This Saturday (Aug 25th) is the 3-year anniversary of Mortal Musings coming out into the world! Of course, those of you who've been here for a while know that this summer it also got a brand new look. What's your preference—vintage or the makeover?
Recently, I've been looking back on the journey Mortal Musings took to publication. It's so rare when we can look back on a decision or set of decisions without regret or the question "what if?" Sure, I almost certainly made mistakes in the process of indie publishing this story, but I know without a doubt that turning down all the traditional offers wasn't a mistake—difficult as it was to pull the plug on each of those contract negotiations.
One crystal-clear example is Samhain, arguably the most established and best respected publisher to show interest in Mortal Musings. About 10 months after I turned down their offer (following lots of agonizing and even spreadsheets to help me decide!), Samhain first announced it was closing its doors. In traditional publishing, 10 months is nothing. There's a good chance that Mortal Musings wouldn't have even been published at that point—though I would have likely already spent plenty of time and energy going back and forth with the editor on revisions* he wanted.
- *One of the reasons I turned down the contract was that the direction this editor wanted to take my work wasn't right for me. I'm happy to elaborate if anyone's interested! Just ask in the comments.
According to the aforementioned announcement, since my book wouldn't have been out yet, my rights would have been reverted. But what that means is months of wasted time and countless hours of wasted effort adapting my story for a publisher that ultimately would never have published my book anyway. Instead, Mortal Musings came out about 6 months before Samhain's original announcement. (Indie publishing can be fast!)
As I said, it's rare in life that we get to look back and know with certainty that when faced with a difficult decision, we made the right choice. Oftentimes, there is no one right choice, even in hindsight. But despite all my challenges with getting this book out there, my struggles with the appropriate marketing and branding decisions, one comfort is knowing that standing behind my story—not sacrificing my rights, my voice, or even my financial stake for the sake of a publishing contract—was definitely the right choice.
Now if only I could figure out this marketing thing so more readers could (hopefully) enjoy this book... 😉
The Festivities!
So much has changed in the last three years in publishing, but one thing that hasn't is how awesome it is to celebrate book birthdays! This year, I've put together a few different prizes, starting with a big old Mortal Musings prize pack:
One winner will receive the full pack pictured above, including a signed copy of Mortal Musings, a magnetic art print of the new cover, 2 Dreams to Dishes coasters (from the diner featured in the story!), and a vintage fold-up Mortal Musings bag featuring the original cover.
3 additional winners will receive a magnetic art print of the new cover and 2 Dreams to Dishes coasters.
And for a chance to win another prize, head on over to my Instagram!
Oh, and have I mentioned? This week Mortal Musings is available
Enter the Giveaway!
As if that isn't enough, this week there's also a huge sale of 99-cent romances plus another giveaway happening with Love Kissed Book Bargains! Click the image below to check out all the awesome books (including Mortal Musings, of course 💕), and scroll down for the giveaway:
