Simon Goes Nuts For Catnip | IWSG

The Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG) is a place to share and encourage, where writers can express their doubts and concerns without appearing foolish or weak. It's a great place to mingle with like minded people each month during IWSG day.

Every month there's an optional question which may prompt folks to share advice, insights, a personal experience or story. Some folks answer the question in their IWSG blog post or let it inspire them if they're struggling with what to say.

This month's question is:

"What publishing pathway are you considering / did you take, and why?"

Check out how people have answered this month's question, as well as the other insecurities and writing topics they may have shared by visiting the IWSG sign-up list here. If you want to see how I answered the question, have a look below. 

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Image via The Graphics Fairy

"Simon, get off of my laptop." I set my coffee cup down next to my computer and stared at the unresponsive ball of fur. "Simon, come on, I need to work."

The large gray cat lifted his head and gave me a haughty look. "Leave me alone, lady. It's my nap time." He stretched out, completely covering the keyboard and erasing all of my work in the process.

"Aargh! You deleted my IWSG post!" I tried to shoo Simon off of the table, but he wasn't having it. Then I remembered the secret weapon I had stashed away. I opened a drawer, pulled out a small bag, and waved it in front of the feline's nose. "Do you want some catnip?"

Simon started meowing loudly and batting at the bag. I sprinkled some of the dried leaves on the settee and watched as Simon darted across the room in a frenzy. While he rolled around in the catnip, purring loudly and kneading the cushions, I tried to resurrect my blog post.

"Oh, this is hopeless, Simon," I said. "There's no way I can rewrite this before IWSG day."

Simon stared at me for a few moments with a glazed look in his eyes, then rolled on his back and promptly fell asleep.

"I guess I'll have to take a leaf out of your book and be lazy about my answer to this month's question. Rather than tell everyone what publishing path I took and why, I'll point them to my author blog where I've already addressed this before."

I looked over at Simon. His paws were twitching. I wondered what he was dreaming about. I kept talking out loud despite the fact that he was ignoring me.

"I'll tell everyone to check out this post, where I talk about why I chose to self-publish my cozy mystery rather than go down the traditional publishing route. Then there was the post where I discussed the pros and cons of being exclusive with Amazon or going wide and distributing to other ebook stores, like Kobo, Barnes & Noble Nook, Apple iBooks, and Google Play. I went wide, by the way."

I carried on while Simon continued to chase imaginary lizards in his sleep. "Then there was the post I did earlier this week, where I shared details of my book release in numbers which illustrates some of the publishing choices I made."

After I finished typing and scheduling my post, I sat next to Simon and rubbed his belly while he purred. "See isn't catnip fun? Let's make a deal. You don't sleep on my laptop anymore and I'll reward your good behavior with catnip."

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If you're interested in finding out more about what publishing path I took and why, check out these posts on my author blog:


Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing - the pros and cons of both approaches to publishing and why I opted to go down the indie route.  

Amazon Exclusive vs. Going Wide - the pros and cons of making your book exclusive to Amazon and why I chose not to.

Cozy Mystery Book Release in Numbers - recap of my recent release of Murder at the Marina in numbers, including percent sold on Amazon vs. other retailers, ebook vs. paperback sales, and sales by country.

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And, now for a favor. If you've read my cozy mystery, Murder at the Marina, could you take a moment to leave a review? It would mean the world to me and help other readers find my book. It doesn't have to be long - just a sentence or two would be great. You can leave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. If you picked up a copy on another retailer like Kobo, Barnes & Noble, or Apple iBooks, you can also leave reviews there. Thanks for your help!

Writers - what publishing paths are you considering or have taken? Readers - does it matter to you if a book is independently or traditionally published? Do you leave book reviews?

Thanks for stopping by our blog - we love it when people come visit! We're also on Facebook - pop by and say hi!

Murder at the Marina - a lighthearted & humorous cozy sailing mystery - available in ebook and paperback format at:

Amazon (US) | Amazon (CA) | Amazon (UK) | Amazon (AU) | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Apple iBooks | Google Play | Book Depository | Books-A-Million

Find out more at ellenjacobsonauthor.com