Growing Pains

I was too eager to publish my manuscript and get my name out there, so I neglected to give it a final read-through. As a result, I made a classic indie-author mistake and published something riddled with errors. Despite having good stories, I could have executed the book better. I feel embarrassed and panicked, wondering how to make things right. Should I silently update the eBook and paperback editions? I hope no one notices. Or should I offer to replace the improperly edited editions with the people I know? What if someone I don't know bought it? I have many questions swirling in my mind. Should I take the books down and try again in a few months? Or should I leave them up and create a different publication with a similar title?

I don't want to deceive anyone, but I also don't want my mistakes to keep me from pursuing my dreams. Will anyone read them if I don't repeat it in subsequent editions? The first edition was garbage, but I hope readers won't assume that the rest of my work is the same. I should have published my books under a pseudonym to avoid this permanent record of my mistakes. However, I am learning. Knowing what to do and what not to do is part of the battle. I want to produce the best work I can. Because of this experience, I am learning how to edit better. I am learning what it takes to make a quality publication. As the adage says, “You must break a few eggs to make an omelet.”

So, I am going to stick with it. I plan to replace the works on KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) so that future buyers do not purchase sub-quality work. I will announce on Social Media that anyone who can send me a picture of their copy of my first edition then will replace it with the corrected edition. I don’t know any other way to make it right. It is a blessing that I have not sold many physical copies yet. Correcting and re-submitting an e-pub file is much easier than collecting bunk printed editions.

With a renewed sense of purpose and a plan to implement, I feel better about my mistakes and will endeavor to do better.

Advice for Other Writers:

• Remember to read your work; try reading it aloud if you can stomach it.
• Having someone else read your work before publishing it is also a good idea. Proof copies are perfect for this purpose.
• Remember what your readers want to read, but they can tell if you’re also writing what you wouldn’t want to read.

The point of this publication is to do better, challenge myself, and become a better writer. My goal is to improve with every subsequent edition. If you want to read my janky work, follow the link to my publication on Amazon: Drops in the Inkwell Volume 1. Get it while you can; the manuscript will be updated shortly with a revised version. Consider your janky copy a limited edition.

Drops in the Inkwell Vol 2 is available on Amazon in both e-book and paperback versions. I promise the work is better. It contains most of my work on Vocal Media and a few bonus stories.

Both books are free to read for anyone who subscribes to Kindle Unlimited. As always, thank you to anyone and everyone who reads my work. It's taken a long time for God to get me this far, and I look forward to how much farther God will bring me. Have any of you experienced something similar? Let me know in the comments.

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