Good morning everyone. First, I would just like to say how thankful I am that Publetariat.com exists for those of us navigating the self-publishing world. I love the tag line: People who publish. Somewhere it seems like the people part of publishing got lost. No personalized rejection letters. Formulas instituted on genres based on sales, not the quality of the story. Obviously, these policies haven’t helped strengthen the community, but temporarily propped up the bottom line.
I have high hopes for the self-publishing/indie author movement. Last night, my husband and I sat at our kitchen table after the kids were in bed, both enjoying a beer. I explained what was going on in the publishing world. The traditional tasks performed by a publishing house–cover design, marketing, editing, typesetting–are being chopped up and provided by freelancers everywhere allowing authors to remain in control of their content and distribute freely to readers. He shrugged, popped open the top to another Dogfish Head and said "Sounds like open source to me."
I now have the full support of my husband in my self-publishing goals. We’re big supporters of open source technology, and he sees self-publishing as a way to improve information dissemination, even if we’re talking about fiction novels. I think it’s a great metaphor.
My goals are:
- Finish my first novel this summer, and publish a professional product this fall.
- Promote Imperfect Timing and begin working this winter on my second novel about a nurse with too much personal debt that inhibits her ability to find romance (no, not in a cute Confessions of a Shopaholic way).
- Publish second novel in spring. Begin work on third novel, possibly a sequel to Imperfect Timing.
Having a publication date, even one self-determined, reinforces my desire to be a professional author. My writing experience mainly comes from four years of writing non-fiction copy for websites, online newsletters, and internet publications. Literature has always been something I’ve devoured, studied, or critqued. I used my minor coursework electives in college to take English Literature classes.
I never thought I would be a writer, much less an aspiring novelist. Then again, I didn’t plan on moving every two-five years to support a husband in the military and needing a career that allowed me to stay home with my two children. Writing can literally pack up and follow me from Norfolk, Va to San Diego, CA, then back to the east coast in Charelston, SC. Despite living in three different places in four years, and about to move again in less than six month, I am very happy where I’ve landed. I have a family full of love and an escape from the kid’s table to the grown-up conversations in the next room.
Thank you for reading all the way to the end, and I’m very thankful to be joining the Publetariat.com community. And whatever you do, don’t reply. 🙂