I’m Selling Out
For those following along, I missed April and May’s ‘monthly’ blog post, so this will be the last time I claim to do these posts on any sort of a schedule. From now on, ya geddim when ya geddim. Capeesh?
So . . . Book update. Ends & Starts is right around the corner. The cover is completed, the interior formatting is finally done (don’t get me started) and I’ve set a price for my hard work that earns me just over $4 per book sold. But I’m so fucking excited for this one guys. Every person that has read E&S for me pre-publication has said that the quality of my writing in the sequel is a huge jump up from Firsts & Lasts. And I’m like, “uh, duh? I was seventeen when I wrote the majority of the first one . . .” My mum is constantly telling people that she promotes my first one because her daughter wrote a book, but she’s promoting the second one because her daughter wrote a really good book. If that makes sense? 😂
Compared to Firsts & Lasts, the process was a lot more frustrating with the whole ✨self-published✨ thang. I hired Tellwell, my ‘Self Publishing Assistants’, the same as last time, but they really did me dirty in the formatting process this time round. Granted, I could not fault the editing stage again and — even though I needed to send it back a few times to get it perfect — the cover design ran rather smoothly, too. However, the interior layout was so scrambled and incorrect when it first got sent to me that I ended up asking them to make it better before I started my revisions . . . To which they pretty much said “nope” and I ended up needing to do three times the amount of work to get it looking good. Some Karen’s may even side with me to go as far as to say that I did their job for them, despite being part of the $3,299 package I’d purchased.
Hence my new decision to try and join the stream of traditionally published authors from here on out. I have no idea where to even begin, who to contact, or anything about the process of finding a publisher who will want my stories, but I’m lucky enough to have some loose connections that I’m hoping can steer me in the right direction. And if it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out.
I’ve thought about it a lot and I am truly happy being the sole and total owner of the Woodston Bay books, but releasing the rest of my new settings and characters into the hands of people who actually know what tf they’re doing in this industry might not be a bad idea. In the beginning I said I wanted to keep 100% of the roylaties, but I would rather get 40% or so of $2,000 than 100% of $200 😂 It’s also too much of a financial gamble to front the initial costs for self-publishing, so that was the final factor in making my choice going forward. That’s where I’m at, but no one hold me to it pls — I change my mind like I change my undies.
In unrelated-book-news, I’m still too poor for more tattoos just yet, but I’m not too poor to refrain from going to see as many of our favourite bands this year. Since my last post, I’ve seen Slowly Slowly at the Tivoli (without J 💔) and bought tickets to see Selfish Sons at The Zoo in a few weeks. As well as mother fucking Splendour in the Grass next month! I’ve never been but we’re taking the kids for the whole three day festival, because they’re free, so why not? Gig babies in the making.
As always, thank you for reading this far 🫶🏼 All my love and thank you for the support!
P.S Just realised that our darling Oliver needed is own header image in my collection of blog posts. How dare I, right? The talented and gorgeous @risspea went to all the trouble of creating my babies in her perfect art style, so I need to post them wherever I can.
Kit Hindmarsh x
