Random thoughts about my self-publishing experience

It has been great so far, really. As a writer I want to be read, want to entertain people, make them laugh or cry. With my humorous short stories, I hope I have managed both: to make people cry with laughter, which would be nice. But with hitting the 'publish' button the work begins.

 

A handy device that has changed the publishing industry.

There are the links to the book which need to be added to every online profile; there is the shouting off roof tops about it; there is networking on several fora, interacting with readers -- one of the best things if you ask me; I love to say thank you to those who buy and read my book; there is the research and connecting with bloggers who are on lookout for authors to be interviewed, reviewers searching for books, and there is the general marketing, being visible.

I'm showcased here and interviewed here. Please pop by and say hello.

It involves a lot of work, but it's all worth it. To have the immediate contact to readers who enjoyed my book is just wonderful. But then I must say it feels surreal. People actually pay money to read my scribblings and get back to me saying they loved it? To be honest, it hasn't hit home yet. Though I have sold over 240 in just over a month, which, to an outsider, sounds awfully little, to the insider it's quite a success for a new author. In the end of the day, I'm a nobody in the writing-world. If I will be well-known one day, I don't know. I hope so, because I love to write, I love to entertain people and it's a way to communicate. If I can make a living from it, even better. But even then, I know I will remain the same Stella I am now.

At the moment, I'm working to get my novel No Wings Attached ready for publication. You can expect a generous portion of humour, lots of romance and some surprising paranormal elements. This is going to be a series. Read an excerpt here.

And of course it will be available as an e-book. :-)