Friday, May 8, 2015

Self Publishing . . . here I come!

Well... I'm finally doing it. I'm self publishing! 

WAHOOOOOO!!!!!

My book, The Sirens of Falkeld, is already available for pre order on Amazon (HERE, if you're interested), and will be coming out June 15th. HOW COOL IS THAT?!?!?!!!

You guys. Despite all the extra stress and work... I'm actually crazy excited about this! Which is weird, cause, I'll be honest... self publishing wasn't exactly an avenue I originally considered for myself. Because it kinda has a stigma... you know? (Come on. I KNOW you know.) The stigma that "Well obviously she wasn't good enough to publish the REAL way, soooo .." << Yeah. THAT one. 

I admit. I bought into that sentiment for a long time.

*ducks the rotten tomatoes* 

I WAS WRONG, OKAY?! I ADMIT IT!!

Over the years, I've gotten to know many self published writers--a few of which have become very good friends!! They're brilliant wordsmiths. Their books are amazing. And they are SO courageous!! Though them, I quickly began to see self publishing in a very different light. (Though, it still took me a little while to work up the courage to do it myself!) 

Listen, you guys. The industry is changing. Amazon and its e-book warriors are causing a massive shake up in the publishing world. And WHO KNOWS where things will all end up? Isn't it exciting?! I think so! I loved what THIS Forbes article had to say about things. If you haven't read it yet, I suggest you do! It wasn't like this article made my decision for me or anything. But it DID help tip me over the edge solidly into "Yes, this is the path for me!!" territory!

That and a couple of really awesome already-well-on-their-way-to-greatness self pub-ed authors (ahem, here's lookin' at you, Barb and Sarah!) who were incredibly inspiring and who bent over backwards to help me in my own process!! (Thanks ladies... you're AMAZING!!)

So I'm doing it. I'm self publishing. Already, I love having the final say in what goes into my work . . . I love designing the cover art . . . I love not having to worry about freakin' word counts . . . I love that I don't have to wait three years to see my work out there . . . I love, love, LOVE that I'm going to be able to start getting readers NOW!! It's all so exciting, and I'm thrilled to be a part of it! 

Goodbye query letters, hello readers!! 

What are your thoughts on self publishing, dear readers? Are you as excited about all the industry changes as I am? 

7 comments:

prerna pickett said...

what a beautiful cover! Will have to check it out!

Unknown said...

Oooo! Thank you, Prerna!! I can't take the credit... my cover artist is Ahh-MAZ-ing!!

Terry Lee said...

100% behind you! You go lovely girl:)
I've tried it both ways and am a lot happier knowing what's happening with my books. Good for you Jules!

Unknown said...

You're so awesome, Mamma Terry! THANK YOU!!

And yes, it's SO nice being "in charge" of everything. Stressful--true dat--but also really satisfying. I'm glad I went this route with Sirens.

Rachel Pattinson said...

That's great news :)!! I was exactly like you, but then I decided to take the plunge and self-publish and I'm so glad I did - I absolutely love the indie author community! Wishing you the very best of luck with your book!

Rachel :)
Rachel's Ramblings - full of writing, tea and cake

Unknown said...

Thank you, Rachel!! And yes, I'm loving it too! It's like I'm getting this glimpse into a secret world... the secret world of indie publishing (Oooo... that sounds like a blog post title o something! Haha!) It's so fun getting to know other writers, and the support has been overwhelming!! I've been missing out, FOR SURE!!

Anonymous said...

I love your cover. We have so many options these days. I'll check out the article.

Musica