Before I decided to embark on the journey of writing this series I imagined the road would be difficult if not impossible. Everything I read told me that publishing a novel might has well have been climbing Mount Everest in shorts, sandals, and a t-shirt. Then I learned about self-publishing.
The idea of getting my work out there using nothing more than my own elbow grease was exciting, but also seemed a little too good to be true. And it didn’t take a lot of research to realize that just about any old rag could be thrown up on Amazon and offered to the masses for a couple bucks. That was almost as demoralizing as the idea of pitching my series to a horde of publishers in order to face the obligatory mountain of rejections.
After an embarrassing amount of time researching the field though, I recognized that there was another way. I decided I was going to bring self-published stories to readers without the aid of the cash-vacuuming masses that promise to make Joe-Schmo a best-seller. I wasn’t going to pay outrageous sums of money for website design, an email list of thousands of disinterested potential customers, or editors that would marginally improve the quality of the book while ensuring I paid them so much the book never sold into the black. I was going to write and learn, rinse and repeat. One disclaimer – The only place I spent a dime was cover design (which I have empirical evidence to prove is money well spent…but I’m learning graphic design too).
I’ll admit I haven’t hit the target exactly as I envisioned it, at least not yet. But this is a journey, not a get rich quick scheme (or a get rich at all scheme for that matter). In the course of writing these first three novels I have no doubt I’ve improved my voice with each one. I’ve learned to edit and to seek out the plot and editing advice of truly interested (beta) readers. I’ve also learned a thing or two about Amazon algorithms and how trickling a three book series out over two years isn’t the recipe for maximum success.
To everyone that contributed to this project or even took an interest in it, thank you! For those that haven’t but have somehow stumbled on this post, I hope you’ll give the series a shot. There are a million good stories out there that never see the light of day and I’m hoping to change that with a few non-conventional tactics (that don’t involve going broke on Amazon Ads). I’m well on my way to the next series with a library of lessons learned to ensure it’s better than the last.
For those that like teasers, stay tuned. I’ll roll out previews of Talos soon…
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