I just got back from NYC, where I visited the Penguin Random House offices for the first time. Meeting my co-workers in-person for my two-year workiversary was absolutely lovely (and mind blowing). I truly can’t believe that a gal like me from Kansas City achieved her dream of working in publishing. When I was growing up, I didn’t even have access to publishing conventions, let alone opportunities to learn about what it takes to get involved in the world of books. I only knew that I loved stories and I wanted to be a part of that magic–and now, I am.
So many big feelings.
I’m truly so grateful, and I often remind myself how proud little Shannon would be of me today. (Seeing all the penguin decor in the office that I’ve only seen online made life feel so much more real.)
Anyway, if you’re interested in getting a publishing job, I wrote this post about how I got mine: My Publishing Job & How You Can Get One
While I was up there, I also visited a ton of museums. I saw a few Gustav Kilmt paintings (he’s my favorite painter; my laptop carrier is actually a Sailor Moon mashup of his painting The Kiss – though you have to go to Austria for that painting). I almost cried at The Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, not going to lie. My favorite museum, though, was the National History Museum. So much to see! I definitely need to go back.
Aside from all that, BookCon was also happening. Like many book lovers, I’ve ALWAYS wanted to attend BookCon. I was so incredibly sad when they closed up shop during the pandemic & so thrilled when they announced their comeback. I definitely had to attend this year, and I went both days. I got to meet so many incredible authors (and make new writer friends). There were so many authors I didn’t realize were even going to be there. I came home with wayyyy too many signed books (I say too many because I had to carry them in my backpack. My collarbone still hurts. But it was worth it. lol. Now to rearrange my bookshelves…)
Anyway, here’s some photo highlights:
All of this sharing is to say this: Sometimes, it’s hard to believe in yourself when you are surrounded by so much greatness. But I’m actually feeling incredibly grateful and happy and energized right now. I have no clue what’s in store for me in the future. I hope good things! I just turned in my latest romantasy to my agent. I have a second round of beta readers on it, too. I scored some quiet writing time on my plane rides, and I’m slowly learning about self-publishing, too (though I don’t think I’ll approach that until late next year at the earliest).
I’m still considering what to do with this blog space, but most of my focus has been on revising and researching for the future. A part of me really wants to self-publish something, but I keep getting stuck on picking a piece (and the mechanics of actually doing it with the right amount of attention and intention). I’ve been in the trad game for so long, I find diving into the self-pub world to be both exciting and intimidating. But maybe I’ll save those thoughts for another day.
What have you been up to? How did you know you were ready to self-publish?
I’d love to hear from you.
~SAT
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I have to admit, I self-pubbed for the worst reasons : I had a collection of work that I was proud of, but didn’t have the self-belief and grit to do the work to get trad publishing interested. (The one time I did get to talk direct to a publisher, I became tongue tied and incoherent. Preparation is key!)
Self pub has been easy, but has kind of devalued the work in my eyes. On the plus side, it’s all there for people to get if they want it. On the other side, no one’s promoting it if I don’t, and all the things that should be done by professionals – editing, layout, covers etc – mostly got done by me. If they got done at all.
But if you’re already trad published, I think your experience will tell.
I truly appreciate your transparency and willingness to share, thank you!!! This was really eye-opening for me. My last book was published ten years ago… so I’m missing the reader interaction part pretty intensely. I can market my old books, but they are just that: old. Not having fresh books makes it hard to connect with the current market. A part of me thinks self-publishing could amend that. But I also recognize how much time, money, and effort goes into the process. It’s basically starting all over. So much to think about!
~SAT
I tried for a decade to do it the way you’re supposed to, and I just wasn’t connecting. Meanwhile, magazines were tightening their submission windows, making them basically inaccessible. Yes, it’s given out that “AI” has resulted in floods of submissions, but I found the magazines inaccessible before that technology was released.
So, yes, things take time in publishing. But that time was wasting away for me.
I chose to self-publish rather than stop writing. It was intimidating at first, but now that I self-publish a couple of times a year, the process has become familiar.
However! The “AI” flooding has only increased with active scam mills. The main self-publisher, Draft 2 Digital, is tightening their criteria and charging fees they didn’t before. D2D also has bought up some of their competitors, leaving fewer options to self-publish.
Like anything in publishing, you have to do your research and choose wisely!
I’ve heard of the D2D situation! It’ll be interesting to see how else the flood of AI changes the landscape. I suspect we’ll see a lot of changes in the next 2-3 years. Tbh, I’m so far deep in trad that I’m finding self-publishing inaccessible (so far anyway). I tried to join a group to learn more, but got removed due to Discord’s 30-day inactivity period (which I didn’t know was a thing until after removal). I know 30 days is a long time to not log in, but as someone working full time and raising a young kiddo (& pursuing trad in my spare time), it’s been so hard to find trustworthy resources to also research the self-pub process. Like you mentioned, I feel like I’m navigating through so many scams, I just get overwhelmed and stop looking. Maybe hopefully later this year, I can set a more intentional time to focus on just researching. I always appreciate your insights!! Thank you so much for sharing!