Saturday, April 30, 2011

Taking the plunge!

Well, you've all read it here first. I'm taking the indy-publishing plunge! My pros and cons list was so heavily weighted toward the self-publishing side, I thought, why didn't I do this before?

 Terror, mainly. Self-promotion is my least favorite part of trying to get published, but it is a necessary component to the process whether I am traditionally published or whether I join the growing numbers of newbie and previously published writers who are taking control of their careers. No longer taken as a sign that we're not good enough to get a 'real' contract, many writers are finding great success in the world of self-publishing. I think I can be one of those people. The bottom line for me is that I love to write and I want to share my work with others. Getting paid for it would be a bonus.

The main comment I get in rejection letters is that my stories don't 'fit the market'. Publishers have very specific types of stories they are looking for and anything that falls outside of that model will probably never be picked up. I've done well in contests and I'm now capable of producing a decent book in about 3-5 months. I have six books in the hopper so to speak, so if I publish them a few months apart, my back list should grow pretty steadily from there.

I've spent the last few months researching and pondering and I feel like this is the best fit for me. I'm already self-employed and have a good head for business. I have a husband who is incredibly tech savvy and has agreed to help with formatting and designing professional book covers. I have a person available for proof-reading and editing, and my step-son who produces for TV, is willing to create book trailers for me. So now I have a staff! Better yet, they are all willing to work for food and massages.

If I can pull it all together my first release date will be September. I'll keep you posted!

2 comments:

  1. Congratulations!! I know you will find success. You've already got one fan waiting in the wings!

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  2. You are so brave! I can't wait to hear the good news and hit "buy" on my e-reader!

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