David Alderman and Self-Publishing

So, it's the first Wednesday of the new year. Every Wednesday, a guest is supposed to post here at Reader's Den. However, since I won't be putting together a new line-up of guests until February, I've decided to make all guest posts for this month recaps of older ones that I think deserve more love.

David Alderman's thoughts on self-publishing is the first post I want to repost. It's very candid and helpful, and I'm proud to say that I'll be reviewing one of his books - Black Earth: End of the Innocence - on January 29. If you're considering self-publishing your own work or just want to know more about the process from the point-of-view of a guy who has done it many times, this should be a great post for you. Enjoy!

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Author David Alderman was first mentioned on Triple R for his helpful, informative post on Tools for Self-Published Authors. If anyone knows about self publishing, it's him.

His guest post today will be split into two parts. The second part will be online next Saturday, June 4th. This is the first time I've ever done that, but I didn't want him to cut anything to make it fit the guidelines for one guest appearance. The post is too good as it is.

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When I was given the chance to post here on Tiffany’s blog, I didn’t know what I wanted to write at first. In the weeks leading up to this post, my main work computer died and my writing schedule went upside down and all around in frustration and chaos. I have three novels in the pipeline, all in different stages of the self-publishing process, getting ready for their release this summer, and having a computer crash on you at that point is one of the worst things that can happen.

Then it dawned on me. Why not write about self-publishing? It’s a popular topic nowadays, right? With the boom of e-readers and the expansion of the digital age, anyone can write anything and publish it to the masses. Anybody can be a published author. 

Last week, Tymothy Longoria posted a great piece - http://fuisti.blogspot.com/2011/05/guest-post-tymothy-longoria-and.html - on the pros and cons of being a writer. I’d like to take his points and bring them into another realm, the realm of self-publishing. Deciding to write something is one thing. Deciding to become a full-time writer is another. But even more than that comes the decision to become a self-published – or indie – writer, one who takes control of every aspect of their treasured little baby.

I first fell in love with the written word in sixth grade when I was called on to write a short story as part of a class assignment. I wrote a piece about a boy who fought to save the world from a criminal mastermind. It was an innocent story, from the mind of an innocence sixth grader. But what I didn’t know, was with that one story, my destiny had been sealed. It began with short stories which in turn blew up into novels which in turn blew up into a series. I fell in deep, crazy in love with writing, with creating, with the very act of recording my imagination onto humble sheets of notebook paper. 

Many years later, I am proud to call myself a full-time writer. After a frustrating road through my twenties, working so many different jobs, trying my hand at so many different things to find out where I fit in, to find a task, a purpose, where my creative imagination could sprout and grow, I finally came to the realization that nothing fulfills me like writing does.

Writing is a creative process, one that requires us to pull out pieces of ourselves and put them under the spotlight for the world to see. Many of the arts require this type of sacrifice, we all just use different tools. Writers have pen and paper, artists have brushes and paint, singers have music notes and microphones. What we all have in common is imagination, creativity, passion. Courage. We step out, reveal the deepest parts of ourselves to the world, some lovely, some entertaining, some downright dark. But we put all of it on display for others to see, to read, to hear. We take a chance and we allow others to criticize, to hate, to love, to embrace. 

Self-publishing takes these parts of ourselves and exposes them in a more revealing light. To write a story is one thing. To take on the responsibility of editing that story, of creating the cover design, of promoting said story on a website, multiple social networking platforms, even a blog, is a burden few are able to take upon themselves properly. Regardless if we have others help us with these creative ventures, we are still the ones solely responsible for how it all weaves together  to create a package for the readers out there looking for a new story, a new adventure, a new world to get lost in.

Click to read Part 2!