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Monday, September 17, 2012

Taking the wheel: self-publishing

The School's In query contest was a huge success, I think it's safe to say. Since then, we've had two weeks of posts related to preparing your manuscript for submission and crafting those all-important pitches.

Taking the wheel of your writing career...
Which has left me a bit uncertain about what to do with my week at the helm. You see, I'm not submitting my manuscript to agents or editors. I'm self-publishing. 

That does not in any way let me off the hook with regards to polishing my manuscript, writing a good synopsis, or being able to pitch my story in two sentences or less. I still need to do those.  I also need to do a lot of other things, and they're intimidating at first glance.

They were not so intimidating to me. Here are my credentials: I've been making a living as a graphic designer for 15+ years now. That has included everything from concept to handing the plates to the pressman. I got into it by way of proofreading (trained to the Chicago Manual of Style) and I'm entirely self-taught. I was involved for far too long in the role-playing game industry as a small publisher. Srsly, I don't want to talk about it. But the experience has come in handy.

Whether self-publishing is the right choice for you -- I can't tell you that. But I'm going to share a few things about my adventure thus far (I'll be publishing Disciple, Part I: For Want of a Piglet, on November 1st, 2012, in my current plan) and hopefully they will help you decide. 

On Friday, I will field any questions posted in the comments or emailed to unicornbellsubmissions (at) gmail.com. Ask away!

11 comments:

Unknown said...

Looking forward to it, L. Always eager to hear what experiences others are having in publishing--be it self or otherwise. It IS all truly a 'choice' now. And choice is always awesome. :-)

David P. King said...

The thought of self publishing is looking like more and more of an option with each rejection. I'll be glad to hear of your self publishing journey. :)

mshatch said...

Definitely looking forward to this.

Unknown said...

Although I have a publisher, I do like the options that self-publishing gives. I will watch for your series.

Liz A. said...

Sounds like it should be an interesting week.

Miranda Hardy said...

Congrats on the upcoming book. I look forward to reading it, along with your journey.

Ink in the Book said...

I had a bad experience with a self publisher and then had a really really bad one with another one. I'm scared to try again.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I can't wait to hear your take on your adventure. I have taken both routes and feel I did the right thing.

Angela Ackerman said...

Congrats on taking the leap. It seems you've really thought about this and are doing it for the right reasons...I'm cheering you on!

Angela Brown said...

Self-publishing is not for everyone, but I try to encourage people to keep an open mind to the option of doing so.

I'm currently in the process of self-publishing my YA paranormal novel alongside my CP Gwen Gardner. At first glance, it seemed extra daunting. But we've since realized it can be very daunting if it isn't what you really want. Because it IS what we want, it's been exciting, fun and a bit nerve wracking considering whether people will like our books or not. But self-publishing was the way to go with our novels and we're both glad we chose to do it.

I wish you the best as you go through the process of self-publishing your novel L. :-)

dolorah said...

I've read several posts on the subject, and some sound downright scary - and expensive for certain aspects like purchasing an ISBN and several other things.

I look forward to your series.

......dhole