Beneath the Covers,Past
A Romance Column

Self Publishing Made Simple for Romance

I love reading romance and romance is my passion. I have written so many romantic short stories and novels, that I am in anticipation of seeing them published. I want them published. I don’t want to have to wait for days, weeks, months, or even years to make it happen. I want to see my novels in print and yesterday is the market for me.

I could go through the traditional process, but again I’m not looking forward to waiting by the mail box or the computer to check my email. I’m in control and I will make something happen.

I know what I am going to do. Self-publishing is the new crave in book publishing, and this is definitely the answer for me. Not only am I going to read romance novels, but I’m going to read my romance novels in the published form. With the assistance of the self-publishing technology, I am going to make all my romantic dreams come true. I have to and there’s no ands, ifs, or butts about it. I have no choice in the matter.

What is self-publishing? Simply put, publishing your own writing; “having ones writing published by oneself; is the publishing of books and other media by the authors of those works, rather than by established, independent publishers.” (Dictionary, Wikipedia – www.answers.com). Does this mean that my novels of romance are so awful that I can’t find a traditional publisher? Of course not! It means that I am exhausted with going through the process and I want immediate and quick results; it means I believe in my work; I love my work; I am persistent and determined; it means that I have a voice in romance and I want to be heard. This is why I chose to self-publish.

There’s nothing wrong with self-publishing; if you do the research you will learn that most of the famous writers self-published their novels and sold them inside the trunk of their cars, such as a well-known author in the book world, who self-published his book is Lynn E. Harris. I think this trend is catching on and it’s going to be a phenomenal for authors in generations to come. It’s a digital battlefield of access and every author should at least self-publish one of their books. It’s the ‘in now’ and the ‘fab’ so to speak. It’s the name of the game and we are so used to following what the trend in society wants us to do.

I chose a traditional publisher with my first and second books I Confess and Everything and More. I could submit my third novel and used the same process with my publishing company, but the issue is the length of time that I’d have to wait to see my third book in print. I don’t want to wait and that’s the bottom line. The waiting period would be two years because, believe it or not, I’m not the only writer on the planet or the only author using this publishing company. There are more than a million new writers jumping on the band wagon of publication, waiting for my turn is not an option. I choose not to wait which is my prerogative.

My third novel, Torn Between Two Lovers will be released soon by Outskirts Press. I chose this self-publisher because I liked their format, the price, and the length of time it’d take to get my author copies in my hand. The publishing process with Outskirts Press was painless. You are assigned a representative who takes you from the baby steps to the advance steps. My representative was Heather, and she answered all my questions in a timely and accurate manner via email, and now my author copies are in my hands. The cover and the essence of the book are perfect, and I am pleased with the entire process with Outskirts Press. The length of time was two months (60 days) for me, but it depends on the package that you choose, payment, and revision stages. I am positive my fourth book will enter the same process.

What about the money and why pay to have your book published? This is a good question, and this is one you have to keep asking yourself because everyone has a different answer. Outskirts Press was inexpensive for me, and I paid to publish my book because “I believe in my work; I love my writing style; my romance novels are good; I am tired of the traditional process of sending out manuscripts and waiting for approval for a novel I have slaved over like I would a new born infant; I am exhausted with the form letters of rejections with no information of why you decided to decline my book; I want to see instant publication, and most importantly I believe in me.” These are my reasons why I chose to go down the self-publishing route. I am also sure other self-publishers agree with me and there are some who don’t, but that’s your decision also. I chose this path, and I have to live with the consequences, and staring at my third book, I know I have made the right choice.

Outskirts Press is not the only self-publishers. There are iUniverse, Lulu.com, Book Surge, and Author House, just to name a few. You have to go on their websites, do your research and make the best choice that will reward you with your published novel in your hand. The choice and the money is all up to you.

There are skeptics who will never pay to have their books published and that’s okay because that’s your option. You can continue down the traditional route and pray that someone recognize a good manuscript when they see it. I pray for you too! As you do your research read about the successful self-publishers who have found traditional publishers; they are on the road to a very rewarding career in the publishing field with a six-figure advance. If they decided not to self-publish they wouldn’t be spending that six-figure check. Self-publishing is a risk we take, and we take risks in our daily lives, so why not?

So I am reading romance and writing romance; all you have to do is logged into my website at www.freewebs.com/jcarolann and take a ride with me to the world of romance. Thank God for self-publishing because where would most of us hard working writers be? The self-publishing crave is here to stay, so join the process or suffer the consequences. I don’t think you will be sorry because there are a group of talented writers in this world, and we need to be recognized and heard. I don’t see why not! We have a voice! Again, thank God for the invention of Self-Publishing! Where would most of the writers be without it?

© MyShelf.Com. All Rights Reserved.