Why I Became a Self-Published Author - #PoweredByIndie

Back in 2008, the world of self-publishing was just getting off the ground and I was roleplaying on twitter with a TrueBlood group.  I was coming up with original characters  to go along with the ones that went along with the show, and the idea came to me!  Hey!  You know what?  I could write my own book about the characters I created!  Wouldn't it be great to make a story to share with the world that I was already spending hours playing online already?  I had a lot of free time on my hands, because I'd just been laid off my job in Respiratory, and my husband and I made the choice that I would stay home until our last child started school.

So I started researching book publishing and in 2009 I released my first book, A Night at Tears of Crimson (I've since rewritten and republished that book as simply Tears of Crimson).  I'll admit when I look at that book now, I'm amazed it sold the few copies it did. The formatting was horrible, the cover was not professional, and my writing?  Let's just say I've grown leaps and bounds since that first walk in the self-publishing world.  It took me two years to finally make a profit with self-publishing and there's a story to tell there which would take up pages, since I'm keeping it short, let's just say that book is no longer available.  Live and learn, right?

It's been a great ride, and hopefully, one that will last for years to come.  I built up a loyal group of readers through social media (I still haven't left the comfort of my home to promote books) and as long as they are still interested in what I'm writing, I'll keep going.  My books are contemporary romance and fall under an array of specific types of romance.  I guess that makes me a little quirky, but I've never settled on doing a particular type of romance.  One of the wonderful things about self-publishing is I don't have to!  From paranormal, erotic, new adult, to western, as long as it's romance I consider myself writing in the right genre.  I'm not sure a traditional publisher would allow that freedom.

Do I regret not going traditional, or at least pitching that way? Absolutely not!  I get to choose my own covers, what type of romance I want to write and promote to my heart's content the way I think it should be done.  Believe me when I say I've done everything that most sites tell you to avoid. It worked for me.  I live by my own set of rules when it comes to my work, and that makes me somewhat of an outlaw in this world.  Doesn't it?  Regardless, I love being able to get my work into the reader's hands without waiting for approval from someone else.  The truth is, no one knows what the public wants, except the public.  Who better to judge than the reader's buying the books?  That's why I became, and still am a self-published author.Thanks for joining us at Tears of Crimson. Home to Bestselling Author Michelle Hughes,and all the Friends of Crimson!