I first started thinking about self-publishing in 1999. I think it would be fair to say I didn't rush into it. I made the first post on this blog in 2006. Last year I made my first foray into self-publishing per se, an ebook available only via my website as a free pdf.
Now I am on the verge of my first foray into fee-charging self-published fiction. 'Collected Veinglory' is an anthology of short stories, mostly reprints. I have the cover art and the stories copy-edited and returned. The track changes are, as yet, unexamined.
I feel a strange reluctance to go through and make the final edits. After all these years lurking at the margins, here I go. I know I will make the usual newbie mistakes. I am sure there will be typos I missed, formatting problems, delays and frustrations.
It is exciting but also a little daunting, like any new endeavor but there comes a point where research and preparation turn into procrastination and prevarication. Any advice out there for a long time listener, first time publisher, about to make the leap?
8 comments:
Yeah - a good editor is worth their weight in gold.
Don't sweat any mistakes too much. Publishing your first book will be a learning experience.
Your story sounds familiar. I've been hanging around self-publishing groups for years and started out by posting free stories to my website. Earlier this year, I finally took the plunge and published a book through LSI/Kindle/Smashwords/etc. My second book came out last week. I did it, and so can you.
You cannot proofread too many times. Four of us went through Stranger than Fiction and a few mistakes still crept through.
I was secretly wondering if you would ever take the plunge.
I said to a friend last week, show me a writer who can get through a day without at least one typo and I'll show you a stink bug who plays the violin in purple stockings. Even mainstream books have editorial issues. Best advice I can give is to have other eyes look at it before you click "done."
And the other thing about Indie Authors is that we are fearless. Not a day goes by that I am not flailing on the floor about something, but it doesn't stop me.
I say - Go For It! I self-published my first novel entirely AT HOME. I bought the necessary equipment to create quality paperbacks and it was cheaper than having 500 books printed at a local printer. Since then, I've self-published two other books using the same method. The nice thing about this method is I CAN go back and fix anything I find.
Now, I've found an online company that is even cheaper than doing it myself. Not as gratifying but I've already made my own books from scratch.
Good luck and HAVE FUN.
JC
Nice to see you finally joining all the other lemmings! I look forward to reading the finished work. Best of luck!
-Shannon
I'll second Chris' suggestion. But even if you don't hire an editor, just having a second pair of eyes look over the ms is a huge help. Reading it out loud helps too.
I waited a few years after completing my novel before plunging into self-publishing late last year. I endured many a rejection letter from an agent who didn't read anything I'd written other than the query letter (if that). Considering how turbulent the entire publishing is right now, I'm glad I didn't wait any longer. You'll be glad you did it.
I just submitted my finalised interior and cover files to Createspace. One step closer....
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