Lucy Blogs
Yellowsnake & Self-Publishing
Posted by Susan in Book Blog Entertainment and Pop Culture.
My parents have a house on Desert Mountain, in Scottsdale, Arizona. It’s magical. The 
Chollas look like coral and the Saguaros bloom flowers like hats. Desert pigs scrabble around the neighborhood and a wildcat once jumped the jacuzzi ledge.
Even more fascinating is Yellowsnake. He toured Vietnam, then tracked and performed other unmentionables for the CIA. Now? He owns mustangs and guides horse rides.
Yellowsnake asks floods of questions. And he listens hard. I spilled the beans to him about writing my first picture book. To him before anyone else. He nodded and nodded. Like my dream was an obvious path. He relaxed me. And better yet, put me in touch with Jake Conrad, author of Yellowsnake: Son of Phrophecy.
Jake self published his book through AuthorHouse. I was curious about the notion of self publishing. If I could bypass the great trudge to publication (which, by the way, you CAN’T). Jake was a font of information. And opinions.
Absorb what helps, and ponder the rest. Self published or not, his marketing tips are spot on:
Getting published is highly political and controlled by insiders with big names and money. My story was and still is self published. Outsiders will try to change your story content.
With self publishing, your book will print in increments, on a print-on-demand basis. You should initially order 50-100 of your book to get started. If you sell 5,000 on your own, a publisher may take a look at your work.
(NOTE: Continue submitting your work in manuscript form, even if you’ve self-published. Just note major sales numbers in your query or cover letter.)
My suggestions:
*Edit and re-edit until it hurts.
*The opening paragraph and first pages must grab the reader’s attention. Book reviewers will toss it otherwise.
*Hand-deliver your book to local newspapers and request a book review.
*Call major book stores in major cities and request to do a book signing. Each will want to see a copy. Each will buy a few if they agree.
*Call major newspapers in major cities and request a book review.
*Call radio stations and request an on-air interview.
*Be doggedly persistent in contacting the right editor or reviewer, since most won’t respond to your first attempts.
Jake was the first author to share his experience with me. Thank you.
Leave a Reply