You self-published your latest book, Home Rule: Book III of The Tribal Wars. Would you please tell us why you chose the self-publishing route?
The trilogy is self-published, in fact. I started a LLC for publishing in 2020 and spent the first six months doing research and watching how-to YouTube videos. I knew my stories wouldn’t appeal to traditional
publishers due to the themes and the focus on female protagonists, so I skipped forward to this process.
The trilogy looks at tribal women in what we consider as third-world societies, and how they manage keeping the kids safe in a conflict zone. The fighting is at their doorsteps, so what strategies do they use, with the men in the militia and community services are absent? Although couched in science fiction on a distant mining planet, the parallels to what is happening in stressed societies in our world shine through.
HOME RULE ties together the story threads and delivers a powerful final conflict with regime change. It can be read as a standalone novel with a map and glossary of character names. Several 5-star reviews claim good writing and strong plot lines.
Take us through the process. You had an idea for your book, you wrote it, then you decided to find a publisher. What were your experiences with that? Or did you decide to self-publish without looking any farther?
The rewards of self-publishing are many. Many writers talk about being in control. I feel that the writer learns about the process, about partners for production and promotion, and about who else is embracing this path to getting the story in front of readers.
Amazon and the other outlets morph every 14 months. Just recently the algorithms were revised for ranking on Amazon, and other groups adjusted. Twitter is no longer a reliable source; Facebook is suspect for finding readers. Watching how influences ripple through the industry is instructive.
Do I want a block-buster? Sure. Do I want a Netflix series? You bet.
But more than those, I want my characters to be heard by readers all around the globe. I wasn’t going to get that from a traditional publishing house.
What different online stores carry your book?
All of them… HOME RULE just dropped out of Kindle Unlimited and we published broadly in August 2023. This book tour is part of that announcement.
On the other hand, self-published authors have the edge over traditional books in the regards that the author has all the control. I’d like to begin with your cover. Did you make it or did you have someone else design it? If you had someone else, can you tell us who it is?
I engaged a cover designer through Reedsy. They have a pool of talent who are vetted for professionalism. I was glad to use a service since I was a novice for what is trending in cover design. I was very happy with the results.
For the next trilogy, we want to use artifacts from the stories. So I’m seeking a designer for space travel and military equipment, and also for talismans or battle trophies that characters wear. We were poking around in AI sources, but I need a professional for cover development.
So where do you see self-published authors making the biggest mistakes overall?
Managing expectations for response is key. The project needs capital funding for at least three years of promotions. Some opportunities slip by because we’re counting our pennies.
Even with stellar reviews for all three books in the trilogy, we are finding that more tools are needed, like promotional videos and audible books, and outreach to bigger groups for promotions.
What do you believe the biggest advantages are when self-publishing?
Finding production and promotion partners who the writer can return to for the next book and the one after that. I have learned so much and met committed professionals who want the best for the novels. I also learned about time management and how to developed a year-long calendar with each partner delivering their part in good time. Of course, there are scams and pitfalls, but with a support group, those can be identified and avoided.
What was the hardest challenge for you to self-publish your book?
Waiting. I hate to wait. I begin to entertain all those questions of self-loathing and why did I even start he project? But then my email pops with Q&A requests from book bloggers, and I’m much encouraged that my stories may reach the intended audience and have some impact on how we view the world.
Did you get someone to format your book for you or did you do that?
Book production is also changing quickly and maybe too fast for the writer to stay abreast of needed adjustments. My job is to write and promote. I look to trained professionals to manage the parts I have no time to learn.
What steps are you taking to promote it?
Ah gee… too many to list. While HOME RULE was in Kindle Unlimited, we solicited reviews from established groups who had also looked at the first two books in the trilogy, such as BookLife, Self-Publishing Review, Readers’ Favorites, Literary Titan, and Artisan Reads.
In August 2023, we’re using. Facebooks Ads, Amazon ads, Written Word announcements, BookBub ads, favorite promotion partners who I know deliver results, and now a book tour too. Yeah!
Do you have any advice you’d like to share with other self-published authors?
Listen to the experts, but weigh their advice in an ever-changing industry. What worked last year may not serve today, or for your particular writing genre. Seek opportunities in every nook and cranny, and say YES to invitations.
Stick with it. You’ll meet great people along the way.
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