I’m still officially awaiting word from Kelly Mortimer about whether or not she’ll represent Jefferson’s Road: The Spirit of Resistance. Meanwhile, I’m hearing more and more good things about self-publishing via e-books and P.O.D., and I must confess: I’m seriously thinking about it.
For one thing, there is the chance to utterly control the content, artwork, format – everything about my book. That’s nice.
Another thing, there is the chance to earn some money sooner rather than later, and more regularly than a traditional press paying me maybe twice a year.
Final thing, there is the real opportunity to get this book out there now, rather than later, when the market conditions (read: political climate) is ripe for something like this. I feel an urgency with this book, and I don’t know if I’m willing to wait the one and a half to two years it’d take to get it out there for the world to see. Honestly, this has nothing to do with impatience on my part to see my work in print (okay, maybe a little, but a very little, I promise!). It really has to do with the urgency I felt to put together a story like this in the first place, and the warning I sought to issue about the divisive rhetoric I’m hearing on both sides of the aisle.
So what’s holding me back? Well, on the one hand, I don’t feel like withdrawing my query to Ms. Mortimer. I committed when I sent it to her, and I feel like I should honor that commitment until/unless she turns it down.
More to the point, I know enough about marketing to know that I’m no good at it. There are so many ways to do this, I’m pretty much bound to do it wrong.
I realize, of course, that that’s the fear talking, and shame on me for letting fear run my writing career. I didn’t shy away from putting the story together in the first place, I mustn’t let fear dictate my success (or lack thereof) now.
What I do need to do is this: devise a full-fledged marketing plan. Everything from step one through step one thousand about how to assemble this book, build the connections, and market it to the right people, and deliver it through the right vehicles. At this point, I don’t believe I know enough about how to do this to do it effectively, and I’m anxious to learn.
So here’s the thing: I’ll give Kelly first right of refusal on this because she asked for a partial. But in the meantime, I’m going to plan and prepare for how to publish this book myself in every way and every where I can. Who knows? Even if she says “Yes,” to it, this information may only serve to benefit my future success. And if she does turn it down, then I’ll be better prepared to go it alone, like so many other beginning and midlist authors are having to do.
Now all I gotta do is figure out the best way to do this…