Rachel McGrath's Blog - Posts Tagged "writing"

When I first contemplated publishing my book, I immediately looked to work with an established publisher. Someone who could take my manuscript and wonderfully produce a book that would suddenly skyrocket with hundreds of book sales! I was fortunate to be able to work with an experienced publisher through those initial phases, and their support and guidance was comforting for the naïve author that I was entering this unknown world.

Nonetheless, I had completely underestimated the industry, where there are literally millions of books available in each genre, and the market is incredibly competitive. On top of that, the amount of effort, time and emotion that goes into producing a manuscript far outweighs the return you initially receive in book sales. This is particularly true when you remove distribution and retailer fees. It is quite heart-breaking actually!

This is truly a profession of passion; and not a lucrative vocation.

I had certainly never expected this to be a ‘money spinning’ opportunity. I write because I love to create stories, and even more so, I thoroughly enjoy the feedback I receive from my stories. It is about the connection for me, and wonderfully I have been able to connect with many people all over the world through my stories. That is inspiring!

So where does this lead?

Who knows! What I can say is that I have now officially ventured into the world of self-publishing with my new book, ‘Mud on your Face’. There is a certain sense of achievement that I have found in firstly writing this book, but now seeing it right through to production and public sale. The knowledge that I have taken full control and the onus is on me; success or failure. This is something that has certainly invoked a greater passion inside of me for this wondrous and challenging industry.
I am excited about this new world I have entered!