Writing the Dream -- a first-time novelist's inspiring story

Self-publishing company

Name of self-publishing company: 

What year did you self-publish your book?: 

Let us see your book - insert your book's URL here: 

In what format did you self-publish your book? 

Did you try to find a traditional publisher? 

Did the company properly prepare you for the process? 

I didn't use any self-publishing companies, other than a printer, and a person for formatting the eBook. Every project is going to be different, and choosing to have a paperback instead of just the eBook make for a little more work on my part.

Was the cost of publishing adequately explained to you? 

Yes, it's a little more expensive doing it all on your own though. But you keep more of the profits of course, which was important to me for the purpose of raising money for charity. If you believe in your product, are you better off paying $1000-$3000 up front for 100% of any sales? Or paying little or nothing up front, but only getting 20-60% of the profits instead. Having said that, everyone has different needs and budgets to work with. I would imagine for someone writing multiple books or a series, it would be easier to have someone else handle more of the work, so they can get back to writing the next one. For the most part, you're going to be the one putting in the hard work to market it once it's released, either way.

Were you happy with the finished book? 

Yes. The biggest concern for me after so many years of trying to finish the project was giving up any rights or control to my novel. I did look into some of the print on demand services and companies online, but it seemed like I was going to have to give something up. Usually a percentage of profits or having to be exclusive in selling with them. What I really needed was help with editing and proofing, so I found someone in my local area to help with that. From there, it was a matter of choosing a printing company for the paperback and someone to convert the print copy file to the eBook formats. My editing contact helped me find them as well.

What advice do you have for others? 

Never give up! After more than nine years of struggling with the writing process and battling against my own self-doubt, I'm ready to share the story."The Living Room" was my dream.

Late one night back in July 2002, I fell asleep and had a dream. It was unlike any dream I had before, or since. It was like watching an extended movie, and it ended with instructions for me in the rolling credits. I awoke in shock and glanced at the clock next to my bed, only to discover what seemed like hours of sleep had only been a few minutes.

I got up, sat at my desk and spent the rest of the night writing everything down. Never having written anything before, I took the next few weeks to follow the instructions from the dream - share the story in a novel.

After a few months of being inspired by the story, but at the same time feeling overwhelmed with the project, I put it away. However, I couldn't forget it. I just released my first Novel after a 9yr struggle

My Review 

Would you recommend this to a friend? 

Valerie Peterson, Book Publishing Guide, says: