When I decided to write a book, I had no idea what it entailed. I am a creative person, and I love to write whenever possible, however, I never thought I could hold a copy of my published paperback book in my hand. I self-published my science-fantasy novel, "The Cryoscape," when I was a junior in high school, and it was such a rewarding experience.
I knew I wanted to expand my idea when I started writing the story as a comic in seventh grade. I loved the characters I created, the environment and everything about the story. While I progressed through high school, I added to the plot little by little until junior year when I realized I had a 335-page book. I knew it wasn't well-written. Some ideas and dialogue were written four years ago, but I could never bring myself to change the childish writing. I felt so accomplished. It was a part of me, and the book shows my progression as a writer. I knew editing would be tedious and time-consuming, so I accepted the fact that it wouldn't be published.
My goal was never to make money. I just wanted people to read my story and enjoy it. I still wanted to get the book published, so I could share it with my friends and family, but the publishing process and finding a company was daunting and complex. Then I discovered Lulu.com, which is a self-publishing website. The service is free, and the book can be sold online through sites such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The process was simple, and I finished in a matter of hours. I was so excited to finally have a copy of my book, but that wasn't all. I became the sole publisher and owner of the copyright on the book. In addition, the book was given an ISBN number and could be purchased online by anybody. The price was set rather high because of the number of pages, but I wasn't in it for the money. I am willing to admit that there are several typos and that the plot is unnecessarily convoluted, but I absolutely love every word of it.
I plan on using Lulu again when I publish my novella, "Gearbox." "Gearbox" is much shorter, but I'm taking a lot of time to edit and improve the storyline. The creative process is my favorite part and self-editing is quite the challenge. I've been working on this book all summer, but I still don't want to publish it until I am certain it's ready. Lulu doesn't provide an editing or formatting service so it's imperative that you're careful and thorough with this process. Since "Gearbox" has fewer pages than "The Cryoscape," the price will be lower, probably in the $12 to $16 range. I plan to market "Gearbox" to make money selling copies and generate publicity. I also plan to make an eBook, so that I can further lower the price and target a more diverse audience.
