Mclesh's Mad Self-Publishing Diary

Mclesh

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Hope the signing goes well!

Thank you! :)

So Createspace accidentally sent a duplicate box of books. When I notified them of the error, the customer service rep told me that it was their error and to keep the books at no charge, so I decided to donate those to the charity as well.

Thanks, Createspace! :)
 

Mclesh

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Self-Publishing Update

It's been so long since I've posted. 2017 has been such a year of emotional curveballs. I put my writing aside for months, haven't promoted my books, became very depressed, spent most of my time on political activism, rebooted, took time offline, and began writing. I do have a nonfiction book project in the works, and I'm hoping it'll be ready in time for the holidays, but we shall see. :Shrug:

In the meantime... in September, I was contacted by Kindle Direct Publishing. They wanted to feature my memoirs Let Me Get This Off My Chest as one of their Prime selections, which means they pay me a lump sum at the end of the 90-day feature period. On my end, I do nothing except leave my title in Select, which I was planning on doing anyway. I still receive my regular royalty payments for non-Prime purchases. It was a win-win for me, so I agreed. Soon after its inclusion in the Prime library, my book hit No. 1 on the bestseller lists in its categories and has stayed there for the past couple of weeks.

A couple days later, I was contacted by Hershman Rights Management, a literary agency specializing in subsidiary rights management--in their case, audio book rights and foreign language translations. I did some vetting, including contacting one of the authors they represent. She is very happy with their representation, and they've obtained audio book deals for two of her series. Since I wasn't doing anything with my subsidiary rights, and the contract is straightforward and favorable, I went ahead and signed with them. So now I am represented for those rights, and I have to admit, it feels like a bit of a feather in my cap. (Self-publishing can be such a lonely process. And being a writer is setting one's self up for self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy with brief moments of euphoria. Feels like we need to celebrate the good stuff.)

That is where I am now. Hoping I am able to finish this book. (The challenge: It needs to be better.) ;)
 

SWest

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ASeiple

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Sounds like things are going great!

Good move with the audio rights, I think.
 

Old Hack

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Exciting times. I'm so pleased for you. You work so hard and write so well.
 

Mclesh

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Exciting times. I'm so pleased for you. You work so hard and write so well.

Much appreciated coming from you, OH. :Hug2:

This is so exciting! Nice work Mclesh, you'll be an audio superstar before you know it. :D

Hehe. Well, we'll see about that. Thank you, dearest Teadragon. :Hug2:
 

Catherine

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That's fantastic news. Congratulations!
 

Mclesh

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I see it's been a long while since I've posted--I haven't been online much due to physical issues and having to limit my time using a keyboard. (I really miss AW.) 2017 was pretty quiet for me writing-wise. I did begin a nonfiction project, which I'm basically done with and am at the production stage. I was feeling insecure about it until I sent it to a friend who teaches creative writing through UCLA Extension. After she read it, she told me she wants me to adopt her, so I'm taking that as a sign that I should finish it. :D I'll post more about it when it's ready for preorder (hopefully soon-ish).

My audio book experience went very well, I'm happy to say. My advance was paid in a timely manner, and my agent took her straight percentage--didn't deduct anything for expenses, which I was a little surprised with. Tantor Audio gave me the opportunity to accept or reject the narrator. Once I listened to her sample, though, I knew she was the right person for my book (Allyson Ryan). She ended up doing a beautiful job, and we connected during the process when she reached out to me by email. We've since become online friends.

I haven't done any promotions in a long time, and my sales have been pretty miniscule. Not surprising. But I am going to give away some ebooks for my birthday, which is coming up soon. I did this last year just because it seems like such an optimistic thing to do--giving books away. How cool is that?

So that's my story for now. I'll hopefully be posting a cover for my new project in a couple of weeks.
 

rwm4768

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Glad to see you back. That's the thing with a writing career. For most of us, it's just one part of a very complicated life, and sometimes all those other things get in the way, however much we wish we could write all the time.
 

Mclesh

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Glad to see you back. That's the thing with a writing career. For most of us, it's just one part of a very complicated life, and sometimes all those other things get in the way, however much we wish we could write all the time.

Thank you!
Yes, I agree. There are so many variables in a writer's life. I have come to the place where I write when I feel compelled to, but I don't beat myself up for not writing. Life does have a tendency of getting in the way. :)
 

Mclesh

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New release 7/31! My Terrible Book of Happiness

The book I've been working on is now finished and up for preorder on Amazon. (I'm doing a preorder 99c sale, since I haven't released a book in a long time, and I'm a bad author who doesn't have a mailing list.) My Terrible Book of Happiness is the collection I started writing last summer after I felt myself at a low point. Personal challenges, but mostly living in post-2016 election U.S. (which is like an onslaught each and every day) had me very anxious and depressed (overwhelmed really). This book is meant to cheer up (and cheer on) the many people like me who have been experiencing similar feelings. So many conversations I've had these past 18 months, people feel hopeless, which scares me, since hopelessness can lead to despair, which can lead to apathy. I really wanted to put some light into the world, encourage people to take care of themselves so they can take care of others (and do the work we need to do to make things better). Life can be really hard at times; we need to help each other through it.

I've gotten very positive feedback from complete strangers on the blurb, title, and cover, so I'm feeling pretty stoked about that. I have absolutely no expectations with this project other than it's something I felt compelled to do. It just feels like we need cheering on these days, we need hope, and if I can give encouragement, spread kindness, love, compassion--any or all of that--then I will have accomplished something with this project. <3

(As usual, my feelings have no filter.) :)

Release day is 7/31. I'm planning to raise the price on 8/4.
 

M. H. Lee

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Good for you. I think the world would be a much better place if people could channel their despair towards positivity, so kudos to you for doing that.
 

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Guess who bought a print copy, and had it delivered yesterday? I've already read half of it. It's very good.
 

CathleenT

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Congratulations on all your victories--audiobooks, climbing the charts, writing a worthwhile book. There's nothing quite like turning sorrow into something beautiful. In many ways, it's the greatest victory of all. Go you.
 

Mclesh

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Congratulations on all your victories--audiobooks, climbing the charts, writing a worthwhile book. There's nothing quite like turning sorrow into something beautiful. In many ways, it's the greatest victory of all. Go you.

That's very kind of you to say, Cathleen. (But then, from all of my experiences with you, I am not surprised, since kindness, being supportive of other writers, and thoughtfulness seem to be embedded within your nature.) :Hug2:
 

Mclesh

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I think it's going to be a slow build with this title, but on the positive side of things, I've now heard back from a handful of people who've read the book and tell me they've either purchased paperbacks to give to friends or plan to do so. :hooray: That kind of validation is so helpful. I feel like this project has sucked so much of my energy; supportive comments help to fuel me.

*runs on positive vibes, chocolate, and Freddie Mercury lately*