Aminka is an aspiring author who’s working furiously on her website this very moment. She isn’t, contrary to conventional writing wisdom, actually writing. No, she’s developing the technological back-end first — herself.
It’s taken a toll in some respects, as she will readily acknowledge, yet Aminka is determined to see her strategy through. And just what is that plan, and just what are the goals? Simple (and yet not so simple): To become a bestselling author on her own, without the assistance of legacy publishers.
It’s her belief that writers no longer have to send query letters and sample chapters to agents and publishers in the 21st Century. She believes that thanks to the power of the internet — specifically, the scope and depth of the graphical worldwide web — all aspiring authors can take their work directly to their potential readers. This obviously obviates the need for gatekeepers like the traditional publishing houses. When readers can simply go to an author’s website to purchase his or her latest work, there is simply no need for any middleman!
That’s the theory, of course, but one which the New York writer hopes to prove — again. ”Again” because, in fact, it’s already been a rewarding route for a handful of authors such as J.A. Konrath and Amanda Hocking, especially in the latter’s case. Where Aminka is different is the amount of effort she is devoting to developing a professional quality website worthy of the slickest publishing industry effort.
Moreover, she intends on fostering a community around her works and their subject matter: romances between black women and Asian men. Unlike many authors whose sites are but online brochures or catalogs, she plans of providing forums on her site, and even running an affiliate program of her own in order to encourage sales!
As if that isn’t enough, free e-books are also in the works, as well as a section dedicated to web fiction, fiction that takes advantage of the interactive nature of the internet. Finally, a charitable giving plan is being developed, where qualified purchases will have a percentage of their totals donated to support non-profit organizations with a proven track record of being dedicated to a wide variety of worthy causes.
Sounds like fun, doesn’t it? She certainly thought so, and still does. However, it isn’t easy, and even harder than anticipated — but, as mentioned at the outset, she is determined. And all this comprises but one of her many entrepreneurial pursuits!