Author Meg Welch Dendler tells us about her publishing experience and why she chose this publishing route

Copyrighted Material. Shared with the author's permission.

Meg's Books on Amazon

Meg's Website

ARE YOU A WRITER?
Answers for Meg Welch Dendler

1. How did you publish? Please keep out publishing companies names but let us know:

• Did you publish through a traditional publisher, self-publishing, print-on-demand?

I have published both ways. My middle-grade alien rescue cat series is self-published through CreateSpace and amazon’s kindle program. The paperbacks are print-on-demand, which is an excellent way to work and avoid having to purchase 1,000 books. Besides the cost of that, you are bound to find errors after the first printing. Smaller chunks are better. My women’s fiction novel, “At the Corner of Magnetic and Main,” went through an independent publisher.


2. Why did you choose this route?

Self-publishing was the best route to go for the children’s books because getting an agent or attention from a major publisher is almost impossible. This is considered the hardest market to write for. I didn’t know that going in, of course, but it wouldn’t have made any difference to me. I did send out many inquiries on the first book in the series, but I mostly never got an answer of any kind. That’s typical. The ease of self-publishing and connections I had made along the way to support me made that a logical next step.

For the adult book, I chose to go through a publisher because I wanted the street cred. It was really that simple. If someone else was willing to invest in my book, that gives it a step up with libraries and other groups. Anyone can self-publish. It’s just the current reality. Having a publisher of whatever size invest in you is a badge of approval.


3. How was the experience?

• Did you run into troubles? Did you find it easy?

I’m very grateful that I had already self-published four books by the time I worked with the publisher on my adult book. Being fully aware of every step of the process from my own experience helped me give worthwhile input when necessary. I’d dealt with formatting and cover design and editing. I knew what to expect, when to let them do their job, and when to try to share my own ideas.

Self-publishing in a totally professional way (as in, no one picking up your book would guess it was self-published) is a huge undertaking. You are becoming a publisher. It’s not enough to just stick your book into whatever formatting CreateSpace or Kindle offer. It shows if you do that. But doing it well can get expensive. I had help with my first two books, and each ran several thousand dollars through the whole process of publication. I’ve learned how to do the formatting myself now (for the paperbacks) and have cut down the expenses, but you still need to pay a good editor and cover designer, at the very least. I work as an editor, and I still hire an editor. It’s vital. And don’t skimp on the cover. That is what sells your book.

Publishing any book is not easy. There are always going to be delays and challenges that you never saw coming. Working with a publisher, you can wait well over a year to see the final book in print. That’s totally standard. Even doing it yourself, editing and revising and cover design can take months—and it should. Rushing the process to get your book out there is the worst thing you can do. Let it rest. Work it over until you are so sick of it you want to scream. Seriously. Do it right and be professional. That will help cut down on the drama and problems later on.


4. Would you do it again and why?

Absolutely! I am just getting ready to publish the 4th book in my cat series (self-published) and have a YA biography of Betty White in the works with the same independent publisher. I’m also shopping another middle-grade book to agents and large publishers, again because of that street cred thing. I may end up self-publishing it, that wouldn’t be the end of the world, but I also want to take a try for bigger things. Self-publishing still has a big stigma attached to it of being lesser, and that’s not going away any time soon. By doing both, I keep control of some of my books and also prove the value of my books to a larger audience.

All of Meg’s books can be found at her amazon.com author page
and at her website http://megdendler.com. ​

Thank you Meg for sharing your honest experience with us and the different publishing routes you have taken! We wish you continued success.