Dream Big (or Small ... Just Dream)

It has long been a dream of mine to open my own bookstore and to publish my own writings, but to be honest I've never really seen a bookstore in my immediate future or seen myself publishing any way other than traditionally. Owning and operating a bookstore requires time and money that, frankly, I just don't have, and when it comes to my books, well, I always wanted the widest audience for them. I no longer see publishing the way  I used to, mostly in part to the evolution I see.

It used to be that self-publishing was a huge No-No in the publishing world; if you wanted success, you didn't do it yourself. Now, however, that seems to be changing. More and more authors (big name authors) are going indie and/or self-publishing their work themselves, and the publishing world hasn't ground to a halt. The earth has not stopped spinning. People, it seems, are still buying books. There was, and I suppose still is, a bit of a hoopla over ebooks, but that too seems to be passing. I mention them because they go hand-in-hand with self-publishing these days, as you no longer have to print a book in order to get it to your readers.

So when I was approached by someone (a friend, colleague, and mentor of mine) who wanted to start her own business but simply couldn't go it alone, I was intrigued. She described her intended venture as something a step above self-publishing. A way for those interested in writing but unable to secure agents or uninterested in traditional publishing or even unaware of the steps to self-publish to produce their works. Having always loved publishing and books in general, I agreed to test the waters and began my research with a few books she had picked up.

Now that I've familiarized myself with print on demand presses and the steps to self-publishing and the inner workings of Amazon, I have come to the conclusion that what we are really trying to develop is a small, independent publishing house that utilizes the efficiency of print on demand presses in order to minimize costs and maximize profit. And I have to say, I love the idea of it.

So, while I intend to keep honing my own craft, I'm setting out on a new adventure that will, hopefully, allow me to share the works of other talented writers with the world, all while working two other jobs. And with any luck I'll have more to share on this soon.