Friday, September 21, 2012

My First Month as a Self-Published Author

It's been a month since Underwear Probation went live on Amazon and it's been very exciting for me.

Before I self-published, I had three other books out that were produced by a publisher. That was nice because someone else did the work and sent it to me to approve. But, I wanted to see if I could do it myself.

I've been fascinated by epublishing, and self-publishing in particular, for quite some time. I love the idea that old publishing rules are out the window---books come in all lengths and price ranges and topics now. The option to self-publish appeals to my rebel nature, though some might say that I just like to be in charge.

I was particularly intimidated by the idea of designing a cover, but I did it and it was fairly easy, especially compared to what I expected. I get a sense of accompishment when I see it because it reminds me that I did something that I wasn't sure I could do.

But, beyond the advancements of my tech know-how, the real thrill has been checking my sales (ok, sometimes obsessively) each day. Not because I'm getting rich, but because each sale gave me a little thrill.  Someone bought my book! If you bought Underwear Probation I might not have known that you specifically were the person who bought it, but you should know that each time I saw my sales numbers go up by a sale or two, it made me smile and sometimes cheer. Even if my sales number only goes up by one number each day, I get a little giddy nonetheless. So, please know that your purchase is sincerely appreciated and it made me smile and possibly dance around a little bit.

I get royalty checks from my publisher for my other books, but they usually come months after the books were sold. I like getting the checks, but there's something about knowing right away that books have been sold that really motivates me to keep writing.

There are many advantages and disadvantages to both self-publishing and working with a publisher and each writer should make the decision that works best for them. But, for the last month, self-publishing has been pretty exciting for me.

Thanks everyone for your support and kind words.

And---if any of you have questions about self-publishing, I'm no expert, but I'm happy to share what I know. My contact info is in the tabs at the top of the page so feel free to email me with any questions you have.

12 comments:

  1. This is such a great post! It is so hard to be a writer in the first place, and for you to be this generous with your expertise is amazing.

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    1. Thanks Ana. I'm not so sure that I'd call it expertise, but I always have an opinion. :)

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  2. We are both in the same boat, Celeste. My third book, "The Spanking Games" just went live on Amazon this morning. I'm approaching some pretty decent sales numbers for the other two and I have hopes for this one. It's a novella as opposed to a short story collection like the other two. The cover thing gave me some trouble, but I think I've got it figured out now. As a bonus I've made an agreement with the famous artist Lynn Paula Russell who has licensed me to use her drawings as cover art.

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    1. Good for you Rollin! Your covers are great and very distinctive.

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  3. I think it's awesome you self-pubbed Underwear Probation. You did a wonderful job and it seriously inspires me to consider self-pubbing too:)

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  4. Good job. Thinking of doing the same with a few of my shorter works, so I might be bugging you soon.

    Here's to many sales!

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    1. Thanks Jade. I'll look forward to hearing from you!

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  5. I just want to say how much I value your generosity to other writers, including myself. You are a treasure to the spanking fiction community!

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  6. You did do a good job with Underwear Probation! It is exciting to see sales numbers go up. It's SO motivating. I know a few other authors who were published by publishers and then chose to do it themselves.

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