Getting Started on the DIY Path

First of all, hello! And thanks for taking time to check out my new blog. This blog is a spin-off of a series I thought about publishing on my fiction blog, amy & the pen. But after considering everything, I thought it made more sense to take my ideas to a new blog. That said, let me explain why I'm writing about do-it-yourself self-publishing at all.

The Big Decision to Self-Publish
I decided to self-publish my first mystery novel, Dead Locked, back in late Winter of 2010. I didn't know exactly how to approach it, but I did know two things: I had no money to spend on expensive self-publishing packages and I'd seen some place called Smashwords on Twitter and I thought they had something to do with self-publishing.

To make a rather long and arduous story short, I published my novel with Smashwords on November 10, 2010 and I just released the print edition via Createspace, which I discovered in November. And I did everything on my own. I designed the cover, formatted for Smashwords and Createspace, created my own book trailer, website, and business card. I've had a lot of big learning curves in the process but I don't regret a minute.

Why did I choose to go it alone? Because I'm incredibly impatient for one. But more importantly, I wanted to develop a readership and I could not do that without something (other than blog posts) for people to read. After giving it some thought, I decided it was time to take the independent route. Granted, going my own way is nothing new. My mom was the ultimate do-it-yourselfer and she taught me well. I published two magazines and one newsletter independently when I was a teenager, and I ended up doing freelance copywriting after college with some graphic/web design on the side. Eventually, all that independence led me right here.

What You Need to Publish the DIY Way
Do-it-yourself self-publishing is not for everyone. Here's a rundown of what you'll need to go this route successfully:

Gumption. DIY self-publishing is a little down and dirty sometimes so you'll need a lot of determination to make things happen.

Patience. Everything will take longer than expected so you will need a good dose of patience to see it through. (And you don't need to come by it naturally as my experience proves.)

Discipline. Nobody's on your back to get the work done - except you. It takes as much discipline as writing, if not more.

Perseverance. Things will not always, if ever, go as planned. So it's important to have the will to stick with it when things don't go your way.

Benefits of DIY
You will gain a lot from the experience. Some of the things I cherish most about going it on my own include:

Satisfaction from seeing my book all the way to the end. I didn't just write it, which was a learning experience all by itself. I was hands-on the whole way. Frustrating sometimes? Yes. But also incredibly rewarding.

Improved discipline and perseverance. I mentioned you needed these two qualities. Well, when you face a lot of potential set backs and keep going anyway, you will come out with twice the amount of both qualities.

Appreciation for what happens behind-the-scenes. It may seem ridiculous at the outset that it takes a year or so for a book to be published traditionally. After handling all the work though, you will no longer wonder and in fact you'll appreciate the hard work that goes on relatively unnoticed by the rest of us.

In this blog, I aim to share what I've learned with you. If you're ready, it's time to take the journey into DIY self-publishing.

What is your motivation for DIY self-publishing? Are you new to this or been around a while?