I've had multiple people ask me: How did you get published?

I didn't "get" anything. I did it myself.

There was a brief period of time where I attempted to go the traditional route. I spent time researching agents and sending out query letters. After a bit, I became sick of rejection letter after rejection letter. A friend mentioned self-publishing to me so I checked into it. Now you have to understand back when I did it (2011) it was sort of a new thing. I'd never heard of it and had no idea what it was or how to go about doing it. There was also a stigma attached to it back then. Any fool with a credit card can self-publish.

Unfortunately, that still holds true in some cases. People will give you a funny look if you tell them you're self-published. However, the indie publishing industry is becoming more widely recognized all the time.

We are a huge community now in comparison to when I first published. Despite the fact that any fool with a credit card (or even without one) can still publish a book, a lot of us are really worth checking out (no, really, trust me!).

There are few things you need to think hard about if you're thinking of publishing.

1) Even if you do get a contract with a traditional publisher it doesn't mean you will automatically sell tons of books.

Why? You ask. Despite the fact these companies have money to spare, you are still in charge of promoting your book for the most part. You may get a small advance (not free money, an advance on sales) to do promotion. They may do a small amount of promoting. Yet, it's still primarily up to you to get out there and sell yourself and your work. Just because you signed a contract doesn't mean you get to sit back and rake in the cash. You must have a social media presence and you MUST post, tweet, talk and do all of it regularly. You have to BE THERE. Some companies work it into their contract that you have to post a certain number of things a DAY.

2) Publishing companies like control.

What does that mean? It means, be prepared to stand back and not have a lot of say in how your book looks as a final product. From editing to the cover. You may be able to make small protests, but the final decision goes to them. A friend of mine recently did a pitch to a smaller publishing company and the woman spent the entire meeting telling him how his character should behave and how she believed his book was entirely wrong. That his character reacted in the wrong way to the situation in the book. How would she know? It's not her character. Not everyone reacts the same to situations. He thanked her for her time, got up and walked away from that company.

3) You can lose certain rights with publishing companies

Think Percy Jackson movies. *cringe* Some authors choose to sign away their rights to creative license to movies. Some do it simply to get a contract. Sometimes losing certain creative rights is built into the contract (like the right to choose a cover design).

As a self-published author, I don't lose the right to any of my creative license. I can do what I want. Edit out what I want and leave in what I want. Make my cover look, however, I wish. Yes, I still must promote myself, but I'd have to do that anyway with a publishing house, so it makes no difference.

You may lose the chance to be in places like Barnes & Noble as an Indie author, you may not. It depends on the manager in your local store really. Some will pick up Indie authors if they have a large following and they can guarantee sales. I have a couple of author friends who co-write and their series is in a couple of B & N's here in town. Not across the U.S., but it's a start.

We are a community. We help one another. People want to believe we're all in competition with one another. Not exactly true. Yes, we're all looking to sell our books, but we do better if we all help one another. We're friends on Facebook. We share one another's posts, promote each other's books. Together we share tables at events to mitigate costs. (It can be as little as $25 and up to $200 or more for a table, depending on the event.) We share information on events so everyone can participate.

There are questions about editors, cover artists, photographers, printing places for promotional items. We all help and answer questions. In short, we're there for one another. I love all of my Indie author friends. They've been a huge help when I have questions.

If you decide to go the self-publishing route. Find others in your area. A Facebook group (there's A LOT of them). I really urge you to find someone, somewhere, to talk to. Ask your questions and get all the information before you go through with it.

Because again ... any fool can publish a book now.

Edit

Format

Professional Cover Design

Don't slap it together, have your cousin who believes he's an artist draw you a cover, and then wonder why you can't sell a book.

Social Media Presence. Start BEFORE your book is even out. Begin building a fan base. Keep your followers updated on your progress with the novel. Give little hints about the characters. Maybe post small blurbs from the book. Talk it up and generate interest. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. Depending on what your book is about, you can even do Snapchat. Snapping pics of things around town. Places your characters might be that day, having them tell a story of their day.

Find creative ways to get your name out there and tell people about your books. Another author I know was in the military and writes books about PTSD. Therefore, she can do events at military bases. Whereas, I would look silly sitting there with my fantasy books.

Another author I know has a series about domestic abuse. She spoke to the manager in charge of their ballrooms and catering where she works and they donated food and a ballroom and let her hold an event. She donated money from her sales that day to a local shelter for abused woman. They even put the event up on the huge reader board on the sign out front. Remember, I live in Vegas, so we're talking a major hotel/casino. Small things like that could make a HUGE difference.

Be creative in your promotions. It can help sometimes.

Consider everything before you make a decision. What's right for one person, isn't for another. I love being an Indie author. Some people might not.