MY JOURNEY AS AN INDEPENDENT AUTHOR

PART ONE

On May 30, I celebrated the publication of my fourth novel, a book called COLT that I started writing on March 11.

Yes, you read that right.

March 11, 2013.

It’s not a typo. In less than three months, nothingness on a blank white page somehow morphed into a published novel.

I’ll give you a few seconds to put your jaw back into place, and a few more to take a deep breath and a sip of your favorite beverage.

There.

Ready?

Now that you’ve gotten over the initial shock, you probably have a few questions rattling around in your head: How is that even possible? Is Jude lying, or has he simply lost his mind? Should I chose the salad with low-fat dressing, or should I go ahead and have the double bacon cheeseburger and start back on my diet tomorrow?

Wait…that last question was rattling around in my head. Anyway, if you know anything about the traditional publishing world, then you know that what I’m talking about is absolutely not possible there. A finished book generally takes at least a year to see print, and sometimes a lot longer than that.

And by finished book I mean a manuscript that has gone through several drafts, has been submitted to numerous literary agents, and has made the rounds to a dozen or so acquisitions editors in hopes that one or more of them will recognize its potential. In the world of traditional publishing, it can literally take YEARS from the time you start writing a book to the time it’s available for readers to purchase.

Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be that way anymore. With Kindle Direct Publishing, and other platforms for the publication of ebooks, anyone can be a published author in less time than it takes to read this essay.

So the actual publishing part of self-publishing is fairly easy. The rest? Well…

First of all, you have to write a book, and writing a book is not easy. It’s hard work. Just ask any author, and they’ll tell you. It takes a lot of time and effort, and there’s some talent and craft involved. It took me about two months to write COLT, and that was writing every day, seven days a week. It takes commitment, persistence, and dogged determination to finally get to THE END.

And, as a self-published author, you’re responsible for more than just the writing. There’s editing, formatting, choosing a cover artist, marketing…

But more on all that later. I’m planning to chronicle my self-publishing journey as I go, and part of that is going to be revealing my sales data, be it good or bad.

At the top of the page, under my name, you’ll find the number of self-published books I’ve sold since May 30, 2013.

Right now, the number is not very good. I’m hoping it will get better. Much better.

Will it? Stop by every day and see for yourself.

In the meantime, I think I'll have that double bacon cheeseburger. I'm beginning my journey as an independent author, and that calls for a celebration.

And a salad just ain't gonna do it.