Yesterday, I Tweeted:
@JRVincente
I have a new author plan: Write all the words and then when I’m rich and my kids are grown, pay someone to edit and publish them. #amediting #mostlykidding #semiserious
As indicated, I’m mostly kidding, which means I’m also partially serious. Editing is terrible. Watching for the intricate details is a pain in the ass. Worrying about grammar and punctuation is tedious. (Actually, I don’t mind the grammar. It’s the details.)
But worse than editing, is publishing. Self ebook publishing isn’t actually that difficult. Putting together the manuscript is fine. Table of contents isn’t too bad. Even cover art is manageable. (I’ve used a picture I took, one my husband took, and one that I digitally created.) Then I have to come up with a blurb for the novel, a paragraph, a one-liner. I have to do front material and back material. I have to decide when/where/how I’m going to advertise and how much I’m willing to spend. It’s all terrible, and far too much work.
Hiring an editor wouldn’t be too far out of the budget. Hiring a social media manager and someone to do all that other stuff… that might be pushing it. Plus, I’m not even sure that’s a thing. (Is it a thing? I know social media managers exist…) But then again, I couldn’t let someone else manage my blog. It’s mine! My followers! My friends!
It’s a conundrum.
J R Vincente 
I have Opinions on this one, but because of a recent writing group discussion, I hesitate to share it, because I’m New and what if my opinions are Wrong, and then eVeryone will make fun of me! (Okay, that was a little extra drama than was warranted. Maybe you will be able to See what I was getting at. Anyway.)
If you took the advertising bit out – paying for ads – and just had to muddle through the blurb/keyword parts, would that make it tolerable? I haven’t paid for an ad yet. I am intimidated by it and I kind of really like the advice given to writers by someone successful who believes that your best advertising is your next book.
Seriously. Just write, edit, blurb, publish, and then write again. Maybe you want to start a newsletter from fans here, or maybe you just post about your new book here. Maybe you stick your book in a Smashwords sale and mention that here. But that seems much less stressful.
Just a thought. Not an Opinion. I’m not Awesome enough for that yet.
❤
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They are good thoughts. I probably will keep publishing, at least some. But I think the thought of having so many unpublished works makes me stagnate. I don’t want to write new words because I have so many I should be publishing. But editing and all the other stuff is daunting, so I don’t do it. Maybe more of a balance, and accepting that I may end up with lots of words I don’t publish (yet) but still try to get a book a year out…
All good thoughts. I appreciate your input, even if you aren’t an “experienced expert” or whatever. Thanks for commenting!
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