Why I Self-published My First Novel

As detailed earlier in this blog, I've been curious about the self-publishing industry and especially Amazon's offerings in that arena- Kindle Direct Publishing in particular. Hybrid publishing caught my eye, where authors may choose to self-publish an eBook but leave it to a traditional publisher for a print edition, if it worked out. Certainly, the benefits of Amazon's program are compelling- up to 70% royalties in perpetuity, total control of your book in every aspect, and the instant gratification of creating and publishing quickly.

There are downsides, of course. The self-publisher must take all the risks and do all the work, often in areas he/she has no expertise in. Not to mention the supreme difficulty in self-editing- the author is almost never going to be the best editor of his/her work. Competent, perhaps, but they can never have that neutral detachment necessary to truly see their work through an expert's eyes.

I chose to do this largely because I've always wanted to, and I think Noah's Custodian is decent. Can I do better? Yes. Could it be a more polished book? Yes, with help, I think it could. But I think it is still pretty darn good, and worth reading. An author can probably always find things he wish he would have phrased differently, or wished she spent more time on. I have a dozen ideas for books I'm very excited about, but I didn't want to write those in the rush of NaNoWriMo. Noah's Custodian sprung into my head and was a thrill to write in the span of a month, but I want to take my time and spin those ideas into awe-inspiring stories, at least to the best of my ability.

I tried a couple of places to get Noah's Custodian published to no avail. So I figured why not offer it to the world, learn a bit about self-publishing in the process, and hone my marketing skills. Most importantly, get back to writing something new, tackle one of the projects that has been kicking around in my head for a decade. My hope is that my first book sets the stage for those yet to come, and helps me build the discipline necessary to become a full time writer.. in addition to my career and full-time duties as a family man.

Perhaps, some day, writing will be my career. We'll see.

Moving On

Noah's Custodian is published. Aside from prepping it for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest and promoting it, it's high time to move on to the next project. I have a couple of short stories I'm working on, as mentioned previously, but I need to start focusing on the next big project. And I do mean BIG.

I've begun laying out a series with a planned ten books aimed specifically at my kids but hopefully enjoyable to all science fiction/adventure fans. I know it is very difficult to make a living as a novelist- even as a part-time endeavor it is difficult to derive much income. Yet, I would some day like to just be a writer, career-wise, and perhaps this new series will get me there.

I'm not quite ready to divulge titles and story lines, but it's fair to say I have the 'Star Wars', 'Harry Potter', 'Hunger Games' and 'Divergent' audiences in mind. The books will center around one titular character but certainly there has to be a strong and interesting supporting cast with their own stories to tell. Chiefly, I'm going to write this series for my kids. I figure if they like it, other people will, too. More to come as I begin the project.

Me, a Published Author!

I bit the bullet and self-published Noah's Custodian on Kindle today, it should be available tomorrow. Amazon already reviewed it and assigned it a stock number, and it's on its way to showing up for sale. I'm certainly proud of my work, satisfied and ready to move on to the next challenge. Maybe not as exciting as hitting the 'traditional' publication lottery, but I'm not getting any younger and this project has waited long enough, as have I.

Interesting thought crossed my mind- the big action Biblical flick Noah is coming out soon, I wonder if my humble book will benefit. Nothing like a little serendipity to help out! Also, it is a candidate for the 2014 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest, so I need to come up with a killer 300 word pitch and get it entered for that. Could win up to $50,000 and get it formally published!

I've been puttering away at short stories and such, kind of scattered, as you can tell from my posts. But I've decided to settle on a sci-fi book my son will love, and he already knows some about it. I want to write it for him and others his age- while he's that age. I already had a start on it but have been thinking it over and may just restart it. Time to get cracking.

Dabbling in Flash Fiction

So, I've heard of flash mobs, especially those coordinated via social media. You know, someone sets up cameras and invites strangers and friends alike to converge on a location and 'spontaneously' break out in some mass activity, like dancing to a song, or participating in some act of kindness, or dare I point out the one reenacting a famous scene from When Harry Met Sally.

I came across a call for entries in a flash fiction contest sponsored by Wisconsin Public Radio, the Center for the Humanities, and Wisconsin Institute for Discovery. The story has to fall between 500-600 words. I entered the contest with a story I called Revival of Spirit, clocking in at 597 words. Three winners will be chosen by famed science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson, and their entries will be dramatized into three-minute radio plays to be directed by actress Gates McFadden, best known for her role as Dr. Beverly Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation. How cool would that be!? Winners to be announced April 9th.

I still have not heard back from the magazine regarding my first novel, Noah's Custodian. I've begun formatting it for self-publication on Amazon for distribution on its Kindle platform. I'm actually getting excited about finally getting it out there, even if I do it myself.

Research and Writing

David McCullough is, bar none, my favorite historian. His works are amazing, and his knack for transporting you to the time of his subjects is astounding. You feel he's actually gone back in time, interviewed his subjects, walked beside them, and lived in the moment of that period.

That, of course, speaks to the strength, width and depth of his research, setting aside his excellent prose and delivery. There are so many good history books out there, and I've always been interested in writing a historical book. I'm no historian, my research skills are rusty, and I hold no degrees in literature or history. But I have an itch to come up with an original project or two, something to work on in the background of my other fictional endeavors.

I've had one idea for sometime, one that would be a fun exercise and may help me ease into historical research and writing. My casual research for that, however, led me to an 19th century American explorer who has many ties to Michigan and the Midwest, was a prolific explorer and writer, yet who does not appear to have a formal biographer. So, my interest is piqued. But, how to begin? How much research is necessary?

Obviously it depends what and how much is available. It appears I'll be able to get an excellent start on research right at my desk using the Internet, as many of my potential subject's writings are online and even free to access. Still, at the beginning, what a daunting task! McCullough himself said had he known his book Truman would have taken him a decade to finish, he never would have done it!

McCullough was interviewed and offered some other tidbits on his process. If anyone can point the way to a successful endeavor, he can.