When Can You Call it a Book?

If you have ever been through a long process you will know what it’s like. In case you haven’t guessed this has been a major project. From the first moment to all the changes along the way and the decisions that had to be made. I am a writer first and foremost. It has been a roller coaster ride and I have met some wonderful people along the way. My friends are writers, readers, indie authors and traditionally published. There has been so much to learn along the way and sifting through the advice takes time. One consistent message that comes across is that writing is hard work. Editing is hard work and so is making the decision to be an indie author.

The Tragedy

If my life was a movie I can definitely say there was a huge fall before getting to this stage. I won’t lie. I almost died and for a few months spent time in hospital. Everything became jumbled and that carefully considered plan disappeared. There are two main types of self-published books. The one you publish for yourself and the one you publish for an audience. The first time I hit the publish button it was for me. I am not ashamed to say it was a selfish decision. All I wanted was to hold a physical copy of my book. After everything that happened to get that far was a big achievement.

The Climb

Something rather unexpected occurred from my first attempt I gained a few fans. Yes it was a surprise to me and I felt like I owed it to them to put all the hard work in to re-release the book. Only this time it would be for an audience. How much work is involved? Oh my goodness. I thought I knew, but that was nowhere close. Feedback from readers, comments for the developmental stage. How many edits? I lost count after more than twenty. Then there were professional edits, cover art and learning programs. Wow! Was it worth it? Yes. Was I prepared for the amount of hard work? Maybe, but the journey made the result absolutely worth it.

Time to Celebrate

In the beginning I wrote for me then thanks to a few fans I wrote for an audience. In all it has been an incredible journey spanning twelve years. From the moment I sat down at my desk. I began writing the first chapter from a series of dreams that stayed with me and wanted to be told. Then deleted it and began again. This time it was real. After writing snippets, building a world and naming characters this was it. A fantasy world appeared, one with dragons and wizards, swords and sorcery, and adventure. Thanks to everyone who has been part of the journey.

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