A One Person Team

The one question I get all of the time when I tell people I self-published books is, "was it easy?" I never know what the proper response to that question is. The short answer is no. But, the short answer is also yes. Today's world of the internet and social media does make it easy to get your name and art out into the world. I couldn't imagine attempting to self-publish 20 years ago. I would've been an anxiety ridden mess. However being a one person team isn't very easy. Especially, since I'm still learning as I go.

Thankfully it was easier the second time around. I knew the ins and the outs of Amazon KDP and IngramSpark. How to format without changing the page definitions 40 separate times. Setting a release date and paying attention to emails that notified me of changes I needed to make. Also making sure I got advanced proof copies this time.

The part I still struggle with is advertising. Spreading my name outside of friends and family. I am beyond grateful for the love and support I've received from them this past year on this new journey. Without them I would've been super discouraged and probably wouldn't have sought out publishing a second book. However, as any true author wants, I want my books spread out. I want them seen in broader horizons. Advertising is where I struggle. I can't get past 200 views on my posts. I try different approaches and it's not quite there yet. Perhaps it's because it's only my second book and it's not THE BOOK yet. I have more ideas floating around in the old knoggin'.

Ideally I'd love for a literary agent to pick me up and take away a lot of these burdens from me. Give them the tasks of advertising and getting my name out there. Until then I will keep trying and pushing until I make my big break.