And now for the news!
This week in the world of self-publishing:
“When I wrote novels about Vietnam and tried to get them published back in the 70s, I was told numerous times that Americans didn’t want to read stories about Vietnam,” says Harvey Baker, Vietnam vet who has since self-published four novels. With these kinds of discouraging responses, Baker’s novel sat gathering dust for years before the rise of Amazon and self-publishing. This was when he decided to resurface his work and get it the attention it deserved.
Baker has since developed a “fictional series about a Blackfeet Indian, Two Feathers and his dog who shares the same name as Baker’s scout dog,” which has grown largely popular with historians and veterans alike. By reading the article above, you can gethear Baker’s two cents on self-publishing, which happens to be priceless. Don’t let your precious work sit gathering dust because publishing companies told you no one wants to read it–go out and create your audience through hard work and perseverance in the face of uncertainty!
How to Self Publish Inexpensive Books and Ebooks, by William Allen, is a guide for first-time authors, authors who were unsatisfied with their first experiences with publishing, or those who are contemplating writing a book but have no idea where to begin when it comes to marketing and publishing it.
This book has it all–from things to be weary of in the publishing industry to “costs and details on 27 U.S. and 13 Canadian book publishers, so you can decide which company to trust with your manuscript.” If you want an in depth analysis of your options for publishing or self-publishing and marketing your own book, this guide is definitely worth checking out! By clicking the link above, you can access Allen’s summary of the book and a link to purchase it, if you’re feel compelled to do so after reading the article.
While this article is not explicitly about self-publishing, it offers some poignant advice for artists and creators who struggle with their identity, focus and drive in general. I thus find it beyond worthy of this week’s self-publishing news update!
Most self-publishing authors don’t make a living self-publishing, which makes focusing on writing and marketing difficult when life ‘gets in the way,’ so to speak. Kent Sanders poses four questions that help get us back on track when we fall off of the creativity wagon, and the first is simple: Who Am I? When we ask ourselves what our skills are, what our personality type is and what our passions are, we can figure out how to work with those traits, rather than against them.
Maybe time management isn’t your skill, and procrastination is part of your personality, but writing is a passion of yours. Knowing those things about yourself will help you channel your passion and override what seem like character flaws, until you take a second look. If you’re not skilled at time management, but you are skilled in working efficiently, make short windows for yourself that aren’t long enough to drive you into the cliche procrastination activities of checking your Facebook or cleaning the entire living room.
I won’t address all of the questions Sanders asks in this summary, but I implore you to read his words for yourself and ask the other important questions he presents, which are: ‘Why am I here?’, ‘Who am I serving?’ and ‘What should I be doing?’ These are questions we should ask ourselves every day as writers, as creators and as human beings.
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 every Monday to find out the hottest news. If you have other big news to share, please comment below.
IF you happen to be an author of a Holiday Season/Christmas book—for any age group or genre—this is an especially wonderful time of year for you. Novels such as A Bell for Christmas in Landria Onkka’s Miracle Series make excellent gifts for Readers who enjoy a good mystery that adds a Christmas Miracle. And, of course, an appreciation for poetry (a bestselling genre at Christmas) definitely increases right now. I’m considering this collection of inspirational poems—Celebrating Christmas by Inez M. Peetz—for my Aunt of 87 years who continues to be a voracious reader of all styles of poetry and loves reading to the children at her church. Each verse is beautifully illustrated and highlights the Christmas story as foretold by God’s prophets and angels.
Self Publishing Advisor 