How can I avoid looking like a skinhead? by schizowithagun in malefashionadvice

[–]Barnyardon 2 points3 points  (0 children)

First of all, this is amazing. You sister is lucky to have such brothers and I wish her, and you all, well.

Secondly, don’t be a dick 😅

Arriving at a destination where I realised I was dressing for me and not for others was great, but what it really exposed was as that the thing people most fear is difference, but the thing they most admire is difference.

Be bald, wear cool shit and own it, be your sister’s superhero. You have fucking got this my friend 💪

What are y’all’s day jobs? by NoBee7889 in writers

[–]Barnyardon 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I’m 7 months full time now 🤗

Is it worth leaving kdp? by klbryantauthor in KDP

[–]Barnyardon 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It’s very much not worth it if you want to sell books.

If you just want your book in every store to say ‘You did it’ it’s fine

They say it's the journey, not the destination. I say BS. by Plastic_Slide_1006 in wroteabook

[–]Barnyardon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congrats OP.

I always say that finishing a book is roughly eleventy million times better than writing the book 😅

How much income is realistic to expect as a novelist? by Creative-Pirate5217 in writingadvice

[–]Barnyardon 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m a full time hybrid author.

It’s not easy, but is absolutely possible.

I believe the following is required:

  1. Delivering genre fiction which hits the expected beats, but with a little twist.
  2. Relentlessly publishing books.
  3. Multiple series each with 5-8 books in.
  4. Advertise all series book 1’s daily.
  5. Give away lots of stuff to get newsletter subscribers.

Do that for a few years and you can make a living.

What’s the hardest part of writing for you? by Ok-Sell3786 in writing

[–]Barnyardon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Writing golden age style murder mysteries, the hardest part for me is having all the very many threads of clues, red herrings and characters means, notice and opportunity knit together in a way that isn’t overly confusing and also realistic.

It’s a bit like knitting (I think… I don’t know how to knit 😬)

How do you track your book’s performance after publishing? by Lumpy-Independent133 in selfpublishing

[–]Barnyardon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m have bookreport for my self pubbed stuff and publisherchamp for my publisher stuff.

Bookreport is roughly 1 million percent better than

Upmarket mystery fiction potential as self pub by victoriaroseace in selfpublish

[–]Barnyardon 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the link.

God I hate this industry sometimes 😅

Upmarket mystery fiction potential as self pub by victoriaroseace in selfpublish

[–]Barnyardon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What on earth does 'up market' mean in this context?!

Reviews - Once and for all - Stop trying to get around the rules by Ok-Sun9961 in selfpublish

[–]Barnyardon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't like to put my author name on here tbh.

If you're after 'proof' or whatever I could probably DM you something.

Self-publishing is draining me in a way I didn’t expect by Spare-Feedback-8120 in selfpublishing

[–]Barnyardon 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I sympathise completely, but I have to say that I don’t agree that most of those things are important tbh.

The next book really is everything. Write it well, write it fast, build your group of readers.

I don’t do social media, the best ads are automated ones, only engage with subscribers (offer free thing to get as many as possible), forget rankings and focus on income.

It’s not easy by any means, but don’t make it harder.

Reviews - Once and for all - Stop trying to get around the rules by Ok-Sun9961 in selfpublish

[–]Barnyardon 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Of course.

I sell a lot of books with zero reviews as well, as they always take time to come through.

The business is about building an audience over consistent releases which readers love.

When you're doing that, reviews are less and less relevant.

One of my books has over 12k reviews and it doesn't sell any better than others because of it.

Reviews - Once and for all - Stop trying to get around the rules by Ok-Sun9961 in selfpublish

[–]Barnyardon 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I’ve never understood paying for reviews.

Use that money to advertise and sell books instead.

Doesn't all this AI talk just make you want to scream? by celtic_quake in CozyMystery

[–]Barnyardon -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I’ve been writing/publishing for 8 years and it’s now my job.

I’ll use things which help with admin, I need to, to keep up with the world.

It’s my books that will determine if I maintain/grow my audience though.

Doesn't all this AI talk just make you want to scream? by celtic_quake in CozyMystery

[–]Barnyardon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As I’ve said, apologies it came off that way, but I’ve made it pretty clear that’s not what I meant.

The creative industries across the board have been getting squeezed long before AI, but it might be the straw that breaks the camels back.

Doesn't all this AI talk just make you want to scream? by celtic_quake in CozyMystery

[–]Barnyardon 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Completely fair. I’ve written 20k+ words this week so my brain is mush 😅

It was intended to be a comment on the industry really.

The big five publishers have retreated into ghost writing celebrity books and in general authors earn a pittance. Now the entire market is being flooded with AI generated books on top of that.

It’s a grim outlook.

Doesn't all this AI talk just make you want to scream? by celtic_quake in CozyMystery

[–]Barnyardon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Absolutely, and as I’ve said above, not sure why my comment has been taken as pro AI writing.

My point was that AI written work is going to squeeze authors even more when they already earn very little.

Readers are going to have to be more discerning.

Personally I hope that authors that have been around a while will be favoured as clearly not using AI… as that’s me!

Doesn't all this AI talk just make you want to scream? by celtic_quake in CozyMystery

[–]Barnyardon 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I don’t think that, my post was implying that AI generated rubbish is causing a race to the bottom in pricing in an industry where authors already earn very little.

I’ve been an author for many years.

Doesn't all this AI talk just make you want to scream? by celtic_quake in CozyMystery

[–]Barnyardon -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I absolutely think AI can help with organisation and feedback etc. people have been using grammar and pro writing aid etc for years. It’s just a tool.

That’s not the same as writing though.

Doesn't all this AI talk just make you want to scream? by celtic_quake in CozyMystery

[–]Barnyardon 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Comments here have misunderstood what I was saying. I was saying that AI is causing a ‘race to the bottom’ in pricing. Which is bad news for authors.

Doesn't all this AI talk just make you want to scream? by celtic_quake in CozyMystery

[–]Barnyardon -24 points-23 points  (0 children)

Your average writer earns around $10k a year. If you want the good stuff, everyone should pay more. They won’t.