The Magic of Going Solo: Jim's Adventure in Self-Publishing

Guest Post: How Dark Circles is Redefining Jim's Writing Journey

This is a guest post by

Jim M

who writes

Jim Melvin's Realms of Fantasy

As a fan of Jim's Dark Circles series, I've eagerly awaited his second book. Now, just before its release, Jim shares insights into his writing journey and process.

This coming week will be an important one for me.

As a novelist who has previously been traditionally published by a midsized house, self-publishing is new to me. But today’s reality is that if you don’t have a flashy New York agent or a glitzy contract with one of the big houses, then self-publishing is an attractive option, especially if you’re writing a genre series rather than a literary standalone.

The Death Wizard Chronicles, my six-book epic fantasy for audiences 18 and older, was published starting in 2012 by a respected midsized house called Bell Bridge, which is owned and operated by several best-selling authors who have connections throughout the industry and who know what they are doing. During its time in the limelight, The DW Chronicles sold relatively well, but the series did not launch me into stardom or riches. Nowadays, it sells sporadically.

Which brings me back to my big week. My new series titled Dark Circles is what I describe as a teen fantasy adventure appropriate for 13 and older. It lacks sex and profanity but still has action and a bit of violence, which is typical of epic fantasy regardless of age range. But since I found it unlikely that I would be accepted by a flashy New York agent or be able to obtain a glitzy contract with a big house (nor did I have the patience to wait months or even years for such a thing to happen), I decided to enter the world of self-publishing for the first time.

DARK CIRCLES (teen fantasy adventure series)

• Book 1: Do You Believe in Magic? (May 25)

• Book 2: Do You Believe in Monsters? (October 30)

• Book 3: Do You Believe in Miracles? (coming February 2024)

The first thing everyone has to do, of course, is write the damn thing. This is especially true when it comes to fiction. This past February, I began the process of writing Dark Circles. I finished book 1 in May and self-published it on May 25.  

Veterans of self-publishing will know what I’m talking about. But if you haven’t self-published and know little about the process, then you have some homework to do. In my previous life as a journalist, I spent a portion of my career as a designer, and this experience helped me immensely when it came to formatting, etc. If you have no experience with this whatsoever and the mere thought of it makes you dizzy, I’d recommend finding a friend (who owes you favors) to help you out. The process of formatting and publishing an ebook and/or paperback is not for the faint of heart. But it’s not impossible, either. If I can do it, most of you can too.

There are a lot of self-publishing gurus out there who can help you out—some mostly for free, others who will charge you money. The mostly free ones will tell you how to do it. The ones who charge you will do it for you. I recommend the mostly free ones. However, if you happen to have a well-stocked bank account, there’s no reason not to choose the latter, other than you’ll give up a bit of upfront control.

By no means am I the world’s greatest expert, but I personally would recommend a guy named David Gaughran. He’s a genius, he’s entertaining, he’s generous, and he has helped many self-published authors achieve their goals. I have no financial or personal connection with Gaughran. There are several other gurus out there who are similarly talented and authentic. Maybe you’ll want to check them all out and blend their advice. For me, it worked to stick to Gaughran’s method and leave it at that. He has spent more than ten years learning what he knows. That was good enough for me. 

If you are self-publishing a genre series like I am, then Gaughran will be one of the wise choices. Prepare yourself to explore his website and spend at least 10 hours (spread over several days or weeks) studying his material, which again is almost entirely free. If you already know all there is to know about self-publishing, then you can mostly ignore my post. But then again, it never hurts to reinforce things you know, so it might benefit you to keep reading.

Here's what Gaughran (and others like him) recommend. Publish book 1 of your series but don’t worry about how much it sells early on. Ironically, one of the worst mistakes you can make is to sell book 1 to all your relatives and friends who otherwise have little interest in your genre. This will mess up the computer analytics. You’ll want to sell mostly to people who are interested in your genre. For instance, I wouldn’t read a romance novel if you held a gun to my head. Yet, romance is probably the most popular genre. So, if you’ve recently published a romance novel, you really don’t want me to buy it. Sounds weird, but it’s true.

When book 2 comes out, you’ll then be in position to make your move. In a perfect world, you’ll even wait until book 3 or beyond, but most—including me!—don’t have that level of patience. I’m making book 1 free from Oct. 30-Nov. 3. Book 2 will be priced at 99 cents. Readers will be able to purchase the first two books of my series for an average of just 45 cents each. I mean, good gawd! I spent hundreds of hours on something that will cost you a grand total of 99 cents. You’ll spend more than that on a small Diet Coke. We live in a strange world. But it is what it is. 

During Oct. 30-Nov. 3, I have spent about $500 on various promotional sites. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, this is a good starting point. The plan is to get as many readers as possible to download book 1 for free and purchase book 2 for virtually nothing. After my promotion week is over, I’ll price book 1 at $1.99 and book 2 at $3.99. If I get lucky, I’ll build some momentum and start to make a little money. But I’ll only make money if the numbers are relatively large. For instance, if 5,000 people end up buying book 2 at $3.99, I’ll make around $15,000. That’s about what I made in two months in my pre-retirement jobs, but I’ll happily take it, regardless.

When book 3 comes out in February (or maybe March 😏) of next year, I’ll make books 1 and 2 free and discount book 3. By then, I might have a series that has gained some traction and is selling itself. You get the picture?

If you read ebooks, please download my free copy of book 1 and my 99-cent copy of book 2—especially if you’re the type who enjoys fantasy. If there’s a young teen in your life, the paperbacks will make great Christmas presents. Heck, if you mail them to me, I’ll autograph them and forward them along. However, if you’re a romance lover only, it might be best if you looked the other way. 😀

If you’d like to learn more about my series, please check out my posts on Jim Melvin’s Realms of Fantasy or my personal author’s website at jim-melvin.com. I will also respond to personal emails at jimmelvin57@gmail.com. I’d love to hear from you and am always looking to return honest favors to fellow writers.

Finally, thank you Zane for this opportunity! You are one of the good ones. I should introduce you to David Gaughran one day, unless you already know him. The two of you would get along just fine. 

Warmly,

Jim

Want more from Jim? Learn how Jim crafts his fiction chapter-by-chapter. His insights have inspired me to work thematic symbols into my own novel.