1/18/2013
Brief Interview with friend for their blog (who remains anonymous due to publishing firm affiliations, I however can share it freely, ty interviewer):

Interview with Independant Author, Alexis Lewis:

Q:  "So Indie-Publishing...hard?  Or way of the future?"

A:  "Indie-Pubbing?  No, that's the easy part.  I think it's going to over-run the big firms eventually, or at least their going to have to begin adapting to it soon.  Writing something that's worth publishing is the tough bit...and marketing without an advance budget, that's a labor of love.  Probably a greater gift to the audience than the story itself.  Publishing independantly is pretty much plug and play these days."

Q:  "How do you find an audience without advertising or backing?  How did you get to over a thousand eBook downloads to begin with?"

A: "Oh, I advertise.  Just not in the conventional sense.  Facebook fanpage, that's where I tell most new Indie-Authors to start.  You're friends and family are great and a fanpage lets it spread to their friends and family.  I also gave my first book away for free for a few days.  Amazon's KDP lets authors do that with their work, so within a day of the promotion a couple hundred people had my book to enjoy and tell people about.  Those weren't 'sales' but they generated more than double the royalties I let go of.  Nice to give people a chance to read it for free too.  I was that kid in college, I never had money for fiction.  Makes you wonder why the big names don't do it once in awhile just to give something back...anyway.   I commision books to private store owners too, and do contests on facebook and twitter.  You don't need money to advertise. If an agency is trying to convince you that you do, it's becuase they're terrified of this new fangled thing called the 'internet' and 'electronic social media'. All of that is advertising, even if fans never join the webpages.  Most of my royalties are spawned in Japan for some reason and I don't have a single Japanese reader following my accounts that I've noticed. 

Q:  "Could that be due to the current Eastern metropolitan trend towards modern science-fiction?"

A:  "Sure, could be.  I hope so.  Is that a thing?  I've wondered if it doesn't have something to do with my cover art.  The truth is, most eBook sales are created by a good cover."

Q:  "You designed your own cover, right?"

A:  "I did.  Another nod to producing with no money invested yet.  I painted it so I own it, like the story itself.  Indie-Illustrator too I guess.  Gives me more control over the concept, biggest pay off for not sending my manuscript out to the giant publishing firms."

Q:  "So would it be fair to say that you're actually an Indie-Author/Illustrator/Publisher?"

A:  "Sure, sure.  All those and an Indie-Editor/Typesetter/Formatter/Graphic Designer.  I wear alot of pants-easier to just refer to those of us who hire out for absolutely nothing as IATW's.  'Indie-All-The-Way-er's" laughs "We IATW's we've got our many pockets full of WIP's."

Q:  "Your book is available in print though.  The big syndicates are starting to notice the Createspace/Amazon publishing trend, and they're worried.  Was creating the print copy harder than getting an e-Book out?"

A: "Are they worried?  I don't think so.  It'll be a few generations at least before franchise networking goes anywhere.  I love that people with talent but no resources can finally be heard, but I highly doubt anyone in Hollywood's worried about it.  Maybe 'Wool' raised some eyebrows with the muckity mucks but I don't see it creating any stock issues for anyone.  As for it being 'harder'...no, it really wasn't.  I had to teach myself what a gutter margin was but the print version is exactly the same 'book' as the e-version.  eBooks have covers and inserts too now.  They even have more than print copies, they have authors notes, xray excerpts, soundtracks for chapters, all sorts of neat stuff.  The print process is totally free and much easier.  There are tutorials that guide an Indie through designing the physical print copy in something like eight simple steps.  Anyone can do it.  Internet retailers want our software peices to fill the Kindle/Kobo shelves with, to drive hardware sales.  In a way 'they' court 'us'.  A lovely change from tradition.  Honestly, I wouldn't have even created the physical book except that some of my friends have a fascination with the smell of paper.  'Things' are a thing of the past.  E-libraries, that's what the Giant NY Five should be worried about.  Prices are going to drop for movies too when no-one needs to pay for a disc that exists as a .99 cent rental in the cloud, and when truly great acting talent can be spotted on youtube rather than forced down our throats by a celebrities agent who requires million dollar contracts for the same quality of art."

Q:  "That makes people like me think of updating our resumes." 

A: "Really?  How's it read now?" laughs "I think you'll be alright.  You're kids kids will be pushing meta-data platforms or something by the time it's a relevant change."

Q: "I read your book.  It's good.  Which is not the norm.  Like 'Wool', it isn't a junk vanity novel like the thousands Amazon is being flooded with.  Does that ever bother you, the vanity releases?  It makes works like yours very hard for a reader to find without a firm behind you."

A: "Fair enough, yeah I'd agree with that.  Vanity books are awful.  I've fallen into that trap myself when I just wanted something for under a dollar to read in the bath.  I think the consumers are wisening up though and I imagine KDP will get the kinks worked out...set up a grammar filter or something eventually.  It's easy enough to avoid.  Stick to books over 200 pgs. long.  Writers driven be greed, narcissism or boredom don't usually stick around for more than fifty.  There are alot of really great books out there now for under $5...like really really good books, it's just about finding the unknown authors.  I think our tiny fan bases are the best in the world becuase of that.  They have to actively search out the entertainment they want, and it changes the dynamic of the artists relationship with them entirely.  I can honestly say the handful of people who've read and liked my work are worth a million popularly franchised authors fans.  Like you.  I'm glad you enjoyed my book.  I'm glad I get to sit here with you now."

Q:  "Wow, I see what you mean.  It's very personal isn't it?"

A:  "I think anyone who's ever created anything would claim that's it's personal.  I just like that I get real feedback from it, real shared moments.  Funny...electronic media allows me that more than any firm would."

Q:  "If my higher-ups came begging for your book, what would it take for you to sell the rights?  Is remaining self-published an ethical bias for you?"

A; "No, not at all.  Most of us little authors would jump at that kind of chance.  They'd just have to offer us money and wider distribution.  It really isn't selling out, becuase it wouldn't be about the money, at least not for me.  It's about getting my book into as many hands as possible.  I said my fan base was better becuase it was a small direct relationship.  Not that I wouldn't want to expand it.  All authors want to be read.  And the money supports my ability to continue writing-anything more than that is good luck and should be put to good use.  You'd be amazed how many of these supposedly multi-millionare artists blithely hand out huge donations to worthy causes.  We know why we do what we do, and we know that it isn't generosity when the money was never ours to start with.  People who don't understand that principle, the ones who own five ferrari's...they're behind the de-clutter trend in a big way.  The syndicates need to start rethinking how the contracts they offer work.  All someone like me would need them for is wider distribution, and right now I'm in Japan and the UK everyday somewhere while a Kindle reader strolls to work or sits in a park.  The big publishing houses need to realize that they need to pay us for the right to advertise our work.  Everything else I can do myself for free.  The real problem is that the publishing syndicates haven't figured out that they should be looking for people like me.  I'm not wasting money and time seeking them, let them find me if they want to offer something worthwhile to their consumers.  The days of paying to mail out a hundred manuscripts have passed.  They don't even except electronic entree's yet.  Are they nuts?  What a waste.  They only bottom line their hurting is their own."

Q:  "You seem very passionate about these principles.  Does that show you think in your novel?  Did you always know you wanted to write science-fiction?"

A: laughs "Nice subject change.  I hope my passion shows in my novel, unsubtly the lead charachter is a philosophy student as I myself was.  I don't really think of it as science-fiction.  It is fantasy in a way, but it's also possibility.  I would write just about any genre.  Hopefully before I die I'll give each a try.  Fiction is my favorite to read though, I suppose that's why I started there.

Q:  "Over 300 pgs. is quite a start."

A:  "Nah.  Besides, I'd say I started years ago and haven't begun yet."

-Interview Q&A with Independant Author, Alexis Lewis-
by Anonymous

Newest and bestest!

H Y P N O S  has now been downloaded over 600 times!  Not bad for just a few months of access.  Here's the latest news.  A new cover!  Very nearly done with perfectionist grammar and dialouge edits!  The second edition is going to be boss.  Sort of makes me wish that I had never released the first.  Here's what I learned in that time.

Don't go all black with a cover background.  Makes the thumbnail look atrocious on multiple devices.
Don't use a pen-name.  Too confusing, too time consuming, makes searches harder for your purchasers.  Just ditched mine.  It's Hypnos by Alexis M. Lewis all the way now.

Do have facebook contests for promotional purposes, it's fun, it's easy and it lets you give something back to your loyal fanbase while drawing in a new audiance.

Don't under-estimate your works own worth.  My final edition will be going up in price to $4.99.  Now that it's been launched I realize that people who download for free or for a couple dollars aren't all that invested in passing the word along or returning to review the peice.  Contests not freebie's, that's my new motto.
Half the price of the same genre and length in printed form seems more than fair.

Isn't it prettier now?

My next projects to tackle:
Spending some serious time with the Goodreads platform.
Creatin a 'creatspace' version for purchasers.
Attempting to stay on top of all the electronic media platforms I'm already engaged in.
In mid-December my original contract expires so it'll finally be time to get my novel into B&N and (fingers crossed) iTunes.
Still haven't decided whether to go with Smashwords or Lulu.  Hmmm.

Happy Writing! =)

Overview and Quick Tidbits

Hypnos
by Alexis Lewis

Hypnos is an e-book I recently published for Amazon/Kindle....this is a self-indulgent tracker blog that will give me the freedom to give everyone up-to-date info on my novel and gripe freely about the trails and trevails of learning to become an Indie-Author.

First, about my book-a quick synopsis: (the summary given by Amazon)
Yes, I used a pen name.  Marie A. Louise, I was feeling french-my name is Alexis Lewis as seen in the blogs profile and my book can be searched using that Author information as well.

"Hypnos is the story of a girl who loses the normalcy of life at the expense of an unwanted gift...the ability to affect the minds of those who dream. As she struggles to understand her talents she meets a pair of brothers who might influence her fate.One twin must decide whether or not to help her despite a personal history that demands avoidance. The other is fighting to save them all from self destruction.

Hypnos is the tale of three people vying to find answers to the oldest of questions...What is the definition of good and evil, and how do we act upon our understanding in a world clouded by human relationships, emotion, and the necessity of self preservation? How often do our conscious endeavors reflect our unconscious will?"

You can buy my book for $2.99 here:
http://www.amazon.com/HYPNOS-ebook/dp/B009BKJ4MK

and you can also check out the Authors note and first two chapters for free I believe.
If you want a more encompassing synopsis of how my book is written and the ride it's meant to take a reader on-check out the Authors Note for sure-I spent alot of time on it.

Brass Tacks and Whatsit info:
Hypnos is Science Fiction Fantasy Fiction (in the same way that Meyers would be considered sci-fi)  No there aren't any aliens or supernatural monsters but it's still sci-fi all the same.
The novel runs around 400 pgs-not bad for $3 right?
The writing style is taken from all three of the main characters points of view, with each of them getting chapters by turn for the reader to dive into.  So, not a girl? Great there's two boys talking. Not a boy? Great, there's a female lead. 
Also fun about this novel: a little bit of something for everyone-but keep an open-mind.
Again I would refer you to checking out the Authors Note but in-a-nutshell,
Hypnos is straightforward and honest, yet it's sci-fi.  It has a romantic angle but is rather dominated by philosphical inquiries.  It's fun character fiction, and dark thriller fiction.

To date: lets see its 11/02/12 Hypnos has sold over 200 digital copies via Amazon Kindle, and is ranked somewhere in the mid-800's for titles in its genre.
Go buy a copy since its good and maybe my next post for the blog on 'indie-publishing' will mention it as in the 700's thanks to you!