Thoughts on Self-Publishing

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I really enjoyed this blurb on self-publishing. The author makes some excellent points and I very much appreciate her thoughts. It's written by Jessica Bell and is taken from an author interview on a blog called The Reading Cat. To see the entire interview, go here.

Is self-publishing the only solution?

No, self-publishing is not the only solution, but nowadays, if you’re not writing about vampires, werewolves, or paranormal activity, it’s really hard to get that big break because the Big 6 publishers are only looking for what is going to make them money. And what makes money nowadays is not the modern day F. Scott Fitzgerald. It’s logical. It’s business. But it’s not the be-all-and-end-all.
Publishing has changed so much over the past few years, and I think it’s time people learn to embrace it, just like they had to embrace the digital revolution of the music industry. Independent artists are everywhere now. What people have to understand is, authors don’t self publish because they’re too lazy to go through the slog of submitting queries to agents, or editing their manuscripts properly, or simply out of impatience to see their work in print. Self-published authors are, in fact, some of the most motivated and tough-skinned authors I’ve ever known.

A lot of them, including me, have huge stories behind the reason they self publish. Stories that most people will never know about, because when someone releases a book, it’s not like you can say on the blurb, “This book is self-published, but I actually once had an agent and a book deal with a Big 6 publisher, but decided to go the indie route because I felt it was better for me, both professionally and emotionally.”

Or …

“This book is self-published because I spent years and years querying it, was told that the writing was great, but no agent believed they could sell it. So … here’s my book. I don’t need to sell a million copies, a few hundred is enough for me. Plus it’s been through so many edits after all the agent feedback, I doubt you’ll be able to find one thing wrong with it.”

Or …

“This book is self-published, but actually it was once traditionally published by a small press. Unfortunately they liquidated and I had to get it back on the market as quickly as possible before all my marketing efforts went to waste.”

So … I urge everyone who is skeptical about self-published works, to think about the story behind it, and the effort it’s taken to get it out there, and the heartache the writer has been through to finally come to the decision to do it on their own. Self-publishing is no longer for the impatient … it’s for authors who have done everything they can before finally deciding to take their fate into their own hands.

To learn more about Jessica Bell, go to her website: http://thealliterativeallomorph.blogspot.com/

RELEASE SCHEDULE

Self-publishing is time consuming. Suddenly, simply writing the books is no longer my only job. I also have to edit, format, design book covers, write a copyright page, advertise—and peruse my books at least 100 times to be sure there are no mistakes!!

I’m sure it’s not really 100 times but it feels that way. I feel as if I almost have my books memorized at this point. But, it’s all part of the process. It was a lot harder than I imagined it would be. However, it’s all worth it in the end when you hold the finished product in your hand. I THOUGHT my books were done. I THOUGHT I was ready to publish each and every one of them. But each one is a process.

I have self-published through Create Space. (for print books) The process goes something like this: first you download the template for the trim size of your choice. Then you format your manuscript to the template. Next, you upload the manuscript to Create Space for review. If it passes review and doesn’t have any major problems, you can review it in their interior reviewer. If it looks good, then you submit it for a final review. Once this review process is done, you are ready to order a proof of your novel. Or you can proof it online with their digital proofer. I was really glad I ordered a physical proof. For example, the Sierra cover was much too light in color and needed to be darkened. I wouldn’t have known that if I hadn’t ordered a proof. Also, my first proof of Lancaster House told me I didn’t want to do a 6 x 9 trim size. Instead, I decided to go with the 5 x 8 trim size. Yes, that meant downloading the 5 x 8 template and re-formatting for that trim size. It was more work for me, but again, this is all part of the process. It takes patience. Just take your time and work through each step along the way. Eventually, you will hold your book in your hands and breathe a deep sigh of contentment over your accomplishment!! Once you’ve proofed your book, you are ready to publish!

That being said, as I work on this process with each individual book, I have a RELEASE SCHEDULE:

Lancaster House       June 2012

Sierra                        June 2012

I Have People          Sept. 2012

The Middle Aisle     Dec. 2012

Joshua’s Folly          March 2013

For Nick                  June 2013



My fabulous daughter is the one who convinced me to release on a schedule and not simply dump all my books into the public’s lap. Now, I’m especially glad for this schedule as it gives me time to perfect each book and prepare it for it’s release. Doing all of them at once would have been impossible.

And it gives me time to write another book. Something I haven’t done in a year because I’ve been too busy working on my existing books. I’m really looking forward to creating another book. In the end, it’s my favorite thing to do, and all the rest is the stuff I HAVE to do in order to be published. It’s certainly not drudgery by any means. I can’t think of any other job I’d rather be doing.

Writing is the best!

 Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Editing Hat

When you self-publish, you must edit your own books. (unless you choose to hire and pay someone to do it for you)

As I have donned my 'editing hat,' it has taken me much longer than I anticipated to edit my books.  I recently received my second proof copy of Lancaster House. So far, I’ve found about ten mistakes. That’s not too bad considering it’s a 90,000 word novel. I’ve debated about fixing the mistakes. They are small mistakes, and a few of them are subjective—comma use, paragraph formatting, etc. It’s not as easy as simply making the changes on my computer screen anymore. Now I have to re-submit my manuscript, re-check the formatting, have my manuscript approved for printing, and re-order another proof copy. Yikes!

But in the end I’ve decided to fix each of them. I want to put the best book out that I possibly can. Will there be mistakes? Sure. I’m not an editor. An editor would catch the mistakes that I simply don’t see. Still, I’m working hard to make it as flawless as I can—with my knowledge, and my understanding.

That’s all I can do. It makes my publishing date push even farther in the future, and I hate that. In the end, I know I’ll be glad I took the extra time to make my book as perfect as I humanly know how to do. It doesn't happen by magic. It's hard and tedious work. And it's certainly not the FUN part of writing. Good thing I love my stories. I love to read them over and over. That makes it all worthwhile.

Happy editing!

Free images from FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Old versus New

Old Cover

New Cover

As you can see the concept cover for Sierra didn’t change too much. It simply went from a real picture to an illustration. Since all of my other books covers are illustrations, I felt Sierra should be too. A cabin in the snowy mountains is THE cover for Sierra. No doubt about it. You’ll understand when you read it.

I’m getting ready to self-publish very soon. There’s been many a hiccup along the way. As a matter of fact, I feel as though I’ve had a bad case of the hiccups. For example, the first proof copy of Lancaster House—while an amazing moment—just wasn’t right. It was 6 X 9, white pages, and size 12 font on the inside. I didn’t know that it wouldn’t work till I received the proof copy—hence the reason why ordering that proof copy is so very important. Do not proof online and assume everything will be fine. Order the physical proof and hold it in your hands. I ended up changing my books to the 5 X 8 size with cream colored pages. I also changed the font to size 10. Now it looks like a novel and not a text book, manual, or self-help book. This change held things up and now my book will not be available as soon as I wanted it to be. But, if you’re going to self-publish, DO IT RIGHT. Don’t get in so much of a hurry that you don’t put the best product out there.

Hope this thought helps someone out there is who is self-publishing. If I’d known this beforehand, it would’ve saved so much time.

Sidenote: ai finale was last night. Phillip Phillips: You had me at VOLCANO.

WHAT NOW?

I knew I wanted to self-publish, but, honestly, I had no idea how to go about it. I mean, I knew I could get my books ready and make them available for purchase, but then what? There the books would sit, alone and untouched, while no one knew they even existed.

If you self-publish, you must market your own books.

Again, my daughter saved the day. First of all, she informed me that I must have an online presence. I need to have a website and I need to begin to blog. I need to follow other people’s blogs and leave comments. In other words, I need to NETWORK. “If you leave comments on other people’s blogs, they’ll leave comments on yours,” she told me. It’s the unstated rule of blogging. Blogging 101. You follow me, and I’ll follow you. Those who don’t follow this unwritten rule are . . . well, considered jerks.

I had no idea this blog-o-sphere existed. At first, it felt like ONE more thing to do. And I had no idea what to write about. “Write about your writing journey,” my daughter said.

“Oh, that I can do. I have a lot to say, after all. And it has been quite the experience.”

My daughter designed my website and walked me through learning to blog. (I’m not techno-savvy at all) To my surprise, I discover BLOGS. Oh my, what a world. One could spend all day simply reading blog posts. It’s fun to search out other writer’s blogs and hear what they have to say about publishing. As a matter of fact, I’ve learned a lot by doing this. The writing community is supportive, kind, and encouraging to one another, and I like that.

“Okay,” I tell my daughter. “I’m ready to publish my books.”

“No, Mom,” she says. “You need to release one book at a time. Otherwise you’ll give your readers OPTION ANXIETY.”

“But . . . but,” I object. Then I realize she’s right. I can’t just dump my books into cyber-space and hope for the best.

It’s all about marketing.

When I started writing, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into.

Image: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

End of the ROAD?

Now, just because there was nothing more THE AGENT could do for me, did not mean my life was over. Although it felt that way. THE AGENT was very honest and told me there were many ebook places to publish my books, but I didn’t need him to go that route, (he only represents traditional publishing). He’d just be taking my money, when I could do it for myself. I appreciated his honesty and integrity. We ended our contract amicably with the promise that I could contact him at any time if I had another story he might be interested in. He asked me to keep him informed of my progress and wished me well. If I need an agent in the future, I will call him first.

I made the decision to return to my original idea: self-publish. I just didn’t feel like querying more agents. I also liked the idea of total creative control. Of course, with that decision also came many other aspects I wasn’t prepared to face. Marketing my books, editing my books, designing my own covers, making a website, learning to blog, etc. etc.

Suddenly, it wasn’t the end of the road. I had two million things to do. And it was all a little overwhelming.

At the same time, it was exciting. Finally, I’d get to hold a finished product in my hand—in actual book form, with a cover and an ISBN number and everything.

What a thrill!

Image: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net