Things have definitely been dying down and I'll admit... I've seriously slacked off lately in the book promotion area. But surprise! I'm still alive, and so is the book, the publisher, and the supporters!
Speaking of surprises, what better time to hear about your book being mentioned in the paper than right now? I admit I almost forgot all about it when I was told...what a nice little bonus! (See the article here)
It's been exactly 8 months and 22 days since It Wasn't Me! was published. Wow! It doesn't seem that long ago that I was binding together the original book with yarn. ;)
It's a new year, and January flew by! For my birthday this month, how about some new followers?! Share, share, share!!
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Saturday, July 23, 2011
A Realization
I realized something. I would say "I realized something today," but that would be lying, because I realized it a while ago.
Self publishing is lame.
At the beginning, it seemed like a good idea. Maybe. I guess self-published authors just choose the route for their own reasons-- I know that when I started, the pros I saw in self-publishing were creative control, time-sensitivity, and a way to test the market. Was it too good to be true? Because after committing to a publisher (which I found you should never do without looking at all the options first), I found that these things I had been looking for did nothing but vanish. In fact, I might even build up enough courage to say that--they backfired.
Backfired? Self-publishing was supposed to be time-sensitive and author-controlled, so why did I end up investing so much time in my book? Why did I end up with no complete control? Oh, right. The fine print:
Self-publishing is time-sensitive and author-controlled if the author is willing to invest extensive time and money.
There was an if. OH. I did make up this "fine print" as a generalization, but is it not true? If you want this, you have to do this and this and this. That's the way life works. So I guess I have no reason to be disappointed.
I'm not disappointed, though. Just a little...discouraged. Now that I know how much work publishing and marketing is, do I really want to do this again? Maybe with a real publishing company... So I guess the last supposed benefit--a way to test the market--only counts as a benefit if your "test" comes back positive. Wait, if the test comes back positive, isn't that bad news? How ironic.
I'm not saying that self-publishing is never a good idea. It's just not for everyone. If you're a writer, your satisfaction shouldn't come from, say, how many books you've sold. If you're a writer, and I mean, really a writer, your satisfaction should come from--what do you think? Writing.
I guess what I'm really trying to say is... self-publishing can be lame. It just depends on how you go about it. Either that, or how you define "lame."
Self publishing is lame.
At the beginning, it seemed like a good idea. Maybe. I guess self-published authors just choose the route for their own reasons-- I know that when I started, the pros I saw in self-publishing were creative control, time-sensitivity, and a way to test the market. Was it too good to be true? Because after committing to a publisher (which I found you should never do without looking at all the options first), I found that these things I had been looking for did nothing but vanish. In fact, I might even build up enough courage to say that--they backfired.
Backfired? Self-publishing was supposed to be time-sensitive and author-controlled, so why did I end up investing so much time in my book? Why did I end up with no complete control? Oh, right. The fine print:
Self-publishing is time-sensitive and author-controlled if the author is willing to invest extensive time and money.
There was an if. OH. I did make up this "fine print" as a generalization, but is it not true? If you want this, you have to do this and this and this. That's the way life works. So I guess I have no reason to be disappointed.
I'm not disappointed, though. Just a little...discouraged. Now that I know how much work publishing and marketing is, do I really want to do this again? Maybe with a real publishing company... So I guess the last supposed benefit--a way to test the market--only counts as a benefit if your "test" comes back positive. Wait, if the test comes back positive, isn't that bad news? How ironic.
I'm not saying that self-publishing is never a good idea. It's just not for everyone. If you're a writer, your satisfaction shouldn't come from, say, how many books you've sold. If you're a writer, and I mean, really a writer, your satisfaction should come from--what do you think? Writing.
I guess what I'm really trying to say is... self-publishing can be lame. It just depends on how you go about it. Either that, or how you define "lame."
Monday, June 13, 2011
Book Signing...and More
Moving on to marketing has been lots of fun, but definitely hectic! My first book signing has been scheduled at a local Barnes & Noble. See the right side bar for details. Share this with family and friends--especially those with children or those who simply appreciate children's literature!
Already read the book? Leave a review at any of the pages listed to the right under "Available Now"!
Check out an awesome review of It Wasn't Me! by a wonderful book blogger at Suko's Notebook here.
Already read the book? Leave a review at any of the pages listed to the right under "Available Now"!
Check out an awesome review of It Wasn't Me! by a wonderful book blogger at Suko's Notebook here.
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