Smashwords-that was easy...

That picture above is the cover of my first self-published work: Whichever Way the Wind Blows.

For the past month I have been toying around with the idea of self-publishing one of my short stories.  I know some people are purists and think the self-pubbing route is for the arrogant.  The way of the shitty writer who can't pass editorial snuff.  And maybe they are right.

On some level every writer who sends out their work is saying that they are a good enough writer (or maybe even better) than those they have read before, that right now this is the best they have.  They feel their work is so great they have to share it with the world rather than let it waste in a file on a computer somewhere or in a folder by a desk.

So maybe they are right.

But I think maybe I am right too.  I think the story I self-pubbed is pretty damn good.  It is everything I wanted.  It is a snippet, it is fantasy, it is even a little betrayal.

I made a world that existed solely in my head and put it on paper.  I think I would be doing myself a disservice if I let it stay hidden away.

Do I think this is my masterpiece?  I certainly hope not.  There is so much more I wish to write.  And let us face it: I am a new writer.  There is a ton more for me to learn, and I'm sure years from now I will look back at this story and shudder, but I will not regret publishing it.  I finished that story.  That isn't to say I wrote "The End"and uploaded it right away.  I had it critiqued twice by my writer's group, did a final once over of the text.  I then formatted the file according the the Style guidelines in Smashwords.  I commissioned a simple cover for the book.  And then I submitted it.

This was not something that was thoughtlessly done.  It was a labor of love (note the emphasis!).  And I'm sure I will get a ton of flack still because if it was really a good story, one of the online articles I had submitted it too would have taken it.  But I love it and perhaps it is the love of a parent who will never truly notice the flaws in their children, but I have re-read it and I still like it and am transported to that world I envisioned.

So if you haven't already, I would encourage you to go and download my story.  Read it.  It is free.  I hope you enjoy the fruits of my labor.