But Why Self Publishing? by Savannah Chase
I want to start off by saying thank you to Lisa for inviting me to be a guest on her blog. It is a pleasure to be here. For those who don't know me, my name is Savannah Chase and I'm an author.
You've probably heard a lot of chatter about authors venturing off and taking on the self publishing route. Why are they doing that? Aren't they happy with their publishing houses?
Well I can't speak for everyone but I'm happy with the houses I'm at. For me the choice to self publish is not about happy or not happy. It is about doing something different. It's about taking another step in a new direction. I've talked to a lot of people about self publishing, and the most common answer is control and freedom. Another answer I hear was they wanted to branch out.
There are also people who have said they've decided to self publish because they were unable to find a publishing home for their book. So does that mean that every Dick or Jane who gets rejected can self publish? Well honestly, yes they can, but it's not as easy as you might think.
Just because you decide to take the self publishing road it doesn't give you the right to publish something unprofessional or half assed. Self publishing means you have a responsibility to make your work just as good as if you were putting it out with a traditional publisher.
You have to edit and check over to make sure that your finished product is as perfect as possibly can be. You have to put in a ton of time and effort into your book.
If you've followed my official blog you probably read about my publishing journey. If you haven't let me take this time to give you the short version.
This year I decided to try my hand with self publishing. Instead of releasing a book you can buy I decided to put out a very short story for free.
Why free?
I wanted to put something out for readers that they could get as a sort of thank you. I appreciate all the support and hard earned money people spend on my books. I wanted to do something special.
This was also my way to dip my toe into the water and see how things work in this whole indie world. Lovers Moan, the short story I put out has been out for a little over a week and so far most of the feedback I've gotten back from readers has been wonderful. That means a lot because putting out something on your own there is a bit more pressure. Or the author feels pressure to measure up and as one would say bring it on because they are stepping out on their very own.
Self publishing has been something new and amazing. It's taught me a lot about what I'm capable of doing and taking on.
It is a scary thing to get into when you've never done it. You have to find your own editor, and hire people to create a cover and proof read your work and so much more. It takes time and a lot of patience.
I've put out free reads on my site before, but have never done it in the self pub format.
The time came and I knew I wanted to refresh old stories I'd put out on my web site and bring them to life again, but this time make them accessible in more places.
The first venue that I released Lovers Moan was Smashwords and I hope to have it out on Amazon and other places soon.
With self publishing something for the first time there is a learning curve. The biggest one is getting the story file ready for all the different venues. That means having the format right. Everything takes time.
So far I've been lucky enough to have people who have taken the time to answer my questions and point me in the right direction.
So you might ask, is the control worth all the extra work and possible stress? Yeah it is because once you get the hang of the little things the rest is just getting everything in order.
Publishing traditionally you still have edits and proof reading to do. You are still responsible for your book. So that doesn't change when you publish on your own.
The difference now is that your responsibility is a bit larger and involves learning some new stuff. Through all the confusion and my multiple questions I've learned so much and hope to pass it on to the next person who comes around needing help. I'm no expert, far from it on self publishing but the knowledge I've gained I can always pass along.
I look forward to publishing more free stories and non free. Oh and don't worry I'm not going all Indie. You will still be seeing books from me via my publishers.
Lovers Moan by Savannah Chase
Publishing Date: March 12, 2012
Publisher: Savannah Chase
Genre: erotic romance, contemporary
Format: eBook
ISBN: 978-1-4658-3368-6
Price: FREE
Seduction never sounded so good.
Karina places an ad in the classifieds in the hopes of fulfilling a fantasy to bring pleasure with only the sound of her voice. But when a caller responds and engages her in a stimulating conversation, will she break the connection, or answer with a lovers moan?
If you would like more information on me and my work I invite you to come on by http://www.savannahchase.com or my official blog at http://www.savannahchase.com/blog
Filed under: Guest Blogger Tagged: Awesome Authors, Guest Post, Lovers Moan, Savannah Chase, Self-Publishing
