Deciding To Self Publish
Like most writers, I've been keeping a close watch on the changes in the publishing industry. Borders is swirling the drain. Dorchester is dicking authors left and right. It's a crazy world out there.
For me, the decision to take a plunge into the waters of self-publishing wasn't a quick one. I hemmed and hawed about it for months. I'm very happy with my epublishing career. I have a growing audience of readers who often send me such amazing emails. My sales are solid (and sometimes super crazy fabulous) and I really enjoy my relationships with most of my editors. There have been hiccups here and there. Missing checks and 1099s that never arrive–smallish stuff like that. I've been lucky to avoid the major epublishing meltdowns and feel very comfortable with the way my digital career is going.
That said, even epublishing has its boundaries. There are certain story lines that will never sell without major revisions. There are places you just can't go. Sometimes, those are the places I really, really want to visit. Naughty places. Dark places. Deliciously dirty places.
Self-publishing gives me the option of writing whatever I want without worrying about how to squish it into the marketing box. I can write about fetishes and kink and domestic discipline. Or I can write straight up vanilla monogamous love stories a la Harlequin/Mills & Boon. The possibilities are endless.
Having been a part of online romance communities like Romance Divas for years, I'm dialed into a great network of editors and cover artists. I'm able to ask questions and learn what works and what doesn't. I didn't go into this blind and hoping to get rich quick. (Ha!)
So my overall plan is simple: diversify. I'll continue to publish with my epublishers and maybe even try again for New York (commercial) publishing. I'll self-publish three or four or five long short stories (10-20K) and novellas. I'll sell more short stories for anthology calls. Heck, I might even do a little nonfic freelancing on the side.
It's a brave new world out there–and I'm wading in!
For me, the decision to take a plunge into the waters of self-publishing wasn't a quick one. I hemmed and hawed about it for months. I'm very happy with my epublishing career. I have a growing audience of readers who often send me such amazing emails. My sales are solid (and sometimes super crazy fabulous) and I really enjoy my relationships with most of my editors. There have been hiccups here and there. Missing checks and 1099s that never arrive–smallish stuff like that. I've been lucky to avoid the major epublishing meltdowns and feel very comfortable with the way my digital career is going.
That said, even epublishing has its boundaries. There are certain story lines that will never sell without major revisions. There are places you just can't go. Sometimes, those are the places I really, really want to visit. Naughty places. Dark places. Deliciously dirty places.
Self-publishing gives me the option of writing whatever I want without worrying about how to squish it into the marketing box. I can write about fetishes and kink and domestic discipline. Or I can write straight up vanilla monogamous love stories a la Harlequin/Mills & Boon. The possibilities are endless.
Having been a part of online romance communities like Romance Divas for years, I'm dialed into a great network of editors and cover artists. I'm able to ask questions and learn what works and what doesn't. I didn't go into this blind and hoping to get rich quick. (Ha!)
So my overall plan is simple: diversify. I'll continue to publish with my epublishers and maybe even try again for New York (commercial) publishing. I'll self-publish three or four or five long short stories (10-20K) and novellas. I'll sell more short stories for anthology calls. Heck, I might even do a little nonfic freelancing on the side.
It's a brave new world out there–and I'm wading in!
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