Pondering Publishing

I've been thinking quite a lot about publishing lately.

I use two writing websites, and one of them has forums. One of the subjects frequently discussed, being a writing website, is publishing. Lately, I've been paying more attention to what people say about traditional publishing, where you have a book for sale in a book store like Barnes & Noble, and self publishing.

The more I see about traditional publishing, which was my original goal, the more I think it's not the best fit for me. I couldn't produce books on demand for a contract because of my reaction to pressure and stress, and I also have a tendency to self-sabotage when things are going well for me. I can see this going very badly.

Unfortunately, self publishing isn't really possible either because I'd need to hire editors and formatters to make my book look good. We can't afford that right now.

What I'm leaning toward is something my sister does: serializing on a website.

There are websites where authors can serialize their work for readers, like Wattpad and Inkitt, and Kindle has a service called Vella for serializing, but I'd need to hire editors for Kindle Vella. I could also have my own website where I serialize my work, but it would be fairly invisible without advertising.

Originally, I was thinking about having my own website along with working on Wattpad, but after reading what Wattpad is like in the forums on my writing website, I think that will be more work than it's worth. I'm leaning toward Inkitt. I'd also have my website and a Facebook group for my work. Eventually, I may set up a Patreon page for my work to possibly earn money off it.

Self publishing isn't totally off the table, nor is Kindle Vella. We'd just need to have more income to be able to afford to invest the money into those things. My husband is an artist and has offered to do the covers for me, which is fantastic, and I already have ideas for the covers for the first two books. No half naked men for my covers!

It'll be a while before the first book in my series is ready to be shared publicly. I have to polish it up as much as possible before I post it on any website, and while two people have read the entire book on one website I use, I need a few more. On the other website I use, I have one person who I know will read the entire book, and another I'm pretty sure will. There are a couple of possibilities for other people to read the whole thing, but I have to network to come up with people to read it.

On the first website, I've begun having the second book critiqued. I have three people reading so far, and one person I'm not sure will continue. The other two will. I'm hoping for three on this website, so if the third person doesn't continue, I'll have to look for a third. Once my first book has finished with critiques on the other website, I'll start with the second book.

I have a short-term plan, and I have a tentative long-term plan. Unfortunately, I'm not trusting my decision-making at the moment because I'm manic, and have been for months, so we'll see what happens when I come out of it.

I'm excited to see where this goes!

Photo Credit Suzy Hazelwood