Indie author Brenda Perlin on Publishing.

Right now I am in “publishing hell.”

It’s nothing new, it just goes with publishing a book. Even if you are organized, there are always headaches, obstacles and many F words flying around right before you press the PUBLISH button.

I don’t mean to sound negative but I have yet to have smooth sailing on any of my launches and this latest book, L.A. Punk Rocker will be my sixth, not counting the anthologies I have been involved with. Lucky for me, those headaches never reached my desk and they were published without incident.

The advantage to being an Indie author is that you have full control. The downside is you that have full control. With that, mistakes can be made. The luxury is you get to decide on the way you want your book to look, the price, and the marketing plan. There is freedom in that but, at the same time, plenty of room for errors.

People often come to me with a book idea thinking publishing is a breeze when in reality, it is a ton of W O R K. And then some. There are many factors to take into account and you can never be too prepared.

Here are some suggestions. Through trial and many errors I have learned a few things.

Book publishing takes a village:

The Indie community is rapidly growing. It’s always helpful to have support and that is why it is important to build your team of supporters early on. I look at it as a give and take. It might not always be rewarding but in my experience if you are willing to go out of your way for another writer they will most likely do the same for you. It’s best to build this village as soon as you get involved in the industry. Even before you have finished your books. These people will stand behind you when it is time for your book to be published and stick with you long after.

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Stay tuned for the article in its entirety later today on The Official Prose. Blog at: blog.theprose.com/blog.