Publishing Journey Continued…

If you have received my recent Newsletter (sign up below), you know that I’ve decided to self-publish my novel vs. pursuing a literary agent. There were a couple of primary reasons: (1) TIME - this would be over a year+ for publication, (2) LIKELIHOOD - I Googled what the odds are to get an agent. I saw that it’s between 1 in 1,000 to 1 in 6,000!  

Many groups support self-publishing. I’ve chosen to work with Amazon Publishing, a subsidiary of Amazon focused on this area. They are the 6th largest publishing group after the “traditional” publishing houses such as Simon & Schuster, Harper Collins, Penguin Random House, etc. 

The timeline for publishing with Amazon Publishing can be reaosnably quick, i.e. months. Fortunately, my novel is done, and I’ve worked with professionals over time, including a relatively recent review of grammer, punctuation, etc. I hope and expect it to be ready in a reasonable timeframe - hopefully for people to read it on the beach this year. P.S. the cover of the book is done!!! I’ll share it in the next Newsletter.

By the way, using Amazon Publishing doesn’t mean the novel will only be sold by Amazon. It will also be available in more than forty other booksellers, including outside the U.S. As we get close to launching the book, I’ll share the other seller names.

Reflection

Someone recently asked me if I’m enjoying the writing and the publishing process. As I considered the question, it reminded me of one of the “Rules” that Stephen King has in his “Top 20.” Believe it or not, he’s a serious, literary person and has a book on writing that is highly regarded. He says…    

“Writing is about getting happy.” He notes, “Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous… In the end, it’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work… Writing is magic, as much the water of life as any other creative art. The water is free. So drink.”

That says it for me! I love it… 

Best regards,

Tom