Shared Post- Erica Verrillo's "Self-Publishing: The Perils of Instant Gratification"

This is a shared post, obviously. This week's been quite hectic, so this post isn't going to be anything special. But I feel the need, as an author trying to carve out my little niche, to keep my online presence active rather than letting it sink into apathy and the deepest voids of internet purgatory. So I'm going to share something from a post I found interesting, if a little unnerving for someone who suffers regularly for anxiety.

One of the appeals of self-publishing is that there is no waiting time. In traditional publishing, there is a lag, sometimes of a year or more, between the publisher's receipt of a manuscript and its publication.

Historically, authors have railed against this lag for two reasons: 1) They are impatient to see their books on the shelf, and 2) They are worried that in some cases, the book may never be published at all.

The second of these reasons for objecting to a delay in publication is legitimate. If the publication date is not specified in the contract (e.g. manuscript will be published within one year of acceptance), there is always the chance that due to various unforeseen events affecting the publishing house, your book may never make it into print.

The first reason, impatience, is not a good reason to object to a delay, but it is the main reason many writers opt to self-publish. Once they finish a novel, they want to see it in print as soon as possible.

Basically, the whole thing is full of sound advice for anyone who wants to self-publish. But it's also full of advice that is liable to send someone into a fit of uncertainty and the kind of anxiety that makes rubble of the strongest fingernails. Yes, I admit it, I have the habit of nibbling my fingernails if I feel under pressure or stressed.

OH YES, SHAMELESS PLUG TIME. If you want to read the first three chapters of my upcoming self-published novel "The Leviathan Chronicle", you can find them here (1), here (2) and here (3). Available now through Kindle and CreateSpace.

Kindle links - (UK, USA)
Paperback links- (UK, USA)