WHAT A LONG, STRANGE TRIP IT’S BEEN

It was five years ago today that I traveled through the wormhole to never return to my old life. Actually, that’s not exactly true. What is true is that five years ago today I made the decision to become a self-published author.

I’d been toying with the idea of publishing for years, but after receiving rejection letter after rejection letter, felt it was an impossibility; and then self-publishing came along. I carefully researched companies through the Better Business Bureau, and other sources to check the authenticity of the companies, and came up with three that were legitimate-Createspace, which is now Amazon Kindle Publishing, Lulu, and Smashwords, an e-book site. There are of course other legitimate ones as well such as Book Baby, but the choice is up to the author.

I was happy to use Createspace as my main source, but with the phasing out of the British Company and the merge to Amazon, it has made it a little difficult. I remain with Amazon, but the vetting process was a little intricate, as my Lightroom files didn’t resize as they had through Createspace, and I ended up going with Photoshop, which is a little more difficult to use. If not for the help of a good neighbor who knows his tech, I would have trouble getting through it. I was pleased, however, with the final product, as it allowed me to continue the cover continuity of the rest of the series.

Some people may believe you aren’t a good writer if you aren’t accepted by a publisher. This is simply not true, for publishers seeks authors who have a consistent record, and can sell books. Even Steven King, who happens to share my birthday,  was a virtual unknown when “Carrie” came out.  Self-publishing has helped the common author realize his or her dreams without spending thousands of dollars for a “what if” scenario. Success is totally up to the author’s input with editing, marketing, cover design, interior design, the publishing process, and anything else that goes along with writing. Success to me is judged by how others see you-

Do they like your books?                                                                                                   Would they buy more of them?                                                                                     What do they like best about your stories?                                                           If they could help you write it, what would they change in it?                   Are your books historically accurate with the chain of events in the story?                                                                                                                                               Is the technology in the story believable in theory?

Or any other questions that might come from readers minds.

Retribution is my 10th book, and the fifth of the Dimension Lapse Series, and is now available on Amazon. I will be writing the next fantasy book in the Bargo Lynden series over the winter, as well as the final segment of the Dimension Lapse Series. Until my next post, take care, and be happy.