First off, I’d like to give a big thank you to Fairday and
Lizzy for allowing me to write a post on their blog. It’s really exciting! I’ve
been asked to talk a little bit about the process I follow as a self-published
author. I’ve been writing all my life—back when there were no computers, just
typewriters! When my wife finally convinced me to write a novel, I knew it
had to be for children.
What followed was six years of writing, rewriting, editing
and feedback from friends, family and a writing workshop. When I finally ‘finished’
(let’s face it, you never feel like your book is ever totally done/perfect) in
2011, I looked around at publishing options. As an author, you basically have
two routes to go, traditionally published or self-published.
I went with self-publishing because there were a lot of good
options available that enabled me to turn out a professional looking book for
little or no money reasonably quickly. Self-publishing also gives me full
creative control so that I can write what I want the way I want. I have to say
going in that my goal was never to make a boatload of money but to entertain
children by writing books with good values that demonstrate teamwork and finding
strength from within. Thankfully, I've managed to stay true to that.
So what’s it like being self-published? When I began this
journey, I thought I had a pretty good idea. Turns out, I had a lot to learn and
three years later, there is still a lot I don’t know.
If you have a desire to write, the first thing you need is a
story idea. This leads to the question ‘where do ideas come from?’ Everyone has
to come up with their own answer to that question, but I’ve found that the best
generator for me is asking ‘What if?’ For example, when I was kicking around ideas for
that first book I asked myself a lot of what if questions. The one that really
resonated with me was, ‘What if a boy found a doorway to another world?’ That
led to Eric meeting Stig the owl who took him on a wonderful adventure in the
first Deliverers book, Sharky & the Jewel.
Once I have an idea that I’m excited about, I like to map things
out. I don’t go so far as to outline the book from start to finish, but I begin
writing with a concrete problem that needs to be solved, a good idea of how
the characters are going to do it and most of the resolution. Everyone is
different in this, I think. Some map out everything, others let things develop
as they write. For me, the characters tend to take over and lead. I know what
they have to do, but oftentimes they get it done in ways that I don’t expect.
That’s the best part about the writing process.
Once your first draft is complete, it’s time to start
rewriting and editing. I usually go through it all once and identify areas that
just don’t work for me. Then, it’s time to figure out the best way to
rewrite those portions. After rewriting, I go through and edit. This includes
word usage, spelling, punctuation, typos, etc. Once that’s done, if the budget
allows I hand it off to an editor. I was an editor for four years, so if the
money’s not there I can get away with not having it edited, but it’s always
better if someone else does it. They’ll be more objective and spot areas of
needed improvement that you never will.
After it’s been edited, I make any needed changes, then
proofread once more for word usage and punctuation. No matter how careful I am, there are always be a few things that slip through. It drives me nuts.
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| Artist Daniel Vogel on a visit to Stephanie Robinson's class |
While all this is going on, you need to work on the cover
and any interior illustrations and maps with your illustrator. This is the part
that could run into a little bit of money, but it’s vital that you have art
that is engaging and professional looking. For me, I need to be involved in the
process start to finish. I meet with my illustrator, Daniel Vogel, to go over
the initial concept and vision. We pick a scene out of the book that resonates
with both of us and then he runs with it. He gives me an initial sketch and we
meet to refine that. I usually meet with him once a month during production
until the cover, map and interior chapter illustration is set. For maps I
sketch out a rough copy to show him where everything is and he takes it from
there.
Once the manuscript is complete, I hand it off to layout
artist Ana Vogel (Daniel’s mother) so that she can lay it out. CreateSpace has
a template that you can use to lay out your book yourself, but if you can, give
this to a pro to do. Thanks to Ana’s skill my books look professional.
I use CreateSpace to publish the paperback versions of my
books. They’re great because they print on demand, have decent distribution and
offer better than average royalties. I also have Kindle versions of my books
that I publish through Kindle Direct Publishing. They’ve really improved the
ease of formatting over the years and I’ve been able to format my books
myself—pictures, maps and all—easily.
The final hat you need to wear as a self-published author is
marketing. I have to admit that this is where the learning curve has been
steepest for me. Some things like book trailers, banner design, bookmarks, etc. have
been easy. I have a creative flair and like fiddling around with stuff like
that. What I struggle with, though, is self promotion. That's a nice way of saying I have trouble talking about myself.
To top it off, I just can’t devote the time to marketing
that it needs. Between a full-time job, a family and writing, there’s very
little time left. If you can devote part of your budget to partnering with a
social media marketing firm, then I say do it. Just be sure to do your homework
before going with anyone.
Self-publishing has been a challenging but rewarding journey
for me. With two more books still to come in the Deliverers series, it’s a path
that I’ll continue to travel for at least the next two years. Beyond that, who
knows? I may try my hand at getting the next series—whatever that winds up
being—traditionally published. I’ll follow whatever my gut tells me to do. You
should, too. Thanks for reading.
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