like I get it, maybe you weren't taught it in school or by your guardians, but fortunately, we live in a world where Wikipedia exists and you can remedy that.

Also, the whole thing about harassing authors and telling us to "kys" because we use brief descriptors to try and grab people's attention. That, that right there, really throws the whole "loves books" thing into question. Ignorance about genres I can understand if no one taught you or if you're new to reading as a hobby. But this shit? Absolutely the fuck not.

Before you bitch about how authors are marketing their books, do this one thing:

Shut the fuck up unless you are volunteering to do all the labor required to market a book, because it's really fucking hard, people don't pay attention to posts about original content 90% of the fucking time, and giving a short, pithy teaser is how book marketing fucking works. Click the links and read the full book description if you want to know more.

Seriously, shut the fuck up.

[enbeemagical]

lemme try this again

Hey Tumblr! I'm writing a book. It's 102k words (and counting) of pure queer fantasy and a year's worth of emotions.

It's about a queer kid finding community and support, and then stepping up to defend the people they love. And it's about falling in love and finding yourself, and it's about trust, and connection, and responsibility, and trying to do good in the world. It is also about gay.

Blurb thing:

Destiny has always been alone, self-isolating so that no one will find out about her magic, the same power that she watched a little girl dragged away for nine years ago. Then she meets Vida, a beautiful fae whose kiss sparks something inside her, and Destiny chooses to follow her.

She's not expecting Vida's family to be a werewolf pack. Or that they'll be so welcoming— she was told werewolves are monsters, after all. She's definitely not expecting them to become her own family.

But when Destiny begins to change, it's the wolves who accept him for who he is. And it's the wolves who are the first to see Destiny's magic and swear to protect them, no matter what. And it's up to Destiny to decide what that looks like.

Even if it means changing the world.

(yes the pronoun shifts in the almost-last paragraph were intentional)

And now a quote:

“Don’t you ever want to do something you’re not supposed to? Love the wrong way, be the wrong person, want the wrong things?”

If this sounds like your cup of tea, rb and let me know! I'm not sure when I'll start posting it, there's still a few edits I need to get done, but encouragement will definitely make that happen sooner~

[radley-writes]

Cannot believe that 'access to quality art and writing made by other people is a luxury not a right, and artists and writers deserve to be compensated for their labour, because as much as I believe in the ethos of UBI, we live in a post-capitalist hellscape, and creators need to eat' is a controversial opinion in Leftist spaces.

[ninawolv3rina]

Free Ebooks on Itch.io!

Looking for something scary to read? I have 3 different flavors of horror, 3 different lengths, all available to download for free through itch.io!

Blood in the Water (horror/romance, novella)

Into the Deep and the Dark (fantasy horror, novelette)

I think, Therefore I Kill (sci fi horror, short story)

Content warnings are available on the download pages.

[leebrontide]

Apparently we're doing these again, so

Names in Their Blood is fully for sale as of TODAY!

After a spring they barely survived, the superhero team the Sentinels, and their family, head to rural Minnesota for long awaited reunions and a chance to finally start to heal. But when they realize that genetically altered people have been going missing from the small town that houses the US's only full service hospital for genetically altered people they have to decide who they can trust- and fast, our thousands of people could die.

Buy on Amazon paperack or ebook now! (audiobook to come)

Buy ebook NOT on Amazon here or here.

Also available for special order from your local independent book store!

The first book in the series is FREE right HERE or HERE (or in paper form from Amazon or from your fav independent bookstore)

Also I made a Uquiz that I think is a lot of fun, here.

Reblogs welcome! I'm deeply proud of this book and I'm so so excited to finally share it with you all!

[klaraakrstic]

If you have trouble remembering all the beef two historical figures had for your exam, just start shipping them.

I am not joking.

They hated each other before their coalition? Enemies to lovers. One of them was assassinated? Right person wrong time. They have portraits/photos together? They must’ve fought the urge to hold hands.

You’ll be surprised by how easy their lore becomes to remember

[novadean]

here I am again, announcing to the world that I'm currently writing some fuckhot brocest yes I am and I'm fucking proud, yes, that's right, I'm proud of it

[b-a-pigeon]

(source)

[elizabethraywrites]

Just because it's a work in progress doesn't mean I can't share snippets...

[tarraxahum]

Piracy discourse is always so incredibly funny to me as someone who learned to pirate almost instantly upon starting using the Internet. Well, okay, maybe a couple years later. At most.

'Well I don't want to support this service but how will I watch my favorite show without a subscription' Torrents go brrrrrrr I dunno what to say to ya

[constantvariations]

Genuinely cannot understand the people who still engage with Harry Potter at any level. Is it not tainted for you? Is Rowling's expansive hatred not foul enough to rot your memories and nostalgia to the core? How are you able to stomach the world of a woman capable and willing to destroy countless lives?

I've seen so many people defending their continued engagement by saying it helped them through dark times and therefore they can't give it up, but that's some horseshit. Youtuber Cryaotic's videos were my sole source of comfort during the worst years of my young life - years I had zero desire to survive - but now, after learning what he did, I can't even hear his voice in a video essay without intense turmoil, much less actually watch any of the videos that once brought me joy

If you can't stay away from Harry Potter and the Pipeline to Fascism, keep it to yourself. No one wants to hear your justifications

[noahhawthorneauthor]

Slowly but surely, Arlo's jacket is coming along. The back panel has one more block of color to go, and I need to surface crochet pattern detailing in a few places. In hindsight there's a few things I'd do differently, but that's what happens when you decide to wing it and randomly make your character's jacket.

I blame it on @crossroadart-seabear because just look at this, how could I not bring such a beautiful thing to life?

[madeleinefjall]

Finally painted a cover for Far From Miklagardr!! AAAAA 👀 Slowly my little project is nearing its end. ✨ If you want to read a low-stakes, queer, historical romance set in the 10th century for FREE, you can download it here! ✨

[ninawolv3rina]

✨Books✨

The beginning of a trilogy about a god of death and the world who has to put up with him

Book 1: A disaster bisexual convicted of stabbing a politician gets chosen to be Prophet of Death. The priesthood is… not thrilled. Get it here

Book 2: A retired assassin gets hired to find a cure for a young lord’s poisoned daughter. Along the way he meets a nonbinary bard with the power to change people’s emotions by touching them. Maybe they fall in love? :3 Get it here

You can read them out of order, as long as you read both before book 3 (which will come out 2025)!

Read the reviews here

Trigger warnings are listed in amazon descriptions.

[leebrontide]

Oh right, I almost forgot!

If you are in need of a very queer, very absorbing read this time of year, I have this angsty little gem, in which nearly none of the angst is about queerness.

It's got brain altering nanites, main-stage sibling relationships, superheros, a bit of first love, multi-generational superheroing family, family dysfunction, and 7 hamsters named after junk food.

If you want to see a gay trauma therapist write cyberpunk or superheroes, get in on this.

Please check it out, and please RB for anyone else who finds themselves pinching pennies but needing a nice story.

(content warnings in listing at link)

(book 2 in late edits now)