To self-publish or not.

I'm doing what I'm supposed to do but as we all know, these things take time. Getting an agent and then a publishing deal takes time. Especially for a new author. I'm thinking about doing some self-publishing, accompanied with a full marketing plan. I know my path is to become a full time writer. I've never been more sure of anything. The big question is...which way and how do I get there? Do I do the big waiting game like all of us writers are forced to do? Or do I step outside of the box and take things into my own hands? Now, I'm not too much on the waiting around game. I like to make things happen. Movement causes movement. Either way, I know that some day I will have a publishing deal. I just need to figure out which direction to go in the mean time.
What are your thoughts on self-publishing? I'd love to hear your ideas and thoughts on the whole thing.

Ditching writing that you've already done.

So chapter 6 kept bugging me. Really, I didn't like it from the get go. I ended up deleting the last half of the chapter. We're talking about 5000 words down the drain. Gone. Deleted. Yes, I did it on purpose but it was hard. Rewriting once I got started thought was so much better than the first trip. Now that it's finished, I couldn't be happier. Love it! I'm so happy with my work I could do a little dance. Always keep going no matter what falls in your way. You might be surprised at what you might get if you have to redo part of it.

Looking at the contract.

I have a contract that I'm looking at considering. I think it's the best way to go for me even though it's not exactly what I was hoping for. Really, though, there's lots of things in this life that isn't exactly what we were hoping for but we use it and hopeful build on it.
When I write - I write from my soul. There is so much of me in every word that I write. My feelings, my hopes, my fears, my believes, my everything. It's frighten to put myself out there like this but I know that it will be worth it in the long run. So I say to you..."please be gentle." My writing is me.

Studing...to find out where I'm going...

Writing a novel is one thing but I have to tell you that once you get that done is when the hard work begins. It's not enough that I've written a great novel but I also have to be a promotional guru to get anywhere. Wow!! There's so much that I have to learn and figure out. What a great merry-go-round that I've jumped up onto. Please don't get me wrong I do love every minute of it but how can I possibility manage to hit all of the targets that I need to hit to become a best selling author? One step at a time...right? Well that's how I'm taking it and I do love every fun filled minute of it but wow, there's a lot to learn.

Publishing Dark Forgiveness

I received an email today that the publishing company is discussing my book and coming up with a offer. Needless to say that this week as been a whirl wind of excitement around my house. I submitted four letters last Thursday to the different companies that I had an interest in and on Monday, I had one of the four asking for my full manuscript.
I sent it off as quickly as my little hands could move and on Wednesday I received an email stating..."We would sincerely like to publish your book"... I had to read it four or five times just to let it sink in. I never thought that a published would grab me up this quick but I'm thanking my lucky stars and working feverishly to get the edits done.
Wow...what a journey. I'll keep you updated.

The email!!!!

Well today I received an email from the company that I was hoping to publish with. In the first of the email I find...."We sincerely want to publish your book and market it in the US and around the world."
My heart jumped up into my throat and I had to read it a few times for it to sink in. They want to publish my work. This has went so quickly that I'm having to pinch myself to make sure that I'm awake. Yes...here it comes...I'm going to be a published author and I get to share my stories with the world. Geee...what should I wear? Just kidding.
So I'm super stoked and am soooo excited. There's so much to do but I'll keep you updated. I want you to take this journey with me so I'll tell you about as much as I can.

Closing one door only to find another open

I had previously blogged about letting someone (outside of my family) read my manuscript. The first person that I let read my manuscript was Tommy. I work as a bartender on the weekends and Tommy was one of my regulars. I have to say that I adored Tommy although some didn't like him. Please let me explain a few things about Tommy...I believe Tommy was 74 years old. He was very intelligent. He knew more things than I thought any one person could remember. He was all about the facts. He was very realistic and to be honest, I didn't even think that Tommy would enjoy anything that was fiction.
I'm always telling my bar buddies about my writing and there's always some great fun in the teasing about it. To my big surprise, one day, out of the blue, Tommy asked if he could read some of my work. I was shocked and took it one step further. I asked him if he'd honor me by doing a little bit of editing on it for me. He accepted and I printed a copy out for him.
The next week he came in and throw the manuscript on the bar and said..."damn it, Amy, I had to read that damn thing twice". I was surprised and I braced myself for the worse. I can't even begin to tell you how low I was sinking in that one little instance. I thought for sure that he hated it. I braced for it and asked, "well Tommy, why did you have to read it twice?" He responded with, "the first time I read it I got interested so I had to go and do the editing after I read it the first time." Not only was I relived but I was so excited that he liked it. It meant the world to me that Tommy liked my story so much that it grabbed his attention and got him to really read. I took that as a great complement.
I tell you this sorry because we have lost Tommy but I wanted you to know how much he touched me. It was only a small thing but I adored him. He will be missed but he also knows that I'll keep him close to my heart and remember the fun that we had.
I also tell you this because last week, the day after I found out about Tommy's passing...I put a few submissions to a few different agencies. That was Friday. Monday morning I received a request for the entire manuscript. I have high hopes but it was the courage that I got from thinking about Tommy and his reaction to my writing that gave me the nerves to hit that send button.
Tommy...thank you...

Update and Update

Well I had to change things around a little because really I just figured out why no one was coming over to follow me. No one knows my name yet so why in the world would they be looking for me? "Hello silly girl...get over yourself"(I told myself). Now please don't get me wrong. I don't have a big head. I just got caught up in the whirl wind of becoming a author. I started this blog because I wanted to share my journey in become (what I hope) a well known author. The trouble was that I didn't realize that people search for subjects not people. So here I am and I hope that you'll join me on this adventure. Please feel free to tell what you think and any advise you can shoot my way would be great.