Yeah. You read that right. I'm self-publishing.
Over this past year, as I was pitching agents for my fantasy series, I decided it would be beneficial—not only for the sake of my writing, but for my sanity—to step away from the technical synopses, queries, and pompous letters, and have some creative fun by writing short stories.
I found several open submissions I wanted to submit to (if you haven’t discovered Diabolical Plots yet, you are very welcome) and used my overabundant (okay, unused) creative fuel to write unique little stories for them that might help boost my author credentials.
There was one anthology submission I was particularly thrilled about. It was for a paranormal romance novelette that was perfect for me, my writing style, and interests, so I immediately set out to write the story.
I had only a matter of weeks before the deadline. I worked my booty off to get my story packed wonderfully into 13k words.
I was surprised at how passionate I became about the characters and the plot that united them—almost as passionate as I get about one of my own, bigger, stories. I felt, in my humble opinion, that I put far more work into that little novelette than the anthology publishers had been anticipating. So when it came time to submit the novelette to the anthology…I was hesitant to hand over all my hard work for a tiny bit of ‘publishing confetti’, and for my words to be smashed unceremoniously within a book along with a dozen other stories. I put it off for as long as I could.
The deadline came ever nearer. I had not mentioned any of this to my husband—so I found it ironic that one day, out of nowhere, really, he said “why don’t you just self-publish that story?”.
I’ll admit, the thought had crossed my mind before. But a novelette? On its own? No! Who would read that?
It would be silly. I didn’t want to self-publish anyway… I wanted to traditionally publish. Besides, I didn’t know the first thing about self-publishing and it would be far more trouble than it was worth. I would submit the story to the anthology without any regrets. That tiny little story…my story…was just a way to release my pent-up imagination, anyway…
I sent my manuscript over.
No regrets… Hmm, then why could I not stop thinking about it?
It was my husband’s words that nagged at me. Like a challenge I wasn’t rising up to. Like I was opting for the lazy way out…one that did not necessitate publication.
I wondered what would happen if I withdrew the story from their consideration…
Oh, but then I would have to self-publish it. Was that something I was willing to do?
I thought about it more and more until it kept me up at night.
Finally, the day came that I wrote the anthology publishers and requested that my submission be removed from their review. I felt numb typing the words…and when I received an email back confirming my work was no longer in their grasp, I felt utterly faint. What have I done? Did I just sabotage myself? I must be crazy!
But oh! I loved having my novelette back in my clutches again. I had my critique partner read it over and give me feedback. I worked on it some more until it was ready for an editor, then had it sloughed of all its impurities and made to shine. I started brainstorming cover art and commissioned (an amazing artist I cannot wait to share with everyone) for it to be done, and it was totally done! (Guys, I have a COVER!) Even though there have been tremendous headaches, I’ve had such FUN! I’ve loved having the power to design this little book to be everything I imagine. Sure, the costs add up and it’s hard as hell to figure out all the million-and-three-quarters technical details, but there is such liberation in crafting a book yourself.
I’m still working on the finishing touches but I think (hope) I’m almost ready to publish. Soon this paranormal romance will be able to be read from around the world! I’m crossing my fingers for the beginning of September!
I can’t wait to share the details of the story with you all. My Instagram friends have been so patient XD I have really been working up the suspense there. Stay tuned here or on social media for the blurb, title, and cover reveals that are on their way <3
I should mention that I am still querying for my fantasy series. At the moment, traditional publishing still best-suits my goals for my book-baby, but who knows! Maybe one day I will change my mind. Let’s see how this self-publishing project turns out <3