Thursday, November 10, 2011

Catherine Bybee and Indie Publishing


Thank you so much for having me here, Ms. Chantale. And thanks for asking about my experience with Indie publishing. It’s so much easier to blog when someone gives me a topic to go with. 
Wife by Wednesday is my first toe in Indie Publishing. I’ve published nine other titles with various publishers. And plan on using professional publishers in the future BTW. But Wife by Wednesday is my first of many self published books. 
Writers love to write. It’s what we do. We create worlds, people, lives and we make it all come together with conflict, love… with any luck after we’ve written said book we can send it on to a publisher and let them do a bunch of work to get it out to the people. Twenty years ago… heck ten years ago, that was what was done, exclusively. Getting a publisher to nod and buy the book was the hurdle an author needed to jump over. So let’s say you couldn’t get someone to buy the book. Chances are that book ended up under a bed, collecting bite dust on your hard drive. *sigh* For a time, the only self published work out there was work publishers said no to. No longer. 
I decided to self publish Wife by Wednesday not because I couldn’t sell it, but because I wanted to get it out there. I wanted control over my release, over the price, over how many copies I gave away. I could have sold Wife to any number of small press publishers and done just fine with it. But I wanted something else… I wanted more readers that happen when you price a book low enough to get it into new reader hands. This was my first contemporary romance, my readers were paranormal readers, time travel readers… erotic readers. I needed to find new readers. Indie publishing was perfect for this book. 
Self publishing isn’t for everyone. An author may think that if they self publish they get to skip a few steps, get published faster. Although there is some truth to the ‘getting published faster’ part, there are more steps to doing it yourself than there is then going with a publisher. However, and this is a BIG however, Indie publishing means you need to hire a editor, hire a cover artist…  might even have to hire someone to format your work. You have to set up all of your reviews and do all of your promo without the help of a publisher. 
Upside: You pick your release date. You pick exactly what your cover looks like. You say how much. And if your price isn’t working, you change it. If a bunch of people come back to you and say there is some serious error in the book, you can fix it! How great is that? 
Will I do it again? Hell yes. I have at least two more Indie books coming this year. 

Will I forget New York? No. There are plenty of readers who won’t buy an indie book, won’t buy a book they can’t pick off a shelf. I’d like some of those readers, too. *greedy lil’ witch, aren’t I?* LOL 
Will I continue with small press publishing? Absolutely. It takes a ton of time to do this solo folks. I think it’s worth it, but the more stories I write, the more I realize how time consuming putting the work together is. 
So tell me, dear readers, do you read indie books? Are you a writer and plan on self publishing in the next year? 
Thanks again for having me here today. 
Bestselling, Award Winning blah, blah, blah, Romance Author Catherine Bybee


A Contemporary Romance with a dash of humor and a whole lotta sexy…
Blake Harrison:
Rich, titled, and charming… And in need of a wife by Wednesday so he turns to Sam Elliot who isn’t the business man he expected. Instead, Blake is faced with Samantha Elliot, engaging and spunky with a voice men call 900 numbers to hear. 
Samantha Elliot:
Owner of Alliance , her matchmaking firm, and not on the marital menu... That is until Blake offers her ten million dollars for a one-year contract. All she needs to do is keep her attraction to her husband to herself and avoid his bed. But Blake’s toe-curling kisses and charm prove too difficult to combat. Now she needs to protect her heart so she can walk away when their mercenary life together is over.
Catherine Bybee is known for her time travel / paranormal romance books. Wife by Wednesday is her first straight contemporary with more in the loop coming. This is Indie Published with 4.5 and 5 star reviews already coming in. 
Award Winning Author for Silent Vows Paranormal Category of the More than Magic 2011 contest
Amazon Bestseller in Time Travel/Historical/Fantasy-Ghost (All MacCoinnich Time Travel Books) + Anthology's (Soul Mate)
ARe- Bestseller (Soul Mate - Kilt Worthy)
Fictionwise Bestseller (Soul Mate)

4 comments:

Lynn Chantale said...

Hi Catherine. Thanks so much for being here today. Help yourself to the buffet. It was all sorts of finger foods. Chef was in a whimsy mood once he saw your cover. I think he made wedding cupcakes.
And my bartender created a special drink just for you.

I really need to give me husband these articles on Indie Publishing just so he can understand it's not something you just wake up and do.

Catherine Bybee said...

Oh, yum... I love food. Sadly, it loves me, too. LOL
Thanks for having me here today. And yes, tell your hubby it isn't a decision to go into lightly. It's a bunch of work and not for everyone.

Unknown said...

You always tell us so much. lol As usual your humor brightens the day. This is a nice post and I'm so glad you joined the indie movement. Best of luck with Wife by Wednesday. You know I loved it and can say it was a great read. ;D

~Aithne

Catherine Bybee said...

Thanks, Aithne!