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The first Wednesday of the month is set aside for insecure writers across the blog-o-sphere to share all of our individual experiences, the gud, the baaaaaad and the plug ugly.
For me, I should say that my major insecurity is simply getting something published again. For those of you who are new here, I would like to say that I'm what you would call a "rare breed", in that I've been published in the three ways that currently exist: vanity, self-published and traditionally published. To refresh everyone's memory, the major difference between vanity and self-published is that while you spend gobs of money to publish your book, with vanity the money is being spent on things that you do not need (i.e. publishing packages that start at $500); and with self-publishing, you're spending money on what you do need (i.e graphic design, formatting, editing).
It's a rare thing nowadays to get a 2nd chance to make a first impression. While I was extremely happy to get a book published through a traditional publisher, missteps made by me along the way (i.e.bad title, poor cover choice, not marketing) doomed my book before it even had a chance to gain any traction.
This past June, I recently reacquired the rights to my 1st novel, and this time I was determined not to make the same mistakes the 2nd time around. I held a contest for a new title, as well as getting a kick ass cover that pays homage to the original cover. So the plus to today's post is a cover reveal for my upcoming erotic/fantasy novel, The Inner Sibling (to be published by Smashwords). And remember, it's not always you get a 2nd chance to make a 1st impression, but when you do, it's a great feeling to apply what you learned the first time around.
(c) 2014 by G.B. Miller. All Rights Reserved.
I know EXACTLY what you mean about 2nd impressions. I made a bad first impression with my novel, A Selfish Moment. At the time I had been in the self-pub world about a year or so and didn't do my research on cover designs. But then, after being in it for another year, I finally realized my cover was weak and need to be redone. People, unfortunately, do shop for books with their eyes. I revamped the cover a few months ago and I saw the ROI instantly.
ReplyDeleteMistakes are going to be made, there's no question about that. As long as we learn from them, then it's all going to work itself out.
Congratulations! That's a cool cover. Glad you got the rights back to your book.
ReplyDeleteAnd welcome to the IWSG!
The cover is attention grabbing. Glad you got a second chance. Congrats on being the first person on my co-host list to post for IWSG! IWSG Co-Host
ReplyDeleteThe fact that you've been published in 3 different ways means you have acquired 'insider' knowledge of the publishing industry, from 3 different perspectives. Add to that the fact that you can weigh up the pros and cons of each publishing journey...
ReplyDeleteYou are really in a unique position and can make a 'truly informed decision' about your future publishing ventures... a rare breed, indeed!
Happy IWSG Day!
Tanya: Thanks.
ReplyDeleteLike I said, it's wickedly hard to fix and reboot a good novel with after a bad 1st impression, but I'm glad I had the opportunity. I am very thankful for learning what works and what doesn't work in the past few years.
Alex: Gracias.
They offered to give them back to me in January, but I was able to work out a six month extension to see I could do something with it. But as they say, you live and learn.
Sheena: Thanks, and I'm very appreciative for that 2nd chance.
Michelle: That is for sure. I have friends who have pursued their dreams in all three directions, so I was able to learn the pros and cons of each.
Hope this theme n the new title cover works well for you- To ease all that insecurity into stuffy, Darn Good writer status!
ReplyDeleteSnaggle: Thanks. It should in the long run.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to IWSG! And thanks for stopping by yesterday! Oh, there are so many lessons to learn. I think the market is FINALLY opening up to forgive past mistakes--it used to be you never lived them down. Good luck with your second impression!
ReplyDeleteHart: Thanks for having me and thanks for stopping by.
ReplyDeleteI agree, trying to live down past mistakes was (and still is to a degree) very hard. But, I'm always ready to give it my best shot.
Great cover! Isn't life all about learning from previous mistakes? I mean my first gig ever was definitely not my best, but you learn more from your mistakes than when things go well.
ReplyDeleteJoe: Thanks.
ReplyDeleteYup, life is definitely about learning from past mistakes, and I'm glad that I got the opportunity to start fresh with my novel.
Also, I forgot to tell you in my email - this looks EXACTLY like how I pictured her (them) when I read it.
ReplyDeleteM: Thanks. This one makes a lot more sense than the last one, that's for sure. I have an even steamier one to use should I find the need to write a sequel.
ReplyDelete