As I get to the nitty gritty of publishing my various works, the decision making can be overwhelming. It has been my dream to be published for so long now. But the options are many and terrifying. Here’s just some of the questions I’ve had to resolve:
– Ebook, paperback, hardback, audiobook?
– Keep trying for a traditional agent/publisher? Self publish? Hybrid?
– Do I want to choose my own book cover designer, so I’m not tied to a publishing service?
– Do I publish under my pen name? My imprint?
– How much time and money am I willing to spend on marketing? And learning about marketing?
– Do I need business cards?
– How much do I put on my website? Should I be selling books directly from my website?
– What tools do I need to create a mailing list, give out free copies, etc.?
– How many ISBNs should I buy?
– Depending on the answer to all these questions, more questions arise about formats for everything from print sizes to barcodes to cover copy and blurbs.
And none of it is cheap, if you want to do it right (which doesn’t mean just plunking it on Amazon).
Then there’s the writing advice. The advice book I was reading today said it’s good not to publish until you have three books written. Three! But what if I spend all that time only to find out I suck?
This is not a process for the faint of heart. But on the plus side, my final and harshest critic (my husband) finished reading my first murder mystery novel today. He thinks it’s worth publishing. Or in his words, “I’ve read a lot worse”.
A good day.