Always a Work in Progress

Today it was brought to my attention that on the back cover of my latest novel, The River House, I put the wrong last name for my character Jack. I actually gave him the last name of one of my previous characters from The Wanderer, Max Abrams. Rather than quietly sweep that little boo boo under the rug and hope no one notices or draws attention to it, I've decide that this mix up offers me a perfect example for what self-publication is all about. When you're sitting down at a meeting, just you and your multiple personalties and the voices that live inside your head, mistakes happen. You may have a lot of characters living in your brain, but none of them see your typos as clearly as fresh eyes will. So, to the fresh eyes and the graceful nature of my readers, I thank you! This is all just part of a very intimate and personal experience, and I think that being open about that experience is crucial in achieving my goal of inspiring other writers by sharing the good, bad, and ugly bits of my own journey.

I would love to sit here and tell you that this is as easy as it looks on the surface level. Want to write a book, write a book, publish a book, wash, rinse, repeat. No hard work required. But that's just not how it goes. Being self-published means that you are drinking from a fire hose most days. You are writing, editing (professional editing costs roughly $2,000 for an 80,000 word book), formatting, commissioning cover designs, getting beta readers, cold calling reviewers, hosting giveaways, marketing, social media management, and producing your own book ultimately by yourself. The crazy thing is, self-published authors get a bad reputation because ONE person didn't decide to represent their book so instead they chose to represent themselves. You've heard the stories, this author was turned down 80 times by literary agents before getting picked up, that author was turned down 200 times. Landing a traditional publishing contract it somehow toted as PROOF that the story you wrote is any good, when the reality is, most self-published authors were turned down by less agents than your favorite best sellers, they just got sick and tired of seeking outside validation for a story they love so, that they turned their back on the traditional publication route and took their story into their own hands instead. Somehow that distinction has the reading world under the impression that this difference is what determines which industry has the best authors, when that's just not the case. I've read some TERRIBLE books by traditionally published authors, and I've read some AMAZING books by self-published authors. I like to think I've also written a few of them.

Being self-published is so freeing and so rewarding, but it comes with A LOT of work. Work that, understandably, most people don't want to do on their own. The writing is the fun part after all right?! Who has time to do EVERYTHING else?! Well, for me, I make the time because I love these stories and characters I've created SO MUCH. But, of course, I also make mistakes. It's impossible not to!

I encourage you, if you're a writer considering going the self-published route, not to be discouraged. Don't let your fears of making mistakes along the way stop you from reaching for your dreams. Keep seeking traditional publication if that's what speaks to you in your own writing journey. But if you're ready to hold your book in your hands NOW, then don't be afraid to do that too. I can only hope that you have awesome readers like mine who cheer you on and offer support and guidance along the way. It's just another beautiful bonus to this whole experience, the chance to really connect with your readers.

As for my little typo, let's just say, when I become a best selling author myself (and because I ain't no quitter, it's only a matter of time) those babies will sell for a pretty penny! Bonus if you've got a signed copy. So, if you don't already have an Ebay account, I suggest you create one ;).