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Author: meet thyself |
A chance meeting with a stranger in
Hong Kong sparked off The Destiny of Shaitan. At that point, Harry Potter had released, and the
blackberry had just squeaked to life. By the time I completed it, fantasy was a
mainstream genre, and the tube was alive with the silent swoosh of kindles.
On the advice of a writing
programme, I decided to move on to my next novel. Six months into plotting
chapter and scenes for my second, my first born clamoured for anymore.
If I was not sure of my content I had no business putting it out there and asking readers to put time into reading it.
I commissioned a second editor - and rewrote the entire second half of the book; a full 150 pages in three weeks, at the end of which I felt like Michael Fassbender’s character in A Dangerous Method. I had a swollen right hand.
The second edition of The Destiny of Shaitan, was uploaded in time for the next round of KDP promotion. Oh! Did I mention that I had also wiped out my annual savings in a matter of weeks.
It had taken me nine years to birth it, but within three weeks, I had edited it, crafted the cover and released it to the swells of Amazon.
If I was not sure of my content I had no business putting it out there and asking readers to put time into reading it.
I commissioned a second editor - and rewrote the entire second half of the book; a full 150 pages in three weeks, at the end of which I felt like Michael Fassbender’s character in A Dangerous Method. I had a swollen right hand.
The second edition of The Destiny of Shaitan, was uploaded in time for the next round of KDP promotion. Oh! Did I mention that I had also wiped out my annual savings in a matter of weeks.
It had taken me nine years to birth it, but within three weeks, I had edited it, crafted the cover and released it to the swells of Amazon.
Closure? It was just the beginning. Within minutes
of declaring it a life-event on my Facebook timeline a friend told me she had
downloaded it for her son. I panicked wondering if her twelve year old should
be reading the love scenes. A guest blog post on how western science fiction
draws from Indian mythology drew emails from kindred souls. I was not
alone. I opened up my purse strings to promote Shaitan on
various websites. Within two weeks Shaitan was #2 on the kindle epic fantasy
bestseller list (free).
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How I felt on making the bestseller list |
Self-e-publishing is an oxymoron. It’s
great to be published, but terrifying to be actually read. Once the book
is out there, you scramble to promote it and soon there is no mind-space to
write, which is why you got into it in the first place. I love the contradiction that comes with the freedom,wouldn't have it any other way!
What do you think? I would love to hear your experiences in e-publishing.
1 comment:
You are right! Today's writer is not just a writer, he must also be a self-promoting genius...
It's a pretty empowering position to have though and the authors of today have a much stronger voice than before.
You're doing an amazing job! Best of luck with your next book! ;)
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