I hadn't realised how long it's been since I blogged here. Have been screamingly busy and almost unable to do anything else but what I was doing... Then finished that and was straight into the local arts festival and that has just finished and I'm picking up the pieces.
I did a couple of writing workshops during the festival, including my write-a-thon and the skinny on how to get published. I found myself raving about e-books and the possibilities that have opened up, and I realised how things have changed in a year. I skated over self-publishing in last year's workshop, but now the ballgame is completely different.
You don't need me to tell you how Kindle has changed everything. I am preparing old unpublished books myself for this market. But here's a word of caution: put your book out there by all means, but first ensure it's the best you can do.
Don't sell yourself short. Edit the work within an inch of its life! If you aren't certain about any aspect of it, get it looked over by an expert - me or someone else who does assessments. And then re-edit as needed.
The big downside to self-publishing on e-book is the plethora of really dreadful, badly written stuff with which your book will be keeping company. My view is that a well-written quality book that catches the reader's attention and holds him for the duration will stand out and will succeed through word of mouth. A badly written, poorly edited book spells death for your next one, because the buyer won't buy you again.
So get it right before you put it out there and you stand a much better chance of building a following.
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