It has been a while since I shared anything here. I would apologize, but I am not sure how many people are even paying attention, what with all the blogs and articles and newsletters out there – not to mention the state of the world.
BUT, in case you have been reading my words, I am sorry it has been so long. The good news is that I am back, with no promises except to try and do better and get back to sharing thoughts, insights, and my writing experience.
An update: From writer to published author
Back in November 2017, I participated in National Novel Writing Month – NaNoWriMo for short – for the first time. It was an incredible experience, and I came out of the 30 day challenge with a full first draft of a young adult fantasy novel.
Over the past six years (!), I edited it, showed it to a few people and took their feedback to heart (selectively, of course), and I even hired an editor – via Reedsy* – to do a developmental edit. I’m three-quarters of the way through her comments, and she’s waiting for my updated manuscript to do a line edit. At that point, I’ll be able to finalize the manuscript. Yes, it would benefit from a proofreader, but whether or not I get to that will be a question of budget and timing.
Why? Well, I am pregnant with my second child who is due late April 2024. As such, I have decided to try and self-publish my debut novel before then!
Going to a writers’ conference: The last nudge I needed
Early November, I attended the Geneva Writers’ Conference in Geneva, Switzerland (my home town). There were about 100 participants and the programme was set over two days. Suddenly, I was surrounded by writers and published authors, and it was brilliant!
Panel discussion at the Geneva Writers’ Conference, on “Understanding the Changing Landscape of Publishing” with traditionally published authors, an agent, and a literary change agent and author advocate. Photo: Shahnaz Radjy
I learnt a lot in the different sessions, and one of my key takeaways is that all the research I have been doing over the past few years has put me in a pretty decent position to self-publish. Here are some of the reasons why:
- My understanding of traditional publishing versus self-publishing was confirmed, i.e., traditional publishing may get you an advance and “more credibility” (in quotation marks because that’s debatable, if a common perception) but nowadays, there is so much competition that it can take YEARS to find an agent and a publisher – with no garantees. Furthermore, marketing will largely be on you as an author. The trade-offs, loss of control over many decisions and an advance, do not make sense to me. I would rather put my energy to self-publishing and doing things myself. This is certainly not an absolute, and every writer has to find the approach that works for them.
- My knowledge of resources was much greater than I realized. I shared previously unknown resources with professionals presenting and clarified what other resources were for presenters and their audience. This doesn’t mean I don’t still have a LOT to learn, merely that I am doing ok.
- There’s no perfect moment to self-publish. It takes a leap of faith no matter what, and will be a learning curve with mistakes made and many lessons learned. And… that’s ok. It’s all part of the journey.
So, what next?
Now that I have decided to take the leap, I am preparing. Specifically, here are the three things I am working on right now:
- Finishing my current round of edits to send my manuscript back to my editor for that last review
- Reviewing resources to put together a strategy and a plan of action
- Reaching out to get quotes for book cover design (which is, as it turns out, also helping me refine what I want)
I have also shared this general idea of self-publishing in Q1 2024 on social media – to keep myself accountable, to drumbeat and build appetite for my book release, and for fun.
I am hoping that before we travel for the holidays (Dec 18, in just under two weeks) I will have sent my manuscript to the editor, found a partner (might be a designer, might be an artist, might be both) for my book cover design, and have a skeleton plan of action in terms of everything that needs to happen for me to get my debut novel out into the world.
And now, time to get to it!
* Reedsy is an amazing platform to find professionals related to writing and publishing AND learn about writing AND even share or read advance reader copies. It may warrant its own post.