Small Press or Self-Publishing?

As I go through the submission process for my novel Second Sight, I find myself facing a possible quandary: small independent publication or self-publishing?

The obvious plus for going with an independent press is that I can say my novel has been traditionally published. However, the publishers that have been interested in distributing my book of course have their own suggested changes to the work. Although some of the edits are helpful, none of the suggestions have been clear across the board. It's such a subjective business, I'm uncertain whether the content edits would improve the story. Not sure if I want to give up creative control in order to say that I've been traditionally published.

There's also the issue of royalties. Obviously, self-publishing your book earns you a bigger cut than going with a small press. However, when compared to major book publishers, your royalty cut will be most likely higher when publishing with a small press.

Another point to consider is marketing. Whether or not you publish your book on your own, you need a marketing plan. Most literary agents and publishing houses will request one as part of the submission process. Although a publisher may do some of the marketing, you're still responsible for promoting your book.

Not ready to make up my mind definitely either way yet. I've send out partials and fulls to several literary agents. I'm planning to wait to hear back before deciding what route to go.

Children's App Reviews

If your kids are anything like mine, I rarely have my phone in my actual possession. My five-year old is particularly obsessed with Angry Birds and counting down the days until the new Angry Birds Space comes out. A great site that I contribute to is an app review site that focuses on educational and children's mobile applications. The site is called SMATOOS and the two apps I've covered include:

Baby Flash Cards by eFlashApps Review

This app is great for parents who wish to expand the vocabulary of  babies and toddlers. It includes real photographs of objects and crystal clear pronunciations.

Earth Now by Jet Propulsion Laboratory Review

This app is more for kids in middle school and high school. It provides statistics on different levels in the earth's atmosphere and how the amounts of the substances are affecting  the climate. Data is taken from space satellites and displayed on a 3D model of the globe.

 

Helpful Websites for Finding Literary Agents and Book Publishers

Attempting to get your book published is an overwhelming process. When I first started looking into publishing Second Sight, I had no idea what these book publishing terms meant: POD, chapbooks and vanity publishers. Another problem was I had no freaking clue on who I should send my book to. These three websites I've found to be extremely helpful to anyone looking for a book agent or publisher:

Take Your Health Seriously: Top Health Risks for Teens and Young Adults

Take Your Health Seriously: Top Health Risks for Teens and Young Adults.

This is an article I did for a wonderful new urban health and wellness website called Feel Rich. The site was created by Quincy Jones and their mission is to get urban youth to choose healthier lifestyles.

My New Blog

Hi all! So, I'm finally deciding to catch up to 2005 and start my own blog. Figured it could be a good way to share my thoughts while also providing updates on my freelance writings and book updates. For those of you who don't know me, I work full-time as a freelance writer. I take on all sorts of projects, but specialize in health and wellness topics. I've been featured in USA Today, Livestrong.com, Step in Style magazine, Feel Rich and Outlook by the Bay.

Although I love article writing, I do it mostly to pay the bills. My real passion is writing fiction novels. I just finished my debut young adult novel Second Sight. I'll be updating on the status of the book. Right now I'm in querying process (not fun, but unfortunately a must for traditional publishing).

Besides readers, I'd love to hear from other authors and aspiring writers! Please send me your blog links to follow and I would love it if you could follow me back. I'm also a big fan of Twitter and will follow on there as well: https://twitter.com/#!/woodtop255