My guest this week is fellow author and good friend, Marja McGraw. She has some very interesting things to say about her decision to self-publish the books in her two mystery series.
"When I started writing, my friends
and family, of course, told me I had talent. What else were they supposed to
say? After all, they were just that – friends and family. Someone sent me an
article about a self-publishing company. I’d never heard of such a thing and
jumped right on it. I knew nothing about finding a traditional publisher.
The first thing I discovered was
that there was a stigma attached to being self-published. I wrote a third book
and had learned a little about traditional publishing, so I started submitting
the manuscript. I read somewhere that whether or not your book is accepted or
rejected sometimes depends on the reader’s mood that day. Without going into a
long story, I discovered the truth in that statement, and I moved on to other
publishers.
Oh, joy, my book was accepted, and
so were the next four. One of my Sandi Webster Mysteries led to a spinoff
series, The Bogey Man Mysteries. I decided to go with a different publisher for
the second series. The series was accepted and I was on my way.
Then things began to change. I
learned more about the business and realized I wasn’t all that happy on my
current path. The two publishers wanted to take one road, and I wanted to take
another. We couldn’t seem to get past that fork in the road. At least, I
couldn’t.
It was time to make a difficult
decision. I was able to cancel all of the contracts with both publishers, do a
slight rewrite on the books, create new book covers, and before I knew it I was
back where I started, in a manner of speaking. I re released all of the books by
self-publishing them. Self-publishing had changed and there were more
opportunities for me.
One drawback was that now I had to
do all of my own promotion and
marketing. Honestly, even with traditional publishers I was doing most of it
anyway, so I guess it’s actually a non-issue.
The books have been doing fairly
well and by the time I left the traditional publishers I had a fan base in
place. That helped a lot. I wasn’t coming out of the blue with readers
wondering who I was.
One last point I’d like to make.
I’ve discovered that if you had a traditional publisher in your past, the
stigma seems to disappear to a great extent.
Would I recommend self-publishing to
other writers? No. Each writer has to make up their own mind. I can’t offer any
advice. I know that I’ve been happy since I became my own boss. I’m in control,
or out of control as the case may be, and I made the right choice for me.
Take your time and don’t make a sudden
decision. Research and decide what’s right for you. Follow the road that makes
you happy with your choice of career."
To read more about Marja's books and/or to order them:
http://www.amazon.com/Marja-McGraw/e/B003U7L3R4/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1459722522&sr=1-2-ent
Marja McGraw was born and raised in Southern
California. She worked in both civil and criminal law, state transportation,
and most recently for a city building department. She has lived and worked in California, Nevada,
Oregon, Alaska and Arizona.
She wrote a weekly column for a small town
newspaper in Northern Nevada, and conducted a Writers’ Support Group in
Northern Arizona. A past member of Sisters in Crime (SinC), she was also the
Editor for the SinC-Internet Newsletter for a year and a half.
Marja
writes two mystery series: The Sandi Webster Mysteries and The Bogey Man
Mysteries, which are light reading with a touch of humor. She also occasionally
writes stories that aren’t part of a series.
Marja
says that each of her mysteries contains a
little humor, a little romance and A Little Murder!
She
now lives in Washington, where life is good.
