Alle Wells’ journey to publication has been filled with twists and turns. It has also been a
journey of self-discovery. Now the author of three books, she graciously agreed
to share the lessons she's learned . Welcome back to Book Blather,
Alle.
One
spring morning in 2011, I read an article in my local newspaper about
self-publishing on Amazon. By that afternoon, I had an idea for my first story.
Since the story was so magically inspired, I envisioned that it would be an
instant success. Even though I had no credentials in journalism other than
writing for small town newspapers and non-profit newsletters, I thought that
Amazon would welcome me as a writer. After all, I had been one of their best
customers through the years. After reading numerous how-to books about
self-publishing, I finished my first heart-felt novel in less than three months
and paid three times the going rate for a bad book cover. It took me an
hour-and-a-half to copyright my first book and a three-day weekend to upload it
to Amazon, Smashwords, and B&N.
The
thought of social networking sky rocketed me out of my comfort zone. I created
a Facebook page and joined the Amazon Thread network because the how-to books
told me to do that. I’ve never been a very sociable person and felt awkward
talking about myself on Facebook. I thought that Twitter was something that
only celebrities did. “Talking” to people on the Amazon Thread introduced me to
other struggling, newbie authors. Each one of my new friends said that if I
purchased their book, then they would purchase mine. So I traded reviews with
four people and that was it. A couple of months went by. My book was ranked
654,824 on Amazon, and I’d sold nothing on the other sites. I pulled it off the
shelves, unable to face the thought of failure, the pressure of social
networking, or tediousness of marketing.
While
sulking and crying in my soup, I re-read the motivational guides to
self-publishing and continued to hang around on the Amazon Thread. Thinking
that the bad cover was the culprit of my demise, I began talking to a cover
design artist on the Thread. He was kind enough to share his marketing
experience with me and designed a fantastic new cover for my book. I added a
previously deleted chapter to the text with my new cover and re-published Lame
Excuses.
I learned how to tweet like a bird and forget my self-consciousness
while online. I sold twenty-five thousand copies of Lame Excuses and began
writing Railroad Man. Then the bad reviews came. Even though my very
well-educated daughters helped me edit the book, the reviews painfully noted
that I “needed a better editor." Lame Excuses was pulled from the shelf again
and re-published as Lame Excuses, Revised Edition. The importance of having a
professional editor is the most fundamental lesson I’ve learned during my first
year as a writer. My editor is my valued friend. She has my back and keeps me
afloat.
One
year later, I’m not at the top of the charts on Amazon, but I’m gradually
gaining speed. My three books are available only on Amazon, and I have a review
blog dedicated to Amazon’s Indie Authors. My southern stories tell the story of
one life and how society, beliefs, and culture shape the outcome of that life.
Each ebook is approximately 140 pages.
I’d like to extend a special thanks to
Marilee Brothers who was the first person to befriend me on Twitter and extend
an invitation to her blog. People like Marilee inspire newcomers and make
social networking worthwhile.
Website:
http://allewells.com/
Book
links:
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