Why yes, I did change the cover. I definitely will not be doing this often (like I change my blog design), but I've been contemplating and working on it for a few weeks now. It'll stay this way, I promise!
A little over a month ago, I hit publish on my book. It's still so strange to think that it's out there in the universe; that people are actually reading it. In fact, over 4,000 people have downloaded it as of today. Crazy. Holy crazy.
I knew that I might get some slack over it because I knew it needed some editing. But when your eyeballs start to bleed from reading it over and over again, and then you really start to cry wondering if you'll ever just get there, sometimes you do crazy things. Like hit publish.
I put a lot of thought into how I wanted to promote my book. I suppose I could have gone the traditional route and try to find a publisher, but that's not me. I read a lot of indie self-published fiction, and I know how big the market for books that are self-published is. There are people out there willing to read my book, even if I did publish it myself. Some of my favorite books were, at one point or another, self-published by the author. And if you're aware of the indie niche that is book publishing, you know how vocal some established authors are about the merits of doing it yourself. I figured, why not?
Another reason I may have done this prematurely or even...spontaneously (did I just admit to that?) is because, well, I'm not a writer. I like to think of myself as a writer in the same sense that I'm an artist or creator or designer. I write, therefore I am a writer, correct? I blog, which is a form of writing. I suppose I am an author, since I have a Goodreads author account now (weird), but I don't know that I would ever consider myself legitimate at writing.
Hitting publish on that book was more for me than anything else. I wrote that book for myself because I had a story in my head, and I hit publish on that book because it's always been a goal of mine. It's a bucket list thing, not really a I know what the hell I'm doing thing. Because I don't.
To everyone who has already purchased my book, I want to say thank you. It's still weird for me to think that there are people out there, you guys, who support me and my work from afar. I feel very alone sometimes in this world, but then I remember that just because I haven't met you doesn't mean you aren't there. So thanks for that.
In case you're wondering, I have updated the book with a newer, more polished version. If you downloaded Breathe Again when I first released it but haven't read it yet, be sure to get the newest version before you do. And, if you feel so inclined, I would appreciate it more than you know if you would leave me a review on Goodreads or Amazon. Though I never really expected anything to come of this adventure, I can at least see where it goes from here, right?