Time to Let Go

For the last few months, I’ve been working hard to get my new novel ready for release as an e-book. Okay, it’s not really a new novel.  It’s a novel I’ve shared with the world before. I’d originally pulled it from being a free download on Wattpad because I’d signed a contract to have it published which meant it was no longer mine.

When the publishing contract fell through, I was faced with a choice. I could either try to find a new home for it or make one myself. Being that I’m no stranger to being an independent author, I decided to look into the possibility of releasing it on my own as an e-book.  After doing some research into Smashwords, I was sold. I was going to release this novel on my own. Since I’d offered it free once before, it didn’t seem right to start charging for it so I decided I’d leave it as a free download. This isn’t about making money. It’s about two things really. First, this novel has meant a lot of things to a lot of people, and I want them to have that back. Second, I’d like to build my audience and test the waters of the e-book market.

In the last few months, I’ve read and reread. I’ve edited and edited and edited some more. Some days, I’d think it was great only to find that I used the word was when it should have been what. I told myself that I wasn’t going to let this novel go until it was what I thought was one hundred percent perfect. I was going to keep reading and editing until I wasn’t able to find anything else I could change. Well, you know what I’ve discovered in this process?

I’ve found that I’m never going to be satisfied. Even when all of the mechanics are correct, I’ll still think I should revise a scene or at the very least change a few words. This has opened my eyes to something. If I don’t let go, the readers are never going to have this novel they’ve waited so patiently for. That doesn’t mean I’m throwing in the towel and letting it out riddled with mistakes. That’s not it at all.

I’m here today to say I think it’s ready. After months of work, this novel, whose first draft was written back in 2005, is finally ready to be published. It’s time to let go and hope for the best.