Like Jumping off a Cliff

Once again I tried getting ahead of myself!  Before I get into the different antagonists of my novel, perhaps I ought to tell you why decided to self publish.  After all, someone's bound to ask me sooner or later!

So, here I was with a finished novel and I wasn't quite sure what to do with it.  Do I send it to a publishing house?  Try to find an agent?  Send query letters...after I figure out how to write one that is.  And I knew that all this took time.  One of the pages I follow on Facebook, Saints Not Sinners had recently been telling us how he was going to publish his book straight to Kindle.

I didn't think too much of it at first.  Until I was sitting with a finished novel on my hands and a sequel unfolding at the same time.  I thought...should I try it?  I looked into it first, to make sure there were no hidden fees.  I mean, that was always my first thought when I considered self publishing...it takes money.

Not anymore!

Amazon makes it really kind of easy.  Publish straight to the Kindle and there's no cost involved.  Easy peasy.  Just like jumping off a cliff.

I hemmed and hawed for weeks, stuck in indecision.  Was self publishing some kind of cop out because I didn't want to face rejection letters?  Was it the same?  It came to me one morning, that I either believed in my story or not.  As simple as that.  So I took the plunge  I still face the possibility of rejection...not from agents and editors.  Friends, family, readers in general...are far more scarier!  Granted, I haven't heard too much negative yet, but it's bound to come.  I know I'm not going to be everyone's cup of tea and I'm ok with that because I know I'm going to be somebody's cup of tea!

And then there were those friends and family members who don't have a Kindle.  They wanted a chance to read it too.  So I dug a little deeper and found I could do the same with CreateSpace.  The cost for the printing of the book comes out of the list price, you couldn't ask for it to be easier!

Until you take into consideration everything I didn't think of until afterwards...like marketing the book!  It has been a learning experience, and I'm glad I did it.  I'm learning the ins and outs of all the social media I ignored before, like Twitter and Pinterest.  I've met some really cool people in the process as well.

This will happen.  It is happening!