Five things I’ve learned from self-publishing in the last year

I don’t pay attention to anniversaries much. Hell, I barely remember my own birthday most of the time. The Sperm Donor actually used to get mad at me because I’d forget his birthday or our anniversary. It happens. But my two year publishing anniversary just passed in May. My two year self-publishing anniversary is coming up in October. I can’t believe that it’s been two years since I started this wild ride. Sometimes, it seems like it’s only been a few days and other times, it’s like it’s been a decade. I’m so far from where I started. I have learned so much from so many people and yet, I feel like I know nothing. But at the very least, I can impart some small bits of wisdom on to you, my friends.

1. Write what you want to write.

Do you need to pay attention to the market? Yes. But just because you’re paying attention doesn’t mean that you ignore what you want to do. When I started, I was so in love with writing that I wanted to write anything and everything. And then I was introduced to the publishing industry and told that my books needed to fit into this nice little niche so they could go on this nice little shelf. I read books when I was very little thinking they were magical and that the people who wrote them had some secret door into the worlds they wrote where they were really true and these writers had that secret key to see that world. I wanted that key. I wanted to see my worlds and know that I could write anything and everything. Even books I really don’t want to write. They take me longer, so now I know to adjust my schedule, but I still know that I can do it.

2. Spelling, grammatical, and other mistakes will always be there.

I have a team of editors. I have CPs that will rip my books apart and tell me how they need to be better. I have two editors that go through my book with a fine tooth comb to find errors. And I have a proofreader that is more nitpicky than my tenth grade English teacher. All these people go through the drafts and yet, there are always things that all of us miss. It’s silly things too, like “and” instead of “an” or a misplaced name. The thing is… I’ve learned that clean books are ultimately my responsibility. I can have all the editors rake through that manuscript, but in the end, it’s got my name on it, and as an author, I can’t be sloppy.

3. Do what you love to do.

I guess this goes hand in hand with the “write what you love” bit above, but it’s a little different. Of course, people want to make money on their writing. It’s a dream to be a full-time writer for so many. Here’s the thing. I’ve been fired several times. Once for fighting. Looking back on it, I cringe. Once I got fired for writing on the job. I don’t cringe on that one. I think about it, and I smile, because I did finish that book. I’ll never let it see the light of day in its current condition, but I did finish it. That was the goal at the time. I think that even if I wasn’t making money at this, I’d still write. Maybe I wouldn’t be so prolific, or maybe I wouldn’t have had the courage to put it out in front of people. Writing is personal. It’s intimate. Part of my soul goes into every word I put on the page. This is why I love what I do. Because I can share that with the world and the world supports me in return.

4. I’m a workaholic and that’s okay, but everyone needs time away.

The biggest truth I’ve learned this year is that I love what I do and I would do it all the time if I could. So, no matter how much I cram into a day, there’s always something else that I need to do. Audiobooks have been on my radar for a while. Blogging is always there. I’m behind on recording my income for tax purposes. I could answer more emails in a day or spend more time on Facebook or explore foreign sales. What I have learned from this is that stepping away is okay. The work will always be there and it will never be completely done, and it’s okay to say goodnight and worry about it the next day. I now have a schedule for writing and for reading, and those two things take priority like any other job, but I still manage to watch Arrow and Doctor Who with the monsters who live with me.

5. Everything can be fixed.

This is one of the things I love about self-publishing. It will only take a few minutes to replace a book cover that’s not working, and in less than 24 hours, it’s updated on all the retailers. You can rewrite the blurb so it’s focused in a new direction. You can boost sales on a so-so book simply by uploading a new cover and announcing it to the world. Books are pliable things, not rigid. You can sell a novella, or a plus-sized novel side by side. Switch the categories, raise the price. Drop the price. Really, we all learn these things as we go. We learn what’s best for our book through trial and error.

But the best part? We do this and we love it. We love writing, and we love self publishing, for all of our own reasons.

Now. Here’s the bonus advice:

6. Stop reading this post and GO WRITE.

In fact, I’ll take that advice, too.