Guest Author Post: Christy Hayes on Self Publishing

Hi. My name is Christy Hayes. I’m a self-published author.

This is how many believe self-published authors begin a conversation when discussing their books. I’m not ashamed to be a self-published author. I feel the opposite of ashamed; I feel bold, defiant, immodest, not sorry, shameless, unregretful, unremorseful, self-conscious. I feel free!

In the spring of 2011, I’d just completed my fifth manuscript and was about to jump on the hamster wheel, otherwise known as querying agents. I wrote romantic women’s fiction and I needed an agent to get my work in front of publishers. Here’s how I would work: I’d write a manuscript, query agents while writing another manuscript, query agents while writing another manuscript…you get the picture. I’d get rejected, I’d get requests for partials, I’d get requests for fulls, and sometimes I’d hear nothing. This cycle continued for years.

Just as I was stepping onto the hamster wheel with my 5^th manuscript, I read a blog from Kristine Kathryn Rusch (http://www.kriswrites.com). If you’re a writer and you’re not following Kris Rusch, you should be. In this particular blog, she basically told us fledgling writers that we are the ones who define our success. It was like a light bulb moment for me. Who was I writing for? I wrote stories because I enjoyed the process and I hoped one day to have readers enjoy them, too. Because times had changed, I no longer needed an agent or even a publisher. If all I wanted was to reach readers, I could do that on my own.

It was an exciting time for me. I told my fellow writers who stared back glassy-eyed as if I’d told them I was throwing myself in front of a moving train. They wished me the best, thought I was crazy, and asked lots of questions. I dove into research on how to self-publish, reading everything I could get my hands on. I had each book professionally edited (in some cases twice) and began uploading my books to Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords.

Then came the hard part. I’m an introvert and I hate to talk about myself or anything I’m working on, this making me the world’s worst marketer. I had to swallow my pride and announce to the world that I’d written books and they were for sale. I queried book reviewers as fanatically as I used to query agents and kept on writing. I tapped into an entire network of self-published writers and joined a thriving community of helpful and inspiring ‘indie’ writers trying to get their work to readers just like me.

I’ve just released my eighth novel and consider myself a solidly mid-list self-published author. Times have changed, the industry has changed, and no one knows what the future holds. I don’t regret my decision to self-publish for a second and know that if I could do it all over again, I’d probably have jumped in sooner. If you’ve ever considered self-publishing, do some research, ask lots of questions, have your work professionally edited, and publish your book for the world to read. You’ve literally got nothing to lose!

 Latest release available for $3.99

Synopsis: Jill Jennings’ dream of becoming an elite runner turns into a nightmare when she breaks her leg less than a year before the Olympic trials. After two surgeries and a lengthy rehabilitation, she’s ready to pursue her goal again. Or is she…

Jill’s healing and ready to hit the pavement, but her passion for the sport she’d planned to make her career unexpectedly wanes. On a whim, she changes course and runs right into tall, blonde, and gorgeous Tyler Bloodworth. Fly fisherman come and go in south central Colorado, but Ty’s back for a second summer, minus his girlfriend and hotter than ever.

Tyler Bloodworth's life plan to start a fly-fishing business with his dad back home in North Carolina is suddenly snagged when Jill Jennings runs circles around his heart during a summer stint as a fishing guide in Colorado. Back for a second summer, he sets his bait and casts his line, but Jill's not so easy to catch.

A catch and release fisherman hooks the one girl he won’t let go. A distance runner with big dreams and an uncertain future falls hard for a summer fling. Can Jill risk losing her career and her heart to Tyler when he’ll be gone in a few months, or will Ty reel in the biggest catch of his life?

Bio: Christy Hayes lives outside Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband, two children, and two dogs. She has a journalism degree from the University of Georgia (Go Dawgs!). She’s a member of the Romance Writers of America. Christy has been writing seriously since 2004 and made the decision to indie publish in 2011. When not working on her next novel, Christy can be found running through her neighborhood or at one of her kids sporting events.

Links:

Website: http://www.christyhayes.com

Blog: www.womenunplugged.wordpress.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SeaHayes