The Journey So Far

As of this writing, THE MARRIAGE PACT has been out on Kindle for just over two weeks and also just came out on the Barnes & Noble NOOK. So far I've sold 37 copies. Not earth-scorching numbers (yet), but what I consider a healthy start for a rookie. Even better, many of the folks who've bought the book are telling me that they either really enjoyed it or are currently having trouble putting it down. Many more who aren't Kindle-enabled are asking about the debut of the paperback (which is coming soon, I promise).

Other questions I've heard a lot in the last couple of weeks: How did all of this come about? How long have you been working on this? How did you get published? Do you have an agent? What made you decide to write a book? Etc. So I thought I'd answer some of those questions by sharing an abbreviated version of where I've been and a guess or two about where I'm heading. I hope this will not only satisfy the curiosity of my friends and family, but maybe even help others who are considering following a similar dream.

The Original Goal: I have wanted to be a writer for just about my whole life. I majored in English and took creative writing classes in college and afterward. Over the years, I've pursued a number of other careers that I have also enjoyed, including my current occupation as a psychotherapist, but I have always loved the writing component of everything I did. As a freelancer on the side, I wrote magazine articles and web content and even a series of workbooks for students of English as a foreign language. These pursuits helped me stay in touch with my writing side, but were never as fun as the secret goal I harbored: writing a novel by the time I was 30.

Failing Forward: Needless to say, 30 came and went without my summoning either the courage or dedication to sit down and do it. The milestone, however, did get my attention enough that I began developing the discipline required to write a novel. During my grad school years, I camped out at a coffee shop between classes and wrote somewhere in the neighborhood of 30,000 words on a novel that turned out to be pretty much unreadable. It went into File 86 (you're welcome -- trust me, you wouldn't have wanted to read that one). But I learned that I did have the capacity to put the time and energy toward a major writing endeavor.

Over the next few years, I did a few writing projects related to my therapy practice and tried to focus on reading fiction in my spare time. Not to mention having a baby and relocating my practice a couple of times...

The idea for the THE MARRIAGE PACT started simmering in my brain about a year and half ago, though I had no idea how I would find the time to sit down and actually write it. I made occasional notes and jotted down paragraphs that never linked up to what I would write the next time. Finally, around Thanksgiving of this past year, I finally decided to get serious about making the book a reality. I had just turned 35 and wanted to finish it before 36. I didn't know what I would do with it once I finished, but after a long talk with my very supportive hubby, we decided that my goal of finishing a novel was worthy in and of itself -- even if no one ever read it. (Have I mentioned what a fabulous husband I have?)

I'm happy to say that I can now cross that goal off my life's to do list. Even if the 37 people who have already bought the book are the only ones who ever read it, I finished it. I'm proud of that.

That said, now that one milestone is behind me, I have new goals for my writing. I want people to read my book and be entertained by it. I want to continue writing books that people will enjoy. And, ultimately, I wouldn't mind making a decent living at it. That's why I decided to self-publish.

Actually, I made the decision in the early writing stages of TMP. I did think about going the traditional publishing route -- sending letters to agents and editors and spending the next year or two hoping someone would answer a query, agree to read my manuscript and eventually decide I was worthy of publication. I thought about checking the mailbox every day looking for rejection letters, writing and re-writing cover letters on which my fate with an agent, editor or publisher would hinge. I have to be honest, the thought of doing that was not only daunting, it was downright discouraging.

Then I read an article about the trend in the publishing industry toward signing new authors who already have a platform of readers and fans. That's when I started exploring self-publishing. I am lucky that I have a few friends and acquaintances who are experienced with that world or had done their own research, and those folks were nice enough to guide me toward some helpful blogs and websites [I'll try to post some of those separately for readers who are interested].

I'll be honest, the snooty English major in me did have an unpleasant initial reaction to the idea of self-publishing. If you have to self-publish, doesn't that mean you're simply not good enough to get "really published?" Isn't it arrogant to just put your own work out there, without waiting for someone higher on the publishing food chain to tell you it's good enough? It's funny that when I put those thoughts into actual words, they seem ridiculous. And yet, that's how I felt, and that's the reaction I've heard from others about the idea of self-pubbing.

The truth is, I've read a few self-published works over the years, and while they aren't always as polished as books that have gone through the ringer of the big publishing houses, they are typically just as enjoyable or worthwhile to read. And because the author has full control over the content and presentation of the work, and reaps a far higher percentage of the sales price, I've found that self-published books often provide more bang for the buck.

E-books and printing-on-demand have entirely changed the landscape of publishing, too. With print-on-demand, the entry costs are minimal for getting a book to market and out to readers. My primary investment in the book has been my time, and while there are a few costs in getting everything ready to print, we didn't have to take out a second mortgage to make it happen. E-books (like those for Kindle, iPad and NOOK) have almost no hard costs, so I can price the novel low enough that a reader doesn't have to think twice about investing in an unknown author.

I don't have to be the next Candace Bushnell or Emily Giffin to be successful in my own right (though it would be cool!), I just have to be good enough that you feel you've gotten your 99 cents' worth (or $11 in paperback). And hopefully, you'll also think it's worth another 99 cents to invest in the next book...

So that's where I am now. I am reading and learning like crazy from more successful authors on how to get the word out about THE MARRIAGE PACT, which I hope you'll enjoy enough to recommend to a friend. I am also working on a sequel to TMP (Hint: think Suzanne's story). That way, when you're ready for your next entertaining read, I'll have something to offer you. I am also doing some short little pieces which will be available for free via this blog and/or the e-mail list, just to tide you over.

I don't know what the future holds or whether my books will be as successful as I hope. What I do know is that I'm proud of myself for finishing a huge project, taking a risk, and putting something of myself out there in front of the whole world. And instead of sitting around waiting for someone else to tell me whether my book is ready for the public, I get to let the public decide that for themselves. It's a very empowering (and scary) feeling.

Marketing is going to be a huge challenge. I know in some ways, the pressure I will put on myself to perform might be more intense than what I might get from an agent or publisher. But whatever happens, at least some of what happens next is in my own hands.