Taking My First Giant Leap Into the Publishing Jungle
Reality is looming. I’m taking steps to publish Life Torn Asunder: Rebuilding After Suicide. I’ve asked an editor for a quote, sent a chapter to a hybrid publisher I’m considering using, and downloaded KDP’s publishing tool in case I decide to self-publish. I’ve also exchanged emails with a friend’s daughter who has self-published her fiction, and traditionally published her non-fiction. To put it in a nutshell, I’m actively gathering information so I can make some decisions and get the publishing process started.
I’m a bit concerned about the length of time I’m hearing publishers, both traditional and hybrid take to get a book from acceptance to publication. It will definitely be more work to self-publish, but I’ll control when, where, and how myself, to a certain degree. Still, if someone else is doing the technical stuff like formatting I can work on getting myself known to a wider audience and even working on one of my novels. On the other hand, I’m pretty tech savvy and could conceivably do the formatting myself without a lot of pain.
Staying Out of the Details Mire
I know the novel I wrote for my first NaNo, Sasha’s Journey is the one closest to my heart, but 
whether it’s the first I prepare for publishing is still a huge question mark. I think I need to re-read all of them critically before I decide, though Hannah’s Chair is the least likely since I’ve yet to complete it.
It’s funny how we can get stuck in the details and avoid doing anything for awhile. I catch myself doing that a lot, and know most of it is fear rearing it’s ugly head. When I publish, I’ll have to put a lot more effort into marketing, which I have to stop telling myself I suck at. In truth, I need to implement a marketing plan now so I have an audience primed and ready for the book releases.
I’m also learning marketing doesn’t mean selling. It means getting the know-like-trust factor established so selling isn’t necessary. Granted, I am not a Nora Roberts or Stephen King whose books sell on name recognition alone. But they, too were once new authors and had to show people they could spin a good story time after time until they established their reputations.
I’m not saying I aspire to their level of greatness, but let’s get real. What author wouldn’t want to be a best-seller!
Getting a Few Miles Ahead of Myself
I do have concerns about selling my novels after establishing myself as an suicide survivor expert. Although I’ve considered writing a novel involving suicide, nothing I’ve written so far even hints at it. Will that make it harder to sell my fiction?
I could go into every worry and concern on the planet, but it would do nothing more than halt my forward progress. I’m learning (slowly but surely) to focus on the issue at hand; to stay in the present moment and allow the future to resolve itself when and only when it becomes the present. Sure, it means telling my monkey mind to stop swinging from the branches; to give it a banana to keep it occupied while I focus on what I need to do in the Now. It also means letting it swing a little once in awhile like you let your 4-year-old run around to burn off some of their excess energy.
Meanwhile, I can work ahead on projects like post writing and scheduling so I have a clear space when some of the answers I’m seeking start coming in. It means exploring some of my options and playing with the templates Amazon provides to see if formatting myself is even a viable option. Some authors I’ve spoken to recommend it and say it was pretty simple. Others say they hire someone as it overwhelmed them. As I see it, it will come down to how tech savvy I really am plus how patient I can be. Frankly, I’m more concerned about the latter than the former. Patience has never been my strong suit!
Getting Organized with a To Do List
For now, my publishing To Do list looks something like this:
- Talk to editors and get quotes.
- Determine what pieces I’ll need to complete to self-publish.
- Find out what the format is for a synopsis if and when I pitch to publishers.
- Play with Amazon’s templates.
- Determine costs and create a budget.
- Look at options for cover art and get quotes.
- Read a couple more memoirs by suicide survivors to ensure I’m a unique point of view.
- Write the synopsis (another place I’m dragging my heels) if I decide not to self-publish, or maybe just for practice.
- Gather information from hybrid publishers:
- What do I get for my money?
- Who controls the finished product?
- Is there a split on sales or do I get it all minus publishing costs?
- Develop a timeline.
I know there are so many more things I’ll add to this list as I dig into what, at the moment seems like a bottomless abyss. But the more I learn, the clearer I’ll be about what is best for launching my first baby into the world (aside from thick skin, of course).
Telling My Fears to Take a Seat and Enjoy the Show
Most of all, I know I have to put my fear aside and start taking steps. The process is the same whether it’s quitting a job to start a new career, expanding a social calendar, signing up for speaking engagements, or anything else outside my comfort zone. One baby step at a time.
I’m fortunate in having people interested in the book already, but more, in having loving supportive people who are encouraging me every step of the way. I trust the support and help I’ll need will be there when the time comes to venture into all the new areas I’ve yet to conquer because I’ve found what I needed with each step so far. Sometimes, having the confidence we’ll find what we need when we need it is the most valuable commodity of all.
About the Author
Sheri Conaway is a writer, blogger, ghostwriter, and advocate for cats. Sheri believes in the Laws of Attraction, 
but only if you are a participant rather than just an observer. Her mission is to Make Vulnerable Beautiful and help entrepreneurs touch the souls of their readers and clients so they can increase their impact and their income. If you’d like to have her write for you, please visit her Hire Me page for more information. You can also find her on Facebook Sheri Levenstein-Conaway Author. And check out her new group, Putting Your Whole Heart Forward.
Be sure to watch this space for news of the upcoming release of “Life Torn Asunder: Rebuilding After Suicide”.
