NaNo Day 8 — I’m making progress, but haven’t written a word
When a whole chapter is gone and the book needs a rewrite because the platform you were writing about has been shut down overnight
I thought writing this book would be a lot easier. But then I also thought writing a blog series on how to self-publish would be easy— you just write what you’ve learned, recommend some of the best platforms, explain how to prepare files and images, and you’re done.
Turns out, it’s not that easy. One of the reasons why this is getting more complicated than I anticipated is that things change in the world of self-publishing so fast that one hardly has the time to catch one’s breath.
Yesterday, for instance, I learned that Pronoun, the best self-publishing platform out there, was going to be shut down at the beginning of next year.
I devoted a whole chapter in my book to Pronoun. I love the platform, it has so many wonderful and incredibly useful features, and now it’s gone — and with that a whole chapter in my book. Or, at the very least, I have to rewrite it and perhaps add a new one on how fast things change in the industry.
I now fear that the book might become obsolete as soon as I publish it due to such unpredictable events and changes. In self-publishing, one never knows what comes next.
To make this even more clear, another email arrived later that day informing me that Draft2Digital now started to distribute to Amazon too. And they added some new features. So even though that’s been expected, I have to rewrite the chapter on this platform as well.
Again, it makes me think how often will I have to update and rewrite this book? Every week? Every month?
But then it also made me see that I have to adjust my approach, and perhaps focus more on those things that are not likely to change that fast — book formatting, image preparation, cover design options, these things are probably not going to change in a blink of an eye.
And also, this gives me the opportunity to warn the prospective self-published writers about how unpredictable self-publishing industry is and how fast it can change. Amazon is another example of this — its algorithm and rules change so fast, and often without warning, that rare are those who are able to keep up.
It’s day 8, and I have a lot of rewriting to do, so I’ll leave it at that.
Here is the damn book I’m working on: How to Self-Publish Your Book, available for preorder
Mateja started to write short stories at the age of ten and later became a freelance writer, radio personality, and explorer of the inner worlds. Her life resembles a roller coaster ride full of ups and downs and some pretty wild turns. Among other things, her car was destroyed by tanks, and she survived several brushes with death. She graduated in psychology from Arizona State University and is deep into the weird. Connect with Mateja on LinkedIn and Patreon.
