I’m getting ready to self-publish in January.
While part of me is excited, I confess another part had hoped to begin with traditional, aka New York, publishing. I wanted an actual publisher’s name on the spine, like Avon. I came close many times, in the form of revision letters different editors at different publishers sent for different manuscripts. But given the rapidly changing market, I decided to move ahead with self-publishing for some projects, and may continue to pursue New York with others. I’d read several books and taken several workshops on self-publishing, yet each step in the process was a challenge for me, reminding me of killing cockroaches. Each time I thought I had it all figured out, I’d find something else I needed to learn about and incorporate.
From working with a designer on my covers to finding a copy editor to writing the front and back matter, I researched options and best practices. If a step seemed particularly frustrating, I admit to putting it off. To make sure I moved forward, I chose a release date: January 2015. I posted on Facebook to put the goal in writing.
Now I’m preparing the manuscripts to send to a formatter. I’m working on some pre-release publicity ideas and revising the next manuscript. When they’re formatted, I have to figure out how to upload them to the various sites.
I know some authors who are doing very well with self-publishing, while others aren’t. Will my time, effort, and expenses for services I farmed out pay off? I sure hope so.
Time will tell.
