My New Year's Resolution: Self-Publishing

Countless times in the past I've made grand plans for New Year’s resolutions, which in reality haven't lasted past the halfway point in January. However, this time I'm really determined to achieve my goal – to self-publish a novel.

Why self-publish? Through my brief work experience in a couple of literary agencies in London, I've seen how frustratingly difficult it is to get a novel published through the traditional means, especially in a genre like science fiction or fantasy. However, self-publishing seemed to be a cop-out in comparison – lots of work and risk, with little chance of reward. Recently though, I've been researching self-publishing through ebooks and have been astonished by the success that a skilled and motivated writer can achieve. In particular, the science fiction author Michael R. Hicks has been a real inspiration – through hard work, perseverance and brilliant stories, he's living the dream!

Here’s my plan in brief:

• Start work on a new novel idea – plan in detail and begin writing (‘This Dark World’ is shelved for the moment)
• Redraft my science fiction short story collection – written for degree, 10,000 words
• Publish collection as a trial run – test the waters, generate interest, maybe earn some pennies!
• Eventually publish novel!

I’ll try to keep you all updated on my progress with regular posts. I’ll have to balance this new project alongside Tweet RPG, but I’m sure they’ll feed and support each other. If you have any advice, insights or opinions on self-publishing, feel free to comment below or send me a tweet!