Self Publishing Here I Come!

On a November weekend in 2015, I sat at my hotel desk in Fort Bragg, California, and started to write a short story for a contest. It had to be something important to me. Something that would grip me enough that I would write passionately about it. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get the recent tragic fire from my community out of my mind. Then it hit me! I had to write something for the people of my community that would lift their spirits. I had to tell their stories. I decided to write a love story for my people, and give it a happy ending. That’s what we all felt we needed so desperately, after the Valley Fire, in Lake County, California.

It’s been three and a half years. I have written this story and it morphed into a full blown romance novel of 80,500 words, (so much for a short story), and it’s my debut novel as an author. After going to several conferences, been to writing classes, I’ve joined a writing group, and edited this book three times, including had it professionally edited by a romance genre editor, IT’S DONE!

There simply isn’t anything more I can do to this story because it’s a good story! Some have said it’s a very special story, and I am ready to share it with the world. But sadly, I cannot find an agent that is willing to give it a chance because it’s different. One even said I’m possibly trying to, “do too much with the story.” Well, I have integrated real life stories into my romance novel, things that actually happened to folks because of this fire. I wasn’t willing to edit these stories out of the book. They drive the story and they make the situation folks were going through REAL,…because it was.

If you remember the movie, The Titanic, my characters are to The Valley Fire, what Jack and Rose were to The Titanic. I have a central love story that is set in the aftermath of The Valley Fire. Remove the fire stories, and you just have any run-of-the-mill love story. It’s no longer special. I’d not categorize it as trying to do too much with the story. I’d say adding the fire stories is not only WHY I wrote the book, but it gives the story it’s individuality. After all, aren’t agents and publishing houses always looking for a fresh, new story? So why on Earth, would I try to fit into some cookie cutter mold for romance novels?

So when it hit me, and I realized I was going to have to either work the system for possibly years trying to convince some agent and publishing house to print my book, (anything unconventional agents shy away from because they need to sell it before they make money), or I could do it myself. Guess which won out? I’m going to do it myself!

This means creating a publishing company, a business account, copy writing it myself, establishing the ISBN# and formatting, book cover design, pricing, marketing, and setting up an account with printing company, (such as Amazon), and all the costs that go with this. It’s pretty daunting, but I believe I’m up for the task. It’s just expensive.

I realize I will most likely make mistakes. I’m going to try not to but I’m certain after I’m done I will say things like, “I wish I’d not done X,Y,Z.” But with research, friends that have already done it, and keeping in close contact with my local indie book stores, I’m sure I can sell this book. I already have folks like you, waiting to read it.

So thank you for following along with my endeavor and you might be interested to know, that I’m already well into another book. One that will be the first in a three book series. More on that to come.

So now you are caught up. I’m going to make it my mission to get this book on the shelves of book stores, and Kindle ready through Amazon. Keep reading, and keep watching for a book called AFTER THE FIRE. There will no doubt be a lot I still need to do before getting it to a store, (or Kindle), near you, but at least now I know what my plan is. Self publishing.

Warm regards and happy reading.

*Photos by me, Patti Diener