When I finished writing my novel November 2008, I felt accomplished and proud for about five minutes, followed by a crash of insecurity and fear in not knowing how I would share it with the masses. In spite of my two degrees and decades of writing dreams, I knew next to nothing about the publishing industry. Where did I start? How long would it take? Was there anyone out there who would help me?
At the time, I was fortunate (in a way) to have a lot of time on my hands to do some research (read: I was unemployed). I scoured the Internet to saturate myself in knowledge from every source imaginable. I still learned some things the hard way and made some decisions I wouldn’t do over, but in the end I came out with a finished product that I was proud of.
Still, I found it staggering that there was no one who could help guide me through the process or give me unbiased advice on the different options available to me. I was fortunate to have the help of my friends and family, especially my best friend Toni who did my cover design, inside layout and created this website. Marketing yourself is by FAR the hardest part of self-publishing, but having a designer in your pocket makes it considerably easier.
In talking with Toni a few weeks ago about my self-publishing experiences, it suddenly hit us that we should share our knowledge and skills with other self-published authors trying to stumble their way through the process. It’s a tough road and you shouldn’t have to go it alone. So we are putting together our own company called Duolit Consulting. From one-on-one consultations to cover designs, custom marketing plans and branding advice, we’ve put our combined education and experiences together to try and help others.
If you’re up for it, learn more about our self-publishing consultant services at www.duolitconsulting.com.
You can also follow us on Twitter and read some advice about writing, self-publishing and more on our blog. We’re also in the process of putting together a few eBooks on some key parts of the process that will be available in the shop on our site very soon.
Later days,
Shannon
