In the Summer of 2017, I was lucky enough to be a recipient of the Summers Scholars and Artists Award at Binghamton University. I put in a lot of work just to get this fellowship, so it wasn't all luck, but I do believe I had some good karma on my side to be one of the few people awarded this. I spent that summer immersed in my own head, writing and creating, and it led to the birth of my very collection of short stories. 

 

Normally when I write, I'm squeezing out some time here and there to get the words down. This fellowship was so beneficial because it gave me the time and funds necessary to really get inside these stories. I got a taste of what it's like to be a full time author, writing 40+ hours a week, and I fell in love with it. Writing on the beach was my favorite place. I'd get all these base notes and ideas down on paper, lulled by the sounds of crashing waves and the caw of seagulls, and then I'd go home and transfer everything to my laptop. I found that writing physically and then typing helps me understand the story better and get more details down.

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I tried to force a lot of ideas. It was a rookie mistake, but one I learned from. If something feels off or like it doesn't work, that's because it doesn't. Sometimes we need to learn when to let things go, but also when to keep pushing until we find that loophole that leads to a great story. Walking while listening to music is the best way to get my ideas flowing. When you cook, the flavors need time to blend together to create a delicious dish. It's the same with writing. Those walks I take in the sunshine with my brainstorming playlist going really get the ideas gestating.

 

Thankfully, I had a team of friends and family - and my university mentor - to help me with this collection. I did not write these stories alone. I had read-throughs and edits and insight given by those I trust, and it is because of them that these stories, and this collection, reached its full potential. It is so important to have several sets of eyes reading your work. Sometimes as writers we get so wrapped up in the story that we miss little things that a fresh set of eyes will catch.

 

Not all the stories I wrote made it into the collection, though. Some just didn't mesh with the rest of the stories, and I didn't want to force it to work. I spent a lot of time on those stories, but I accepted that it wasn't their time or place yet. I know one day they will make it out into the world.

 

It took a lot of time and effort not only to write, edit and finalize these stories (although who am I kidding, my writing is never 'finalized' - any reread I do I always find something I want to change). Once the stories were done, I still had to place everything in a cohesive order in the collection. I thought this was going to be harder than it was, but I think as I was writing, I knew where everything was going to be placed. It is so important with any collection that one story flows smoothly into the next.

 

Finally, I had the formatting done, and everything in my Word doc looked all nice and pretty. And then I realized, I still needed a cover, and a title! I designed so many covers (all through Amazon templates), and went through at least a dozen titles for the collection. This process was actually more frustrating than writing the stories themselves. Thankfully, my mom is really creative and she helped me get the perfect title. As for the cover, I took that photo at Long Beach Island, and I designed everything myself. I used the Amazon templates as a base, then extracted my cover from there and edited more directly on Word. I am not well versed in computer design or coding so this was an interesting aspect of self-publishing.

 

I spent a lot of my own money sending advanced copies of my book to myself. I had to make sure that everything was formatted correctly, and I also find that it's easier to edit stories on paper than on the computer. It was a long process, too. I would get a copy, find things to fix, change them online, and then order a new copy to make sure my changes were correct. This went on and on a few times, but the extra time and money was worth it. I made sure my book was the best it could be before publishing, and now I have all these old copies with edits and rewrites. It's cool when the nostalgia hits to look over those very first copies.

 

I have to note, it was much easier to publish the ebook than the paperback. The ebook was actually published several months before the paperback, since the physical copy needed so much extra work. A few press of the buttons, and the ebook was basically good to go. It hit Amazon on August 18th 2017. The paperback didn't go live until February 18th 2018. I do wish I had published both at the same time, but I was too eager to get my work out into the world.

 

Amazon is such a great platform to self-publish work. It was manageable to use their templates, and I love that they take care of printing and binding the physical copies. The percentage of sales that Amazon takes isn't even that bad. When I first published my ebook, I did a promotion that Amazon allowed: the first 5 days the ebook was live, it was free. This helped me get a lot of traction with downloads and reach a greater audience. It was easy to manage Amazon's self-publishing feature, and I definitely recommend it for anyone thinking of self-publishing.

 

*I decided to self-publish instead of going to traditional publisher route. I didn't want to deal with rejects and the time it would take to try to get published through a company. My goal for the summer was to get my work out into the world, and that's what I did. It is okay to feel pride for self-publishing. It is so much work and energy, and so rewarding.

 

It was a labor of love creating this collection of short stories. I doubted myself a lot when writing it. Who was I, to think I could publish the stories that normally just live in my head? Who would even want to read this? But I persevered. I leaned on my friends and family for support, because this is not something that can be done alone. I pushed back those doubts and fears, reminded myself of all the time and work I put into this, and then I proudly clicked that 'publish' button on Amazon. There will always be people who don't like your work. But there could be those whose lives are changed because of your words. Putting together a novel is challenging and tough and makes you question your life choices, but please, don't give up. Leave your mark on the world and get your stories out there. It's all worth it when you hold that first copy in your hands.

 

If anyone has any questions about self-publishing or writing, please don't hesitate to ask! I will answer everything I can to the best of my abilities. And if there's anyone with experience being traditionally published, I would love to hear from you! The writing community is one I am finally starting to get involved in, and I can't wait to learn even more.  

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