Audrey Rich: What I Love and Hate About Being Self-Published #MondayBlogs

Back in 2011, after three months of writing Masquerading Our Love, self-publishing this YA Contemporary Romance wasn’t even on my radar.

Since I had spent every possible free moment I had (no more television) writing this book I was determined to capture the Holy Grail: landing a traditionally published contract with an advance. The writing bug hit me hard and I wanted to write about the rest of my characters.

After researching the publishing world, I learned that it could possibly take years for a big publisher to accept my book but self-publishing would only take minutes. But the biggest surprise was that publishers still required authors to market their own books. However, neither of these two facts deterred me from my strong desire to join the ranks of the few, fortunate authors to be accepted.

I forged on until 2014 when an acquiring editor read my first three chapters. She liked my writing and my plot but not my main character. I loved my wimpy teenage character so much I decided to forgo my dream and self-publish. Not even the editor’s open invitation to submit other books directly to her could entice me to pursue the traditionally published route. Instead, I continued writing my other novels and learned as much about the self-publishing world. Here are two lists about what I dislike and like about being a self-published author.

I’m sure I could add at least another ten things to both lists but I think ten is enough.

Top Ten Things I Dislike about Being a Self-Published Author:

1. Self-promoting every single day or you won’t sell one single book.
2. Wearing so many hats at once I think my head is about to spin from their weight. These are just a few we must wear: editor, blurb writer (summing up 80k words into less than 250 words, torture me now), promoter, accountant, legal advisor, etc. The worst is editing the book so many times you think your about to puke if you have to read it again before reading it another twenty times.
3. Writer friends who promise a review after raving that it’s a great book and they love it and then nothing! Really, you’re a writer, please review it you already did the hard part and you liked it. Heck, if you hate it I still want you to review. All. I. Need. Is. REVIEWS. PLEASE.
4. Losing money as I pay for a decent cover, editing, free paperbacks and ebooks, and promos. Why do the promos have to cost so much money? And why do these promo sites need a gazillion reviews? Can my scrapped knees take any more kneeling when I have to beg, again and again for a review?
5. Self-promoting when you have no followers, no reviews, and the book is losing its ranking like a Mt. Everest expedition. It’s a slow and painful climb up when all you want the rank to be is low, number one not in the millions.
6. Learning that your book will sit without any sales no matter how good your cover and blurb are because you haven’t any promos, because you need reviews, because readers haven’t found your book, etc. It’s a vicious circle that hurts my brain just thinking about it.
7. Finding out that you need more reviews to promote your books. Lots of reviews. UGH!
8. People you practically give your first born to for a promise to review a book only to find out that they started reading it but it’s not in their favorite genre so they don’t want to review. But, people, I need your review.
9. Family and friends who think you’re crazy for attempting to publish a book.
10. Did I mention self-promoting until you’re blue in the face? Where are the readers for my book?

Top Ten Things I Love about Being a Self-Published Author

1. Connecting to readers who actually read and like my book.
2. Not having to change anything based on marketing experts. I did make my main character less wimpy based on initial feedback from beta readers. And although she’s still insecure and not as assertive and confident as her other friends she does learn to stand up for herself.
3. Editing the book and finding out it’s so much better than the last time you read it and not puking!
4. Authors who review the book even though it’s not in their favorite genre and they still gave it a four or five stars!
5. Did I mention READERS! who are interested in my book?
6. Close family and friends supporting my efforts, willing to spread the word because they realize being a self-published author is a sixty hour work week.
7. Facebook parties where I interact with potential readers; especial when readers say they can’t wait to read my book.
8. Meeting other self-published and traditionally published authors; especially those who read my book and don’t hate it.
9. Readers who become followers!
10. Did I mention READERS! who may like my book after they finish reading it? And they may actually review it, yes, please?

I’m not sure if I’ll ever be a famous author but I do know that I love to write stories of teenagers, in love, in agony over the one they’ve been crushing on forever. And I look forward to meeting fellow YA readers. Writing, whether for me or others, is just an amazing journey that I recommend it to everyone. Self-publishing, well that’s another story.

Buy Masquerading Our Love at Amazon

About the Author

Born in New York City to immigrant parents, Audrey Rich graduated from Columbia University with a B.A. in Comparative Literature and a minor in Spanish. Her first job was at Bear Stearns, the Wall Street firm which failed during the 2008 financial crisis. She left Wall Street to work for Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City as a Tumor Cytogenetics Research Lab Assistant. After two years, she stopped working to attend Pace University full-time to pursue an M.B.A. in Accounting.
Audrey is an inactive C.P.A., a wife, a mother of teenage children, and is editing the next book in the Stonehaven High Series I. She hopes to finish by the end of October.
She enjoys volunteering at her church, teaching the Junior Achievement Economics for Success to middle school-aged children, and is a member of the Florida Writers Association.
Masquerading Our Love was written in 2011, however, she didn't stop writing and now has a total of four books in various stages of completion.

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