Eric Woods, Author

February 27, 2019

I’m hoping to start a regular editorial blog where I just shoot the shit about topics that interest me. I’ve tried this in the past (a few of you may remember my “Short Attention Entertainment” site that never really picked up), and here I am trying again. Why? Well, because I love to write, even if there’s only a handful of people who read my stuff.

Anyway, I’m going to shoot from the hip with this first entry as I talk about the expectations and reality of professional writing. I’m not talking about freelance journalism. I’ve been doing that since 2005, and indeed it has its moments. I am happy to have such a long portfolio of writings over the past 14 years, but that is not the focus here. What I really want to get into is the concept of becoming an author. Why I love it, and the harsh realities of everything associated with the process.

Let’s face it: there are thousands of wannabe authors out there who hope to get discovered. I don’t look at these people as my competition. I see them as an extended family with whom I have something in common. We all have that dream, and while a few are able to break through and get that actual publishing contract, the majority of us end up taking the route of self publication.

So why self publish? Well, for one it’s simple. I used CreateSpace (now Kindle Direct Publishing), and it was probably the easiest method I could have imagined. You simply upload your completed manuscript, upload your cover, and they do the rest. You will get a chance to look over everything before your book is “official,” and they will notify you if something is off while transferring the materials over (for example, the cover specifications are off). Also, with self publishing, you work at your own schedule and don’t have to wait on the publishing house to decide when they are going to release it.

Now I’m not going to knock traditional publishing. Most (if not all) authors strive to hit it big with a large publishing house, because that means you have reached the pinnacle of success! It means your book will likely find its way into bookstores all over the country (if not the world).