Self-Pubbing

Saturday was an interesting day.  It was one of the best feelings to be surrounded by writing people.  They so know where I'm coming from without question, and I love that.  Being able to talk story people and the romance genre makes my day.  Some wonderful new writers joined us--Tina Michelle, who is a fount of paranormal knowledge.  Check her out at http://www.tinamichelle.com.  And we also met Kallypso Masters, who has the friendliest smile.

The meeting went off without a hitch thanks to our fearless leader-- JM Madden, who you can find at http://www.jmmadden.com.

Then the good vibe continued when Donna McDonald shared her experience with something I've been highly interested in lately--self-publishing.  She has ventured forth into the world of self-publishing and is doing very well.  She has three self-published titles released right now-- http://www.amazon.com/Donna-McDonald/e/B001K8PW86/ref=sr_tc_img_2?qid=1306281387&sr=1-2-ent  Her website is http://www.donnamcdonaldauthor.com

I've downloaded the first of her "Never too late" series, titled Dating a Cougar, and although I've yet to begin reading it, I can tell you that many are enthusiastic about it.

She explained to us the success she's had, and without giving details--yes, it's worth looking into.  But I'm not rushing into anything just yet.  First of all, I don't have anything I would consider ready to publish currently.  Second of all, I'm into promoting my soon-to-be-released story from TWRP.  Third, there are some upfront costs (editing, cover, etc.) that I'm not quite ready for.  Four, as I've said before on this blog, I'm a muller, and I've got some mulling over to do.

Like I said, I've been researching this old publishing phenomenon made new.  You see, I know that self-pubbing has been stigmatized for years, but that was when you needed trad. pub houses for editing, artwork, and distribution, and when you sunk money into it that you never got back.  Now, neither trad. houses nor excessive upfront money is necessary.  And everyone knows that with the popularity of e-readers, publishing is changing--like Middle Ages to Renaissance, possibly (too big?  Naaah).

Of course, there are other names to research if you are interested in self-pubbing.  One of the biggest self-pubbers right now used to be totally against self-publishing before he realized how much money he was losing by not going there.  Of course, I'm talking about J. A. Konrath.  If you are interested in reading about his experience, he has been really candid about his process-- http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/

What are your current thoughts about the changes in publishing?  Is self-publishing the way to go?

Happy Writing!