The complexities of being a self-published author

Are there any other writers out there? Anyone gone through trying to publish their work?

I am, and I have. I never knew how difficult it was.

Let me start with my New Years Resolution: to write a book. It was something I decided to just kick myself into gear and finally do. But I never knew the levels of complexity that is involved in writing a book.

I mean, not only the writing element. The marketing and publishing side of things.

I have been interested in writing for years, my mother would tell me stories of when I was a little girl and I was writing 'yet another story', back then there were no computers (that makes me feel old! I mean, there were no personal computers, it was the late 80s early 90s) and I would write stories down on paper.

I've come up with many ideas over the years. Some my own imaginations writing down into just 'ideas' more than anything, or when I was younger I'd be involved in fan-fiction (not anymore). But it wasn't until this year, when I really decided to actually commit to writing properly.

I came up with a few ideas, toyed with story lines, trying to figure out what was the best one, or just working on 'one' rather than coming up with new ideas and never getting past the idea stage. Until I decided to commit to one particular genre that I love. Supernatural / Fantasy.

I was addicted to Harry Potter. I followed the story like everyone else. Waiting for the next book to come out, and then the next one and the next one. Then the films came out, although I wasn't too sure about the films.

And so I came up with this story 'Rose Garden Sanatorium' (you can see the Prologue and Chapter 1 in my blog feed now, check it out!)

When I started deciding that I should really be serious about this, and I mean, try at least to make a career out of writing, I started approaching people to get an idea on costs of printing / book cover designing. I didn't want to get tied into a publisher, so I wanted to do it myself. Couldn't be too hard could it?

One lovely guy, from a UK family run business, a book designer mainly, suggested I post the book for sale on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing first, get feedback on my writing and then work from there (getting a book cover designed and getting them professionally printed).

So I did, but not with Rose Garden. I wrote another one, quickly. It took me about a month, if that, to write this Romantic suspense, and I put it up on Amazon Kindle Direct and boooom... I'm a self-published author that easily.

But, aside from the fact of whether the story is any good (I like the plot line personally, but I didn't spend enough on the nitty-gritty bits like the descriptions and editing out any punctuation issues), it's been extremely difficult to get people to read it!

At first I put it up on Amazon for £1.99 - it's only an ebook, so I didn't want it to be too expensive! And then when I realised I wasn't getting many sales, I put it down to £0.99. I didn't care I wouldn't get much in terms of profit from selling the book that cheap, but it was about exposure. I've had a few people buy the book, but then suddenly there is a lul.

I then had the worry that the book was too cheap - did people think it was too cheap that it wasn't worth reading? So, I started posting and tweeting about it only being 99p for a limited time only and put it up again.

Don't get me wrong, I've had lots of support on Twitter, it's a brilliant place to get exposure if you're trying to be a writer! There are so many people like you who want to help you in return of the same support. Which I do with open arms! But although I get nearly 20+ notifications on my Twitter account about someone liking or retweeting. It hasn't generated many sales!

So, I'm now at the stage of wondering if I should submit my 'Rose Garden Sanatorium' - which I have spent, so far, seven months working on a plot line for a 5-part series with so much depth that it'll make your brain hurt - to a literacy agent / publisher.

Or, I just need to work on my marketing skills!

P.s. Not my own photo, found on a free stock images website to help create book-covers. I do not know the original author.