Frog Blog Christmas Reunion---Sariah Wilson

Were this a true Frog Blog reunion, my post would show up sometime in the next few days when I finally got around to blogging.  But since everyone else is being so timely, I will only be a few hours late.

In the last eighteen months I went from feeling as if I totally wanted to give up on writing to being thoroughly inspired to get myself back in the game, thanks to indie publishing.  I felt like the writing was on the wall and I could see what was coming (and is happening now) in the publishing industry.  I didn’t want to leave my future in the hands of corporations that could go bankrupt (hello, Dorchester!) or merge (hi Penguin and Random House!) or get sold, tying my copyright up for decades.  I wanted to retain control.  And keep the money.

So I put out a sweet, fluffy YA romance, “The UglyStepsister Strikes Back.”  (Now with new cover!)  My Frog Blog connection - Jeff Savage helped me write the blurb and Julie Bellon gave me an awesome review.  I loved every second of writing this book – of not having to worry about whether an agent or editor would love it, or if was being written for a specific market.  I loved having control over who edited the book (Eschler Editing and Melinda Fulton).  I loved picking out the cover artist (Scarlett Rugers, check her out!). 

Now, this is not to say that I haven’t been languishing in obscurity.  Because I have.  JA Konrath said there was a certain amount of luck involved after you doing everything you could – and I think I’m proof he’s right.  I know it’s a good book.  Because everybody I’ve talked to who has read it seems to love it.  I didn’t put up garbage.  But I’m a teeny-tiny pinprick of light in a large, vast publishing universe.

I was hoping the indie publishing thing would mean less marketing, and not more.  But that’s simply not the case.  While I’ve done a lot so far to get the word out, it obviously hasn’t been enough.  I have some plans in store for the new year, and I’m working on getting some new releases out.  I would say I’ll let you know how it goes, but you’ll probably have to email me or something because like Stephanie, I don’t blog all that often.  (Yes, I know that this really surprises you.)

So here’s to hoping that 2013 will be a banner year for all of us – may you find the time to work hard and may you find some measure of success with the things you do!

Merry Christmas!