From the time I was eleven, I have loved writing stories. Initially, I wrote for my own pleasure. Then in a moment of brilliance, I found a number of publishers' addresses on the copyright pages of my favorite books and I sent them letters asking about the publishing process. I was thirteen at the time and the internet did not exist. To this day, I still have the two responses I received, one from Harper Collins and one from Little, Brown and Co.
I have always felt that the ultimate form of validation was to get the nod from a top notch agent and a major publishing house. Nevertheless, my fear of rejection kept me from submitting any of my manuscripts until seven years ago. Since then, I have worked diligently to develop a plot for a historical romance. I researched like I haven't researched since college. I wrote and submitted and shrugged off the rejections. I re-wrote and submitted to new agents, and shrugged off more rejections. Within the last seven months, I received more encouragement from a handful of agents than I have in the lase seven years. And yet, I now find myself swimming in the vast sea of indie writers.
I promised myself that I would not take the easy way out. I was convinced that self publishing was somehow less dignified than being an "official" writer with representation and a big check from a big publishing house.
And then I decided that I wanted to put myself out there. I wanted others to read my work. The bottom line is that I want to be a writer. I want to entertain readers.
Now that I am officially self-published, I realize that it isn't easy at all. It's kind of kicking my ass. I come home from work and check all of my social networking sites. I feel a need to tweet and blog and sit staring at a blank screen. What do I write? I'm trying to market my first book on KDP, not give the world an update on my Chutes and Ladders victory or my continued struggles in the kitchen. In the last week, I've sold nine books, and I've done a little jig o' joy for each and every one of them. I have written six pages for my new book but have spent three hours each night networking and trying to market BONDS OF A MATRIMONY.
I definitely do not subscribe to the Us-Against-Them mentality when it comes to agents and publishers. But I must say that I love having control over my sales. I love listening to feedback from readers and having the option of making revisions to my novel. The thrill I get from logging in and checking my total sales can totally make my day. And the pride I take in being able to manage a website, a blog, and multiple social networking sites truly does make all the hours worth it. And on top of it all, I get to create my own world with my own protagonists and villains and love interests. This truly is spectacular!
No comments:
Post a Comment