Since the subject of Talina’s blog post dated March 23, 2011, addressed self-publishing, I thought it topical and timely to share my experience in the self-publishing realm (now that I’ve officially been an indie-author all of eighteen days, lol.)
The decision to self-publish was an easy one, although maybe not for the reasons one might expect. At first, I intended to go with traditional publishing because I hold some credentials: a B.A. in Creative Writing, I’ve studied with award-winning novelists and have had a few newspaper articles published; the most recent of which got picked up by The Times of India. Now, before I launch into this saga, it’s important to note that the published version of my debut novel, entitled Being, a paranormal romance for young adults with a sci-fi edge, is not the original story. The original manuscript contains a male protagonist and is more of a sci-fi buddy story.
Last year, I submitted the original manuscript to three agents and received rejections. No biggie, that’s par for the course. However, in June 2010, I attended a writer’s conference where I met with an established editor from New York. After having reviewed the first ten pages of my original manuscript, she said my idea wasn’t marketable based on current publishing trends. As you can imagine, I was disappointed (well, more like heartbroken) but determined not to give up because I’d invested three years of my life into this work. So I asked what she recommended. She suggested I change certain elements of the story, namely, make my protagonist a female and include a love interest so it could be considered a paranormal romance. At this point, I had already re-written my original manuscript three times from start to finish (in addition to taking each chapter through multiple edits.) The idea of another major rewrite didn’t appeal to me but I decided to think about it.
Two weeks after the conference I started a new job. In addition, nagging back problems I’d developed in the spring steadily worsened. Between the demands of the new job and losing my ability to sit comfortably for long periods of time, another rewrite seem next to impossible.
At the end of October, I learned I required back surgery and would be out of work for at least two months. Since I doubted I would ever get that much time off work again, I recognized the time had come, regardless of my growing physical discomfort. I re-wrote the first few chapters, liked what I read, decided to continue and completed the rough draft within the first few weeks of physical therapy, around late January.
About mid-February, as I was editing what would become the published version of Being, I started seeing trailers for a soon-to-be-released feature film entitled, pAUL. Based on the trailer, pAUL appeared to be an alien buddy movie set in the desert. My novel, Being, is also set in the desert. pAUL the alien has miraculous healing abilities and is pursued by government agents. My protagonist, EBN, also has miraculous healing abilities and is … you see where I’m going here.
Now, I’ve been doing this long enough to know it can take up to a year to get the right agent and even longer for said agent to recruit the right editor, and that was provided I could even get an agent in the first place. As far as I was concerned, I didn’t have the luxury of time on my side because I suspect (hope) that extraterrestrials are going to be the new vampires in terms of the next big trend in publishing and entertainment. Not only was I concerned about someone else writing a story similar to the one I’d just rewritten, about a female extraterrestrial marooned in a trailer park after her ship collides with space trash orbiting Earth, but also and worse, that someone else might publish a book with my chosen title, Being.
Whether through fate, coincidence or just plain luck, about this time, I began hearing of a young woman named Amanda Hocking and her success as an indie author. After much research, I decided to go with my gut feeling. I took a chance, self-published and started praying that I hadn’t made the single worst mistake of my writing career.
A word of warning for those considering going the self-published indie-author route: I spend the majority of my time on the grind, marketing my work, not writing fiction. In the past eighteen days, I’ve yet to work less than 14 hours on any given day (closer to 16 hours, actually.) Since I’m simultaneously working on Being’s sequel, taking on the marketing role has presented a whole new challenge, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. At least I no longer worry about how much my synopsis-writing skills suck (the one area none of my writing classes addressed.)
For more details about the peaks and valleys of a newly self-published writer, please check out my
goodreads blog (currently under construction) at:
http://bit.ly/hU90EK
Being
by T R Mousner
For elite extraterrestrial pilot EBN-Reyoz-X, awaiting rescue while hiding out in a trailer park in Lancaster, California, is a grueling nightmare. She’s injured, lacks proper supplies and can’t blend in with the indigenous population because she’s seven feet tall and can’t control the trail of wildflowers blooming in the wake of her footsteps. She’s unprepared to begin sexual maturity in the alien land and when she develops feelings for Shale, the mute teenage boy next door, she’s convinced circumstances can get no worse.
Except rescue never comes and once word spreads that her touch holds miraculous healing abilities, EBN must find a way to fix her ship, evade capture by the United States Air Force and survive long enough to return home.
Short excerpt from Being:
1. First Contact
In the tranquil moments following my mission, no warnings betrayed the perfect silence inside my spaceship, the Protectorate’s Surety. Blissful thoughts entered my mind as my cloaked craft zipped toward vacuous space. Soon I would return to my home world and family.
The reconnaissance mission had been simple. I had flown over two alien military installations on the planet Erox—Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and Area 51—where my ship lingered undetected. The Surety’s computers copied every bit of data from both facilities. The files numbered in the billions.
Within a blink, the Surety reached Erox’s exosphere. Traveling near Erox made me nervous because the planet’s gravity often interfered with my ship’s force field. Because this inconvenient truth matters most just beyond the demarcation line where blue meets black, I slowed the craft. I took a deep breath, loosened my tightening muscles and focused on navigating the gauntlet of space trash orbiting Erox.
Countless massive objects—many dwarfing my ship—threatened from every distance and direction. While the cosmic junkyard streaked across the void, my eyes darted this way and that, searching for patterns.
Suddenly and without warning, an unseen force slammed the Surety. A deafening crunch roared, destroying the bucolic quiet. Alerts followed, blaring throughout the control deck. Engine three failed. The systems screen indicated debris had penetrated the ring-shaped cabin rotating around the craft’s rear. I gasped against the lost air pressure as I redirected power to engines one and two. The ship spiraled, falling. Not even Erox’s thick, polluted atmosphere slowed the plummet.
I fought for control, engaging the repair systems and visualizing the Surety whole and intact. The craft failed to respond to my vibrating thoughts, confirming my worst fears.
As I wrestled the plunging, spinning ship, I gulped for air. Time slowed to a crawl and a surreal sense of loss gripped my stomachs. This could be it for me. But I was only six hundred Scyros cycles old. My life had just begun.
Disoriented and suffocating, I lifted my hand off the command module embedded in the armrest. At once the ship stabilized and held steady, however our velocity continued unchecked. With Erox’s rocky surface nearing faster than I could measure, I aimed for an uninhabited patch of land, activated the crash shields, fired the thrusters and braced for impact.
Then everything went black.
Thank you so much Ms. Mousner for being here today!
Ms. Mousner has offered a giveaway for one lucky winner that leaves a comment and email addy. The winner will be announced on Sunday!!! Good luck!
(look for my review of Being soon)
