Have I said that publishing a book is stressful? Stressful regarding the expense of hiring help? Oh yes. The free part of the book is writing and crafting the best manuscript possible. You do the work on your own unpaid time. Then you call in the professionals for help. My unpaid self spent many hours with different editing with the help of editing software programs and edited my story myself. So I do need some help? Yes. To a certain extent.

You can hire professionals to edit and craft the book for x amount of money. Traditional publishers shouldn’t charge you, but give you an advance only if you sign a contract. If you’re into self-publishing or a hybrid publisher (traditional and a self-publisher) then it costs money for someone to edit and design your book. You can do all the research possible, but you still have to pay something when creating a book.

Designing an eye catching book costs money because graphic or book designers charge an arm and a leg for their services. When you choose to self-publish with Press Books or Kindle Amazon Publishing, you still have some costs. Nothing is free. I’m now scrambling and wracking my brain with complete anxiety. What I do now?

How can I complete something without breaking the bank? I don’t want to spend all my money that’s barely attached to my name and end up in bankruptcy. And the book becomes a piece of crap. During one search a self-published author bragged about how she wrote so many books through self-publishing and made it look easy. It’s not easy the first time around nor do I have a crap ton of money attached to my name.

I met with an editor in the downtown area, and I was expecting more. I was hoping for more guidance, advice, and help for an aspiring author. I left that meeting with more questions than answers. Did ask all the right questions? Did I make it very clear as to what I needed? I needed a proofreader and some editing, not developmental editing. Just a fresh pair of eyes that says, “Great job. Very clean and concise. Now publish.” As I drove an hour back towards my job, my flu ridden body is now wondering if life can come with fewer obstacles and more clear road paths for me. I want to become a legit author and write.

It shouldn’t be so hard with the popularity of self-publishing vs. traditional publishing. Again, I’m no expert in the field and this is new unchartered territory for me. There are so many things to talk about if I can only figure out this literary game.