How to be your own best editor: Part I

Posted on Leave a comment

I made the decision that I was going to self-publish my historical mystery, Maids of Misfortune, in the spring of 2009. Having discovered and become a faithful reader of the website, Publetariat, I was well aware that I had several tasks in front of me if I wanted to be a successful indie author. I had to decide where to publish, design a cover, set up a website, learn how to format the manuscript for  different publishing mediums, and set up a marketing plan. But most importantly, I needed to make sure that my manuscript was completely ready for publication. Over the years, through at least 3 rewritings of my manuscript, I had gotten excellent advice from  my writers group. However, with each rewrite, I had always assumed that any lingering problems with the manuscript would somehow be taken care Read more…


Why I decided to self-publish: Part Four: In the Driver’s Seat

Posted on 1 Comment

I am not sure why I started the driving metaphor for these series of posts about why I decided to self publish my historical mystery, Maids of Misfortune, except for the fact that I was listening to the Beatles when I started, so the long and winding road came to mind. But, for this particular post, being in the driver’s seat certainly seems an apt description of the main reason I decided to self-publish. I was well aware of the disadvantages of this decision, which I will discuss in subsequent posts, but the primary advantage of self-publishing for me was that I would be in control of everything-the writing, production, distribution, and marketing of my book. It is important to point out that being in control doesn’t mean the same thing as doing everything myself. For example, for Maids of Read more…


Why I decided to self-publish: Part Three: Taken for a Ride

Posted on 2 Comments

This is the third post in a series about why, after twenty years,  I decided to self publish my new historical mystery, Maids of Misfortune. By 2001, I had been through the standard route–get an agent, rewrite along lines suggested by agent, submit to publishing houses, collect rejections, start on new book. Unpublished members of my writers group were doing the same thing-with no success. Those members of the group who had published in the 1990s were experiencing the disappointing fate of  a growing number of midlist authors–failing to get contracts for their latest books, and in some cases parting ways with their agents. See an excellent blog posting on this experience written in 2006 by Holly Lisle. Here are the lessons I had learned so far: 1) I needed to work on making my writing more compelling 2) getting Read more…


Why I decided to self-publish: Part Two: Deadends down the Traditional Route

Posted on Leave a comment

My decision to concentrate on my career as a history professor was the main reason it took so long for me to publish Maids of Misfortune, my historical mystery set in late Victorian San Francisco. However, my experiences with the traditional publishing model played a major role, and informed my subsequent decision to self-publish. This post will describe some of those experiences. At the start, my relationship with the world of traditional publishing seemed quite promising. In 1989, the first draft of Maids completed, I joined a newly formed writers critique group. All of the members were women who were writing mysteries, three of whom had already obtained agents and were on their way to getting their first contracts. The group’s advice proved invaluable. As suggested, I bought a copy of Publishers Weekly, researched agents who seemed to specialize in Read more…


Why I Decided To Self-Publish: Part One-The Long and Winding Road

Posted on 1 Comment

In this blog  I will discuss the pros and cons of being an indie author, using my own experience with the self-publication of my historical novel, Maids of Misfortune, as an example.  This first series of posts will be about why it took over thirty years to go from my first idea for the novel to the published work. I suspect that my story will feel familiar to many. Like many authors, my desire to write was rooted firmly in my childhood as a voracious reader. By third grade I embraced the title book worm; it seemed preferable to being a shy nobody, but it wasn’t exactly a career choice.  In fact, for a middle class girl growing up in the fifties and early sixties, there didn’t seem to be very many interesting career choices, period. So, I suspect that Read more…