The case for Self-Publishing has never been HUGER!
Andy Weir, my favorite example of a self-published Author has just finished a Q+A session on Quora.
Below I have SHAMELESSLY scraped Quora for all of the highlights of his session and -bolded- the best parts.Let this be an inspiration to all budding authors - you can do this!
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I got it mostly right. Originally, the book was just a serial I posted to my website a chapter at a time, so my readers would point out minor errors as they came up and I'd fix them on the spot. I didn't get feedback from scientists until after the book had been published.
1.2k Views • Upvoted by Dale Thomas, Robotics researcher, game developer, and writer of horror/sci-fi
Self-publish it. If people like it, word will get around and it'll sell. Once it's a proven seller the publishers will take an interest.
It worked for me. There are several other examples of things that started as blogs and hit the big time. Julie and Julia and 50 Shades of Gray to name a couple.
7.8k Views • Upvoted by Dushka Zapata, Reader. Writer. Introvert.
Answer featured in The Huffington Post.
1) You have to actually write. Daydreaming about the book you’re going to write someday isn’t writing. It’s daydreaming. Open your word processor and start writing.
2) Resist the urge to tell friends and family your story. I know it’s hard because you want to talk about it and they’re (sometimes) interested in hearing about it. But it satisfies your need for an audience, which diminishes your motivation to actually write it. Make a rule: The only way for anyone to ever hear about your stories is to read them.
3) This is the best time in history to self-publish. There’s no old-boy network between you and your readers. You can self-publish an ebook to major distributors (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.) without any financial risk on your part.
Originally the book was just a serial I posted a chapter at a time to my website. Once the book was done, people started requesting that I make an e-book version so they didn’t have to read it in a web browser. So I did and posted it to my site. Then other people emailed saying they want to read the e-book, but they aren’t technically savvy and don’t know how to download a file from the internet and put it on their e-reader. They requested I make a Kindle version they could just get through Amazon. So I did that as well. I set the price at Amazon’s minimum allowable price of $0.99. More people bought the book from Amazon than downloaded it for free from my website. Amazon has a truly amazing reach into the readership market.
The book sold very well and made its way up various top-seller lists on Amazon. That got the attention of Julian Pavia at Crown. He told his colleague David Fugate (a literary agent) about it. David ended up becoming my agent and Julian offered me a book deal. It was a whirlwind of activity because 20th Century Fox optioned the movie rights that same week.
All I want to do with my writing is entertain people. I have no other goal. There's no message, no moral, nothing.
I grew up reading my dad's sci-fi collection, so my idols are Heinlein, Asimov, and Clarke.
823 Views • Andy is a Most Viewed Writer in The Martian (2014 book).
Writing it. Actually sitting my lazy ass down and writing the words. That's always the hardest part of any book. The grind.
813 Views • Andy is a Most Viewed Writer in Movie Adaptations.
Not usually, no. If they're a big-time writer like J. K. Rowling or Stephen King then sure. But for the rest of us we basically sell the film rights and that's that.
748 Views • Andy is a Most Viewed Writer in The Martian (2015 movie).
Not at all. I didn't know anyone in aerospace when I wrote the book. I did all my research online.
That would be AWESOME! Power density is everything. Cars would all be electric. Phones would almost never need recharging. Aircraft could be electric! The environmental benefits would be monumental.
Also, you could have a deadly laser pistol. And I think we all want that.
The first draft is always weak. There's an old saying: "Writing is editing". The purpose of the first draft is to create something you can edit.
758 Views • Andy is a Most Viewed Writer in Science Fiction (genre).
Exposition. You have to explain all the scientific concepts to the reader. That risks being really boring.
Write good books. There's no longer an old-boy network between you and the readers. Just write something they enjoy and they'll come to you.
Whenever I finish a chapter I do an editing pass. Then, before I send it off to my publisher I do another pass. From there, we have several passes with the editor.
Sometime around age 12 I think. I always loved sci-fi and thought "Hey, I could do this!"
763 Views • Andy is a Most Viewed Writer in Science Fiction (genre).
There's no single answer to that question. Basically whatever works is best. The main thing is you need a cool idea.
1k Views • Andy is a Most Viewed Writer in The Martian (2015 movie).
I spent about half my time researching. It was never a hindrance. Though sometimes I did more research than necessary because it's more fun than writing. :)
795 Views • Andy is a Most Viewed Writer in Science Fiction (genre).
Isaac Asimov - "I, Robot"
Write something. What's the worst that can happen? It sucks? Then delete it. You lose nothing.
1.1k Views • Andy is a Most Viewed Writer in Science Fiction (genre).
It's been a complete change. Instead of working in an office I work from home alone. I've got a bunch of money. I hang out with movie stars and pitch TV and movie ideas. It's pretty cool. :)
I always wanted to be a writer. The Martian was actually my third novel. I guess I just have stories in me that I want to tell.
Daydreaming.
Andy Weir, Science fiction writer. Author of The Martian.
2k Views
Just try to stay on track. If a scene doesn't advance the plot ask yourself why you're writing it. As for getting stuck, just force some words. Any words. Put them on the page. Or take a break and write a short story.
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