I saw this photo on Facebook today and the absurdity of a pig in tiny red boots gave me a much needed laugh. I feel a bit like this right now. Absurd. (I’m ignoring the plump pig part.)
The boots won’t help me now though. I’m at least waist deep in self-publishing. Some days, I’m positive I’m in over my head. I know now that writing and polishing the novel was the easy part. I’ve had to be talked in off the ledge a few times already, and I haven’t even started the e-book conversion.
If you’ve been thinking of self-publishing, don’t let my moaning discourage you. My biggest problem is trying to do this as cheaply as possible. I’m sure I’ve used up all my favors from friends. I used my artistic talent and fledgling graphics skills to create my own book cover. I hunkered down with dozens of examples from my shelves and taught myself how to format the interior for the print version.
So, The Brevity of Roses will be published soon. And then, the real absurdity begins. I will have to market the book. I’ve read tons on the subject. I’ve picked the brain of suburban noir author Cathryn Grant so much, I’m surprised she’s not reduced to vacant-eyed drooling.
I still have no idea what I’m going to do.
It’s likely my book will launch with a whimper. I’ll try not to become a harpy crying, “Buy my book!” in every blog post, status update, or tweet. I have a feeling that in a few weeks I’ll blog about how marketing with no budget was as absurd as a pig in red boots.
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Linda Cassidy Lewis 
I could offer all sorts of advice about marketing yourself, but I won’t offer it here unsolicited. You know where to find me if you’d like it. 🙂
The one thing I’ve discovered, though, is that I’m doing just as much marketing for Monarch with a traditional publisher as I did for Cinders on my own. I’ve quickly discovered that only certain things boost book sales, and most of those are out of my control or require great patience.
No matter how you look at it, publishing in any way is a lot of work. You know how much I’m supporting you in all this!
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Michelle, now that you offered, I’ll email you. I know how busy you are and didn’t want to do to you what I’ve done to Cathryn. 🙂
You know, when I started beading, I found out that everyone and their aunt was also beading and it was hard to find a market. I feel that way now about publishing. Of course, that could just be because most of my friends are writers. 😀
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I am a bit vacant-eyed, not yet drooling, but it’s certainly not from your brain-picking!
The pig’s boots are adorable and absurd, your plan is not.
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Well, Cathryn, with tips from you and Michelle, maybe I’ll find my little niche and reach a few readers.
And I’m glad I’m not the sole cause of your decline. 🙂
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