Actually I was wondering the same thing. I have a couple books in the works; one is almost done, the other just starting. They are "Adult" stories, lol! So 18+ for sure. Supernatural in theme.

I thought about posting here similar questions.

I actually know there are a couple members here who have published their own eBooks. I even purchased one eBook that one of my dokuga-friends wrote. (I won't say whom it is without permission, I don't want to either upset her or get her in trouble if it is not allowed here.)

I am NOT very good at writing, typing, coming up with ideas... but I do take my time and insure I get it typed out & readable. I am very picky about insuring my book reads like any professional book should (imo that is).

I have been researching publishers for books, but my search has not come with any satisfying results yet.

Some publishers have starting fees which I cannot afford, some just take fees out of the final sale and pay out a % to you quarterly/semi-annually. The fees are all over the place so I have had a hard time figuring out the best path for a company to publish through. Plus my books are 18+ and require a publisher that supports that and the genres of the books.

I keep working on my books with a goal in mind...
I will not publish(Regardless of what publisher(s) I find) until I have multiple books to work with. Until I have had the book proofed/betaed by someone willing to do so (Sadly again companies will do this for a FEE which I cannot afford, so I will have to rely on someone I know, willing to do it for free or cheap for trade for something I have.) Obviously, I will not publish until I have researched every possible option to do so efficiently with the right cost/fees & marketing. I also need a cover, which I might have to pay someone to make, or again pay out a fee to w/e publisher I go with. Many many details are required for the business side of making books/eBooks. However, don't let it stop you from writing, you can work on something great while carefully researching what you need to get started.

Right now I am looking at this like a hobby & a business. Planning in a business mind set, yet writing what I enjoy as a hobby.

As they say; Do what you love and the money will come.

...I am still waiting on the money coming part though lol!

If I find anything more about the best (imo) ways to go about publishing a book/eBook, that is not costly and can be accomplished in a reasonable way I will try to post it so you know. I have been looking into it for some time but I still am not fully happy with the publishing options I have found so far.

I hope you find some tangible answers to your questions.
Just try it & write what you want to write, and work on that regardless of the business details. Then worry about the rest as needed when the time comes.

Good luck!

=#=War=#=

Silly War!!! We are only TOO happy to promote our published authors on this site!

Seriously, shout it to the skies, tell everyone you can, promote the HECK out of our terrific writers, including your sweet self, 'k?

Glad to see you're still lurking around!

~~Wiccan~~

I self published a chapbook of poems that I take with me to poetry conventions and sell. I have never tried going through a publisher, but want to with the children's book I wrote. In the end, it is a dog eat dog world when it comes to new authors (look at the difficulty in getting Eragon and Harry Potter published). My best suggestion is be persistent and send your manuscript to every publisher you can think of

WiccanMethuselah wrote:
Silly War!!! We are only TOO happy to promote our published authors on this site!

Seriously, shout it to the skies, tell everyone you can, promote the HECK out of our terrific writers, including your sweet self, 'k?

Glad to see you're still lurking around!

~~Wiccan~~

Haha! Good to hear from you! I have always been lurking, I check every couple days to a week or so to read updated stories. I have plenty of fics I follow lmao!
I miss how active chat used to be, but I get that things & people come & go.

I'll most likely always be around XD

The eBook I bought from one of our own Dokuga Member - Danyealle-Sama:
"Fate: In The Beginning by Danyealle Autumn Myst"
I thought I purchased it through amazon, but I guess not `cause I couldn't find it on there. If I find a link I'll let you know! =D

I have no clue if anything I write will ever be publish lol but it doesn't stop me from enjoying it.

I also don't know if anyone here would care for my choice smut lmao!
My nearly finished book is a m/m werewolf story... cliche I know but I enjoy it haha!
~Drools~

Sessakag:
Maybe a few other published members will post some more info, & give some ideas and advice for the not so fun details. I'll try to provide something more once I get more things figured out myself. =)

=#=War=#=

I've published five by now (yes, I'm Danyealle Autumn Myst). Mine are through a publisher.

First and foremost, if the publisher charges you, run the other way, fast. No legit publisher will charge you. Everything they do, from the cover to the edits, are free. If they charge you, find someone else. It's the reason you don't even get 50% of the profits

Second, don't quit your day job. You're not going to make a ton of money on this unless you niche yourself into a very specialized area and can crank out novel after novel very quickly. And most of those are adult in nature. Very few make tons of money or are discovered. Trust me, 50 Shades is the aberration and falls into the adult nature.

Finally, if you can't take concrit, don't try. The edits alone deflate any ego you have. I've done it five times and two were horrific. One was neither here nor there and two were great.

Self published I've never done, though going to give it a shot soon, so no help there. Freya has so if you can drag her in here, she's the one to ask.

And War? Thanks! That book is no longer in publication and you can only get it from me, so far anyway

If anyone is interested, here is my books on Amazon. www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&search-alias=digital-text&field-author=Danyealle%20Autumn%20Myst You can get Shifter Tales in book form on the publisher site. And they are listed on Simon and Schusters site!

www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Danyealle-Autumn-Myst/2117931840

Danyealle-sama wrote:
I've published five by now (yes, I'm Danyealle Autumn Myst). Mine are through a publisher.

First and foremost, if the publisher charges you, run the other way, fast. No legit publisher will charge you. Everything they do, from the cover to the edits, are free. If they charge you, find someone else. It's the reason you don't even get 50% of the profits

Second, don't quit your day job. You're not going to make a ton of money on this unless you niche yourself into a very specialized area and can crank out novel after novel very quickly. And most of those are adult in nature. Very few make tons of money or are discovered. Trust me, 50 Shades is the aberration and falls into the adult nature.

Finally, if you can't take concrit, don't try. The edits alone deflate any ego you have. I've done it five times and two were horrific. One was neither here nor there and two were great.

Self published I've never done, though going to give it a shot soon, so no help there. Freya has so if you can drag her in here, she's the one to ask.

And War? Thanks! That book is no longer in publication and you can only get it from me, so far anyway

If anyone is interested, here is my books on Amazon. You can get Shifter Tales in book form on the publisher site. And they are listed on Simon and Schusters site!

www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Danyealle-Autumn-Myst/2117931840

Yay! Dany! <3
So many books! I'm so happy to hear you have done more.
When I can afford to I getting the rest!
Keep it up, I'm super proud to hear you have done so much.

I have Fate on my kindle papaerwhite, lmao
It is in my re-re-re-read again & again reading list haha
I have quite a few eBooks & fanfictions I will go back to & read over & over when I need to read but can't find anything good for my current mood.

I could never quit my day job, can't type fast enough or good enough to crank out enough books to make a living. @.@ Heck you saw my lovely typing skills, or lack there of, in chat years ago, haha! While some writers manage, it is a hard struggle & sadly never works out for most writers.

Are you published through Simon & Schuster? They seem to be connected with Archway, which looked super costly to me, or at least the packages I saw where. (over $1000 mostly) You say legit publishers will not charge, but which do you use or recommend?

I am still trying to get the kinks & details figured out. Like..
How long should my book be? How many words, Pages, etc..
What is the average cost & how much will I make if I do publish a book?
How hard is it to sell adult books?
etc, etc, etc... You know, the not so fun details.

My "nearly finished" book is currently at 56K words, I still have more to write so it is hard to say how much more it will have. I don't know if that is good or not.
50 shades is around 80K words, so mine might be too short... =/

I'm not working as fast as I should, I have a 6 year old boy who thinks the gravity in my home & around my walls is optional with all the climbing & bouncing he like to do. He is full of energy & seems to have a endless supply when he is home & I need to work on something lol

I am glad your still here too! I wish I could have got to read more of your fic "Lord Sh'omamoo" XD Though, I am sorry to hear people were trying to steal it (Saw the note on your profile). I hate that! =( I am glad you still have other fics up tho, I do login to read all my favs from time to time lol Just keep writing & boo on the thieves.

It was good to hear from you again. ^_^

Thanks, War!

S&S is one of the big publishers who are legit. I'm not published through them, they just list WCP's books.

Who you publish through depends on what you write, honestly. None are going to charge you. At least the legit ones. There is Amazon self publishing if you want to go that route, though I know little about it.

As for how long it is--depends on what you're shooting for. Eyes Shut is what they called a sexy short, under a certain word count. Fate was a novel. Shifter tales and the rest were novellas. Don't worry about the word count, go with whatever you're written (they go by word count, not pages) and slid it into what guidelines they have.

How much you make depends on the book, honestly, and the market. Shifter Tales did very well for me. As for selling adult--that is quite easy. It has its own market and plenty of publishers to choose from.

Glad you liked the stuff I"m still around, just working mostly in Harry Potter slash at the moment

Good to hear from you as well!