When poet and playwright Dwight Okita decided to try his creative hand at novel writing after traditionally publishing a collection of poetry and several of his plays, he realized the writing style wouldn’t be the only thing that would be different about this work.
“Self-publishing used to be a last resort for writers, but more and more authors are finding it to be a respectable tool for creative empowerment,” Okita remarked.
One of the most enticing aspects of publishing one’s own manuscript is taking into consideration all of the details that are normally handled by the publisher, such as timing the release date of the novel to not coincide or compete with a novel of a similar slant and establishing a price base, providing advanced reader copies of the text to other authors in order to solicit back jacket reviews, and bringing the manuscript to the e-reader markets.
After measurable success with his poetry and with the typical avenues of traditional publishing, Okita was still where he started. Despite his novel, The Prospect of My Arrival, being selected for the Top Three finalists’ round in a previous Amazon.com Breakthrough Novel Awards, which resulted in securing a literary agent, his manuscript wasn’t placed anywhere for publication. Okita decided that he didn’t need to rewrite the manuscript to fit the market of publishing, but rather to introduce it to readers who had already enjoyed his works.
Okita turned to CreateSpace, Amazon.com’s self-publishing imprint. The success of Okita’s novel in the ABNA competition garnered him a publishing package through the site, and he found a wealth of knowledgeable professionals to guide his novel to print. The team of publishing specialists at work on his manuscript includes editors to help Okita ensure the flow of his novel and a design team to help him select visual aspects to his text, all of which combine to bring his novel to published completion.
“My guilty pleasure is finishing a novel and almost completing the publication process, which leaves me to revel in the closure of writing the acknowledgments page.” Read more with the author at dwightland.homestead.com.
Mercy Pilkington is a Senior Editor for Good e-Reader. She is also the CEO and founder of a hybrid publishing and consulting company.
