Self-Publishing Excitement!

For anyone tracking the self-publishing revolution, this is an exciting time! I thought that last month, but I swear, things just keep getting better. Virtually every day I find another self-published author online realizing their dream of sharing their fiction, and even selling their work!

Here are a couple of resources I'm keeping track of as I work to self-publish my first novella this summer:

• Smashwords: A free ebook self-publishing service, using automated technology to put your ebooks in the hands of readers real quick; potentially within hours. The most awesome platform ever. Seriously, if you have any skin in the publishing game, traditional or indie, it is a MUST to check out Smashwords. If you're traditionally published, this is what your model is competing against...in a name -- FREE AND FAST! And if you're Indie, you'd be nuts not to be excited about the potential here. Visit www.smashwords.com.
• A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: The publishing world is changing so rapidly right now, it's really hard to keep track. J.A. Konrath has made it his mission to help writers be aware of their opportunities. His blog has trumpeted the shift to authors holding the power, over their work, their pricing, and their future. Konrath also divulges details of his own experiments with the pricing of his self-published works and the results in terms of income. He's gotten other authors to share their secrets in this arena, too. Valuable information that's difficult to find, because most folks aren't as willing to talk about their personal finances. Thanks, Joe! Visit jakonrath.blogspot.com.

The more research I do, the more excitement I feel about the potential for self-publishing. No longer must our beloved manuscripts find their final resting place in some editor's slush-pile. You have the power, writer! So write! And when you've written (and revised, edited, rewritten, let it rest, revised and edited again -- because you can't skip these steps or no one will read your work) PUBLISH!

More About Me

Confession: I want it all.

I have a beautiful family, a husband and two small daughters, as well as the family dog. I have a successful career and the blessing of enjoying my day job. I'm interested in politics and world events. (And it could be a full-time job keeping up with developments in that arena lately.) I love food and feeding people, and spend lots of time in the kitchen.

And I've been drawn into the self-publishing revolution to realize my dream of writing fiction for an audience.

I've been a writer since childhood. Also an avid reader, I have always loved how words come together to bring a scene to life in my mind, whether it be someone else's fiction or my own. I began to pursue novel writing in my spare time right after finishing grad school in 2004 – when I found myself worrying that no career could keep me interested and satisfied for long. 

Fits and starts, and apparently years (where did those go?) later, I have over a thousand pages of manuscript, most of which will probably never see the light of day. Lots of it is good, but none of it is publishable. (I'll tell you more about the paranormal romance I'm publishing this year in another post.)

What have I learned through all this trial and error? A lot about my style, and myself – what gets me to kickin' ass, and what keeps me from being productive. I've learned to trick and organize myself into getting words from my brain to the page... and I'm still learning to follow through and finish what I start.

I've heard many writers say their first (or first few) novels didn't go anywhere – there's just too much of a learning curve, and by the time you're a good enough writer, you've damaged these first projects so badly that sometimes there's just no saving them. My very first book-length project is a story that I'm still very attached to. It sits in my drawer, a 500-page behemoth of a manuscript. Sometimes I get it out and begin to read through it lovingly, only to put it down soon after as the size of the thing breaks through my rose-colored glasses and I become daunted by my own vision. I love the story. It's a good story. But I didn't do it justice those first serious writing years, and I will not sacrifice my vision just to publish it. My husband, on the other hand, believes it would be cathartic to sever the cord and get it out there.

Maybe someday.

Why Blog?

This is my first venture into the blogging world... so why pursue a blog about writing when I have yet to release any fiction of my own?

Any writers out there know that writing, editing and releasing your fiction is a ton of work. Most of the time it's fun, but sometimes it's tedious and sometimes it's even lonely. I guess as I'm working on my first self-publishing experiences, I want to share. I'll talk about writing process, editing and revising, and let you know what's happening as I self-publish and for the first time become a published fiction writer.

The chatter about self-publishing right now is astounding, and inspiring. I've been drawn in, partly through self-interest, but also because it's amazing to watch the structure of publishing change before our eyes. It's awesome to see writers with the power, and readers able to find whatever they're interested in. The more the merrier -- it is an incredible time.

So I want to be a part of that!