Monday 24 October 2011

In Which I Decide To Self-Publish

Yep, in December Storms in Teacups will be available for sale on Amazon. I'm a little bit scared about my decision, but I'm also kind of excited.

I made the decision after I received some 'good' rejections from agents. I got requests for pages, but was ultimately told that my genre (women's fiction/chick-lit) is a hard sell to publishers in the current economic climate, but that I should try again when the market improves. One mega agent told me they wished I'd submitted it a couple of years ago. Lots told me how much they liked it. So I don't think I'm completely deluding myself by thinking I should self-publish.

Am I prepared to wait until the market recovers? In a word: no. I don't know about other countries, but conservative estimates for Ireland's 'recovery' are ten years away. I have always wanted to be a writer, and holding out on a chance that it may happen sometime in the future doesn't really seem appealing to me. Self-publishing is a lot more realistic now than it ever was before, and it offers me a chance to make a living writing  in the near future.

Yes it's a gamble, and it's far from certain that it will be successful. But I'm not afraid of hard work, and as my husband has set up his own company I have some knowledge of that end of things.

I don't think traditional publishing is dead - far from it - but for me this seems to be the best decision right now.

What about ye? Any of you tempted?
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25 comments:

  1. Alana Saltz24 October 2011 at 16:53

    I'm planning to self-publish the novel I write during NaNoWriMo (assuming it turns out decently). I definitely think self-publishing is the way to go these days, especially if the only reason you can't get it traditionally published is because of it not being "marketable."

    I'm surprised to hear that women's fiction isn't marketable considering one of the top selling Kindle books right now is a women's fiction book. Good luck!

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  2. Lisa J Yarde24 October 2011 at 17:28

    Christine, it's an immense decision to self-publish, but I'm sure you've weighed the pros and cons before deciding on it. I wish you good luck and I hope there will be an official announcement when the book is available.

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  3. Emily R. King24 October 2011 at 17:50

    I say do what you gotta do! Good for you for going for it. I wish you and your book lots of success!

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  4. Sarah Tokeley24 October 2011 at 18:03

    You sound like you've thought it all through. Good luck to you, may it be a smooth path :-)

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  5. Katie Dunn24 October 2011 at 18:53

    Congratulations! I look forward to being able to read it when it comes out=) I haven't really reached a position where I could decided right now whether to self publish or not. I will try what you did. Send to agents and see how things go. If all else fails and I think it's worth a try, I think self publishing would be an interesting adventure=)

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  6. Alicia Gregoire24 October 2011 at 18:54

    Oooh... Good luck. If the traditional route doesn't work for me, self-pubbing is my next option.

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  7. Hart Johnson24 October 2011 at 19:30

    I think that is the kind of feedback I would self publish for, too. There are genres that are still selling well traditionally, and they happen to be the genres I write most in (mystery, YA) so I am not considering it, but I've come around completely on thinking sometimes it's the best idea. I wish you a ton of luck!

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  8. julie fedderson24 October 2011 at 22:08

    Good luck to you! Will look forward to seeing it in December!

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  9. KCarey24 October 2011 at 22:25

    I decided a while ago, that self publishing was where I would go, when I took that turn to writing. Not that I think books are dead, just that I would find it easier and perhaps that its just more suited for me.

    Now, I just have to get a book ready to post.

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  10. Heather25 October 2011 at 00:17

    I self published a cookbook for Fibromyalgia and that seemed to work pretty well for us.

    Heather

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  11. Alleged Author25 October 2011 at 01:00

    Chick-lit is hard to sell to PUBLISHING companies. HOWEVER, it is a BIG seller on Kindle. All the top genres are chick-lit/romance. I think you are right to self-publish. Women love chick-lit. I, myself, found I loved it when reading Talli's stuff. I would buy and review your writing in a heartbeat. You have a great community behind you. Do it!

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  12. Trisha25 October 2011 at 02:24

    I'm with you - I'd rather self-publish than just let my writing language unseen forever more!

    Congrats on your decision!!

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  13. Juliana L. Brandt25 October 2011 at 02:27

    Yay! That's amazing! You'll have to post about your road to publication and how to get ourselves a copy ;)

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  14. Jennie Bennett25 October 2011 at 06:38

    How exciting! I hope everything goes well for you!

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  15. Andy H26 October 2011 at 01:02

    Way to go! Getting feedback from agents AT ALL is amazing. Pls keep me posted. My self pub journey is just about to begin to. Follow me at. Www.NovelistAndyHolloman.wordpress.com. Lets stay in touch!!

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  16. Unknown26 October 2011 at 02:17

    How exciting for you! I'll definitely be lined up to buy it! Oh man, I can't wait!

    I've considered self-publishing, but I'm not at the querying process yet. I guess we'll simply see when that time comes.

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  17. Anonymous26 October 2011 at 03:58

    Wow! Way to go. I'm excited for you and all of the possibilities. That's a scary route to go, but with so much good feedback, I think you have really a good chance. Good luck!

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  18. Krista McLaughlin26 October 2011 at 04:52

    That's a very exciting and scary decision. I self-published for a while, but now I'm just really wanting that agent and some traditional publishing. Good luck! :)

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  19. C D Meetens27 October 2011 at 23:53

    Good luck with your self-publishing. I actually think self-publishing can be a great opportunity for an author. You can get your book out there now, while it's likely people will want to buy it, even if the publishing houses' lists are full of that particular genre for the foreseeable future.

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  20. Catherine Stine28 October 2011 at 16:41

    Congrats!!! Jump right in. Show us all the way. I'm inching over there myself with one project that I totally believe in and got "no" letters that were so complimentary I could use them for blurbs. I say, the heck with waiting for the so-called stalled market to recover. YOU will be part of the recovery.

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  21. Anonymous29 October 2011 at 15:23

    Oh wow congratulations. I am tempted but also scared and wouldn't know where to start. Let us know how it's done and good luck. :O)

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  22. Dwight Okita31 October 2011 at 17:25

    Christine, I'm excited for your December launch of Storms in Teacups. Catchy title! I've been thrilled with my experience of self publishing Prospect of My Arrival. Just had my book launch at an indy book store. Had about 55 people in attendance. 45 books were sold! Read excerpts of the novel to music. Got a great book review from a Chicago paper and more to follow. I'm amazed venues have been so open to me, as a self pub author. Also Publishers Weekly now has a quarterly supplement devoted to self pub books! It's PW Select. The paradigms they are a shiftin.

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  23. Margo Kelly1 November 2011 at 17:46

    I wish you the best! And, I look forward to reading it! :)

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  24. Christine Murray1 November 2011 at 21:48

    Thank you all for the support and lovely messages :)

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