You Can Do It!

When people hear I’ve been published, they seem really impressed.  Then the inevitable question–how did you do it?  Most people know that breaking into the publishing world is a tough sell.  Unless you’re a known quantity, it’s hard to get noticed. I find it embarrassing to admit that I published myself. I mean, isn’t that what people do when they aren’t good enough??? The answer is NO!
I found that big companies wouldn’t even answer me, although they wanted me to submit my query letters to only one company at a time, and wait up to 6 months before following up. And one of the first questions I had to address in the query letter was how much I would be willing to pay for the marketing and printing. And most publishers I researched kept 55-65% of the cover price.
With eBooks and a plethora of printers available, I decided I could do it myself! Self-publishing wasn’t for those that were unsuccessful. It’s what people do when they have the drive, energy, and the ability to work hard to get what they want. And in the long run, I get to keep more of the profits!
But I didn’t just self publish–I started my own publishing company (Blue Dragon Publishing). I applied for a license, built a website, and started researching. I’ll cut to the chase for you though…it was a lot of work! Then, I decided that since I had already done the set up, I’d help other people get published too. There is some benefit to more authors under one publishing name than totally going it alone.
It’s been a great learning experience and my authors have been patient adventurers with me. I’m learning more every day and I love passing it on. This blog is the next stage in my evolution.