Big news today! I've been dancing around it over at the Gloss: talking about how disappointments can work in your favor and about how I 'm halfway through my list and it's time to go big or go home.
So what is this all about? Well, as I had the immense pleasure of announcing in a guest post on one of my favorite blogs today and on my second home the Gloss, I am publishing my first novel as an ebook and running it in serial on the Gloss each Friday.
It's an idea I had a couple of months ago when I was brushing my teeth. I remember thinking 'wait that's a great idea! No, wait. That's a terrible idea, it will never work.' But then I caught myself, I know that voice of doubt too well by now. I went straight to work and told three of my publishing buddies before I could talk myself out of it.
After many years of writerly solitude penning novels I loved very much but shared with almost no one, I've discovered through blogging just how good it feels to actually have my work reach readers. Every single time that someone comments on one of my posts or tells me in real life how much they like my work, it makes my day.
Is this how I imagined the publication of my first book? No. I imagined frenzied phone calls between my agent and an editor to strike a deal, making the rounds at the publishing house to which my book had been sold, giving the eager young publicists a knowing smile. Instead it's been a quiet process: an editor friend did my copy-editing, a tech-savvy pal helped me format it and a half dozen industry buddies helped serve as a mini think tank for decisions on the cover and the title.
It's been nice to watch it come together and mostly I think it just feels good to do something other than wait, wait and wait some more.
So, no more waiting. You can follow it on the Gloss or you can buy it here.
I'm feeling good dear readers, like maybe I'm the master of my fate after all.
Yay Andrea. I am so proud of you. Your blog is So funny and very entertaining. Congrats,
ReplyDeleteRonda
Good for you, Andrea. I'm looking forward to reading your book.
ReplyDeleteI'm re-posting the comment I made at your guest post on Betsy's blog here, in case you are no longer checking comments there. I think you partially answered my question already with this blog entry.
My question isn't so much about publicity, but I'd love another perspective.
I'm assuming you tried to get published the old-school way before taking the other road. I'm very attracted to self-publishing, but I think it's in part because I can dispense with the prospect of rejection altogether (I haven't submitted—or completed—anything yet, but I think the mere idea is freezing me) just by taking it to the streets. I know SOMEbody there will love me.
Is it foolish to just not even bother breaking into the traditional publishing world? Should I at least swing for the homerun before taking my ball home? It just seems like a long time to wait, and I'm almost fifty!
I guess I'm thinking that if I whore—I mean, promote myself and get a following (pretty sure I could sell a few thousand, just from my religious affiliations), the big boys will come knocking on my door, and I'll never have to risk rejection. Plus it would save a lot of time. Maybe that's crazy. Or maybe I'm a control freak. What do you think?
TP- I think that regardless of whether or not you decide to go the traditional or self-published route, your energies are well-spent trying to garner as much of an online following as possible.
ReplyDeleteI would have to know a lot more about you and your project before I could say which option is right for you but do recognize that you will have to spend more money up front to publish a quality book on your own as you will still need editorial, proofreading, cover design, publicity help etc.
I personally learned a lot from my first round of attempting to get published and I worked with a fabulous agent who helped me edit the book quite a bit. Oddly enough, it was the positive feedback from rejection letters that came from editors I really admire that made me feel like the book could stand on its own.
Rejection is a reality for a writer no matter what form they publish in so perhaps better to just make peace with that and keep on keeping on. Good luck!