A to Z: Going Indie: N is for NetGalley

 

 

Welcome to Blogging A to Z! My theme this year is Going Indie. I hope you enjoy it. Don't forget to check out the other participating blogs. 

So one of the big struggles for indie writers is getting their work seen. The big publishing houses don't do as much for writers as they used to, but having your work published by one of the Big Five does still come with higher likelihood that it will get seen and reviewed. And having reviews is part of how Amazon and other online vendors judge whether or not to surface your book for people browsing their sites. Oh, the dreaded algorithm!

So, one of the ways I tried to garner some early interest and reviews for my GenX romances was by getting them on NetGalley. NetGalley, if you're not familiar with it, is a well established and popular web destination where readers, booksellers, librarians, and educators can get free access to ebooks to read and review. It can be a great way to get the word out there that your book exists!

But, NetGalley is EXPENSIVE. If you just straight up pay for it, it's $500 for a single book…and I had three I wanted reviews for. But luckily through networking with other writers, I learned about a NetGalley co-op, which I could rent a one-month stint with for $63! Much more in my reach, financially. So I rented three months in all, one for each book. 

As of this writing (I'm writing this on April 10th, though you won't see it until April 16th), here are the numbers: 

Not Too Late: 127 requests, 114 downloads, 16 reviews/feedback on NetGalley, 10 public reviews on Goodreads. Language I pulled from reviews to help me know how to pitch the book when I'm selling it: prodigal daughter, self-care read, second chance, feel-good. 

Acid Reign: 53 requests, 45 downloads, 9 feedback on NetGalley, 7 public reviews on Goodreads. Language I pulled from reviews to help me know how to pitch the book when I'm selling it: fresh perspective, welcome change, leans into intensity and emotional stakes, mature

Ready or Not:  62 requests, 56 downloads, 5 feedback on NetGalley, 2 public reviews on Goodreads. Language I pulled from reviews to help me know how to pitch the book when I'm selling it: super cute, adorable dog, humor and heart, sweet pairing. 

For contrast, I published a collection of short stories last October (Stories from Shadow Hill) in part as a learning book on how to do all this. I didn't do any of this review-seeking for it, and to date (six months later), it has no review and has gotten no traction at all online, even though it sells well in person. It's not quite apples-to-apples since Shadow Hill is a short horror collection and these others are romance novels, but it gives me hope that the reviews will make a difference come official release day. 

 

A to Z: Going Indie: Money

 

Welcome to Blogging A to Z! My theme this year is Going Indie. I hope you enjoy it. Don't forget to check out the other participating blogs. 

So, let's talk about money. I know some people consider that rude, but I think transparency about numbers is useful.  What did it actually cost me (in dollars) to publish Not Too Late and the other Gen X romances? 

So, I broke down my math in the first month recap in my Substack series about Going Indie, but here's the money bits: 

So far, I’ve spent:

• Vellum software for formatting: $249.99 (August 2019--bought when I thought about doing this the first time). I’ve used it for 4 books so far, so that makes Not Too Late‘s share: $62.50

• ISBNs: $295 for 10 from Bowker June 2025 which amounts to $59 for the two I used for ebook and paperback of this book. (These are cheaper per ISBN the more you buy at a time, but I figured 10 would keep me busy enough for a year or two—at this point, I’ve used eight of them).

• Editing: $196.80, July 2025 (I got a friends and family rate from a FANTASTIC editor)

• Bookcover: $400 Pd. July 2025 (I hired a person I met through convention life to do all three covers)

• Proof copy from Ingram: $7.80 (September 2025)

That’s a total of $726.10 by my reckoning, but notice the dates in that list. I didn’t spend all of that at once, but spread it out across several months. And the software purchase is an unlimited license, so the more I use it, the less it costs per book.

Buying paper copies of my book (I get them from Ingram) costs me roughly $4-$5 per book depending on  how many I order at a time. I sell them for $15 at in-person events and the pricing will be similar online come release day. That pricing seems to be pretty standard. No one balks at the number if they were thinking of buying it. 

There are other expenses not there in my production costs, but that still matter. To be able to sell at in-person events, I've collected a bunch of things: 

• bins for books storage/hauling: I use a 19 qt from Container Store that is easy for me to manage alone. Roughly $14 per tub and each holds 15-30 books depending on size of the books. 
• 6 foot folding table: $50-70 (I happened to already have one I bought as "the cookie mom" some years ago)
• 4 foot folding table $60 (I happened to already have one I bought in support of gaming parties at my house)
• wagon for hauling stuff around: $60-$200. I have a $60ish dollar one I bought when my kids were doing soccer, but I covet a more expensive one that I can push as well as pull and with better wheels. 
• canopy tent for outdoor events: $120 or so. I bought one years ago, the first time I had an opportunity for an outdoor event and recently upgraded to one that's easier to put my by myself. They can be cheaper if you buy them off season. 
• Tent weights: gotta keep that tent from flying away! $40 bought my the first time a venue required them.  
• standing banner: I've had a couple of retractable ones from Vistaprint. $100-ish. But after the last one broke, I haven't replaced it and haven't decided if I'm going to or not. You can't use them everywhere and they're fussy. 
• table runner: $80 or so. I LOVE mine because it "brands" my table and looks nice, but folds into a tote bag and is machine washable. 
• bookmarks: cheaper the more you buy at a time. My most recent set was $70 for 500 booksmarks. 
• postcards: cheaper the more you buy at a time. My most recent batch was $50 for 100. I used them to create cards that let people buy ebooks from me at in-person events. 
• stickers: again, cheaper the more you buy at a time. My last batch was $117 for 300. 

Me under my canopy with my table runner

You don't *have* to have all that, but some infrastructure definitely helps! There's also stuff I subscribe to not for just one book but for my general writing life: 

• Canva for making graphics: $120 a year
• Mailerlite for newsletter management: how much depends on number of subscribers. Mine is $40 a month. 
• Bookbub websites for my website (not this free one, just for blogging--my other one for branding/selling). $5 a month. 
• Bookfunnel: where I provide download opportunities for readers and can connect with bundle opportunities. $250 a year
• Duotrope: where I find publication opportunties and track my submissions: $5 a month.   

Do you HAVE to do all this? No, not at all. There are a lot of ways you can do this, and you have to balance your goals and desires against financial feasibility and your skillset. 

For example, if you're going Amazon only, you can just use their free ASINs and not buy ISBNs at all. I bought them because I wanted to go wide and not be beholden to the Big River Overlords. Ingram and Amazon also have online formatting options you can use for free. I wanted more flexibility and something easier for me to use. So I bought Vellum. You can also hire people to do layout for you, usually not that expensively. 

There are cheaper cover options, using ready-mades for example. But I'm anti-AI for creative works and it was important to me to work with an artist.  

Each of us has to make our choices about how we invest in our writing lives. These are just the choices I've made. We'll see which ones I later regret and which ones were worth the investment as time goes by!  

A to Z: Going Indie: Launch

 

Welcome to Blogging A to Z! My theme this year is Going Indie. I hope you enjoy it. Don't forget to check out the other participating blogs. 

People talk a lot about "launching" a book…and I've had mixed results. My first novel, I had all the hoopla, including an awesome and well-attended in-person event at a local book store.

Me, my daughter, and my dad in 2015 at the launch event for Going Through the Change. 

 

Other times, the book came out at an awkward moment and I could barely find time to acknowledge my own book release on social media, let alone do any events or promotion. 

That's part of what I've been excited about in Going Indie: I chose my launch dates. The first book has been ready since December, but I've held it's release date until the other two were ready, since I've heard from several people that quick release is a good strategy for romance. 

So, I've scheduled to release one a month for April, May, and June: 

 

 

That's given me a good amount of time to seek early reviews, engage in promotions, and do a little pre-release research by hand-selling the paper copies early at my in-person events. I'm hoping that all of that will lead to better reception and sales on release day and some follow through to the next book and the one after that. 

 

Will it work? I DON'T KNOW! But I'm excited to find out, and I didn't have to negotiate with anyone but me to choose this approach. 

 

So start the countdown! Launching on April 28! (for my birthday) 

  

A to Z: Going Indie: Knowledge

 

Welcome to Blogging A to Z! My theme this year is Going Indie. I hope you enjoy it. Don't forget to check out the other participating blogs. 

Knowledge is power, right? At least that's what Schoolhouse Rocky taught me, back in the day. 

It's definitely been true in my pursuit of indie publishing. One reason I didn't do it the first time I thought about it was because I was daunted by how much there was to learn. I thought writing the books was hard! But, learning how to manage all the systems to make this dream a reality? Not *that's* hard!

Luckily, there are a lot of ways to learn these days. I already posted a couple of books I found helpful back on my B is for Books post, but I also learned a lot from actually taking classes and training opportunities. 

A big one for me was a Business Boot Camp from Women in Publishing. Making that shift into thinking of my writing life as a business and making sound business decisions regarding it was a tough one for me, so I really appreciated this kind and supportive group of women willing to share their experience and take questions. 

That community was so valuable that I ended up buying a full membership, and I continue to learn from them all the time. 

There's also the in-person route. My public library was a great source for "how to" information. In fact, that's how I met James Maxey, now a good friend, and the guy who introduced me to superhero novels, so is indirectly responsible for my entire Menopausal Superheroes series. 

Every time I spend time with other writers, I learn something. As a group, we're a generous lot. If you've got questions, ask them! Most writers will do their best to help you. 
 

A to Z: Going Indie: J is for Joy!

 

Welcome to Blogging A to Z! My theme this year is Going Indie. I hope you enjoy it. Don't forget to check out the other participating blogs. 

So, here's something I didn't know about Going Indie until I did it--the joy! 

I've been proud of every book I've ever written, and it definitely thrilled my little heart to see my work accepted for publication and made real into a paper book I could hold in my hands!

Me holding my first book, back in 2015

 

But there's something EXTRA EXTRA special about holding that book when you made every decision in it. It's *mine* in a whole different way than those other books were. The credit (or blame) is well and fully mine. And there's really no other word for it. It's a JOY! 

A to Z: Going Indie: I is for In-person events

 

Welcome to Blogging A to Z! My theme this year is Going Indie. I hope you enjoy it. Don't forget to check out the other participating blogs. 

When I started my professional writing life, I wasn't thinking about the non-writing parts of the job. Things like selling my books from tables at book fairs, doing interview on podcasts, networking, publicity…wowzers. There's so much! 

But it didn't take me long to learn that in-person events are an important way a writer can build a relationship with an audience and start to develop a following. So, I embraced it. 

Now, I have accumulated a bunch of gear (a tent, several folding tables, banners, signs, bookstands, etc.) in support of "getting out there" and I use it regularly. Introvert that I am, these events do tire me out, but I've come to look forward to them all the same. 

Me selling my books at Geek and Grub

 

Talking directly to my readers helps me learn how to sell my books. Every book fair is an opportunity to hone the pitch and figure out what part of your book is the hook that will get someone to pick it up and read the back, and maybe even buy it. 

Seeing what other writers do gives me ideas about what I might like to try, too. Sometimes that's getting a better tent that's easier to put up and take down myself just like the one Brittany had. Or learning what specific kind of storage tub is both the right size to hold most books and light enough that I can still carry it (Thansk, Patrick!). Other times, it's learning about individual download codes on Bookfunnel and how I can use those to sell eBook versions of my books at in-person events (Yay! Cassie, you're a genius)!  

A few days ago, I shared my tent at an in-person event with a new author who had never done an event before. She was getting a bit "fluttery" about whether she had all the right things or not, but I reminded her that at the heart, this is very simple. If you bring yourself, your books, and a way to take payment for your books, then you're golden. The rest just makes it better and you can gather it a little at a time.  

Honestly, at this point, I really really enjoy in-person events. A little taste of fame, and an opportunity to connect directly with readers and other writers. It's wonderful.  

A to Z: Going Indie: H is for Hobby to Career

 

Welcome to Blogging A to Z! My theme this year is Going Indie. I hope you enjoy it. Don't forget to check out the other participating blogs. 

One reason I've gone indie in my writing life is that I'm looking to up my game--to move from a sometimes-profitable hobby to a full-blown career. 

I've been working with small publishers for a decade now, and I have seen some good income and career building opportunities during this time, but—what was it Carrie Fisher said? Instant gratification takes too long? — yeah, I'm impatient. 

See, I'm full of ideas. Bursting actually. And trad publishing is sloooooooooow. The distance between "I finished my book!" and "Readers can get my book!" can be one to five years, depending on the circumstances, and whether you already have a publisher relationship or if you're in the submission trenches.  

Part of the power going indie gives me is control over my timelines. I can go as fast as I can go! So, that gives me a better chance of getting more of my imaginary friends out there in the world where you can meet them. 

I'm also in charge of marketing, pricing, distribution choices, etc. And I get the data from everything I try faster. 

So, going indie is definitely putting more work on my plate, but the payoffs are already worth it.