Vicky Dreiling

Before I sold my first book, I’d heard that publishers do nothing to promote books for their authors. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that my publisher promotes their authors.  Again, you can’t lump all publishers or authors in the same basket.

Benjamin Wallace

People actually like my stuff. That was a wonderful surprise.

 Tanya Anne Crosby

If we’re talking traditional publishing “¦ I’m not sure. It was so long ago that I sold my first book, but I know I felt very lucky for the perks/attention I received from my then publisher. That said, now that I’ve self-published, I also realize how little I actually got. So it’s a bit of a double-edged sword. However, now that I’ve experienced both, I feel far more comfortable walking into a healthy traditional publishing relationship and asking for the things I feel I have earned. It’s a healthier experience this time around, because your eyes are wide open and you know exactly what the compromise is.

Kat Martin

When I was new, I was just grateful to have them in print.  I always believed I would be able to grow my audience and become more and more successful.

Laurin Wittig

Trad publishing ““ I knew what I was getting into ““ I’d heard all the stories about the financial realities of publishing, small print runs, distribution issues, no say in covers, lack of marketing, etc. ““ but somehow I never thought those stories would apply to me. I weathered it all pretty well until I landed with an editor who I didn’t click with. Disillusioned is the best description of my experience at that point. I had no expectations of indie-publishing. I had nothing to lose and a small backlist that was earning me nothing to experiment with. Post-publication changed my life, and my attitude about publishing, resurrected my career, and made me a real living from my books. It gave me a confidence in my writing that I had never had before.

Morgan Hannah MacDonald

I did it as an experiment. A friend of mine had made $400.00 her first month. That for an unknown author! I had been unemployed since moving to town 2 years prior and really needed to get some money coming in. So I took my first book out, the one NY didn’t want, dusted it off and rewrote it with all the knowledge I’d gleaned from the online workshops at RWA. Then I sold all my fine jewelry to pay for all the services I needed to make a professional product. I put the book up Feb. 2, 2012 and made $1900.00 my first month.  I couldn’t believe it. I was astonished when the reviews started rolling in. I was getting 5 star reviews on SANDMAN.  People actually liked my work! From then on there was no turning back. I did the same with my second book, SPIRITS IN THE TREES. I am now a full time author, I’ve done better than I ever dreamed!

Suzan Tisdale

I didn’t publish first book expecting anything. I wanted to give my mom a Kindle for her birthday and I thought it would be cool to have a book I had written on it. I thought if I sold 10 copies I’d be elated. That was with Laiden’s Daughter. I’ve sold more than 60,000 copies of that book since its release. That just blows my mind! So honestly? It has exceeded anything I could have dreamt of!

Donnell Ann Bell

Because I had been a contest coordinator for The Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense, and active in RWA, MWA and Sisters in Crime, I had a pretty good grasp of what to expect. Belonging to such groups allows you an unbelievable network, which prepares you for what comes after you’re published.

Catherine Bybee

Honestly, not a lot is different. I had no expectations before I started to publish. I guess that first book I might have thought I’d sell more copies than I did. But I knew from the beginning that to sell book one I needed to have book two out. My pace is fast when writing and I tend to put out four books a year. Because of that, my sales are perfectly fine with me. Most authors underestimate the amount of time needed for promotion. Again, I didn’t. I knew no one would know who Catherine Bybee was when I put out my first book. So, I worked very hard to get my name out there.