My First and Last Month as a Self-Publisher
After finishing the novel, after finding a guardian angel of an editor and equally angelic buddy to collaborate on a kick-ass cover, after uploading it all for free and then seeing it in the flesh—for sale on Amazon! After paying for page advertising on Facebook, inviting y'all, and figuring out my niche marketing strategy on the local level...I'm out of self-publishing, flipping the script, doing a 180.
I was committed to giving it a try, from the first time I realized how easy and accessible self-publishing had become. It even helped motivate me to chase down the 'big book' dream for the second time in my forty short years. I knew I would have to pivot to self promoter once the book was done, and I embraced the fact that it's either this way or in the form of sending out a thousand query letters, as a nobody! But now that I gave it the old one-time...I miss writing! I want to write the second book. I don't want to sit at the computer with a sense of dread, that once I log on I have to, ugghh!—promote myself. I want to sit down and jump back into the adventure, that's it.
I'm not going to gripe that the industry is still the same monolith of inaccessibility, I will admit that I want and need the help though. I'll send out the query letters and court the gatekeepers, and let the cards fall where they will, but I won't stop the adventure!
Its always a bit of a bitch when you're reminded that you will struggle as many of your literary heroes did. It also redirects you to why you do the same. There are no free lunches, it is what it is and I'm fine with that. Having arrived at that conclusion is what also helped clarify what is most important for this author. I don't know how much longer "Planet California" will remain available on Amazon since I retired the sales channels. If you are interested in a copy message me and i'll send you a copy for cost via Paypal. "The Chronicles of Ezra", the sequel to 'Planet' is a few chapters deep. I'll be sharing excerpts once I get a chance to edit them. For now I'm simply obeying the fundamental rule of flow: just write damnit!
I was committed to giving it a try, from the first time I realized how easy and accessible self-publishing had become. It even helped motivate me to chase down the 'big book' dream for the second time in my forty short years. I knew I would have to pivot to self promoter once the book was done, and I embraced the fact that it's either this way or in the form of sending out a thousand query letters, as a nobody! But now that I gave it the old one-time...I miss writing! I want to write the second book. I don't want to sit at the computer with a sense of dread, that once I log on I have to, ugghh!—promote myself. I want to sit down and jump back into the adventure, that's it.
I'm not going to gripe that the industry is still the same monolith of inaccessibility, I will admit that I want and need the help though. I'll send out the query letters and court the gatekeepers, and let the cards fall where they will, but I won't stop the adventure!
Its always a bit of a bitch when you're reminded that you will struggle as many of your literary heroes did. It also redirects you to why you do the same. There are no free lunches, it is what it is and I'm fine with that. Having arrived at that conclusion is what also helped clarify what is most important for this author. I don't know how much longer "Planet California" will remain available on Amazon since I retired the sales channels. If you are interested in a copy message me and i'll send you a copy for cost via Paypal. "The Chronicles of Ezra", the sequel to 'Planet' is a few chapters deep. I'll be sharing excerpts once I get a chance to edit them. For now I'm simply obeying the fundamental rule of flow: just write damnit!
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