When I begin a story, I know whether it will be independently published or queried for traditional publication.
Not going to lie. Being in the querying trenches blows. It's messy, ugly, and your ego doesn't stand a chance. When writers ask what we should tell new writers what they need, I ALWAYS say...a thick skin. And I'm not being cute. Develop a thick skin. So thick you creak when you walk. Writing isn't easy. It's hard, and it's fucking merciless. As much as you will have supporters who love you and your work, you will have those who will gleefully tear you down because they can. Writing is subjective. Reading is subjective. You're not everyone's cup of tea, darling.
I digress.
Publishing your story isn't easy. This is what divides the artists from the wannabes. When you decide to independently publish, you are in charge of writing, editing, book cover, formatting, reviews, publishing, publicizing, et al. It is work. I took a day to format a couple of books I wanted to release in paperback. I wanted to gouge my own eyes out. It took me 7-8 hours, and I didn't want to see a computer screen again that day.
Editing? Editing is looking at your own words 5 trillion times and being so sick of them you swear you're going to hurl your lunch, your keyboard, and the nearest item across the room if you have to look at them with your own eyes ONE MORE TIME.
Book cover? People? Real people? Animal? Font? Colors? Facing the font? Face away? Sexual? Demure? Like every other cover? Out on a limb? HELP ME!!!
Publicizing? Goodreads? Amazon? Facebook? BookBub? How much should I pay for an ad? Do the ads work? Am I throwing my money away? Should I do a giveaway? What if I throw a party and no one comes? BUY MY BOOK, PLEASE!!!
In summation: writers are crazy, publishing is hard, buy our book.
Always writing*
...and losing what's left of my mind
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