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| Catherine Lee |
Marilyn: Hi Catherine. Can you fill us in on why you’ve opted for self-publishing again with your new Quinn and Cooper novel, Dark Past, rather than attempt traditional publishing this time around?
Catherine: Thanks, Marilyn. It’s great to be here again. Basically I’m committed to the self-publishing process as a long-term option for my career, so it wasn’t really a matter of deciding at this point. I made the decision back when I published Dark Heart that I would commit to this process for at least five books and re-assess once I’d had my marketing strategy implemented for a significant period of time (which hasn’t even started yet). So it’s still early days.
Marilyn: So you might consider going that route at a later stage?
Catherine: Traditional publishing would always be an option, down the road, but I’ll make that decision once I’ve seen how this route pans out. The biggest turn-off of traditional publishing for me is the fact that you have to sign your rights away to someone else. It doesn’t sit well with me, after all that effort, to put my work in the hands of a stranger. To have someone else decide its fate. I’d rather fail on my own terms than have no control over whether it lived or died.
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| Image courtesy of inkygirl.com |
Marilyn: That makes a lot of sense. It also puts you in control of the quality of your product. How do you feel about the glut of indie authors who, unlike you, haven’t engaged an editor to ensure the quality of their work? Do you feel it affects your own credibility?
Catherine: Professional editing is a must for anyone who wants to put out a quality product which readers will enjoy, engage with, and seek out more of. Those who choose to skip this step and publish a sub-standard product will quickly find out that readers are not stupid. They’ll slam a book in the reviews section if it’s not up to standard, and eventually those types of writers will be weeded out.
I don’t think they affect my credibility, as such, but it probably does still affect the perception of self-publishing in a lot of minds. It’s still very early days for this type of publishing. Once people realise it’s not the way to make a quick buck that they first thought, they’ll move on and, hopefully, only those of us who are serious about putting out quality products and building a career will remain.
Marilyn: How about a teaser for your latest book, Dark Past.
Catherine: It’s the story of Beth Fisher, a corporate lawyer who struggles to cope with the murder of her sister. She tries to keep her sister’s memory alive by finishing the family history research Jill started, but the project quickly becomes an all-encompassing quest to uncover the secret past someone is willing to kill to protect.
Marilyn: Sounds intriguing! I really enjoyed Dark Heart. Dark Past is on my Kindle and I can’t wait to read it.
Have you self-published? Did you find it a worthwhile experience? Do you believe the perception of self-publishing is changing?
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| Image courtesy of bbc.co.uk |
Beth loves to love working as a lawyer for Fisher & Co., her family’s shipping business.
She loves to laugh at the antics of her two young children, Emily and Jacob.
She’d love to learn the truth about her family’s history, their business dealings and why people are being killed to keep these under wraps.
Thank you Catherine (and Marilyn)!
ReplyDeleteMarilyn you asked a question that's often on my mind..."How do you feel about the glut of indie authors who, unlike you, haven’t engaged an editor to ensure the quality of their work? Do you feel it affects your own credibility?"
Thank you for your answer Catherine. It puts things into a bit of perspective.
Hi Dee! So glad the interview answered a question for you. I really hope Catherine is correct and that those authors who don't spend the necessary time (and money) on professional editing learn the error of their ways. I think the tide is turning with regard to self-publishing. There are a lot of great self-pubbed books out there (Catherine's 'Dark Heart' and 'Dark Past' included) that don't deserve to be labelled as anything less than quality products.
DeleteIn Part 3 of this interview Catherine answers questions about indie marketing. I hope you'll join us for that, too.
Thanks, Dee! Glad to have answered something you're interested in. I agree with Marilyn, there are many self-pubbed books out there well worth a look. Throughout April I'll be celebrating some of these with an A to Z of great indie reads on my own blog. I've found some gems so far!
DeleteI like the sound of a list of good e-books. What's the link to your blog, Catherine?
DeleteIt's http://catherineleeauthor.com or you can click on my name here, I think. I'll be doing the list as a part of the A to Z of blogging in April, so look out for it!
DeleteHi Catherine. I've noticed there is a lot more support for Indie authors now than ever before. With Freelance editors and cover artists all available there seems no excuse not to produce a quality book. I also notice that a lot of reviewers will only review indie/self published books. This must be nice to have much more support out there.
ReplyDeleteHi Cassandra. There really is a fantastic level of support for indie authors out there. But it’s not just in the services such as editing, cover design and reviewing as you mention. The whole indie publishing community is supportive of each other. It really is a ‘rising tide raises all ships’ notion. It think it’s one of the reasons that indie’s who are willing to put in the work are seeing great results — there’s a sense of belonging to a group who support and want good things for each other. The number of blogs and podcasts dedicated to helping indie authors is growing daily, and they’re fantastic resources. It’s definitely a nice crowd to be a part of.
DeleteYou're right about that support network for indie writers, Catherine. In fact there's a Digital Writers' Festival starting Wed and going on till next week at
Deletehttp://digitalwritersfestival.com/2015 for those interested.
Apologies for the blank avatar, everyone. I'm having a bit of trouble getting Blogger to like me. Oh well! Please don't hesitate to ask questions, I'm happy to answer whatever I can. And thanks again for having me!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for taking the time, firstly, to answer my questions, and then to respond to replies, Catherine. At least we can see your lovely face in the post. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Catherine. I've enjoyed both your posts. I know a lot more about indie publishing now, thank you. It really does siund like a great way to publish your work. I especially love how you get your work professionally edited. That's a huge plus for me. There is so much out not edited and it disappoints.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Enisa!
DeleteHi Catherine. I've enjoyed both your posts. I know a lot more about indie publishing now, thank you. It really does siund like a great way to publish your work. I especially love how you get your work professionally edited. That's a huge plus for me. There is so much out not edited and it disappoints.
ReplyDeleteI've seen many books littered with errors, but it isn't always the authors fault. Self-publishing is not for the weak-willed. The first time author usually does not know what to expect, and they look for a cheap editor to try to keep costs down. When they finally employ someone, they end up spending about $1000 or more. I have real-life examples in mind. They think they've done the right thing, but when they launch their book, they still get comments such as: 'It wasn't very well written at all.' That's a shame because that cheap editor has just made them feel as though they have failed. You can't always blame the author, even if the book is self-published. There are a lot of scammers out there.
ReplyDeleteYou’re absolutely right, Georgia. As with all new opportunities, there are unfortunately those out there who find a way to exploit them. It really does pay to do your research, and connect with other indie authors. Most acknowledge their editors and cover designers in their books, so if you find one you like with a good level of editing then have a look to see if they’ve credited the editor. If they haven’t, you can always ask them. That’s where the open, supportive indie network is so valuable.
DeleteI think there's nothing worse than reading a book and picking up on poor editing. So glad this is on the upturn with more demands for better standards by readers. A very interesting post, thanks Catherine. Hope your excellent advice proves fruitful.
ReplyDelete