Self-Publishing, Why So Confusing?

One thing I didn't understand when I decided to self-publish is there are so many options to choose from. I did know what I wanted and found a self-publishing company that offered the services I felt that met my needs at the time. I do have a clear understanding now in arears of all these options and realize I did do what was right for my book at the time, beginners luck I suppose. Consider yourself self-published if you go any other route than with a traditional publisher. (You may actually have it published far sooner then waiting around buried in rejection letters - ha!) Out of the muck I've found three ways to go when self-publishing; 1) become your own publishing company, 2) find a publishing company that does the setup work for you, finds a printer to print your books, and then you pile them in your basement and do the rest yourself, or, 3) find a print on demand (POD) company that offers a combination of services that fit into your vision for your book. Regardless of which way you go, plan on spending a lot of time to get the book published. The marketing is pretty much left to you, although some self-publishing companies do offer some services, for a price! Don't be fooled, if you do end up publishing with a traditional publisher, marketing your book will still be pretty much be left up to you as well... I read about Joe Writer, he found a traditional publishing company to publish his book, ended up not selling many of his books, but at least was able to say he was published by a "real" publisher. Poor Joe! And surprisingly enough if you do self-publish, and market your book well, traditional publishers will take a closer look at you if you do decide to try to submit your work later. Personally I'm satisfied that I self-published, it's been rewarding, I've learned a lot and I'm proud to have accomplished what many people never will. I'm going to leave you with this book, 3rd edition, of The Fine Print of Self-Publishing, by Mark Levine, Copyright 2008. It is priceless and should be a must-read if you are considering self-publishing! http://bit.ly/aCUosS I will go into more detail about the three ways in my next post on self-publishing. And oh, by the way, check out my website, www.suzantylerdecker.com to learn more about my 1st self-published book - Johnny Green and the Little Green Man!

The God of Recycling

Wow! When I saw all the boxes last night I broke into a cold sweat! It seems like I've been waiting for this day for such a long time, and it's finally come! Just look at the tower of boxes. It's really exciting...the books are in my garage...just like other authors! Now to go through the list, one for this person, 10 for this shop, 6 for these libraires...I know I'll be down to a small box once the count is over. Spreading the word about recycling through a little boy, Johnny Green, is so satisfying - a ritual we should all be taking part in daily, recycling that is. The cans go here, the bottles go here and the paper goes in this pile. Just like sorting through the books. I think there is a God of Recycling that watches us to see what we are going to do with that piece of junk mail that the mailman delivers us. Now, once people read Johnny Green, they will always sense the presence of the God of Recycling! How could you not with a story as unbelievable as this! You can order your book through Xlibris, or wait and order it from Amazon or B&N in the near future! Enjoy it!

Rewind - Self-Publishing

I recently attended a Writers Conference and attended a session called the Art of Blogging. I thoroughly enjoyed her presentation and have decided to apply some of what I learned, or at least make an attempt. We are all writers and writing about something that we are passionate about is a good place to begin. I think that's what blogging must be all about. Reading others blogs, I find are always so much more interesting then mine. Why? I'm not sure I've attempted to put my heart into what I write, rather just something to fill the page. So, I'd like to write about a subject that I've become very passionate about over the last couple of years, as practice, and hope that both you and I will find helpful information and take pleasure in reading it.

Self-publishing? Are you considering this route? Have you researched what it is all about and the different options you have? WOW! There are so many! After considering where I've been and where I want to go, I'm going to take time to revisit where I've been, this crazy trip of self-publishing I've been on. Why? To not only re-read myself as a reminder going forward, but also to leave my footprint so that those that might be trying to figure it out for themselves have a clue of what's ahead, perhaps with a little more confidence, or of course, take a totally different route. I'm only going to leave a little at a time, because I was told that you should only write about three paragraphs at a time, well here are two already. And, how can you really say much in just a few short paragraphs.

So - my plan is to start at the beginning as I attempt to rewind two years, I'll call this 'my post journaling'.....when Johnny Green was a thought, when he spilled out on paper, then the long time in between and how it all finally became a book on recycling for children. If I only knew then what I know now....how many times have you said that in your life? Well, the long time in between is what I'm going to spend time writing about.

Come back! This should be fun!