And now for the news!
Some highlights from this month in the world of self-publishing!
It’s always exciting when self-published works are associated with, well, anything “high-brow,” and this week Highbrow Magazine’s syndication of NewsUSA covered the story of Jess Michaels, a successful author who just happens to have made her break through self-publishing after previously publishing a number of titles via traditional means. Says Michaels, “I’d begun developing an audience for my books and wanted to try something different. Authors I respected had success and greater control over their work with self-publishing, so I was eager to try it for myself.” Going self-published after completing her pre-existing book deals allowed Michaels to target the audience she knew she most wanted to reach, and to do so with full command over the hows and the whens and the whats. The article, in addition to covering Michaels’ story, advocates for those still considering their options to think about self-publishing’s benefits in respect to three things: creative control, speed to market, and proportional rights and royalties. “Who knows? Maybe the best-seller list is closer than you think,” write the article authors: the perfect happy ending to our romance with self-publishing!
In another success story made good, WHO TV out of Des Moines, Iowa, recently published an article by Megan Reuthers about Iowa author Nicholas Sansbury Smith. Smith, whose works mostly live on the postapocalyptic fiction shelf, has quite the writing work ethic: he sits down for ten hours a day and turns out four to five completed books a year by doing so. (We’re not jealous! We promise! OK, we’re jealous of that work ethic.) His works appeal to readers, among other reasons, for their groundedness and realism. Writes Reuthers:
He gets inspiration from his previous profession as a disaster mitigation specialist with Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management. He said, “It not only inspired me but scared me, and I was able to use that experience on different disasters or threats that we face to implement those in stories and then I used a sci-fi twist.’
He was, writes Reuthers, eventually picked up by a traditional publishing house, and is now producing multiple series simultaneously. But the real trick, Reuthers records, is “treating [writing] like a business. ‘Now is the best time in history to be a writer because you can self-publish a book, and if you know, even generally what you’re doing, in terms of marketing, you can have success,’ he said.” We are always excited to celebrate these both/and self- & traditionally published authors, who consistently demonstrate the fact that everyone’s publishing journey looks different, and there’s a path for everyone!
As a self-publishing author, you may find it helpful to stay up-to-date on the trends and news related to the self-publishing industry.This will help you make informed decisions before, during and after the self-publishing process, which will lead to a greater self-publishing experience. To help you stay current on self-publishing topics, simply visit our blog each month to find out the hottest news. If you have other big news to share, please comment below.
Self Publishing Advisor 