My last post dealt with the new self-publishing expo. I asked readers to share their experiences in self-publishing. Here's what our client Patrice Sarath, author of the Gordath Wood series (Berkley Publishing / Ace) has to say:
"A couple of years ago, before Kae and John sold my Gordath Wood series, I edited a self-published anthology called Tales From the Secret City. This was a collection of stories by my writer's group.We did this for a couple of reasons; it was a good way to get our name out there at conventions. It was fun. We were able to showcase our work in a professional, polished manner. We could have a launch party and invite all of our friends and family and sell a few copies. We gave away copies to reviewers and famous authors, and even got a few good reviews.We did not expect this to: launch our careers as writers. Make money. Bring us fame. Substitute in any way for legitimate publishing. We also were very careful in another respect. Only our top work was published even though it meant that first rights were used up. In my case and the case of two other authors, that meant we published stories that had first been printed elsewhere. Overall, the experience was good, only because we went in with our eyes open and treated it as something separate from traditional publishing.The anthology is called Tales From the Secret City, and it's available on Amazon or through Lulu."
Anyone else have a story to share?
2 comments:
I almost self-published my first book through LuLu, who were great to work with btw. I had gotten to the point where I was working on the cover art, but my heart wasn't into it. I've always wanted to go the traditional publishing route, so I stopped in the middle of the process. I left that book and LuLu behind, and I'm glad I did. For some people, I'm sure the self-publishing route is the way to go. It just didn't feel right for me.
When I finish a novel, I like to self-publish through a free publisher such as Lulu.com. I do not attempt to sell or market these books. I only do it to order one copy and see my work in print. It helps create the vision that what I do is real.
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