Why a Blog?

Mmm, this is hard because everyone seems to have a blog, right? I suppose the biggest reason why I created one was to talk about the process of a self-published writer and the trials and tribulations which exist for us.

I consider myself luckier than others as I have loyal friends, a supporting family and many people who could potentially buy my book but I would like to be known in my own right.

This week has been one of the most exhilarating and hardest of my life. I discovered (by accident) from a fellow blogger, Sion of Paris (im)Perfect, that friend and fellow blogger had self published her book on Kindle. Why hadn't I thought of that? I have been sitting on the same novel for about ten years and no agent will touch me with a ten foot pole.

I must admit, the rejection letters have been more friendly this time around. They ranged from "this project just didn't grab me" to "I just don't have the time to represent anymore clients". Not bad; it just means that although my work might be good (or it could be complete and utter crap), it wasn't bad enough to illicit "not in a million years would I think of representing you".

So, here it is for all other future self-publishers to see as I have started from the beginning. My novel, which has been split into an 8-part novella due to length and word count, was initially published on Kindle on the 29th of April, 2011. I have just created a CreateSpace account yesterday, uploaded my novel, designed the cover and the proof has been sent out to me. If it looks okay then it will go on to be distributed via CreateSpace. To be honest, I would still rather readers buy it from Kindle as it is much more reasonably priced and I am not looking to rip anyone off here.

The first section of my novella can be found here on Kindle:
http://www.amazon.com/Proposal-Book-Beautiful-People-ebook/dp/B004YKUX2C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1304287991&sr=1-1

I admit... the book is not for everyone. People who are religious and regular church goers might find the book to be repugnant for sure but if there is anything I value in my work, it's a sense of reality. Real life isn't nice and PG rated.

If you are more of the high-brow, literary type, then it probably won't be for you either. Don't get me wrong, I am a writer; I LOVE to write; not only the popular, frothy stuff that seems to sell quite nice (hey, this series could be my own Harry Potter or Twilight ... you never know!); I absolutely love complex, in-depth novels and I write those too. I suppose it will always be a dichotomy for me. I will be the Mylene Farmer of writers... most people won't understand the reference but I will give you a quick story.

The woman could easily be compared to a sexier French version of Madonna. She is a pop singer who has had a very lucrative career. She has albums that, obviously, to some of her most ardent fans, don't seem to quite fit her style.

I suppose I will be like that. I will eventually have fans who love my popular books (that is, The Beautiful People series and the coming Pop Stars series) but who will hate my attempts at literary writing. I'm sure those same people will look upon my attempts in disdain. As a fan of someone, it comes with the territory and I won't consider any of those fans any less than the ones who love my literary style and dislike the "pop" stuff.

If this journey has taught me anything, it's that I should be prepared for anything... Thank you for reading...