Self-Publishing Tips and Tricks in the Stormcave
We’re back for another Evening in the Stormcave!
Two years ago, I discovered something that I really enjoyed. I discovered it sort of accidentally at Realm Makers, when I attended the conference that summer. I didn’t really sign up for anything that year, other than picking what sessions I wanted to go to. No mentors, no pitching, I just wanted to go to the conference and kind of soak in the moment of being there. Of being with my people. Of having real conversations. Just being with all those other creatives and enjoying one another’s company.
Well, I ended up leaving one of the sessions early and I was wandering the halls, when someone recognized me and asked if I would chat with a friend of theirs for a bit, since they were a fan of my books.
Did not see that coming. Seriously? I am not used to being either recognized as an author, let alone having someone I don’t know in person be a fan of my books!
Also, I’m not used to being seen as any kind of expert on anything. Sure, I know stuff, but I personally always feel like I’m just stumbling around in the dark trying things to see if they work.
Of course I said, “Sure!” and we ended up chatting for nearly an hour! I listened to her talk about the book she wanted to write and answered some questions about self-publishing and why I went that route, and just had a blast chatting about story.
I realized after that conversation, that maybe I could encourage others, as well, and so the next year, I signed up to be an official mentor! 15-30 minute conversations are not long enough, really, but I still hope that the authors I spoke to this past year left feeling encouraged, or like they had more knowledge than they did before we spoke.
I heard a lot of the same questions over and over again from these authors, and so when Grant and I were thinking about what we should talk about next in our podcast, I said that I would love to do an episode (or several) answering some of those questions, since they seemed to be popular types of questions.
So, in our latest episode, we chat about my journey into self-publishing: how I got there, why I chose it, and some of the ins and outs I’ve learned along the way. This is just my story. There are many other options out there, so many tools and companies you can go with and choose from, and other indie authors probably know of even better routes to go, but this is the process that works for me. And if it is useful in any way to you, then I am glad.