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Self-Publishing Flying Solo with a First Published Anthology of Flash Fiction Stories
Writing seems effortless when you create non-fiction articles, but self-publishing the first anthology of your flash fiction can be daunting.
I’m self-publishing my first anthology of flash fiction stories I’ve written, and it got me thinking about how I might help other writers with a not-virtual field guide to indie publishing.
Ideas for articles are all around us, as I’ve written in the past, but when you begin to write fiction, it’s a whole other ballgame because you either get a publisher (and that can be tiring, frustrating, and a seemingly endless task), or you choose self-publishing. The latter requires that you become proficient in many areas if you don’t work with someone who has the skills, and going it alone is like setting out across the Atlantic in a rowboat. Someone for whom I have a great deal of respect is Jane Friedman, a freelance writer, and entrepreneur who gives great advice on this subject.
Sure, it’s not expensive to self-publish (no fees involved; think Amazon KDP and more), but that’s the easy part. The beast waiting to devour your every waking moment and drain your bank account is marketing. Once you say you have a book you’re publishing, the wolves come out in packs to offer all manner of publishing and publicity services…
