Oh, the Mistakes I’ve Made

Or Self-Inflicted Pain.

For various reasons, I chose to self-publish rather than seek an established publisher, principally for flexibility as well as to maintain creative control. I’m no longer sure that the fears driving my decision were founded. But here I am.

Regardless, self-publishing remains the best option for many simply because publishing houses are shrinking and getting harder to enter, while S-P is growing in credibility and reward. (If you do get into a publishing house, be prepared to do a lot of your own marketing, starting yesterday.)

Meanwhile, I’m mucking my way along and making avoidable and expensive errors involving ARCs, editors, covers, ISBN#s, newsletters, feedback, launching, etc. 

I trust my list of pain—and the few things I did right—coming over the next weeks will ease your way.

I’ll start by challenging you to examine your reasons for self-publishing because this avenue is a regular and demanding job, on top of the regular and demanding job of writing and whatever else it is that you do–like a regular and demanding job, and/or kids.

So while it’s scary to have the people around us read the words we’ve carefully put down, it’s very scary to put those words on the market for strangers to read. 

But when someone gets it, when someone loves what you’ve written, when someone is impacted, it’s an amazing feeling. 

So whatever you decide, BE BRAVE. 

And develop a thick skin.