Monday, February 22, 2010

Publishing

Getting published.
Now way back when this used to mean something different.
Today, apparently anyone can get published. I mean this blog is being published right?
Well, I'm talking about getting published on paper in some readable form.
Like a book.
Here is the process:
See you write some stuff that in your mind you think is pretty good.
Fiction, tech, autobiographical, whatever. You think it's good and for what ever reason you feel a need to share it with the world.
So off you send your manuscript to be scrutinized by people who are supposed to be good at knowing what other people are interested in reading.
I say supposed, because you think you know and when your manuscript is rejected it is clear evidence that the person who is supposed to know doesn't know because you know for sure that everyone wants to read your stuff.
Or something like that.
Somewhere I have a file with some rejection slips that prove other people don't know.
Or maybe it means that I don't know.
This blog is absolute proof that I do know.
Or do I?
Way back in another life, one of my goals was to see my words in print(actually I did, but that's another story).
Not print like on a computer screen, but print like on paper, bound together in some sort of readable form.
Like a book.
The rejection slips were actually kind of cool.
It meant that I was at least trying.
I mean that's like the pinnacle of any writer's dreams right?
To be judged by peers and deemed worthy of publishing.
Well, I deem myself worthy so I have decided to self publish.
I've been tossing this idea around for some time and I think the time has come.
For one thing, I'm getting pretty tired of seeing the same old crap on my screen and it's time to delete a bunch of stuff so I might as well put them in some sort of readable form.
Like a book.
Writing, being an art form of sorts, to me is like making art; you are never quite done, but you might as well put it out there.
I mean I can go back and work on those stories until the end of time and they still wouldn't be quite right.
See, I keep going back and working on them thinking all this time that I'm tweaking them to perfection.
What I'm actually doing is updating.
I don't want to do that.
I started thinking that these stories should be like photos, snapshots of what I needed to put down at that time.
Sort of like how this blog is a snapshot of what happens day to day.
By going back and rewriting, I'm actually softening the stories; taking the edge off so to speak.
I also don't have the time or inclination to go through the whole query process again and sit around waiting for answers.
I got around twenty short(some kinda long) stories taking up valuable hard drive space. They are just sitting there, doing nothing but reminding me of a time that I'd sometimes rather not remember.
This does not include the book Grey, which I'm still kinda sorta of working on.
It seems that I used to have a lot of time on my hands.
Anyways, Grey looks like it's going to take up even more space as I get it in a Word file.
So I'm gonna self publish them. The short stories I mean. Get em off the computer and put em somewhere else.
Like a book shelf.
Then I can start over.
Or something.
This should be interesting.
And a total waste of money.
I'll let you know how it goes.

3 comments:

John Romeo Alpha said...

I look forward to hearing how it goes. Do you have an idea how you are going to market the self-published book? Tell us more, are you thinking about Booksurge or something similar?

limom said...

I think I'm going to be moving the whole self publishing thing to another blog.
I have contacted several places like Xlibris, lulu, outskirts and one more I can't remember.
All about the same.
I'll post a link up to the new blog.

limom said...

and here it is:
http://theupstairsapartment.blogspot.com/