Introduction: Joyce Sully

[freshbakedlady.livejournal.com]

Hi, everyone! I'm Joyce and I just joined the community after seeing the September Creative Jam post mentioned by ysabetwordsmith. I'm a full-time writer, but that doesn't mean I'm doing so well with making sales. I'd like to change that.

I independently published my first little flash fiction collection this summer. (For anyone interested, it is called Robot Daughter, and it's available in my shop and on Amazon for $.99.) I'm going the route of independent publishing because the only way to survive as a writer these days is to either be the one in a million exception or to put as few steps between yourself and your money as possible. Six months to get a check from a publisher was never going to fly for me.

Plus, I write sufficiently unconventional stories, including an abundance of queer characters, that traditional publishing would present too many unhappy compromises for me. I know an audience is out there for the kind of stories I write, even if big publishing doesn't believe that, and I would like to have as much direct contact with those people as I can. The authors I like best are doing the same kind of thing, though I'm not as financially able to support them as I would like right now.

I haven't tried the more immediate types of crowdfunding, like the prompt calls and micro funding I've been seeing people do. That's going to change in the next couple days. I've got unexpected, large vet bills, so I'm going to put together a prompt call for stories to put into micro funding. I'll announce it here when I'm ready to start it up.

I look forward to participating in this community and I hope I can support the rest of you with, at the very least, some signal boosting while I get my feet under me again. Thanks for having me.

Comments

Welcome!

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

>> I'm Joyce and I just joined the community after seeing the September Creative Jam post mentioned by ysabetwordsmith. <<

I'm happy to hear that!

>>Plus, I write sufficiently unconventional stories, including an abundance of queer characters, that traditional publishing would present too many unhappy compromises for me.<<

Two thoughts on this:

1) Crowdfunding is a pretty diversity-friendly place. Audiences at my projects, and several others I know of, are interested in queer characters.

2) Keep an eye out for small presses. Some of them actively seek diversity in characters, and it can be a useful adjunct to crowdfunding.

>>I would like to have as much direct contact with those people as I can. The authors I like best are doing the same kind of thing, though I'm not as financially able to support them as I would like right now.<<

You can use community tags and memories to find the how-to stuff posted here. I also have an archive of crowdfunding materials (http://penultimateproductions.weebly.com/crowdfunding.html). See especially:
"How to Boost Your Audience (http://penultimateproductions.weebly.com/how-to-boost-your-audience.html)"
"Non-Cash Support Methods for Crowdfunding (http://penultimateproductions.weebly.com/non-cash-support-methods-for-crowdfunding.html)"

>> I haven't tried the more immediate types of crowdfunding, like the prompt calls and micro funding I've been seeing people do. <<

It's worth a try, and I wish you luck. It can take a while to get started. You may want to browse the how-to articles and other projects for ideas, because there are different ways to do things depending on what and how you produce. Don't be surprised if it takes some trial and error to figure out what works for you.

If you need help brainstorming or planning, feel free to post about that; there are some experienced folks here who might be able to help.

I look forward to seeing your project!