Saturday, May 11, 2013

10 For The Money: Self-publishing Success

Kindle: How you can make a million writing your own e-book | Mail Online

I'm obsessed with self-publishing right now (thank you preggo nesting instinct - you've done wonders for me!). The result: I think I made a crazy decision. Maybe it's too late and the opportunity passed me by. We'll see. My intuition says no.

Alright, actually two decisions.

And yeah, both are crazy. That said, I'm going to have to frame the associated posts right, which means I'm going to have to take my time. These involve publicity and personal experience as well as hot button current events.

Yes, those. Love those.

I don't want to be known as *that* writer lady, but I'm comfortable with the resulting associations if it means I can get somewhere new, allowing me to do things I haven't been able to do before.

I'm being cryptic. It's on purpose. Please humor me.

I keep reading articles and blogposts about what to do and not to do in self-publishing. My conclusion? I can't listen to all the advice because frankly I can't afford it. Professional cover design? Forget it. Professional editing? *cough* I'll get right on that! *walks away*

Instead, I'm strictly DIY. It's a bit crazy, in that high testosterone reckless risky way for which I'm known (thanks Mom!). It's undeniably American (my bootstraps are being pulled!). But after all the cards are on the table, it's what I've got.

What I can work on is getting better. I can work on better development, language use, and voice. I can work on spotting things more quickly. I can learn more about formatting and graphic design (or manipulation). I can learn more about the kind of publicity I can do that won't make me want to shoot myself in the face or take up my entire day keeping me from writing. Those things I can do.

Through this, I can publish more. Publishing more is what seems to make the difference across the board. For someone as prolific as me, it's asinine to only have three books out (okay, it's beyond that - it's self-sabotage!).

The more I read, the more convinced I am that I'm doing the right thing. I just can't let anyone or anything send me down the spiral of self-doubt into self destruction. I've got limited time before kiddo arrives. I've got things to do. Let's see if these books actually go somewhere and my ideas about publicity pan out (and you'll know what I mean when they come out - these posts will be ridiculously flamboyant).

So here's to getting those books out! More importantly, thank you for suffering through these mini pep talks with me. I totally need them, and hopefully they help someone else in the same situation. I can dream, right? :-)

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