Given that I launched 50 Mistakes Beginner Writers Make and 50 More Mistakes Beginner Writers Make as eBooks over three and two years ago respectively, those polite students and readers who have been waiting patiently for their release as print books probably deserve an explanation.
The best I can offer is that I had loosely planned to complete four ebooks — the two for beginner writers already published, and another two for intermediate and established writers — and, once finished, I would combine the four into a bumper ‘200 Mistakes’ compendium which I’d publish as a paperback.
I don’t normally ‘do’ personal, but briefly, since the publication of the second Mistakes book, I lost my father, having lost one of my closest friends just weeks before, and since then, many projects have been parked, or at best put into first gear.
I have ticked along, then, but at a much slower pace, with occasional stops and restarts.
I have felt reinvigorated in recent months for a few reasons.
First, my publisher has recently sold the imprint for which I have authored four health books to a much larger, well-known publisher, which could open the door for more opportunities and boosts in sales.
Second, I have just weeks ago finished and self-published a very niche allergy book (here if you’re interested), which would have been far too recherché for any publisher to take on, but which has taken off as an independently published title — and boasts sales well into the hundreds already.
This authoring news has made me keen and happy. For the first time in some years I feel back in the saddle. So much so, that I have now started work earnestly on the third Mistakes book, and, perhaps more importantly, I’ve lightly updated the first two, and issued them as individual paperbacks through Kindle Direct Publishing.
So here is 50 Mistakes … and here is 50 More Mistakes …
There is something very satisfying about publishing your own work in this way. You get a decent slice of the profit pie, of course, but there’s also the pleasing independence of the endeavour, the thrilling responsibility that sits solely on your shoulders for a book’s success or failure, the freedom to do as you wish, from start to finish, without answering to anybody.
Is self-publishing the way of the future … or at least, my future? Perhaps it is.
Can any of you see yourselves one day following suit?
50 Mistakes Beginner Writers Make and 50 More Mistakes Beginner Writers Make are available in paperback from Amazon.
Alex
Sorry to hear about the sadness you’ve had in your life recently. It’s difficult – if not impossible – to write under those circumstances. Glad to hear that you’re feeling invigorated and ‘back in the game’ and congratulations on launching your first 2 mistakes books as paperbacks.
Dear Helen. Thank you that’s very kind of you. Thing is, it wasn’t particularly recent … it’s just that I’ve only recently come to realise that I wasn’t quite ‘right’, and now feel I’m on the way to becoming so. Maybe I’ll be comfortable enough to write about it in more detail in due course, and look at others’ experiences too – in fact, I have a close friend going through this exact same thing right now. A.
Alex, congratulations on the launch of your paperbacks, I’ve got both Kindle issues and they are great resources.
I’m glad to hear you’re beginning to feel well, it’s difficult when life throws us lemons and I understand what you mean, when you say it’s only now you realise, having come to a similar conclusion about myself.
Ah, that’s kind, thanks Maria. And I’m glad that you’ve found your way too. I don’t know about you, but the fact I’d reached a realisation itself actually helped – that feeling of knowing oneself a little better, that ‘conclusion’ you mention. Have you found the same?
Yes, once I understood what was happening I felt able to step back and look at the bigger picture. I looked at my situation as if it was happening to someone else, and thought what decisions can I make to improve things?
Of course then you have to take your own good advice, and that can be difficult, and I had to ‘show’ myself that it was the way forward. I did a lot of mind mapping, and ‘fors and against’ lists before putting a plan into action.
I’ve also set quarterly review meetings up with myself to check on progress. We’ll see how it goes…
I’m liking ‘quarterly review meetings’ with yourself! Maria – pitch this to Writing Magazine!
I already self publish collections of my short stories. There isn’t enough of a market for collections of short fiction by relateively unknown authors for a publisher to consider them worthwhile, so it’s do it myself or have them lurk in the shadows of my hard drive once they’ve had their first outing in a magazine. That seems a mean thing to do to my characters!
Relatively unknown? Surely everyone knows you Patsy! Do you think you’ll ever do a bumper collection – your ‘greatest hits’?