How I Fell Into Self Publishing or Blame It On The Titanic

I didn't actually set out to self publish. I had sold my first novella to Carina Press - a paranormal romance set in ancient Egypt - and was all caught up in the work of editing, learning the ropes of promo and getting better at navigating social media in late 2011, when I realized that 2012 was the 100th anniversary of the sinking of Titanic. This become relevant because I had a completed science fiction adventure novel with romantic elements, which I'd set aside when Carina bought the Egyptian novella. And the book, WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM, was loosely based on Titanic, but set in the far future, in outer space.

Uh oh, sounds like a book that an author would definitely want to have out there in the world for Readers to discover during the 100th anniversary hoopla, doesn't it? Because the 101st anniversary of anything just doesn't command as much attention. At this point it was December 2011. There was literally no time  to submit the manuscript to anyone, not even Carina, much less to go through a publisher's editing and release process. So, self publishing is where I went!

I commissioned a cover from the wonderful Fiona Jayde, I had the book edited during January, formatted in late February and released in March of 2012. I put together my own small blog tour, did promo where I could, wrote LOTS of blogs about all aspects of Titanic...had terrific encouragement from Heather Massey at The Galaxy Express in particular, and along the way I discovered I really loved self publishing. I'm kind of a control freak by nature, I write fast and my Muse likes to pick and choose what stories to tell.

Don't get me wrong, I love Carina and they've been excellent to work with...but it's very satisfying to choose your own cover art and to get new books out on your schedule, rather than on the publisher's schedule.

PROs of self publishing in my opinion:

• Total control of the book, from cover to edits to distribution
• Ability to publish as often as I have a high quality product ready to offer the Readers. I'd hoped to get four books out this year (counting my second Carina book), only got three plus an audiobook of WRECK. I do have a day job. I learned a lot this year, about self publishing in general and about managing my "schedule of releases". Going to try for four new books released in 2014.
• Advice and guidance from a wonderful community of other self published and/or hybrid authors. If you're even thinking of dipping a toe into self publishing, I recommend joining the Yahoo group established and moderated by Marie Force  - here's the link http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/selfpublish/info . She and many other authors share advice and information generously. I've learned SO much from the group...
• Ability to write whatever story you want to tell (although you might not draw a large number of readers if no one else wanted to read the particular tale you've penned) and see it published.

CONS:

• It's a business. That works for me because I have a degree in business, plus years of experience in contracts, and all the many details of being your own publisher don't daunt me. But it is very different than having a publisher handling all the tracking, the copyrights, the ISBN's, formatting, uploading, pricing, Netgalley, pirates, whathaveyou. Some people love doing it all themselves, others not so much. The business deducts from your writing time...
• I think there's a benefit to being part of a publisher's group of authors, especially if they cross promote each other or if the publisher does visible promo, or is well known. But that being said, you can find your own community in self publishing, as with the wonderful SFR Brigade we have here...

I'm sure others can add pros and cons to this list but those are at the top of my mind. I self published ESCAPE FROM ZULAIRE, which also became an Amazon Best Seller in SFR, and the most recent paranormal, DANCER OF THE NILE. For now I'm firmly entrenched in the self publishing world and loving it. Never say never, I wouldn't mind being more of a hybrid author, but right now I'm concentrating on my own little "publishing empire" (don't I wish it was an empire LOL, more of a tenacious colony at the moment).

You can find me: Blog  @vscotttheauthor   Facebook

I'm happy to try to answer any questions about my experiences in self publishing and I'll check back on the comments after the day job!

Discussion on Ethnicity in SFR at TGE

Hi!

I'm over at The Galaxy Express and we're having a great discussion on ethnicity and diversity in the future, which sparked some discussion on how SFR writers can best portray ethnicity and diversity in their writing.

Stop by if you have a chance.

http://www.thegalaxyexpress.net/2011/11/interview-with-revelations-of-tomorrow.html

Can Techie Sci-Fi be Sexy too?

Heather Massey of The Galaxy Express just landed at My Blog. I've turned over command to her so she can clarify the science with the sex in erotic SFR. She is sharing her intirguing ideas in a most fascinating article. How about this for a title:

What If Erotic Sci-fi Romance Gave You Mind-Blowing Orgasms *and* Deep Thoughts?

Stop by for a visit today, and during this week to join in and comment on this interesting discussion.

Here's the blog title link so Brigaders can use there beaming abilities to light speed jump on over:  Sci-Fi Tech Meets Hot Sex

PS  ~ And while you are beaming around the Galaxy, don't forget to land at fellow Brigader, Melisse Aires blog for a very interesting post on the future of families in space: Here's the title and the link:  Moms In Space !!

Kaye Manro

The Galaxy Express Kicks It Up With Erotic SFR

What's happening today?

The Galaxy Express is discussing worldbuilding in SFR especially as it relates to erotic SFR. The post features examples from my erotic SFR, FORBIDDEN LOVE!  It's up now.

Heather Massey, SFRB member and the extraordinary keeper of The Galaxy Expess has fascinating concepts. She and I have had a few interesting conversations about worldbuilding and with her permission, I've shared some of our email talks in the comment section of the TGE post:

Does Erotic SFR Need To Kick It Up A Notch?

In this case, it means do erotic SFR authors need to be more informed and research Science Fiction and know their stuff when it comes to writing SFR. Also, does writing good erotic SFR allow an author to explore more layers of the plot and character releationships. Visual and detailed, not necessarily graphic. To pique your interest, here is some of what I shared in the comments from a private conversation with Heather Massey in an email:

Kaye: I emphasize woldbuilding so much when I write SFR or talk about it. I'm such a Sci-Fi girl from the get-go, so it was just natural for me to write in this genre.

Heather: I can be happy with a good-faith effort. It's the stories that seem as though the author just phoned it in that concern me. Like you said, why bother writing SFR at all if your heart's not in it?

Kaye: I have author friends (a few are erotic authors) who have mentioned they would like to write SFR. I say, well, do you love the genre? Do you immerse yourself in the books constantly and search for new releases, can you not wait for the next SF movie or TV show to air, do you love finding and researching scientific theories, and is your mind always creating 'strange new worlds'? Do you know the terminology? ETC.

Heather: Exactly. They don't have to be hardcore, just a fan on a regular basis. Because readers will know...

Fantastic topic! Stop by for a visit, read the post/comments and leave a comment of your own at

THE GALAXY EXPRESS

Kaye Manro 

Cross-posted from Kaye's Blog