Self-Publishing Changes in 2012

In September, I self-published my first novel, Little Miss Lovesick. If you’ve been reading Routines for Writers, you know that I got tired of waiting for traditional publishers to pick up my book. I liked the idea of trying something new, so I learned how to format my book for ebook readers and put it out there. It’s available on Kindle, Nook, iPad, etc.

The whole process has been exciting and interesting, appealing to the business-focused part of my personality as well as my creative side. I’ve decided to continue on this path in 2012. My current plan is to self-publish two more novels this year and two nonfiction ebooks for writers. I say “current plan” because we still don’t know where John’s next job will be and, depending on how long it takes to move, I may have to reduce the number of books I write this year.

But there’s one thing that bothers me. Self-publishing in ebook format and print-on-demand (POD) format is new enough that there isn’t an acknowledged step-by-step plan for success. There are a lot of people out there for me to follow, but it’s mostly the blind leading the blind. What works for one person often doesn’t work for another. The only light I know how to follow on a dark path is Jesus. So I decided that in 2012 I am going to ask God every single day to help me on my career path. I’ve always looked to God for guidance, but I’ve been frustrated by my slow progress lately. I want to push harder on the spiritual side and see if I can find more peace and joy and fulfillment in trying to fuse my writing life to my spiritual life.

I’m going to share my journey with you every Wednesday this year because if anyone is going to understand, it’s my friends here at Routines for Writers. I may or may not suggest writing routines for you to try (which has always been the focus of this blog), but I’ll tell you what writing routines as working for me. I’ll share what exactly I’m doing as a self-published writer, what’s working, and what isn’t. I’ll tell you what my sales numbers are, how much money I’m making and, perhaps more importantly, how much money I’m spending along the way.

Please feel free to ask my any questions as we go along. Helping each other is one of the bonuses of the writing life – it feels good to help and it’s a relief to get help.

Also, remember that on January 16th, I’ll be running a 4-week online class called Going the Distance: Goal Setting and Time Management for the Writer. We’ll be looking at various methods so you can choose what works best for you, and we’ll make a written plan for the year. I have to say, I’m looking forward to getting organized. I hope to see you there!