This is my last regular post on the New Kid’s blog, a bittersweet moment. It seems like years ago when I first agreed to a recurring weekly blog for the site. At the time, I was actively seeking a writing career, learning to juggle re-entry into the workforce with a pursuit of publication, and bemoaning a rapidly changing industry which at times left me dizzy.

A lot has happened since then.

I decided not to wait for my ship to arrive in the "publication port" and instead put on my swimmies so I could paddle out to meet it. As soon as I did, an editor expressed interest in one of my books. Go figure. As is often the case, we give up on a dream only to have it appear as an option when we no longer want it.

Last month I dove into the deep end without a life preserver and indie published a romantic suspense novel that had been gathering dust for a couple of years. It needed a few tweaks…okay, it needed a LOT of tweaks, but I put it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords just to see what would happen. Since I had little faith in the indie publishing process, I priced it at 99 cents.

Voila! Presto! Abracadabra! Just like that, I started eating my words which tasted suspiciously like crow. My “experiment” has been ranked in the top 50 titles of romantic suspense on Amazon for the past several weeks.

Thus started the fever. It reminded me of when I host a garage sale and run out of things to sell. I suddenly become less attached to my belongings, making a frenzied dash through the house grabbing anything not nailed down so I can slap a price tag on it, which is usually the same things I couldn't part with the night before.

The same phenomena occurred as my sales began to surge with Stone Cold Justice. I dug out another romantic suspense title which I had earmarked for Harlequin Intrigue, certain they would want it when romantic suspense stopped being a “dead” genre. A genre that readers no longer wanted. A genre that agents can’t sell to publishers unless you are already an established author with a following. A genre that an agent told me three months ago would come back in a few years.

Guess what? It’s back.

So I grudgingly listed my coveted title, Blood Storm, on the same three sites. But because I love the book so much, I couldn’t bring myself to price it at 99 cents. I listed it at $3.99. Wow! It’s selling. And what’s really cool is I’m earning more with less sales because of higher royalty percentages. Between the two books, I will see a respectable four figure royalty check for the month of December. After only six weeks on the market, I couldn't be more pleased.

Which brings me to the conundrum of my story. I’ve written a paranormal suspense and a well known digital press editor has expressed interest. Not mildly interested, but INTERESTED. I dreamed of this day for years. However, now I find myself enjoying the control I have over my work. I’m not so eager to give that up. I’ll earn more money this month than some debut authors will earn on a first advance with no hopes of seeing a dime in royalites.

Admittedly, many indie authors will not be so blessed. To succeed as an indie, you must be comfortable wearing many hats and willing to learn the ropes while standing on the brink of panic.

So for now, I’m indie published and proud of it. Would I like to break into the Big Six? You betcha. But it will be a lot easier for them to take a risk if I’ve acquired a level of success before knocking on their doors again. Who knows? I'm beginning to think the industry is changing so fast that all the rules are obsolete. We're all trudging through new territory and blazing trails as we go.

Thanks for following me on New Kids during the past year. Stop by my blog at DebSanders.wordpress.com and say hi from time to time. Until then, BICHOK!

Deb Sanders
Stone Cold Justice and Blood Storm, now available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords