I signed up for Indie Life last month! I'm so excited to share some of my journey and hopefully motivate and inspire others while they are on their journeys. If you want to sign up for Indie Life, go here and add your name to the linky list!
I was sort of worried about this post. I wasn't sure what to write about, but after a talk with my BFF and some roadblocks on my journey (not ones I haven't been able to drive around), I decided to talk about following your heart.
Yeah, sounds cheesy, huh? But the most important thing you can do when you are self publishing is follow your instincts, or at least, that's been my experience.
So far, I've had lots and lots of opinions on what I should do--people have input about the book itself, the cover, how to edit, how to market. It is all so overwhelming. You can get lost in other peoples opinions and forget the way you actually feel about all of those aspects of your book and publishing process.
What I have to do--and what you must do as well--is figure out how YOU feel about all of those aspects of publishing because YOUR opinion is all that matters when it's your book.
You might think that sounds a little selfish. But I think that's okay. After all, you wrote the book. You want what you feel is best, not what other people say is best. When I get lost in other people's opinions, I turn to my BFF and she says, "It's your book, you wrote it. You need to ask yourself 'is this what I want?' She said the same thing about editing, about my cover, and marketing.
We can get so overwhelmed by what other say we SHOULD be doing, and neglect what we WANT. So, incase you're feeling overwhelmed (like I have been), stop and think: What do I feel is right? You will never be wrong!
Talk to me about what you've felt overwhelmed about during your publishing process. What did you do to get through that time?
There are SOOOOO many things to consider when you self publish. I was going to go that route, but ended up going a different direction. I'll admit somethings are definitely easier when you go the traditional route. The part I stressed out the most when it came to self publishing was finding an editor who's right for your book. It's not as big a deal if you're just looking for line edits. It's a bigger deal if you're looking for a developmental edit. What if you two don't sure the same vision???? At least if that's true with a trad editor, they'll just reject the ms.
ReplyDeleteAs for the part that is most overwhelming...I'd say that's when the book is released into the world. That just happened to mine (on NetGalley). Now people who aren't my betas, CP, agent, editor, acquisition team will be reading it. And that's pretty darn scary. Because if they hate it, they won't send me a form rejection. Some might get pretty nasty with their reviews. But that happens to everyone, or so I have to keep reminding myself.
Congrats on your post! I'm so interested in following this journey of yours. And yep, follow your heart, and I think it'll all turn out beautifully!
ReplyDeleteFollowing your heart isn't cheesy at all - it's the most important thing. And you're right, it's definitely not selfish to craft your book the way you want to!! It's your product - that's the beauty of going indie :)
ReplyDeleteGood advice! Like Lady A says 'let your heart be your compass in the dark.' ;)
ReplyDeleteThis is so true. We are so close to these stories, these characters, they have to stay true to themselves. If there's a comment and we think 'shoot, they're probably right about that' then we should consider altering something. But if its just an opinion and one we don't agree with, then we got to stick to our guns.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to read your book!
Truth be told, this is exactly what I was referring to when I posted yesterday. Prior to pubbing A-Z, someone jumped into my gig with some stuff that REALLY ticked me off. . . So, okay, my new bottom line is to close in unto myself about two weeks prior to publishing and ignore/avoid 'helpful' people in my orbit.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it sounds selfish at all! Very true and good advice to follow.
ReplyDeleteI think I have felt overwhelmed constantly ever since I wrote "the end" on my first novel, but it's overwhelmed in a good way at least. :)
Great advice. I do think following your gut is key in publishing, especially when you're doing it all! People have lots of advice to give, and sifting through it all for gems is hard but worthwhile.
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