This article chronicles my experience with e-publishing/POD. Is it really the wave of the future or another way for scammers to make a buck?

The month was April; the year was 2000. I swallowed that lump in my throat, and let my fingers do the walking. Yes! The time had come to find a publisher for my book. I had no clue where to look, or what I would find once I got somewhere, or if anyone would even be interested.

The first thing I did was go over my manuscript one last time to make sure it was ready. (It wasn't, as I would learn later.) I got onto the search engines and found as many publishers as I could.. I read the guidelines, and all day long submitted my manuscript, along with the very-important query letter- a must when you are pitching your manuscript around.

After submitting my manuscript to about twenty different publishers, I waited. Imagine my surprise, when after three days, a senior editor e-mailed me back. I had my first acceptance with my first publisher. To say I was ecstatic was an understatement: I was flying off the walls. I was hootin' and hollerin', "I got a contract! I got a contract!" My kids, I think, thought I had had one too many pieces of chocolate. (I had been eating a huge bag of M & M's that day.) Well! I think I must have called everyone and their dog; and feeling higher-than-a-kite, I told them of my first-time success with a publisher. So it wasn't a traditional publisher; and so they were only a month into the business; and so the book wouldn't be in print....someone wanted to publish my book. That is all that mattered!

Well, that was just the beginning of my adventure. I found out that the company had been on the web for only a month; there was one editor only, and they had published only three books. My confidence was dwindling, and my naive' attitude was starting to get a dose of reality. I received rejection after rejection. And then, another publisher wanted to publish my book!

Now, it was competition. I had to make a choice. I checked out the second publisher, and was even more impressed with this one. They had been publishing for about two years. Why they even had a bookstore. By this time my head was so large, it wouldn't fit through the door! I studied both contracts thoroughly, comparing the two. I turned them both down! I know! I know! WHY? Well, I guess it was a matter of principles. I felt that my book needed a reputable publisher, which both companies were lacking. I checked out their style, the books they published, and their contract. It was not for me. After a month or so, I received one more acceptance on my book.

Now, you may think I am crazy for turning down offers such as these, but I always trust my gut instinct when it comes to making important decisions. I had my father, a published author himself, check out their contracts; then my sister, my friend, and of course my husband all checked them out. They all felt uneasy about both companies, and that sealed their fate, as far
as I was concerned.

Now I was really confused. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with my novel. Then, as if a bolt of lightening hit me...well, and my husband's knowledge of self-publishing...we checked out Xlibris, a self-publishing service that will publish your book for free! I was a little skeptical.

I had heard about "vanity publishing", and didn't want that label put on my book. However, when we looked at it more closely, we read that they would publish it in print, as well as an e-book; and that they would list it with "Amazon", "Barnes and Noble," and "Border Books." I was smitten!

The great thing about Xlibris was that you could do the core service, which used to be free; or you could do the grand tamale, and make the book look like a "best seller"-for a fee, of course. I checked out how they start the publishing process, and what goes into it; how long it will take, and what the finished product will look like. To say I was impressed, is putting it mildly...I was in heaven! Immediately, I felt a peace come over me, and I knew this was the way I wanted to go with my first novel. Of course, I never did it again.

I went through my manuscript again, and luckily, my father knew an editor in his neighborhood who worked for a reputable publisher. This publisher agreed to edit my book. A few weeks later, due to Christmas programs and such (she was a substitute teacher, as well as an editor), she sent the
disc back, with an edited, polished version of my novel, One Step at a Time.

I filled out Xlibris's order form, e-mailing it, along with all the information and the manuscript. They informed me that within eight weeks the book would be published. I did get impatient. Yes, I was also quite naive about the publishing industry. In the meantime my husband put it into a PDF format. The book was available for purchase, on my website, although--I must admit--I didn’t have many takers. Last year, I rewrote some of it, changed the title to Stepping out of the Dark and sent it to Chipmunka Publishing, in London, and it’s doing better.

So was my publishing story a horror story? Or was it "happy hour"? I cannot say it was either. I did, however, learn a lot about web publishing and traditional publishing. Each has its incentives and its drawbacks. But we have a choice.



My next series of books, The Crystal Locket series, the first one being: The Key to the Portals of Time, is being published by a traditional publisher this time around, which has print runs, bookstore presence, etc…and I will stick with traditional publishing. Why? Because, I not only want to be a successful writer, but a successful author as well. Stay tuned for its upcoming release.

Web-publishing, in my opinion, will bring talented writers from all over the world into the 21st century--and beyond, but it will also bring out the wannabe’s. If you are serious about being a writer, not just getting to say you published a book, with patience, perseverance, and most importantly, with faith; our dream, that of an author, will come true , that our books will reach people far and wide; and that books will continue to be the cornerstone of our learning, entertainment, and enjoyment.

Happy Writing!