I started out doing most of it myself. I did have a pro editor, but I did my own covers and formatting, blurbs and all that. However, I've now learned that I suck at blurbs and while my self-made covers were OK (I'm a photoshop whizz with an arts background) other people can do it better, and I would rather spend those hours writing or editing than making mediocre blurbs and covers. I do format my own books - my Photoshop skills made InDesign easier to learn - and that doesn't take skill as much as expertise in process.
That’s a great point… Just because we have the skills and time doesn’t mean we’re always the best person to do the job. Even though I’m competent at a lot of stuff, I prefer to find people who are focused experts and will do it better than I could. That said, I do my own formatting as well. Or I guess I should say Vellum does it, because that thing makes the process all too easy!
I get a significant portion of pagereads through KU, so I do think it’s worthwhile for fantasy. Romance is the genre that outsells everything else everywhere, so it does get a ton more pagereads in general, but it’s not too useful to compare anything we do to how romance performs unless you’re considering writing some romance.
@@jasondoroughauthor That's really good to know! Mostly I've seen just a couple people saying KU isn't worth it if you don't write romance but I'm sure it just depends where your audience wants to read. I'm glad some fantasy has a place in KU.
@@eleanorhowlett7296 One caveat to that is that the great majority of my current reader base found me through my BookTok account. BookTok is heavily romance-weighted, so I suspect a lot of my own readers are typically romance readers who gave me a chance and liked what they read. So my KU numbers might be reflecting that many of my readers also read romance and are part of that romance/KU ecosystem. My KU pagereads might be benefitting from that more than other indie fantasy authors might be seeing in their own numbers. But all that is just speculation! Either way, the 70% royalty share you get for ebook sales by going into Kindle Select makes being exclusive a tempting prospect, even if KU isn't the main goal.
@@jasondoroughauthor I know for my part I found you on BookTok and I primarily read fantasy/romance, but I don't have KU and I prefer to buy paperbacks. Not having KU means I have very little idea of how it actually works. Your reader magnet is what convinced me to read AGT. It's interesting to hear your success with KU and definitely something for me to think about more!
I started out doing most of it myself. I did have a pro editor, but I did my own covers and formatting, blurbs and all that. However, I've now learned that I suck at blurbs and while my self-made covers were OK (I'm a photoshop whizz with an arts background) other people can do it better, and I would rather spend those hours writing or editing than making mediocre blurbs and covers. I do format my own books - my Photoshop skills made InDesign easier to learn - and that doesn't take skill as much as expertise in process.
That’s a great point… Just because we have the skills and time doesn’t mean we’re always the best person to do the job. Even though I’m competent at a lot of stuff, I prefer to find people who are focused experts and will do it better than I could. That said, I do my own formatting as well. Or I guess I should say Vellum does it, because that thing makes the process all too easy!
Another great video- Thanks Jason.
You're welcome! Please let me know if there are any other videos I could make that would be helpful for you :)
This is all solid advice
Thank you! :)
I’ve heard that KU is more effective for romance than other genres. Do you think that’s true or has it been worth it having a fantasy book in KU?
Also I couldn’t imagine managing a newsletter list manually 😱 my list is very small but still 😂
I get a significant portion of pagereads through KU, so I do think it’s worthwhile for fantasy. Romance is the genre that outsells everything else everywhere, so it does get a ton more pagereads in general, but it’s not too useful to compare anything we do to how romance performs unless you’re considering writing some romance.
@@jasondoroughauthor That's really good to know! Mostly I've seen just a couple people saying KU isn't worth it if you don't write romance but I'm sure it just depends where your audience wants to read. I'm glad some fantasy has a place in KU.
@@eleanorhowlett7296 One caveat to that is that the great majority of my current reader base found me through my BookTok account. BookTok is heavily romance-weighted, so I suspect a lot of my own readers are typically romance readers who gave me a chance and liked what they read. So my KU numbers might be reflecting that many of my readers also read romance and are part of that romance/KU ecosystem. My KU pagereads might be benefitting from that more than other indie fantasy authors might be seeing in their own numbers. But all that is just speculation! Either way, the 70% royalty share you get for ebook sales by going into Kindle Select makes being exclusive a tempting prospect, even if KU isn't the main goal.
@@jasondoroughauthor I know for my part I found you on BookTok and I primarily read fantasy/romance, but I don't have KU and I prefer to buy paperbacks. Not having KU means I have very little idea of how it actually works. Your reader magnet is what convinced me to read AGT. It's interesting to hear your success with KU and definitely something for me to think about more!