I know I’ve been regrettably lax about posting here the last couple of weeks, but it’s been a little hectic lately for reasons previously hinted at…
The Book
So anyone who follows me pretty much anywhere other than here knows that Friday was, for lack of a better descriptor, huge for me. My first book went on sale that morning and ever since, I’ve kind of been a little high, between the excitement and the sense of accomplishment, and definitely a healthy dose of relief in simply knowing that the worst is now behind me! Well, I guess I still have to worry about actually selling the thing now, but at least it’s done!
I’ve got to tell you, after this project I most certainly have a new found respect for graphic designers, and even for editors, and marketers, and everyone else who would normally play a part in publishing a book in the “traditional” sense. A firm believer in the idea that a business model with as few middle men as possible has the best chance at succeeding, I quite literally put this book together all by myself! I wrote all of the content (over the last ten years), I learned Adobe InDesign and did the layout, I did all of the editing, I pushed myself in graphic design and even made the cover myself, and now that it’s all said and done, I’m going to do my best to market the thing on my own, too. Pretty much the only thing I didn’t do was the actual printing itself, and mostly just because I’m not willing to give up my side of the garage for a full-size printing press…
It’s a little scary, but also at the same time kinda of liberating because now more than ever, I really feel like the future of my writing career is truly in my own hands. Just like I didn’t have to shop my book idea around for three years waiting for some editor to throw me a bone, I don’t have to sit here wondering if my agent and PR person are doing everything they can to sell my work. It’s all me, which is actually kind of exciting because there isn’t anybody who wants me to succeed at this stuff more than, well, me!!!
The next few steps are going to be interesting because while I don’t entirely know what I’m supposed to do, I’ve got a few ideas already that I want to try out and I’ve been studying some other independent creators that I really admire to see if I can find some hints from them as well. I don’t want to jinx anything, but dare I say that this might actually be what progress is supposed to feel like?!
…and just under ten years in – it’s about time! 😉