As of May I've made a decision I never thought I'd make. Last week I decided to put my agent plans on hold and with it sending any manuscript to big publishing houses. My focus has shifted and I feel focusing more on my self-publishing is more ideal. I still have two manuscripts I'd like to submit to small publishers when they're ready but aside from that I've decided to focus on my self-published work and save the agent search for late 2014, early 2015. This was a surprise even for me because I must admit that at the start of this blog one of my dreams being published by one of the well known publishing houses. I still wanted to self-publish but that was one of my main publishing goals. Then I found out how truly important agents were and knew I'd need one to achieve my goal.
But now things have changed, I'm really enjoying the process of self-publishing even though there is a hard and tiring side of it. And now I want to make it my main focus. In my goals for 2013 I posted about completing and getting an agent for Escaping Wonderland. While I still plan to finish this stand alone novel, I'll have to decide whether to put it on hold until I'm ready to find an agent or self-publish it sometime in 2015 (sorry but 2014 will be packed with promotion and self-publishing the rest of The Sacrifice Series and my novel Snow). This change just feels right and I believe it will remove the pressure of trying to keep up with both self-publishing and working for a traditional press if my manuscript of picked up. While I still pan to make submissions to small presses, I can do that in my own time.
Now to stop talking about myself and bring in another author who is on a different leg with her writing journey...
Book Release: Jewel of Shaylar
Jewel of Shaylar by Laura Eno is out today and I'm participating in the book release.
Archaeologist David Alexander investigates
the cave where his father disappeared and hurtles into another world, one
filled with magic and bizarre creatures. The mad ravings in his father's
journals of icemen and dragons may not be fantasies after all.
Convinced his father may still be alive,
David begins a treacherous journey to find him and discover a way home. Along
the way, he encounters a few unlikely friends. A Dreean warrior, a beautiful
thief and a satyr join him as he searches.
David's arrival into this new world sets
off an explosive chain reaction of events. Faced with powerful adversaries and
few clues, he may not get the chance to rescue his father before disaster
strikes, condemning both of them to death. Or worse.
Links:
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Add to your Goodreads
Laura Eno Bio:
Follow Me!
http://lauraeno.com/blog
http://www.facebook.com/AuthorLauraEno
http://twitter.com/lauraeno
I'm so happy for you, Sheena-kay! It always feels good to make a decision like that. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd congratulations, Laura!
Congratulations, Laura! And way to go, Sheena-kay! That's a tough decision to make, and I'm sure you won't regret it. Go get them! :)
ReplyDeleteCongrats on making this decision! I think it's a great time for writers to be self-pubbing, though definitely traditional publishing is a nice thought as well...particularly for those who only query a few times before having success. ;) Oh to be one of those!
ReplyDeleteI also want to self-publish, mostly 'cause I don't much care about trying to make a killing, I just want to get my work out there. :)
Yay that's a great decision, and not an easy one to make, but from your excitement, I'm guessing it's the right decision. Best of luck with your self-publishing endeavours.
ReplyDeleteAnd congrats to Laura too!
You sound so positive it must definitely be the right decision for you :) Lots of luck with it x
ReplyDeleteSuzanne @Suzannes Tribe
Thanks so much for featuring my book today, Sheena-kay!
ReplyDeleteI'm happy you sound like you've made a forward step with your decision! We can do and be whomever we want!
Congrats to Laura. The book sounds full of action and excitement. Just the sort of stuff I like.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on making your decision. Yes, it will be a challenging road, but well worth the journey. I'll be here cheering you on and helping in any way I can.
Congratulations, Laura!
ReplyDeleteYou have to go with what works best for you right now. No reason you can't do both in the future.
If it feels right, go for it and all the best publishing your manuscripts. I have no doubt it will happen. (:
ReplyDeleteJewel of Shaylar sounds like a great fantasy read. Congrats to Laura!
Sounds like the kind of story I can wrap my head around. Awesome to meet you, Laura!
ReplyDeleteI gave you a Shout-Out on my blog today, Sheena! :)
This is a great interview! Jewel of Shaylar sounds awesome.
ReplyDeletewww.modernworld4.blogspot.com
My self-publishing friend Mimi Furst is in the top 100 of Amazon and making like $10,000 a month or something ridiculous like that. She writes erotica like Fifty Shades of Gray. I was chatting with her about it the other day.
ReplyDeleteI think you need to follow whatever dream via whatever path your heart pulls you toward.
ReplyDeleteLove seeing Laura all over!
I've been seeing this book EVERYWHERE and I just met Laura today. So awesome!
ReplyDeleteGreat review. I really wish you the best with self publishing. I look forward to seeing your book in print!
ReplyDeleteCongrats to Laura!
ReplyDeleteAnd I enjoy self-publishing too. So I think it's great to explore multiple paths of publication. :)
Good luck! I know people who have agents and also do some self-publishing. It's that kind of world now. Isn't it awesome?
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot to learn with self-publishing but if you do it right it can be a very successful venture.
ReplyDeleteThat is a very exciting decision to self-publish! I've certainly enjoyed the journey :)
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy reading thoughtful posts by people who have debated--and then chosen--a publishing path. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAnd congrats to Laura (again)!
How exciting for you to follow the path of your own choosing. May you be blessed with tons of success!
ReplyDeleteSheena, best of luck...even though I'm sure you won't need it. I look forward to hearing about how your journey goes :)
ReplyDeleteI've made the same decision about self publishing, but my dream cover designer is booked months in advance. I love her stuff so I'm willing to wait. I just sent my ms to a freelance editor, and plan to publish the book late October (official release is November). This gives me time to get the sequel written for release next April (I don't believe in flooding the market with too many books too quickly). And it gives me time to work on other projects and work on the promotion of my book. :)
ReplyDeleteThat's a big decision! But one I'm very glad to have made myself a couple years ago! Good luck and let me know when your book comes out!
ReplyDeleteAlso, thanks for introducing us to the Jewel of Shaylar!