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How Do I Navigate the Changing Landscape of Writing and Publishing?
There’s no right or wrong answer, just lots of options.
When I finished my first sci-fi novel — 50 handwritten and illustrated pages — at the age of 9, I tried to get it published. For the creation of a 9-year-old, it wasn’t bad. But neither was it good.
As I got older and (I like to think) wiser, I would try to get a much later — and better-polished — book traditionally published. I submitted query letters to agents and publishers open to submissions.
What I got in return were mostly form-letter rejections.
In the 2010s, Amazon was becoming the place to go to buy books. And, it turned out, it was the place to sell books. There were tools available that had never been available before to make self-publishing super easy.
It has been 10 years since I made my first foray into that world. Since then, I’ve self-published a dozen sci-fi, Steampunk, and fantasy books and 5 non-fiction and other books.
I’ve read blogs, books, and articles about successful self-published authors. I’ve listened to podcasts and audiobooks about them, too. Despite their knowledge and the ways they forged the path — I’ve struggled. What can I do — that I seem to be missing — to get where I desire…
