Mistakes I Made When Going Indie

There is a lot of debate about self publishing or indie publishing. The tide has changed with the success of authors such as J.A. Konrath and Amanda Hocking. This has given some validity to the act but there are still some who think it could be a fluke.  

After much research and inner debate I decided to try my hand at it and though I have not (as of yet) had the success of the above mentioned authors I am still doing far better than I could have ever dreamed. With this success I have run into things that I would have done differently and I hope to explore these topics over the coming weeks and what, if any efforts or ideas, I have come up with to try and fix these errors. 

Hopefully, none of them are as bad as this. Okay, at least one of them is as bad as this.

I Am So Excited

Way back in September I wrote an entry on my blog about the future of publishing. I wrote then that one of the most important things agents would be asking is if you have self published a book. What was the response to your book? What is your following on your networking sites?

Well, I guess the proof is in the pudding. I recently received an email from an agent. She said she purchased Immortal on Amazon for her Kindle and loved it. She was also curious to know if I had representation.

My first response, “This is a joke.” Surely someone hijacked the agents account and was spamming me hoping to get personal information. After digging around and fact check (it is nice to have a computer genius for a friend) I discovered it was real. It took me several hours for it to sink in and another hour to reply to the email.

After exchanging several emails with the agent we set up a time to speak. Around one o’clock today we spoke. She gave me a few suggestions on improvements and some advice and offered representation. So as of one thirty today I am now an agented author with Kimberly Whalen the Vice President at Trident Media Group LLC. I feel incredibly lucky. I realize this doesn’t happen every day.

I want to also thank everyone who has purchased Immortal, written a review, or just placed it on their TBR list. If it wasn’t for all of you this may not have happened. So, thank you all. 

New Information, New Cover

Well, after much research and reading, I discovered you have to format your electronic cover as if it were sitting on a book shelf.  I guess it makes sense.  I just didn't think it would matter.  So I have created a secondary cover to replace my first one.  The concept is still the same, but it took me twelve hours to find the correct picture.  Let me know what you think.

Immortal

I have recently completed my first novel. I am considering e-publishing or going 'Indie' with my novel Immortal. I have gotten much feedback on the forum and via my page on Writer's Digest (link below). I know, and understand that by going the 'Indie' route, I may not be the next main stream author or millionaire, but I hope to be read.  This is a blog about my journey to get published and be read.

http://community.writersdigest.com/profile/Lauren
Unfotunately, you will need a Writer's Digest account to view this page page. The account is free.