Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Too Much Information and Yet Not Enough

While I was finishing up my first manuscript (2009), self-pubbing was coming into its own. There were a few  choices out there and they were getting positive publicity. As a technologically challenged newbie without any tech savvy teenagers left at home to rely on to help me through this vast new wonderland, I made two decisions: one, to self-publish because of the higher royaltes (20% at the time vs. 7-10% from a traditional publisher), and two, to use an assisted self-publishing company, as I had no idea how to format, get an ISBN, set up social media sites, or build a platform for myself.

I was pleased with the results. My debut novel, "Quintspinner - A Pirate's Quest" was shortlisted for 2010 Sask Book Awards for Best New Book, and it has gathered 4 and 5 star reviews. http://amzn.to/hcYKT5

In the time since, self-publishing options have exploded faster than a head count at a rabbit farm in the spring, and now I face a new dilemma: which self-publishing path to go on this time? Soft covers as well, or ebooks only? CreateSpace, directly to Kindle, to Smashwords? Every day I have favorite blogs to read and learn from, but the information put forth is so abundant that I wallow in confusion still. Which has the best distribution? Which gives the best payback to an author? Which is the most use-friendly? Should I upload to a combination of sites?

What has been your experience? What have you chosen to do and why?

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