Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Self-Published Authors: This Blog's for You!

Hello! Welcome to my first blog post! I won't go into a bunch of details about who I am (you can see that on my profile) but I will tell you that I love to write (and I'm assuming you do too!) This blog is for you if you've put your time and energy into writing a great book but just haven't had that "right place/right time" opportunity to have it traditionally published yet. I'm right there with you, but rather than have a drawer full of manuscripts, I have chosen to go the route of self-publishing. Why? Because it's easy, it's free and it's incredibly satisfying!

As I explore the different ways to self-publish (print on demand, ebooks, audiobooks, etc.) I am learning a lot about the process, all of which I intend to share! I'll provide my own tips and advice, links to other blogs and online sources, and hopefully I'll get a lot of great comments from others who are going through similar experiences. I'd even like to eventually feature interviews with other self-published authors (any exposure you can get is great!)

I'm hoping to connect with other authors who are in this same phase of their writing career. It's a tough business and you've got to have "alligator skin" if you're going to put yourself and your writing out there. But the important thing is to keep writing and explore all avenues. Even if you have a book traditionally published, you still have to do the lion's share of the promotion. I figure we might as well figure out how to do that now so that we're established and ready when our big break finally comes!

Since I'm a wife, a mother of two school-aged children and always working on a new book project, I'm pretty busy (and I'm sure you are too!) My goal will be to post once a week to start. Right now I'm writing young middle grade fiction (ages 7-10) but I love reading books all the way up through contemporary women's fiction (and my focus is on fiction rather than non-fiction).

If you have any suggestions on topics or areas you'd like me to explore, please let me know. We can learn from each other and help each other navigate through this ever-changing industry. Thanks for reading and come back soon!

--KSR Writer