I can’t believe it’s been a year since I released The Geomancer’s Apprentice on Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing platform.
In case you don't know, the book is an urban fantasy adventure about two underdog feng shui consultants who find, to their dismay, that they must save the world. It’s set in Washington, D.C., and borrows heavily from Chinese myth and folklore.
When I hit the “publish” button on Feb. 4 last year, I had no idea what to expect. I was both excited and afraid. Would my debut novel see any sales? Would readers trash it and confirm my very worst fears? Despite my angst, it was magical to see the book displayed alongside other books on Amazon.
Why did I go the indie route and self-publish? By mid-2019, I had a handful of completed manuscripts spanning fantasy, urban fantasy and horror. Instead of trying to acquire an agent, I sent two of the manuscripts to major publishers that accept unsolicited submissions.
Predictably, both manuscripts were rejected. Given that many publishers prefer exclusive submissions where only one publisher at a time is considering your work, I realized it might be years of rejection before someone took a chance on me.
Amazon had already revolutionized the self-publishing business, allowing indie authors to reach a wide audience. I decided I didn’t want to wait any longer so I took the plunge. I chose The Geomancer’s Apprentice to be my debut novel because I thought that had the best shot at commercial success.
Before I published it, I went through another round of edits to make sure the manuscript was as polished and error-free as I could make it. I went with a cover that my husband designed because I liked its simplicity.
When the book was ready (or as ready as I could make it), I uploaded it and also enrolled it in Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited program. I then crossed my fingers and wished myself luck.
And?
Well let’s just say there were ups, and there were downs.
Please check out the full post on my blog.