Is it Better to Have Published or Not ...?

A good writing friend and former critique group partner, Aaron Michael Ritchey, did a recent blog on the pros and cons of self-publishing vs small house publishing vs big time publishing.

He is a great writer, and I highly recommend his "The Never Prayer," a YA paranormal.

However, Aaron is not the only one in angst over these questions. Frankly, unless you're Stephen King, the marketing is going to kill you no matter how your book is published.

We all ultimately have to get our books out there no matter which publishing venue we are chosen for (or choose). Being chosen by a traditional publisher has a certain cache which self-publishing does not. The rewards, though, if our marketing shines, are much higher in the self-publishing arena.

I had an interesting conversation last summer in Anaheim at the RWA national conference with Cheryl Bolen, author of many Regency romances. She is both tradtitionally, and self-pubbed. She said the trick to be successful is to have a lot of inventory to sell, because once the readers find you and like you, they're insatiable. If you're a one-book pony, they tend to drift away. They don't like to wait.

So - write a darned good book, and then, apparently, you gotta write a whole bunch more, which is where I'm headed now. I've got the 3x5 cards lined up and just finished the collage (above) for my latest, a Steampunk, "Creations of Time."

Later, dear readers.