No rest for the wicked. I’m working away on getting my next novel polished for release. The positive thing about keeping a lid on my work up until now means that I have a lot of it. I’ve tinkered with various projects over the years so it’s a good thing that I have taken the step of getting one out there. Now that it’s done the fear has lessened; and I wonder what all the fuss has been about.
But – and this is an important but for any authors out there considering publication – beware of KDP Select. In the whirlwind of going through all the steps, getting all the minutiae ready for publication, the focus is on the novel (as it should be), and not so much on ticking which box. I fell into the trap and now I’m stuck with KDP Select for three months. This is a fine feature I’m sure for seasoned authors, for those who already have an audience, it’s a great idea. But I was so excited and eager to move forward that I’d decided to jump into the deep end though I wasn’t sure entirely what I was signing up for – I didn’t know until it was too late.
It’s not so much that it’s a problem but after all the palaver of getting my novel out there I’ve lost control of it; and I know there are other authors in the same boat. Anyway, I suppose what I’m saying is look before you leap – or in this case do as I say, not as I do :p
Life is a learning experience and I’m not as disheartened by my slip up as much as I may have been if I was putting my first ever novel out there. I mean XY Factor was the first novel I put out there but it wasn’t the first one I wrote, and it’s certainly not my only one. I can’t imagine having to wait three months to regain control! But, here I am and I’ve unchecked the box so KDP Select won’t renew, and on the plus side I have a fire under me again. Now I have a push to get another of my novel’s out there – one that I can control.
It’s addictive this publishing malarkey. As I’ve already said I’m not in this game to make millions – if I thought I was capable of that I would have grabbed the bull by the horns ten years ago. I write because I love it, and now I’ve discovered that others might be interested in what I have to say. I don’t need to sell a million copies, I need to pass the adventures onto others, and hope that my adventure will inspire theirs.
Good luck on your adventures,
Scarlett
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