Blogging merely because I haven’t blogged in awhile, and also because I’ve set myself a deadline to finish a story and publish it (that’s self-publish to you) before Christmas.

It’s not going to come in a fancy package, this story. I’m releasing it via Kindle, and I’m using their cover creator, even though I know this is not the best way to make your book stand out. But I have reasons for doing this. Here they are.

This is actually not going to be a novel, it’s going to be much shorter. Shorter, even, than a novella. I’ve been informed if your story is longer than a short story and shorter than a novella, it’s properly called a novelette. So this will be a novelette. It’s a long short story. It’s not a first novel.
Given that this is not a first novel, I’m not willing to stretch the budget for it for the sake of my vanity. I currently work part time and I’m in grad school. The budget is unforgiving. I can’t pay someone for an awesome book cover this time. (And I’m a crappy photographer.)
I have a need to “just publish something.” It’s like an itch I desperately need to scratch.
My main intention with this little novelette is to meet my goal of writing something,  finishing it, and letting it go. Publishing on Kindle using their cover creator allows me to fulfill that goal. And it’s free, hurray!
I finished writing an actual first novel during the course of this year. I have a hunch if I publish something that is not my novel (like this Christmas novelette) I will have scratched the “just publish something” itch, and I’ll be more willing to send my actual novel out to publishers so I can enjoy having it rejected. I mean. How will I ever feel like a real writer unless I can legitimately boast of how many times I’ve been rejected?

So those are my reasons. Yes, a well designed cover is essential if you want your book to stand out. But I’m not sure that’s what I want for this scrappy little novelette. I just want it to exist, as a finished thing that I worked on, then let go.

And now, because I’m procrastinating editing this short book (the novelette) I guess I’ll go do that.