Judy Lannon: My Self-Publishing Journey

2024 has started as a year of highs and lows, and the year is still young. I will focus on the highs. 

In February I published my second novel, The Making of Genevieve. This is definitely one of the highs. It’s almost two years ago to the day when I published my debut novel, Nine Days. Nine Days is like a first child. A shining example of what perseverance and not being sure of what I was doing can become. It has won first place awards, honorable mentions, a significant number of 5-star reviews and has opened the door to new friends. Most of these friends are authors, others are librarians, independent bookstore owners, book club readers. This list goes on. Think about all the people you met when your first child started school. It’s like that.

And now it’s The Making of Genevieve’s turn and things are different.

This book already has a nickname, G, because the title is too long to say. Nine Days will never have a nickname. G is developing second child syndrome.

Nine Days had a hybrid publisher who did all the technical sides of publishing. They took my manuscript and brought it to the world. They set up my website, got my ISBN numbers, formatted the interior and worked with my cover designer. They wrote the blurb for the back of the book, uploaded it to all the right platforms and so much more. They did some promotions; I did the bulk of it. I knew that going in, marketing and promoting your book falls to the author, unless you’re famous. But then again, look at Prince Harry. He’s famous, and he was doing the whole talk show circuit.

Now it’s G’s turn. G isn’t getting the same publisher as Nine Day. I am self-publishing this book, which means I am taking on all the responsibilities that my former publisher used to handle. It’s not easy, there are plenty of challenges to face head on. You might wonder why I am taking this route. Simple. It’s a financial decision. Think nanny vs. teenage babysitter. Nine Days had the nanny. G is getting the babysitter. This isn’t to disparage teenage babysitters or publishers. My publisher was there to take on the role of nanny, which is what I needed at the time. 

With the second one, I figured I can do this. Why not? I’ve done the hard part; I wrote the book. I used my same cover designer as I did with Nine Days. I found women willing to read the draft to let me know if I was insane or creating something worthwhile. Fortunately, they encouraged me to keep going! My new web designer is a brilliant and creative relative of mine. There are wonderful online self-publishing communities I discovered. Their incredible patience never fails to amaze me. They offer honest criticism, support, and guidance. No question is stupid, no matter how many times I reach out. This community is a wealth of knowledge. I’ve met successful authors who took the self-publishing route and they love it. Just like the others, they are filled with encouragement and support. 

As I sit here writing this, I wonder if I’m crazy to self-publish. I’m a right side of the brain kind of person. I’m not sure I even have a left side. I’m creative, not analytical. I’m expressive, not the least bit technically inclined. Right now, in this process of self-publishing, I think I need to be both. So realizing that about myself, I hired an interior book formatter and someone to walk me through uploading the book to KDP and Ingram Spark. The creative side of me was chewing my nails during this part of the process. He offered advice on author copies, distribution, target keywords with Amazon to boost the book’s rankings and how to time my book launch. A marketing and analytics friend has offered to help me with Facebook and Amazon ads, if I decide to do those. This help has given me time to book author events, book clubs and hit the road visiting independent bookstores and libraries. And hopefully a chance for my nails to grow back.

I hope this process of self-publishing puts G on the track to fame and fortune. Isn’t that what we all want for our books? It’s been said that it takes a village to raise our children, I say it also takes a village to write and self-publish an award-winning book.

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Judy Lannon writes fiction. Her debut novel, Nine Days, was published in March 2022 and has been recognized as a multi award-winning novel. In less than 2 years she has won a 1st place with both the NYC Big Book Awards, and the Firebird Books Awards, 2 Silver Awards with the American Writers Association and was chosen as a runner-up with the PenCraft Awards in Women’s Fiction. Her second novel, The Making of Genevieve, was published in February 2024. She has been recognized as a genius at understanding human behavior and putting it on a page. She has written and published 2 essays for Women’s Writers, Women’s Books Magazine.

Judy lives close to the ocean on Cape Cod, which inspires her creativity. The ocean is a reoccurring theme in her novels.

THE MAKING OF GENEVIEVE

Genevieve Austin has carried a secret, tucked away in her heart, for over seventy years.

Did this secret play a role in shaping Genevieve’s identity, or was she always meant to be the woman she became?
In the Making of Genevieve, we follow her journey from her teenage years, where she lived on the picturesque shores of Newport, Rhode Island, all the way through her golden years. We witness her relentless drive to stand out from the ordinary as she raises four children and perseveres through every roadblock she encounters. Some might consider both Nicky and Michael her biggest roadblocks, each posing significant challenges to her road to success.

BUY HERE

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: On Writing