I have to say that I am beginning to understand the difficulties of committing oneself to the self-publishing route.
Of course the act of self-publishing is easy - I know because I have already done it once. In fact it is probably TOO easy; I know I have learnt a huge amount about what not to do from the exercise and it is quite clear that there is a lot of material out there that badly needs the ministerings of an editor.
No, self-publishing is easy; it is doing it well that is hard.
I thought I was ready a couple of weeks ago but in fact I was nowhere near - last weekend was spent trying to formulate a marketing plan and trying to get a tailored website together. In the meantime I have also been sorting out things like the half-titles, copyright etc...all whilst trying to earn a living (I'm self-employed which means I tend to have a very irregular work structure).
Writing fiction? That was something I used to have time for! (But it is the thing that I have to remind myself that this is the ultimate goal of what I'm doing.)
I still think it's worth it. The more I do, the more convinced I am. I want a voice, I have things to say, I need to be read. I believe in the quality of my writing so this act of faith has to be carried through.
Boy though, do I feel very thinly spread at the moment!
Of course the act of self-publishing is easy - I know because I have already done it once. In fact it is probably TOO easy; I know I have learnt a huge amount about what not to do from the exercise and it is quite clear that there is a lot of material out there that badly needs the ministerings of an editor.
No, self-publishing is easy; it is doing it well that is hard.
I thought I was ready a couple of weeks ago but in fact I was nowhere near - last weekend was spent trying to formulate a marketing plan and trying to get a tailored website together. In the meantime I have also been sorting out things like the half-titles, copyright etc...all whilst trying to earn a living (I'm self-employed which means I tend to have a very irregular work structure).
Writing fiction? That was something I used to have time for! (But it is the thing that I have to remind myself that this is the ultimate goal of what I'm doing.)
I still think it's worth it. The more I do, the more convinced I am. I want a voice, I have things to say, I need to be read. I believe in the quality of my writing so this act of faith has to be carried through.
Boy though, do I feel very thinly spread at the moment!
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