So when I decided to revise and self-publish Desert Ice, it seemed daunting. Just the idea of revisiting the story and seeing what could be written better or what new content should be added was overwhelming. When I added trying to figure out the entire self-publishing process, it felt like the impossible dream. I guess it’s a good thing that was my christening song.
I haven’t done something like this, and despite all the videos, blogs, and even lunch with my self-published friend, this is not easy. There are a lot of elements to pull together and decisions to be made. As a Libra, there just aren’t enough coins to toss. However, I stated at the beginning of the process that I was going to take things one at a time, so let’s review where I am. Manuscript off to the editor for review. Check. Cover art ordered. Check. You’d think that would be about it, right? Nope. I still have to figure out, am I going to pay someone to do interior formatting or attempt to do it myself? If I do it myself, which software do I use? I’ve already ruled out Kindle Create, and Vellum isn’t an option. Do I want to stay with just Amazon or try and distribute wide? Do I want to try and do print on demand? If I include print on demand, that means revisiting the cover art decision and updating the order. Do I want to buy my own ISBN? If so, do I buy one or bite the bullet and buy ten? I haven’t even thought of marketing options or settled on pricing. There are still so many decisions to be made and unknowns that it almost feels too much. Yet, here’s the thing. I have about four weeks before I get my manuscript back. The only thing that has to be decided between now and then is revisions to cover art. The reality is, that once the manuscript is done, the other decisions will start to fall into place. I might not like the budgetary options, but the path is clear. I know what has to happen to make my goal achievable. What is exciting is that my timeline is looking more and more like I should be able to get the revised version of Desert Ice published by the end of the year. I am reaching the unreachable star.
0 Comments
Writing is sometimes uncomfortable. I’m not talking about when it’s hard, like when you can’t think of a word, you don’t know the characters, or when the plot point just won’t unravel. I’m referring to when the process makes it hard to sit or concentrate. It’s the feeling you get when your heart races and you can’t seem to catch your breath.
You wish it was from excitement, but it’s not. Instead, it’s from that overwhelming feeling you don’t know what you are doing. You have the ideas, the plot, and the characters, but the writing it’s just this brute that’s in your way telling you, “Piss off.” But, of course, it’s not really the writing. It’s all those doubts, the ones that usually begin with “I can’t” or “Your not.” Someone told me today I have to sit with the discomfort and write anyway. Maybe even say, “Yeah, I know what you are doing,” and keep typing. It feels like the chick in the horror movie that’s got to quietly keep moving through the room even though the monster is right there. However, that’s not the advice at all. The recommendation is to say, “Hey, just passing through,” as you walk by, knowing you’re getting the thing’s attention. This is me as I try and work on my sequel. I’m at the stage in the process where there’s nothing for me to do on the revision, so I might as well work on something new as I wait to hear from my beta readers. Except there’s a thing looming over my shoulder. I can feel it breathing down my neck and find all the avenues to escape, but that won’t get the next book written. There’s a monster in the room. I guess I should offer it a cup of tea and keep typing. RM I've finished the first draft of the revision. This means I have to start thinking beyond just writing and focusing on what it takes to publish a book.
One of the challenges I feared about self-publishing was the editorial process. I have no illusions about myself as a writer. I need an editor, but then again, all writers do. Publishing with a publisher is easy in the sense that they do a lot of the heavy lifting for you. For example, they assign and hire you an editor. As an independent author, part of my job is to find and hire one. You want someone qualified, experienced, and familiar with your genre. At least I do. Other factors come into play with the decision as well. The cost is one of the big ones. When you have a limited budget, money will play a heavy factor in who you can hire. Yet, an editor is not where you want to penny-pinch. They do hard work and should be compensated accordingly. I've done my shopping, and I have inquiries out there. I'll be making a decision soon. In comparison, writing is so much easier. However, I'm forging ahead. So to stick with the analogy from my previous posts, it's time to hire the mechanics and let them start working on the engine. RM Tune-ups are standard maintenance, but it doesn't mean they don't take time. Nevertheless, I'm making good progress on the revision. I'm on target to meet my goal of completing the first draft by the month's end.
It's interesting how the work has moved so quickly yet seems slow. If you'd asked me a week ago if I thought I would be this far, I would have said no. But, on the other hand, it seems that no matter how many hours I put in, that goal is just out of reach. Still, I am heartened by the response to the news that I'm tinkering away. It helps with the motivation when I hit those word jams. Sometimes nothing is more daunting than an incomplete sentence or a half-formed paragraph. I'm careful not to burn out, which is always a danger when you are on a creative roll. Being tired makes for sloppy work. It's the metaphorical dropping of the wrench. So I'm balancing the writing with researching what it takes to self-publish, but that's another series of blog posts. For now, I just wanted to say it all looks good under here. RM In 2017 I published my first book. It was a bit of a whirlwind for me. Not only hadn't I expected that dream to become a reality, but I also wasn't prepared for how well the book would be received. I was also adjusting to big changes in my professional life outside of writing.
I was cruising on the interstate of life, making good time and enjoying the road trip. Then, of course, I hit the potholes, the traffic jams, and the speed traps. Not only did my publisher LooseID unexpectedly close, but I developed some health issues that took significant amounts of my time and energy. Writing got left at a rest area while I had to navigate a new much different route for a while. So here I am, several years later, feeling better and timidly reading my emails and reviews. There seem to be two consistent themes, "Where can I buy the book?" and "Are you writing a sequel?" If the last few years have taught me anything, it's to break what seems daunting down to the simplest tasks and tackle them one at a time. I am going back and doing an author's revision on the book. You know, taking it to the car wash, getting it detailed, and making it clean and shiny before I hit the road again. Then, I will republish it, even if I have to self-publish on Amazon. As to a sequel? We'll see what's down the road. Right now, I'm just focusing on getting the car back on the interstate, cranking up the tunes, and feeling the hum of the engine as it speeds along. Thank you for your continued interest. RM As a first time author, I have to admit I'm torn over whether to read reviews or not. Last October I attended a writer's conference, *Imaginarium, where the resounding advice was: "Don't read your reviews. Let your friends read them and give you the highlights." Writers, editors, and publishers alike gave that advice. At the time it seemed sound. It still does.
Yet, I know the value of reviews. In my own life, I've used reviews of movies, books, hotels, restaurants, etc to help guide my purchasing decisions. An insightful evaluation, whether positive or negative, is a useful tool. However, when the comments are about something you wrote or produced, the value and impact of them become quite different. Let's be honest, it's nice to read all the good things people wrote. It's more than that, it's down right heady. Anything positive said can reassure that part of my muse which is always plagued by self-doubt and harsh self-criticism. Knowing people liked my story, the world I built, and the characters I shared gives me energy as I work on my current project. The flip-side though, is the more critical reviews, no matter how constructive or instructive, can suck the wind right out of me. There's a danger there in obsessing over what people didn't like, or felt was lacking. It can feed the negative shade that haunts my muse making it all to easy to grab a bag of Dortitos and binge watch the Syfy channel rather than write. Hence, one of the reasons to avoid reviews. Still, no matter how personally I might be affected by them, reviews really aren't about me. They are about the people who wrote them. Reviewers took the time, not only to read a book, but to write down what they thought about it and share it with the world. I respect that, a lot. Reviewers are writers too. Writing and posting a review takes time and effort, while at the same time making the poster vulnerable as well. I mean honestly, when they put their opinions out there some people are going to agree with then, some aren't, but mostly others are going to use them as a gauge as to whether or not they want to take a chance on a book. So, whether or not a review is favorable, I honestly have to say I do appreciate the comments. I truly am grateful for them, all of them. I am deeply grateful to those who took the time to share their thoughts and reactions. RM *PS If you are anywhere near the Louisville area, I highly recommend Imaginarium. It's a great conference whether you are an aspiring writer, a published author, a publisher, or editor! It's an old adage, but it's true. The hardest part about writing, is writing. For one, it's difficult finding the time. Like most writers, I have a full-time job. So, I have to balance my writing life with work, family, and social commitments. At the end of the day, plopping my butt in front of the laptop to muddle my way through the complicated love life of my heroes seems more than daunting; especially when I have two cats who'd rather I sit in the recliner so they can snooze comfortably in my lap.
Still, sleeping cats are an obstacle which can be overcome thanks to something called a “can opener.” However, then there is the blank page, that imposing sight of white expectation. I'm sure I have nothing new to offer on the concept writer’s block. For me it’s staring stupidly at my laptop while characters and ideas collide so hard in my head blocking any meaningful attempt to pour forth a coherent spattering of words. Writer's block is more like a sitting quietly at the end of the table during Thanksgiving and listening to both sides of the family squabble about who said what at last year's dinner. At some point everyone will get hungry enough to settle down and say grace, but until then it’s just noise with nothing meaningful said. However, writing is an act of persistence. You can't do it without pushing past the distractions, the writer's block, and the ever present self-doubt. It's part of the process, and when you do, that's the where the fun begins. That's when you have those moments where you can hear your characters as if they are whispering, or sometimes shouting, in your ear. Those are those times when ideas pop so unexpectedly and magically, you laugh aloud startling the dozing cat on the edge of your desk. It's when you can't imagine wanting to do anything else. Yet, that becomes the hardest part of all. Once you step away from those pages which almost seem to write themselves and left you feeling you could do this forever, you need to hang on to the memory of those moments. You need to have faith you’ll write like that again, because it all starts over from one sitting to the next. The work of writing isn’t writing. It’s all you have to do leading up to it. At midnight my first book, Desert Ice, went on sale at Loose Id. I find it ironic that as a writer I'm finding it difficult to map my way through the right words and phrases to adequately express just how I feel, and what I think. It's been a strange and wonderful journey.
I can't really remember a time when I didn't want to write. When I was in sixth grade, I wrote that I when I grew up I wanted to live in a log cabin in Alaska and be an author. I remember the first time I saw the movie Romancing the Stone, I wanted to be Joan Wilder. So here I am. No, I don't live a log cabin, or Alaska. I'm not running through the jungles of South America looking for lost treasure. However, I am writing. I am dreaming up romantic adventures, scribling them down, and am sharing them. I hope you enjoy the journey as much as I have. I hope to have many more. Rose First moments are always big. They are, for good or bad, the brick and mortar of memories. They are the times which we often relive, and serve as foundations for future experiences.
So when I checked Loose Id site to discover Desert Ice was now listed under "Coming Soon" I found myself in a moment new, exciting, and abundant with happy expectation. Seeing my first book listed on Loose Id's page cemented in me such a bright spark of joy and happiness I literally laughed aloud, and made me more determined that this first time would not be the only time. I hope you'll join me in celebrating the arrival of Desert Ice. However, even if you don't, I hope the day brings you a happy moment of new discovery or adventure. I wish that you too have a reason to revel in a first. Rose |
Rose MaefairAuthor, geek, gamer, and avid coffee drinker. Archives
November 2022
Categories |