My Small Publishing Journey

The Journey of Publishing

So, I guess a lot of people want to know about the publishing journey of authors. How did they end up getting where they are, and what made them decide to go the route they did? It is always a different story depending on who you ask, but it is never a straight route from A to Z.

My Personal Journey

I started writing at eleven. And when I did, I wrote about a kidnapping. That story would eventually become Escaping Fate, Embracing Destiny, but that's not the point. The point was that I wanted to tell stories more than anything else. And when I learned about CreateSpace in my twenties, I thought it presented an amazing opportunity to see my words in print.

I think it was 2016 when I published a poetry book on CreateSpace. It had a homemade cover, and it was pride inducing for me. To see my words actually in a book I could hold? That was the best thing ever. Then, I started working on different projects, and I actually hoped I would be able to publish books. And I did, around 2017 I published Stolen Innocence for the first time, and while it still needed some editing, I thought it did pretty well.

The Small Publisher Route

Along the way, I came across the idea of the small publisher. The small publisher is a place between indie author and big trad publishing. There's a difference, of course, between small publishers and vanity/hybrid, in that a true publisher does not charge money. I had been duped before. So I was wary. I got involved with the PublishAmerica scammy stuff back before I self-published, and I didn't want to have that happen again. I found myself pleasantly surprised by many small publishers, and I started with one that is no longer around today.

I came across one, though, that caught my eye. Phoenix Voices Publishing. Just the name made me want to sign with them, even before I knew anything about them. I mean, what could be more perfect? I use the phoenix in my imagery for my author brand. I found them to my liking, with a reasonable contract, and I signed up when they accepted me.

I republished all my works through them, and started working hard on new things that I wanted to see published. They worked with me, allowing me the creative freedom to say what I wanted to publish and when, as well as letting me have vast amounts of input into the cover design and formatting of my books.

There's also a community with them. All of us are on Slack in an author group, and we talk to each other and cheer each other on. The company encourages us to cross promote, and to work with each other so that we can all succeed.

Sure the royalties are smaller than Self-publishing, but look at what I got in exchange. I got a home, a family, and a place that accepts me as I am. I got a place that accepts my writing and doesn't try to change my voice, and believe me, that's worth more than gold.