Wayne Stinnett, Author

Wayne Stinnett, Author

Friday, September 9, 2016

The End is Near

Just a few minutes ago, I finished the rewrite of the fourth draft of Ruthless Charity after editing and just sent it to my final proofreader. While it's being proofread, I'll set things up on Kindle Direct Publishing and Create Space, in preparation for publication in ebook and paperback formats.

My final proofreader will only be a day or two on it. After a dozen beta readers and a full round of editing, it's a super clean manuscript. Once she's finished, the final draft will go to my formatter. While it's being formatted, I'll send the manuscript to my narrator for audiobook recording, write the blurb and set up the email announcement.

The ebook should be published on the 13th or 14th and I'll claim the rights on ACX, to set things up for audio production. The paperback will follow a day later. The audiobook will be recorded and uploaded to ACX within a couple of days. ACX takes about five days to release.

I started writing this 65,000 word novel in mid-March, while finishing my last novel, Fallen Angel. Angel published in late April and I turned my full attention to Ruthless Charity. For about a week. While writing at least 1000 words a day in Ruthless Charity, every weekday, I slowly started developing the idea and the first couple of chapters of Fallen Hero. I just can't seem to write one book at a time anymore.

So far, Ruthless Charity hasn't been all that expensive. Rights to the cover photo was $25 and it didn't need any tweaking at all. Cover graphics brought the total cover cost up to $100. This is about normal for my covers. Beta reading will be the cost of buying and shipping a dozen paperbacks, about $100. Editing and proofreading will wind up at around $1200 and formatting will add perhaps another $400. Audiobook narration will be about $1600.

All told, about six months of my time in writing, though many of those days were little or no actual writing, and $3400 in production costs will have gone into Ruthless Charity, to get it to market. While that might seem like a huge sum to writers just starting their careers, this is my eleventh full length novel and I have built up a pretty large fan base of eager readers, and their numbers are growing every day. I predict that Ruthless Charity will be in the black, so far as production costs, before the audiobook is released, a week after the ebook is published. The book should earn about three times the production cost in the first four weeks.

All these steps are crucial. And as I outline in Blue Collar to No Collar, I don't expect, nor do I recommend, that a new author go to such expense to get their first, or even second and third, book to market. All these things I once did myself. This isn't a sprint. It's a long series of marathons.

Take your time. Create attainable goals and make a plan to achieve those goals. Put small milestones in your plan. Mastering each step will motivate you to work harder.

Trust me, if I can do it, anyone can. You need only to find your voice, locate your audience, make them happy, and work your ass off.

6 comments:

  1. Very good information. I'm looking forward to reading it and accomplishing my own small writing goals.

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  2. As a struggling writer just starting out your cost scared me for a minute. Thanks for explaining things so clearly. I have to finish reading Blue Collar to No Collar. Right now my goal is to get my book to a good place and then go back for the rewrite. It's interesting watching it develop and then I realize I have to go back and rewrite and edit the beginning because it's not as good as what I am writing now. I wonder if other writers do that and if its normal. Thanks for all your guidance. Can't wait to see what Charity gets into next.

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    1. I'd bet most do. There are elements of the beginning of all of my books that had to be rewritten after finishing them. The story develops in its own way and it's just not possible to remember the details you wrote months ago.

      As far as the cost goes, my first book I edited myself. That was a mistake. At least have a friend read it critically. My next two were proofread by a retired English teacher friend. It wasn't until the fifth book, that I hired a professional editor. By then the earlier books had earned enough to pay for it and I had all five edited and rereleased.

      Best of luck to you.

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  3. Can't wait for this book to come out! Having withdrawal symptoms here, I look forward to each new book you write.
    Thanks for doing what you do, your work shows how much you enjoy being a story teller.
    Jay

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  4. Hi Wayne,

    I have followed your Jesse series and have enjoyed it. We are spending a week in the keys, and today as we headed to Stock Island for lunch we stumbled across the Rusty Anchor. It looks like Jesse and the crew need to find a new place to land. I was ready to order 4 Red Stripes when we noticed the closed sign. Oh well, keep bringing the books!

    Thanks,

    Mark Gilligan

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    1. Hey Mark,

      The Rusty Anchor down there is real. But, the Rusty Anchor in Marathon, and in my books, is fictional. Maybe one day, though....

      Enjoy your stay.
      Wayne

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