I used one of the new hybrid publishers to have my book published. Wheatmark was very easy to work with, not expensive, and they were quick. It was wonderful not to have to wait a year or more to be published. This was a big factor because it took me three years to finish my book. Having never written a full book before it took me a while to organize all the information I gleaned from interviewing women all over the country. ?It was a busy time for me because at the same time, I was learning to live on my own. Being divorced and navigating the world as a single woman shook me to my core after 42 years of marriage. ?However, I quickly began to enjoy it.??

The book: Ahead of the Curve, an intimate conversation with women in the second half of life has been available for two full years, but still sells slowly but steadily on Amazon.com and other online stores or on Kindle. ?It is the sort of self help book that will still be relevant years from now. Women say they are inspired by it. That was my aim.??A traditional publisher is not an appealing option for a new author. They want total control, they get most of the money and they won’t do anything to promote your book unless you are already proven as an author. ?It is all about the money, of course. Well, if I am going to go to the trouble to put my thoughts into words I want to keep a lot of the money myself. And self publishing with one of the new author driven companies such as www.Wheatmark.com gives one the help they may need with design of the book, editing, and ?yet the author still has control of what the cover looks like and says.

??If you are like me, a woman well past 50 (nearly 70, actually) you do not have time for the ‘run around’ that traditional companies insist upon.???Don’t be ashamed of writing or reading a self published book. I find that I am often disappointed with content, even in a traditionally published book. ?And yes, stories about famous books that were refused a publishing contract abound. ?It makes one lose faith in the traditional publishers.? And I have newly acquired faith in myself as an author. If you are unsure about either reading self published books or writing one, my advice is the same. Go for it!