Were this a true Frog Blog reunion, my post would show up
sometime in the next few days when I finally got around to blogging. But since everyone else is being so timely,
I will only be a few hours late.
In the last eighteen months I went from feeling as if I
totally wanted to give up on writing to being thoroughly inspired to get myself
back in the game, thanks to indie publishing.
I felt like the writing was on the wall and I could see what was coming
(and is happening now) in the publishing industry. I didn’t want to leave my future in the hands of corporations that
could go bankrupt (hello, Dorchester!) or merge (hi Penguin and Random House!)
or get sold, tying my copyright up for decades. I wanted to retain control.
And keep the money.
So I put out a sweet, fluffy YA romance, “The UglyStepsister Strikes Back.” (Now with new cover!) My Frog Blog connection - Jeff Savage helped
me write the blurb and Julie Bellon gave me an awesome review. I loved every second of writing this book –
of not having to worry about whether an agent or editor would love it, or if
was being written for a specific market.
I loved having control over who edited the book (Eschler Editing and
Melinda Fulton). I loved picking out
the cover artist (Scarlett Rugers, check her out!).
Now, this is not to say that I haven’t been languishing in
obscurity. Because I have. JA Konrath said there was a certain amount
of luck involved after you doing everything you could – and I think I’m proof
he’s right. I know it’s a good
book. Because everybody I’ve talked to
who has read it seems to love it. I
didn’t put up garbage. But I’m a teeny-tiny
pinprick of light in a large, vast publishing universe.
I was hoping the indie publishing thing would mean less
marketing, and not more. But that’s
simply not the case. While I’ve done a
lot so far to get the word out, it obviously hasn’t been enough. I have some plans in store for the new year,
and I’m working on getting some new releases out. I would say I’ll let you know how it goes, but you’ll probably
have to email me or something because like Stephanie, I don’t blog all that often. (Yes, I know that this really surprises
you.)
So here’s to hoping that 2013 will be a banner year for all
of us – may you find the time to work hard and may you find some measure of
success with the things you do!
Merry Christmas!
4 comments:
Yay! Great to hear the story behind The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back - I loved it! Thanks for writing sweet, clean, and fun reads!
I can't wait to read it, Sariah! Love the cover! Thanks for sharing your story. I've missed you.
Sariah, I will be waiting for your next book to come out, and I will write a review for the few people who read my blog. I wished there was more that I could do because I loved The Ugly Stepsister so much. You are a gifted writer. The world needs more good, clean stories!
Wow you guys are super sweet. EM - so glad you liked it. I'm pretty dedicated to writing clean stories (although sometimes I think my version of clean and other people's versions of clean are two different things).
Kerry - just because it can't be said enough, you know I adore you. And I think of you often, wondering how you are. Was so excited to see you here.
And Debra - you already officially entered the ranks of my favorite people. ;) I am working on two sequels - a novella and a more full-length one; I'm even considering maybe going beyond that for a third book about a wedding. All I need to do is get some copies of that first one sold so I can afford to hire another editor and cover artist! :)
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