I haven't been writing much lately! I only have about 5 more chapters to go and I will be done, for now. I have made some big decisions about where to go from here.
I have decided to hire an editor and self-publish. While I enjoy writing this book and it has been a great experience, it has never been my goal. This book has always been a vehicle to get me more talks and higher billing. Giving speeches is my true passion and you need one of two things to make a career of it: a big degree or a book. I don't have a big degree so...a book it is!
I don't want to spend precious time waiting for agents and publishers to pick me and then wait for them to get the book out. I want it asap! That is why I am going to self-publish first and look for a book deal later.
I have hired my editor and she will start the overhaul in a few weeks. In the meantime, I have to finish up my last few chapters, fix up a few and organize the format. If all goes well, I will have a book out by the end of the year!
I'll keep you posted! :)
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2 comments:
You go girl! Sign me up for one of the first copies.
As a layperson, I may be way off, as I am not in the business of book publishing. However, based on what I perceive to be high quality postings, I would suspect you would have success in getting an agent/publisher, etc. The advantage of going the more traditional route, I think, is that presumably, a publisher would take care of promotion and distribution of your book. I also would be somewhat concerned that if you self-publish, your writings might not be as widely read (although if you have the opportunity to promote your book through your speaking engagements, this might not be a problem at all).
If you have not approached any agents yet, I hope you will. I think your writing ability, your unique perspective on illness/patient experience, and your willingness to be vulnerable give you the opportunity to make a significant contribution to the literature on illness. My hope would be that you would not have to wait too long before an agent/publisher jumped at this given your book's potential.
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