MISS TINA, LET ME TAKE YOUR $
100% SELF-PUBLISHED
I just read an excellent article on self-publishing by Rosemary Carr, another Medium writer. Here is the link. It is full of wise advice.
I wanted to share my self-publishing journey and let you know that learning the details of formatting, cover art, sizing, and adding a proper table of contents, etc., is time-consuming and often frustrating.
But, once you’ve got it in your head, you will never pay for a shady publishing company to do it for you again.
It is so worth the effort!
My first book, G-Is for String, was published by W2K. The price was reasonable, and the cover art, formatting, and editing were provided. For $500. dollars, that was a good deal. Especially when I was just beginning to write and had no idea what the heck I was doing. I could barely maneuver around my WORD program at that point.
G-Is for String is available on Amazon.com, Kobo, and Barnes and Noble
Once W2K was finished creating my book from a totally messed up manuscript (God bless them), they sent me the digital copies, and I was able to upload them myself on any platform I chose. The digital copies worked well on most publishing interfaces with little or no fiddling on my part.
For my next book, SAVE ONE BULLET, I let myself be lured into a “too good to be true” offer by a publishing company that claimed to work with Amazon. Just because a company has AMAZON somewhere in their name, don’t believe it.
The first red flag was how they collected information about my book. They had me fill out a spreadsheet.
WHAT?
Then began the daily phone calls at dinner time to suggest I purchase one more service. “Let me tell you this, Miss Tina. You need this service because your writing is no to good.” Or, “Let me tell you this, Miss Tina, you need our promotional tools or you will not sell one copy.” Or, “Let me tell you this, Miss Tina, we are a scam looking to get more of your money….”
WHAT?
Even if that had been the case, every salesperson should always lead with a positive.
O.M.G.
Then, their first editor had no idea what they were doing and sent me fifty changes in the first chapter, which were totally unnecessary. However, it was part of their plan to get me to purchase more in-depth editing. The edits were quickly followed by a dinner-time phone call by the salesperson to convince me my writing needed remedial help.
If a company begins trying to upsell you, ask for a refund immediately and get away from them! Read the contracts carefully and only pay for what you first agreed upon.
When I asked for a change of editor, the salesperson of the year said, “Oh, because you took advantage of our special offer, we gave you a beginner editor. We will assign our best editor to your book now.”
At this point it was simply so ridiculous that I rode it out to see what they’d do next. They did not disappoint.
THE COVER
Save One Bullet is a mystery/thriller about a wife who finds out her husband is cheating. She had to decide whether to bump him off or forgive him. I asked for a pleasant-looking middle-aged woman looking into a mirror.
WHAT I GOT
Or something thereabouts.
After much complaining and pleading, I got them to find the type of picture I was looking for and ended up with a more appropriate cover.
As a matter of fact, the cover was the only part of the purchase I was happy with.
The BEST editor began tearing apart my American slang syntax, replacing it with perfect Kings English. I would correct them, and then, in turn, they would re-correct me and write my story their way. If I had to guess, their BEST editor had plugged my manuscript into an AI reader and let it do its thing without supervision. What came out was stilted and unrealistic dialogue.
Instead of, “Okay, hun, I’ll see you when I’m done with Mom at the home.”
Their best editor would write, “That is fine, Honey. I shall see you whenever I am completed with Mother at her home.”
Yeah. No.
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Anyway, the last straw was when they asked me for my social security number, date of birth, city of birth, checking account numbers, and weight. Well, they didn’t really ask for my weight, but they would have if they could. When I explained those numbers were private, and I didn’t give them out to anyone, the salesperson informed me that they could not publish my book without said information.
I said, “Fine. I’ve paid for the cover and the formatting, correct?”
“Yes.”
“They are my property, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Fine. I’m taking my property now. Thank you, and don’t call me again.”
After that, I collected my files, closed my account, reformatted, re-edited, and then uploaded my manuscript onto the platforms myself.
So, If you see AMZ publishing online- RUN!
The best thing about working with this sham publisher was realizing I could do everything myself with a little work and perseverance. I’m not saying publishing a manuscript yourself is easy. I’m saying that it’s doable. Totally doable.
Think about it. You’ve just completed a 50,000 to 70,000 word manuscript by yourself, perhaps with someone else editing. That is a major accomplishment. MAJOR.
If you can write a book-length manuscript, you can learn how to format, create a cover, and professionally layout your work into either ebook or print form. Every platform has guidelines and tutorials for writers to do just that.
You are capable. You are smart. You can do it!
My first 100% Self-Published book:
