An Author’s Struggle with Self-Publishing

     I was so thrilled when my first novel, REGAL REWARD, a Regency Romance, went under contract and was traditionally published back in 2007. Two more historical romances followed: A Kiss of Promise and   A Convenient Pretense. Both were well received. I was delighted! Then the bad news came. My publishing house was closing. Where do I go from here? It meant beginning again to find another publisher. However, too many publishing houses were closing or having financial difficulties and their authors were losing book rights and royalties. Like many authors stuck in the downturn, I decided to take the self-publishing route. I have never looked back.

     I re-published my first three books and gained excellent sales, but one important element was not doing as well. Customers weren’t leaving reviews. I was pleased the editorial reviews I received and happy with sales and hearing good things from readers,  but I realized the main benefit of traditional publishing over self-publishing is collecting reviews. Authors are often more introverted by nature and, for me, putting myself out there as a promoter of my own work was and still is scary! I hear the same from other self-published authors. Promoting is a job that most authors are not especially good at. We want to write, not spend the writing hours we can eek out from other life responsibilities to advertise and promote. Publishing houses have many more outlets to encourage reviews for their authors. 

     Authors love to hear good things about our books from readers, but when it comes to customers leaving reviews on sales sites, we hear: “I never take the time to leave reviews” or, “I don’t know how to leave one.” Many readers don’t realize how easy it is.

     A review doesn’t need to be more than a sentence or two and with most sales sites. It’s as easy as clicking a “Leave a Review” button. A comment can be simply, “Loved this book” or “Couldn’t put this book down”. If the book was only satisfactory, a review can still be helpful for both the author and the reader. “I thought I would really enjoy this book, but I couldn’t engage with the main character.” Perhaps, as a reader, you decide to give the book three stars. You may have liked it well enough to finish it, but it wasn’t memorable enough to give it four or five stars. That’s okay. Most important, whether it’s a three star review or a five star, both authors and readers look for honest reviews.

     As an historical romance and historical fiction author, I want to write the best book I can.  I love researching historical facts and hope my readers find pleasure in my books as well as learn interesting facts about the time period.  As a self-published author, I must work harder to strengthen my promotional muscle, even though I find it as difficult as sticking to a diet or going to the gym many days! What I really love to do is create characters and plots, and at this date, finish writing the third book in my Redemption Series, LOVE AT WAR. 

     To my dear readers, if you are reading or have read my books, especially my newest Women’s Historical Fiction works: Book One: OF FAITH UNDER FIRE, and Book Two: HOPE UNSHACKLED, please take a minute to leave an honest review. Thank you. I am so grateful!  I continue to work on Book Three, LOVE AT WAR, as my characters confront the beginning of the Civil War. Olivia, the main character in books one and two, takes a supporting role as her daughter, now grown, attempts to free a young woman and her child from slavery. Gearing toward a publication date in November 2018!

Love to Read?

           I love to read, especially in the evening. One book a week is my desired goal, but usually it's more like one book every two or three weeks and many shorter reads in between. So many things come between my current book and me. But, when I can steal an hour or two, it's such a pleasure to become lost in the world of characters and plots. Historical Fiction and Regency Romances are my favorites, but I also enjoy a good mystery or detective story or a non-fiction self-help book that offers practical advice, wisdom, or positive life lessons. 

    When I read a book that is later made into a movie, I am usually disappointed by the movie version. Despite the  visual representations of the characters, the background music and audio and visual techniques, they never seem to capture the deeper meaning and thought that the author  has painstakingly penned, or that I conjure in my imagination while I am reading. The slower process of reading, over watching the movie version, affords more time to think about the story, to dwell on the adventures, mishaps, romances gone wrong, or the character's emotions, motives, and actions for good or evil. A movie can be forgotten shortly after watching it, but a well-written character or plot can stay with you for days, weeks, even years. 

    I especially enjoy Historical Romance and Historical fiction because I am taken back to exciting past time periods. I love the dress, the mannerisms, and customs during the Regency. I also learn about what it must have been like to live day-to-day in earlier centuries. In my two American Historicals, Of Faith Under Fire, and Hope UnShackled, the first two books of my Redemption Series, I became totally absorbed and enlightened by life during the time of slavery before the Civil War. Writing about the horrors of slavery and the courageous work of abolitionists of the period was at times difficult as well as fascinating. It's hard to imagine  and understand the mind set of slave holders pre-Civil War as well as our government laws and actions. We can learn so much and, hopefully, avoid making the same mistakes or commit the same atrocities by reading the tragic outcomes of ignorance and apathy.
    I am presently writing book three of the Redemption Series, Love at War, and hope to have it ready for publication in the fall.  I would love to hear about your reading habits, what you enjoy reading, your favorite books, or favorite authors. Comment here or meet me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Elaine.Violette.author/
     Stop by and say hello! 

                                                                                  Happy Reading,  Elaine