The first novel that I self published ‘Secrets, Lies & Rodeo’ is once again available on Amazon in print form, as well as in ebook format.
Here’s the new book description I wrote for it;
Living near a sleepy satellite town allows for country living, horsing around and getting to know the locals. But what you see on the surface isn’t always what you get. It is easy to meet people, but it takes time to get to know them. One woman leads the reader through her own inevitable struggles and those of her misfit colt Rodeo, while she shares stories about her neighbors and friends and occasionally spills a secret or two. But there is one secret that she has promised never to reveal. When heartbreak and tragedy strike, that last deeply hidden secret finally comes to light. Then too, so do all the lies that nearly destroy the family closest to her heart, along with the life of the only woman who might be able to hold them together.
Self publishing requires yet more skills and sometimes I think, even more effort than it took to get the words on the page in the first place.
I’ll be getting myself out there this summer to promote and sell my novel after my book order arrives. I’m also hoping to arrange readings and author’s talks for writer’s groups and local libraries. There are farmer’s markets and craft sales to check out too. My sales skills are about to be severely tested!
Anyone who wants to self publish can find a whole array of services to help get the job done, but like everything else it is buyer beware, and the costs do vary widely. Anyone seriously considering self publishing should check out the information on writer’s forums and of course in the forums on the print on demand or POD service of choice.
It is important to be honest about one’s own skills before deciding what to pay for and what to do on your own. I decided to keep most of my budget for promoting and selling my novel. So I’ve been doing things like cover design and formatting myself. Help from family and friends got me through the editing work and for that I’m extremely grateful.
Working through the formatting has been the hardest part of the job for me. But what I’ve learned there is to work with a simple text document to start with and to stick with it until the writing and editing is finished. After that I’m pretty sure it will be easier to apply formatting than to try to change the formatting afterwards.
I’m still working on my YA science fiction novel and doing my best to keep my writing time free of distractions. It’s a very nice feeling though, to have one book behind me and to know that I did the best job I could possibly do.