Self Publishing

Self-Publishing As An Art

Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011 | Self Publishing | 5 Comments

There seems to be as many ways to self-publish as there are worlds to write about. Well, all right, not that many, but since the digital age has dawned, more writers are able to put their own work out into the world than ever before. We went from the age of vellum to the age of the printing press. Now we are moving from the age of the printing press into the digital world.

Not that there aren’t still tons of good books out there, books printed on paper, with the wonderful smell of ink and glue as you open the pages for the first time, books with heft that look beautiful on the shelf once you’ve read them. Thank the gods, there are still plenty of those. I have had the good fortune to read a few this year.

I had the pleasure of reading about Herodias in REBEL PURITAN by Jo Ann Butler. This view into Colonial America was the first self-published book I had read in a long time, and it opened doors for me, not just into the world Jo Ann Butler created, but into the world of self-publishing. This book was wonderful, and I realized happily that others might well be, too.

This introductory experience was followed up by the happy reading of another historical fiction novel, this one set during the Crusades. Nan Hawthorne took me into the world of Elisabeth, who dons her brother’s armor and goes on Crusade in his place.

These books showed me that self-publishing authors produce quality work, and gave me the courage to offer my own chick lit novel DIAL “L” FOR LOSER  as a Kindle e book.

With my own work in contemporary romance brought into the light, I began to open up to other contemporary romances being written today, some by people I’ve never met, and some by people I have met only through Goodreads, Twitter, or Facebook.

I had the pleasure of reading the old fashioned romance, THE ROYAL SHEIK by Katheryn Lane, a novel I might never have found without the help of Goodreads. It is a charming love story, and I’m happy I found it.

I discovered the novelist Christine Nolfi through Twitter, and I downloaded her romance novel as well. TREASURE ME sounded like so much fun that as soon as I read the description, I clicked to buy it. I have it in my TBR pile, and I am looking forward to reading it.

So whether the book in my hand is an e book or a print novel, discovering the world of self-published novelists has been a real boon. There are so many good books out there, more than the publishing houses can acquire. What a wonderful thing technology is, giving us the chance to read these stories and to discover new voices.

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