Enter to win a copy of 'Seven Days Normal' at the following link:
http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/42450-seven-days-normal-a-story-of-fame-addiction-and-love
Friday, January 18, 2013
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Fresh Fiction Blog Guest
Here's the link for my guest blog post on the Fresh Fiction website! Happy reading everyone!
http://freshfiction.com/page.php?id=4674
My Thoughts on Self Publishing
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year! We did at the Wilson residence, with our baby Scout turning one and having her first Christmas morning within days of each other. I'm still tired! But I wanted to post about a certain topic because I've been asked this question numerous times within the last few weeks: 'Would I have self published had I not gotten picked up by a publisher?'
My answer friends, is a big, fat NO!!
Don't judge me yet; I certainly don't want to give the impression that I'm too good for such a thing, or not humble enough to admit there are many good writers out there who have gone the self publishing route. My reasons are simple- so simple that it's kind of laughable really.
First reason: self publishing intimidated me more than submitting to a publisher.
Second reason: I was not in a hurry to get published, at least not in the literal sense of the word.
Why intimidated?
Well, I won't lie. I did a little research on it. My dad has a friend who self published and told him to inform me that it was easier, you're in control, no contracts, yada, yada, yada. So I looked into it. But not for long. Ten minutes max, probably. I'm sure I didn't educate myself on the subject enough to eradicate the fear that made my gut tingle, but it seemed SO hard! Getting a printer, a distributor, and even a publicist to help you promote sounded downright scary to me. Not to mention the cost! It truly seemed too much for my amateur brain to handle. And truth be told, it still does. I would rather write a thousand query letters than to find a reliable distributor or a publicist who was dedicated to my work, just to name a few things.
So my hat goes off to those who take that leap, whether they're worth a darn at writing or not. Maybe I'm wrong, but it just seems like it takes a lot if bravery to self publish. Especially in today's market, where excellent writers get turned down left and right by the higher powers that be.
Then there's reason number two. When I say I wasn't in a hurry, well I wasn't. I kinda wanted to get a few rejections, simply for the feedback. When a publisher tells you the word count is too high, but the story is good, well, that's an encouragement and a place to improve and tighten up the story a bit(I was told this by two publishers and cut my word count in half!). I wanted as much advice and feedback from the professionals as possible. Yes, I got discouraged, but you have to take that emotion and use it to the benefit of your writing. Don't raise yourself on a self righteous pedestal and think you're too good for rejections. Utilize every one of them to hone your story into a great book. I was willing to wait years to be picked up, with the intention of starting on a new story. And another. And another.
So there is my answer. But please, if you want to self publish, go for it. I will say that the market is brutal. It's hectic, and impossibly aggravating at times, but I don't care who you are, to see a story you created in physical form in the palm of your hand is priceless. So do whatever your heart leads you to do to make it happen!
My answer friends, is a big, fat NO!!
Don't judge me yet; I certainly don't want to give the impression that I'm too good for such a thing, or not humble enough to admit there are many good writers out there who have gone the self publishing route. My reasons are simple- so simple that it's kind of laughable really.
First reason: self publishing intimidated me more than submitting to a publisher.
Second reason: I was not in a hurry to get published, at least not in the literal sense of the word.
Why intimidated?
Well, I won't lie. I did a little research on it. My dad has a friend who self published and told him to inform me that it was easier, you're in control, no contracts, yada, yada, yada. So I looked into it. But not for long. Ten minutes max, probably. I'm sure I didn't educate myself on the subject enough to eradicate the fear that made my gut tingle, but it seemed SO hard! Getting a printer, a distributor, and even a publicist to help you promote sounded downright scary to me. Not to mention the cost! It truly seemed too much for my amateur brain to handle. And truth be told, it still does. I would rather write a thousand query letters than to find a reliable distributor or a publicist who was dedicated to my work, just to name a few things.
So my hat goes off to those who take that leap, whether they're worth a darn at writing or not. Maybe I'm wrong, but it just seems like it takes a lot if bravery to self publish. Especially in today's market, where excellent writers get turned down left and right by the higher powers that be.
Then there's reason number two. When I say I wasn't in a hurry, well I wasn't. I kinda wanted to get a few rejections, simply for the feedback. When a publisher tells you the word count is too high, but the story is good, well, that's an encouragement and a place to improve and tighten up the story a bit(I was told this by two publishers and cut my word count in half!). I wanted as much advice and feedback from the professionals as possible. Yes, I got discouraged, but you have to take that emotion and use it to the benefit of your writing. Don't raise yourself on a self righteous pedestal and think you're too good for rejections. Utilize every one of them to hone your story into a great book. I was willing to wait years to be picked up, with the intention of starting on a new story. And another. And another.
So there is my answer. But please, if you want to self publish, go for it. I will say that the market is brutal. It's hectic, and impossibly aggravating at times, but I don't care who you are, to see a story you created in physical form in the palm of your hand is priceless. So do whatever your heart leads you to do to make it happen!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)