“What on earth was I thinking” has come up quite a few times over this last year as I finally sat down to write my long-awaited book.  The ideas swirled around in my head for over a decade, and I bit the bullet so to speak and am now in the final stages of editing.  Most people would say “That’s great,” or “Good job,” but my schizophrenic mind is overcome with how to actually publish it.  So, I’ve created this blog to document my failures, successes and near misses in order to remind myself why I write.

Indie writing, a fairly recent phenomenon, frees many to forge ahead in the miasma of publishing without the fear of multiple rejection letters from major publishing companies.  The access by way of Amazon Kindle and other platforms to publish independently has catapulted dreamers to reality makers.  Doors permanently locked opened with a flourish, much to my own amazement, but brought depths of elation and frustration all in one.

Let’s start with the feeling one gets after completing that first perfect novel.  The euphoric triumph of having finally completed an item off the proverbial bucket list is enough to last anywhere from a day to a few weeks.  I say relish in it.  Savor every last ounce because it’s highly deserved.  The painstaking hours of jostling schedules to find time to write, the sacrifices to self and loved ones has been worth it.  Bask in the glory.  Of course, once the high from completion begins to fade, another emotion takes hold.

Fear is as important to the human psyche as love.  Fight or flight has saved mankind for far too long to disregard or loath it.  No, this part of the writing process takes hold and doesn’t ever really abate, unfortunately.  Don’t get me wrong.  Fear is a great motivator, but one that can be taxing over time.  So, I’ve already learned to take each day as it comes, and make lists of what to do.  It takes the guesswork out of what’s next, and the fear monster is abated for yet another day.

After taking a deep breath, it was time to dive into “What’s next?” For me, that was looking at all available platforms to publish this masterpiece.  Amazon seemed like a good place to start, and it didn’t disappoint.  However, I would warn anyone to read the fine print on anything while self-publishing.  Long story short, I painstakingly chose to buy my own ISBNs which cost a bit of money, but ultimately gave me peace of mind.  From there, I looked at articles and advice blogs about cover designs, formatting, and editing enough to make anyone numb.  Conflicting data abounds, but in the end I was able to find an affordable editor, cover designer, and format specialist which I can thank Twitter, Facebook and numerous blogs for til the cows come home.

All in all, this adventure has only just begun.  The hours already invested pales in the comparison of the mountain ahead.  I look forward to including you on this humble journey.  Many talk about numbers and what success means, but I already knew that answer before I even started writing.  Yes, I’m in it for the long haul, and I look forward to the roller coaster ahead.

So, with that I plunge into the icy cold water of self-publishing and welcome all to join me on this precarious ride. Buckle-up! It’s going to be a doozy!

All the best,

KDhttps://twitter.com/intent/follow?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fkduptonauthor.wordpress.com%2F2015%2F07%2F09%2F10%2F%3Fpreview%3Dtrue%26preview_id%3D10%26preview_nonce%3Dec3bdc92a7&region=follow_link&screen_name=kduptonauthor&tw_p=followbutton