Into This Wild Abyss [A Self-publishing Journal]

Well, after months (years, actually) of waffling about, I've decided that 2014 is the year I will push my story out into the world. It's been a difficult decision, but also an exciting one. So here I go!

This is where I stand:
I've been standing at a 3-way split in my path for around a year now, trying to figure out which way to go.
The path on my left winds into the vast desert of self-publishing with The Shade of Andrea Fox, a YA portal fantasy and my first novel (also the 1st of a 5 book series). There's surely an oasis out there somewhere and I truly believe in this story, but it's a gamble.
The path on my right disappears into a dark, tangled forest of traditional publishing with House of the Silver Moon, a MG paranormal fantasy, 1st in a 4 book series, and (in my opinion) the most commercially appealing concept I've ever come up with. There's an emerald city beyond those woods, but few who brave the forest make it through.
The path in front of me is unknown and shrouded in mist. Bright is a wild card- a gritty standalone NA odyssey, and I have no idea what the end result will be.
So after endless debate, switches, uncertainty, and much wasted time, I've decided to pursue the path into the desert while I research and prepare for my eventual journey into the forest.

So I'm committing myself to the saga of Andrea Fox and taking the plunge. I'm currently searching for the right artist to work with for my cover. I've gotten an EIN and opened a business account at my bank, and I've got a fair amount of money set aside for expenses.
I'll be publishing through most of the currently stable routes, which, thanks to you guys at AW, I've done a lot of research on.
My expectations are low to begin with (as they must be), but I'm extremely excited to open this new chapter of my life.

I'm very thankful to all of you for enlightening me with your own journeys, and I hope to continue learning with you. In return, I hope I'll be able to help others in time. I'll post updates here as I go. I'll also start up a blog and a new twitter and Facebook account as author pages.

Wish me luck, AW! Here I go!

merrihiatt said:

Looking forward to following your journey. If the way you wrote your post is like the way you write, you may already have me as a reader!

Click to expand...

Thanks very much! I actually typed this up and posted it from my phone while on my lunch break at work (which I'm also doing with this post), so maybe that's a good omen for my actual literature. I'm a fan of yours, by the way, from my months lurking this particular board. I'm not much into romance as a genre, but your volume of work is impressive.

So I found an artist I LOVE, and I've offered a good chunk of cash for a full package: 2 full cover designs, an interior illustration, a logo for the series, and 2 pieces of promotional art to be used in site design, etc.
Here's a question: if I fall in love with both the cover designs, should I use them both? One for the ebook and paperback and the other for hardback? I think it could be interesting and maybe even more profitable to use an alternate cover for a hardback. Do self-pubbers ever do that?

Old Hack said:

If you love them both, the first thing to do is to check you have rights to use them both under your agreement with the artist.

Once you're sure about that, I'd probably use one of them across all formats and save the second one for relaunching the book at a later date, perhaps when you publish a sequel or a new book.

Click to expand...

That's a good idea. I was thinking that down the road when I've put out all 5 in the series, I could release the set on discount with alternate but specifically themed covers.
I'll be able to use both of them. Part of the deal is 2 covers made and sold to me in full. He's designing them and I'm buying them both straight up as part of the package. I can use one or both. Made sure that was a specific part of my offer when I made it. I want to work with the same artist for each installment, with 2 covers made for each using different themes.

Cover reveal! I decided not to go with the artist I had chosen, because he was was having a hard time getting his schedule in order and seemed like he had too much on his plate. So I ended up painting it myself, which was a first for me (i've painted with acrylics in the past, but never digitally).

Here it is!





Bigger version here!

Thanks very much! I'll play around with it a bit more and put more separation between them.

Alternate cover reveal?

10 hours of oil painting in PS later, I made another, originally to give myself some options and perhaps use it as an alternate cover for the hardback...anyway, here it is:

Thanks much, everyone! Great advice, as always. I'm just counting down the days until release. Don't think I've ever worked so hard outside my day job before.

Well, it's been a crazy month with buying ISBNs, formatting, revising, formatting, and more formatting. Just a little over a month until release now, and I've got just about everything set up except the website.

Also painted another cover. This one I think is much better for the tone (and in general), and it's taken from an actual scene in the book, so yay.




Larger version is here.

LBlankenship said:

Now that's a nice cover!

My only nitpick would be wanting to kern the gaps around the R's in your name.

Keep us updated!

Click to expand...

Thanks! And yeah, I've already noticed a couple tweaks I might make, though I'll have to do it fast.
Honestly, I should have given myself more time before release to go at an easier pace. I'm still working a full time job that sometimes includes mandatory overtime, and trying to do everything within the frame of a couple months. I'm on schedule, but it's been a little crazy. I'll wake up randomly at 3am, thinking about a tweak in the revision of chapter 3 or something, and I'll leap out of bed to do it before I forget, and don't get back to sleep for another 2 hours.
I'm definitely going to give myself a better schedule before the next book.

Ann Joyce said:

I LOVE the new cover! It's very simple; it conveys fantasy to me; it's great that it portrays an actual scene from the book, and I think you've done a great job with the lettering, except I ditto LBlankenship's remark about the R's.

It's very impressive that you've painted the covers yourself. Makes it so original! You're a wonderful artist.

Click to expand...

Thanks very much! I've gotten better in the month since I bought the drawing pad, and I'll continue trying to improve. What I'd like to do after Shade's release day is paint a couple of covers for fellow self-pubbing AWers (free of charge), just so I can keep practicing and getting better, and maybe help out those that have a tight budget but need some artwork. I'll probably never really go the commissioned artist route, but I do have a lot of fun with things like this.