The Writing Bug

Yes, I’ve been bitten. The writing bug has sunk his teeth/stinger deep into my soul. This poison, if we can call it that, is pervasive and powerful. I fear the only antidote is to actually write a book. So I have decided to begin taking the necessary steps to produce something that people can actually purchase and enjoy. [Keep reading. I need your feedback.]

I’ve looked into finding a publisher to print and market my work, but that involves first selling an idea to a literary agent, and then ultimately to a publishing company. This is hard enough to do for an average author, but for someone who has never been published it is even harder. Not that I am afraid of hard work, but I only have limited time to devote to this endeavor and I’d rather spend it writing than selling. Ultimately I have chosen a different road.

I am going to try to self-publish my work at first. Perhaps if it sells well enough I will have a better case to make when trying to sell my work to a bigger publishing company. I have been learning more about the self-publishing industry, and in particular about “print-on-demand” services. I won’t bore you, but that will be the best for us right now. It requires the least amount of investment at the start.  A good beginning. Perhaps I was spurred on by my sister, who has successfully authored a book and published it herself. I don’t know. But I feel it is a worthwhile way to earn money for my family doing something I enjoy, and perhaps have an impact on others.

Being a lover of stories, be they true or fiction, I have decided to pursue one of several ideas I have had over the years. This is where y’all can assist me. I need to do some “market research” of a sort. My family and friends will certainly be my first customers, so I want to know what stories would appeal to you. What would you like to read? More importantly, what would you pay to read? ;o)

The following is a list of the story ideas that I am considering. If you would like to contribute to this process, I would value your opinion. Please give me your vote! Pick which story you would like to read the most. Leave a comment (on this blog, not on Facebook please) which indicates your top two choices. I will tally the votes after a couple of weeks and let you know which story wins. This will factor heavily in my decision on which story to write first.

You can also vote on the poll which I will try to embed in this post. (I am a novice at polling.)

Click on the link to read about that particular story. In no particular order, the nominees are:

Earthstring the Great

The Dipsoukhos Chronicles

Past All Ends

Spirit Blade

The Lost Son of David

Galaxy Heroes

Finally, perhaps a series of children’s books with homeschoolers as the main characters. Targeted to the 2-6 year old age group. The children would learn important lessons about God and relationships, but set in a homeschooling environment instead of the typical children’s story. Seems to be an untapped market there. I would have to have an illustrator for that project.

I appreciate the time invested in doing this, so thanks. And just a reminder, I retain all copyrights to my intellectual property. You can never be too careful these days.  :o)