As I began my own adventure as a first-time author/Illustrator, I was Excited to finish my first book, "The Magical Ways of Dragons," which was my icebreaker. Naive and inexperienced, I chose to self-publish my prize through an independent publisher. I explored several websites and found one with a straightforward layout. They offered a free phone interview, which I attended and spoke with the sales representative. She put together a custom publishing package and included all discounts. At that point, I decided to put my raw manuscript and myself in what I believed were capable hands.
The editing, formatting, and book cover went well at that time. I learned about ISBNS and the copyright certification process. Close to the publication date, they would list my book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and more, with a POD setup through Ingram. The final part included a small website, a listing in their bookstore, my royalty sales chart, and a release of suggested how-to marketing eBooks.
Basically, the rest was up to me and my depleted pocketbook to come up with some internet and organic marketing plan. At first, I got some book sales through my personal efforts, but they soon dropped off a cliff into the abyss.
Shortly after my big publishing day, while I was trying creative ideas without spending much money, my independent self-publisher sent me an announcement congratulating me: my book was chosen for their worldwide retail distribution. They had a huge following, and my book qualified, so it would gain much-needed exposure. Thinking, wow! There's my break, I agreed to take part.
Soon, my book started showing up all over the internet. Major retailers under this company listed my book on their websites. I was excited. What I didn't know was that I had no way to track any of those sales. I have since realized I have not been paid a dime of any untrackable sales, ever, and it has not shown up in my royalty chart.
Since 2019, I learned from an insider who worked with that company that my book was generating sales for the listed retailer and them. Let it be known that I am grateful for the journey that my book has traveled, probably throughout the world, and landed with many readers curious enough to want to own some of my work, but for very good reasons, I have decided to retire my original first book and take it out of print with this company and do a healthy revision of my original book. The new revision will be published under my name and sold through my website. Lesson learned.
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