On Writing and Publishing: A Writer Shares Her Limited Knowledge!

INTRODUCTION

One of the things I’m asked about quite frequently is how I went about publishing my books, and how I market them. If you are self-published, you are the one who will write, edit and format your book. If you are traditionally published, you are still the one who will write, and edit your books. You’ll have an editor look at it and give you suggestions, but ultimately, it will be up to you to make sure the product out there on the market is the product you want your name on.

If you have self-published, you are your own marketing director. If you are traditionally published, guess what? You are still your own marketing director. I speak from experience, as well as from reading of others’ experience. Unless your name is Stephenie Meyer, Danielle Steele, or Stephen King, your publisher is not likely to run out and drop thousands of dollars on marketing your book. They can’t. It wouldn’t make sense for them financially. They can help you, give you ideas, arrange book signings, etc., but beyond that, it’s up to you.

So I decided I would run a series of articles on my blog addressing some of these things. I’ll start at the beginning (such as it is) and try to coherently follow each article with the next step in the process that I used. Of course, if I follow true to form, I’ll later remember things I forgot to include, so will include them in later articles, with a note to make you aware of these brain blips.

I would also invite those of you who wish to contribute to either add comments below the articles, or if you’d like to guest blog on a specific subject, I would absolutely love to have you. I’ve added the “sign-up by email” feature on here for those of you who want to see the articles, but don’t want to have to search them out when I get around to posting them. I promise to never use your emails for any nefarious purposes, including but not limited to selling them to spammers.

Here is a basic outline of the articles I have planned (subject to change upon my whim):

1.       Introduction

2.       Writing: Where Ideas Come From

3.       Editing: A Necessary Nightmare, aka the Un-Fun Part of Writing

4.       Formatting: And You Thought Editing was a Nightmare!

5.       To Self-Publish or Traditionally Publish is the Question, and Just Where Can I Get it Done?

6.       The Price is Right, Right?

7.       Marketing Part I: Beginning to Market Your Book Without Breaking the Bank

8.       Marketing Part II: Selling Your Book—or Not—Without Sinking Into an Irreversible Depression

9.       Marketing Part III: Getting Yourself Interviewed, Reviewed, and How NOT to React to Criticism

10.   Marketing Part IV: Getting Your Name Out to Readers and Not Just Bloggers—As Wonderful and Necessary as They Are!

11.   When is Enough Marketing Enough, and When to Start Writing the Next Bestseller

Hopefully that will cover all of the areas that I pretend to know about. I do not in any way, shape, or form claim to be an expert in any of this. Hence, the free advice. And that’s exactly what it is—advice. Take it with a grain of salt, understanding that I can only speak from my own experience, and that what works for me may not work for you (or vice-versa), and that I am limited in my knowledge. I am constantly learning, and will come back with corrections, updates, or new ideas as I discover them.

So, with that disclaimer, let the games begin…oh, what am I saying? Other than the writing part, it’s all hard work! But absolutely worth it. I promise.