A Tough Decision

My amazing friends convinced me not only to share my news, but to share the story of how it came about. It wasn't an easy decision, there was a lot of fear involved. My young adult urban fantasy, The Secret Of Spruce Knoll will soon be published. Why am I not screaming like a banshee, tossing confetti about, and jumping for joy? I am inside but on the outside I am cautious about the reactions my decision will receive.

An opportunity arose with a small press. This was the kind of thing I had been dreaming about. A traditional publisher wanted my book! But it happened after I had made the monumentally tough decision to self-publish with Abbott Press (associated with Writer's Digest). I hadn't taken the plunge yet though so I was stuck with an even harder decision. Small press or self-publish? I know what you're thinking, believe me, I thought it. And then I thought about it from every conceivable angle.

Here is what factored into my decision:

My Rights:
        *Self-publish and I retain my rights
        *Small Press, they own my rights.

Profit:
        *Self-publish I receive 50% of the sales.
        *Small Press I receive 10% of the sales.

Marketing:
        *Self-publish with the package I'm looking at, receive:
                *Channel Distribution to 25K Retailers
                *Google/Amazon Search Program
                *Booksellers Return Program
                *Press release to 30,000 opt-in journalists and more than 250,000 news subscribers
                *potential Writer's Digest mark of quality
                *Personal Abbott Press Bookstore Page
                *Included in Abbott Press catalog
   
        *Small Press:
                *Page on their website

With both I would be sold on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. With the small press contributing nothing to marketing and not getting my novel in the stores, self-publishing was the stand out choice. Am I crazy to have passed up traditional publishing for self-publishing? Maybe, only time will tell. But I feel good about it. It feels right. And more importantly, I feel like I'll be in good hands with Abbott Press considering that Writer's Digest is behind them. With Abbott's marketing strategy, Writer's Digest affiliation and mark of quality, I think they may be the wave of the future. Quality control in self-publishing is something that is going to revolutionize it. 

In another incarnation, it was even represented by an agent and was widely submitted to editors. When traditional publishers didn't buy, my agent and I parted ways. My agent didn’t want to see a rewrite despite a lot of positive feedback from editors. Now I know why. Most editors won't look at something again, even if they were on the verge of buying and you revise it based on their feedback. They just don't have time. So I completely rewrote my novel novel and it has been through a professional editor. Now I'm confident that it is polished and ready for the world. I hope it finds it's way into your hearts and on your shelves. I'll keep you posted about it but you can expect it to be available late this summer or early in the fall.

~ Heather