A Time for Change
Resolutions. Endings and beginnings. Doors opening while others close. These are the things that make up winters: this feeling of new things blossoming up from the frost, and new dreams rising out of the cold. I’ve been thinking a lot about this as the year’s end draws closer and closer.
Back in September, I spoke a bit about wanting change. In fact, I anticipated it, and urged you to do the same. I’ve taken the last few months to step back and to think quite seriously about what I want to do next. The truth is, I’ve been feeling uneasy for a while now. The past year has been long, yes, but it has also. been full of lessons. I don’t know if I understand them all yet, but I do think I’m ready to listen to the bits and pieces I’ve been able to fit together.
This is all to say that I am changing my self-publishing methods in 2019.
As of January, I will be pulling my books from Amazon and stepping away from print-on-demand production. I will instead be printing books in small batches and selling directly from my online shop. I have thought long and hard about this, and had even considered these options prior to the CreateSpace and Kindle Direct Publishing merger that ultimately pushed me to take this leap of faith. These changes will put me back in the driver’s seat. It will put me in control of my own prices, of my own content, and of my own earnings.
What does this mean for my current books? A lot, actually.
Ready Aim Fire, Basket Case, and Exit Ghost will be leaving Amazon, but I assure you that they will not be gone for good. Instead, I have been working on extended editions of each of these titles. So, yes, they’ll be gone for a time. But then they’ll come back! And they’ll be even better!
(Also, the ebook version of Ready Aim Fire will remain available through Kindle while I figure out ebook options moving forward. So I’m not stepping too far away from Amazon just yet.)
And what does this mean for all of you? Will this change pricing? Shipping?
The short answer is: Yes. Because this new method of publishing will be more costly on my end, it may result in a slight increase in cost on yours. I am doing my best not to hike up prices, and I can promise there will be no astronomical changes. But there will be changes. I can’t avoid that. Which is a good segue into the thing I always feel awkward promoting…
PATREON! Here’s the sales pitch: Teirs are currently set at $1, $2, and $3 levels with rewards including early access to blog posts and book reviews, monthly discounts to my shop, and exclusive poems and stories that are only shared on Patreon. Funds from Patreon will help me cover production costs, which will help me produce more content at a quicker pace, and will also help keep book prices lower for everyone. Okay? Okay.
And, finally, I want to touch a little something that’s been dragged out for far too long.
What does this all mean for Fictitious?
I have not forgotten about this book. I could never forget about this book. It has not been scrapped. This book is my heart and soul and I’m so frustrated that it is not yet in your hands. One of the reasons I postponed the book even further was the changes Amazon chose to spring in its independent authors. Now that I’m taking steps away from Amazon, I’m excited to finally - finally, finally, finally, finally - release Fictitious.
I don’t feel comfortable announcing a release date just yet. I have a date in mind, but as I’m navigating this new process, I anticipate some bumpy roads and don’t want to make another promise I cannot keep regarding this book. But I do feel comfortable announcing that Fictitious will be part of a poetry duology called POP POETRY. And if that’s not exciting enough for you, the two full-length POP POETRY collections will be accompanied by two limited edition chapbooks!
The series will be laid out as such:
Fictitious (POP POETRY NO. 1)
Director’s Cut (LIMITED CHAPBOOK)
Rhapsody (POP POETRY NO. 2)
B-Side (LIMITED CHAPBOOK)
I’ll be laying out more information regarding how this will all work shortly, along with announcing official release dates. For now, just know that these books are all slated for 2019/2020 releases, that this series is essentially my heart on a platter, and that I am so overwhelmingly excited to share them with you.
I have learned so much over the past year alone, and even more in the three years I have been in this self-publishing game. I am anxious about these changes, of course. But I’m also excited, and I think that excitement is occupying the majority of my nerve-endings.
Thank you all for being on this journey with me. Thank you all for your support, for your kindness, for your patience. You are the reason I am able to do all of this, and you are the reason I will always press forward.
“Be brave and take risks. You don't have to have it all figured out to move forward.”
- Roy T. Bennett -