It is the first Wednesday of the month and that means it is time for the monthly meeting of the Insecure Writers Support Group #IWSG. As writer’s we have our moments when we are full of confidence and sadly, our other moments when rejection and self -doubt seem to be smothering us. If you experience your own share of days filled with insecurity or if you have a bit of inspiration you would like to spread around please join us. We would love to give you a great big group hug.
You can find all of the sign-up information here:
http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com
Or you can find us on Facebook
I am breathing one huge sigh of relief because I finished the A-Z Challenge!
Here we are in May and as happy, as I am that I accomplished the challenge I did not accomplish my editing goals. I am not going to let myself get all insecure feeling over it I am just going to get back to editing and writing, every single day until it is finished.
I am planning to be up at 5:00 a.m. five mornings a week for as long as it takes. There now I have said it out loud. If you see me on twitter or facebook, please tell me to get off and get back to work.
I started teaching a class last night on Getting Published and I am feeling a bit insecure about putting together a list of assisted or self-publishing companies that are legitimate, good companies to work with. I would love it, if you are a self-published author if you would let me know who you worked with and if it was a good experience or not and why. If you want to do it privately, you can e-mail me here: doreenb8@verizon.net
I would also like to give them a list of reputable editors to work with, if you have any suggestions…
I hope you all have a positive and a powerful writing month!
Doreen
22 thoughts on “Don’t be Shy we are all Insecure here…”
I’m self-published, but I did most of the footwork myself (including cover design, e-formatting, and print formatting). As far as editors go, I went with H. E. Saunders, but I would also recommend Jeri Walter-Bickett.
Good luck with your class!
Thank you for the great suggestions, I will put them on the list.
I’ve only self-published through Amazon. I had all sorts of big plans to sprawl all over the place, but every last one of them has a learning curve, so there I am…
Don’t beat yourself up over not getting the editing done with A to Z–it is such a HUGE commitment… just back to it now is all–good job!
Thank you so much!
Hi Doreen. I self/co-pubbed my first book through Hot Chocolate Press (www.hotchocolatepress.com) I’ve known Kerrie for a few years and we’ve worked together on some other projects, etc. so I was very comfortable working with her new press.
Even though we are good friends, we drew up a contract for both print and e-books, outlining royalties, costs, terms, etc. Being my first book, at times I felt a little “out of control” on things, meaning it wasn’t my “job” to do something, even though I wanted to. But it was best I left it alone and let Kerrie do her part.
Staying local, I hired Jennifer Carter for my editing. Even though I went through this process a little earlier than I should have, I got great results was very pleased with her work. It took just about a week for my 23K manuscript to get returned. A couple follow ups were answered without additional charge. You can find her at: http://jenniferjcarter.com She was great to work with!
Thank you so much Dean.
I self published via Amazon, Smashwords and All Romance Ebooks. I also have three novels and one children’s book on Createspace. Since I started with this in late 2012, things have actually gotten easier if you just follow their guidelines and examples. The toughest for me was Createspace and I contracted out the formatting. The cover formatting worked out great, the print stuff I ended up further editing to make it work.
Great IWSG post!!!
D.B. McNicol
Romance & Mystery…writing my life
The best advice is to get involved with writers’ groups and ask around. I’m self-publishing my book and I’ve found recommendations from other authors.
I agree. Writing groups are great sources for all kinds of information and support.
Sorry I can’t help, Doreen. I’m in Canada and it’s a bit different. One thing important to consider, you need a good distributor. Someone who will get your books into the stores. I self-published my first novel but was able to sign with a reputable distributor, which made all the difference.
On a different note, I see you have my good friend Careann’s name on the right. That is very kewl. I had the good fortune of meeting Carol in Kelowna several years ago. She is a truly wonderful lady.
Happy IWSG, Doreen. I’m one of the co-hosts this month. Cheers.
Thank you and thank you for co hosting. I cannot wait to get around and start reading posts tonight.
Love the saying in the black box. Good advice. Good luck with you class.
I love the quote in the black box. Good luck with your class. I’m sure it will help your students get going in the right direction.
Thank you! I love that quote too.
Yay for finishing A-Z!
I self published, but I did it myself. I can’t help when it comes to legit companies who help with that. BUT I work with a fabulous editing team…Bethany and Erynn at A Little Red.
Good luck!
Thank you so much Julie.
Hi Doreen.
You should check out the Writer and Author services tab and the Self-Publishing tab, both are at the top of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group website. You’ll find lots of editors listed there.
The link: http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/writer-and-author-services.html
Thank you Michelle, awesome!
You mean like a subsidy publisher? There are no “good” ones. (I also teach seminars on Pub & Promo.) An author can do everything that is needed at half the cost and not ding their reputation by using a subsidy press.
Thank you!
Hi Doreen,
Thank you so much for stopping by my blog the other day for the IWSG post. I appreciate your comments 🙂 Very nice to meet you!
The quote in the black box is fantastic. It reminds me of something I read once that suggests that the people that are most critical of you are simply jealous that they didn’t have the outgoing guts to do it themselves. Both quotes are a wonderful reminder to keep plugging away at what YOU know you need to do. Best of luck with your class! I’m sure it will turn out well.
Jen
PS: I love the resources bar you have! Your blog list is the most organized one I’ve seen 🙂
Thank you so much Jen. Its the ocd:)