Meet Donna L. Martin.

International best selling, award-winning author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a ‘ninja’ writer of children’s picture books, chapter books, young adult novels and inspirational essays by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of children’s books, and the host of WRITERLY WISDOM, a resource series for writers. Donna is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and Children’s Book Insider. She is a lover of dark chocolate, going to the beach and adding to her growing book collection. Donna’s latest book, LUNADAR: Homeward Bound (a YA fantasy), is now available in ebook and print form from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, and other online retailers.

Social sites:

Website: www.storycatcherpublishing.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/donasdays

Twitter: www.twitter.com/donasdays

 

I can also be found on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.

The Guest Post.

AN INDIE AUTHOR’S JOURNEY: I’m A Small Fish in A Big Pond

Thanks, Rae, for inviting me to chat about my journey to becoming a self-published author.

 

I’ve been writing for almost fifty years, but only professionally since 2010. That was when I received my first traditional book contract for a picture book I wrote the year before. I’ve had a total of four books traditionally published so far, including “My Journey, My Journal” just released this past year.

Then why pursue self-publishing, you may wonder? In one word…

 

POWER

 

Now, I don’t mean the type of power that steps on the rights and feelings of others.

I mean…

 

POWER to create my own brand of books. I write picture books, historical fiction chapter books, young adult fantasy books, and inspirational essays. Last year I created my own publishing house, Story Catcher Publishing (http://www.storycatcherpublsihing.com) where I can now release my stories without having to wait to see if a publisher is willing to offer me a contract.

POWER to give back to this incredible writing community. Now that I have my own publishing company, I am in the process of creating my annual Star Catcher Contest, hopefully starting this year. This contest will offer young writers, ages 10-18 years old, a chance to become published authors, when they might otherwise never become published.

POWER to choose my own destiny! It took me almost a year to research and determine who would become my business partners when it came to marketing and distribution. My first book from Story Catcher Publishing is my young adult fantasy novel, LUNADAR: Homeward Bound which can be found on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, and other online retailers

 

There’s a lot to be said for self-publishing. But it’s not for everyone. If you have been tossing around the idea of publishing your own stories, there are a few questions you might want to ask yourself…

• Are you ready to invest the time researching your various publishing options?
• If your story needs illustration, are you qualified to create the drawings? If not, do you know how to find a professional illustrator?
• Do you have a marketing plan in place? This usually begins way before your book is even written.
• Do you have what it takes to be writer, editor, publisher, distributor, promoter, and overall salesman? Self-publishing means you must wear ALL the hats, not just one or two.
• Do you have the money to invest in your book’s publishing future?

 

Becoming an author is a crap shoot. Whether you go the traditional path or self-publish, there is no guarantee you will sell a ton of books or see your name on the NY best seller list. Over ONE MILLION books were published in 2017 with probably just as many last year.

But as a self-published author, I get to choose when to share my stories with the world. I may release a small fish into a big publishing pond, but they’re MY fish and in a pond of MY choice and I can live with that…

 

Thank you Donna for sharing!

LUNADAR: Homeward Bound, Donna’s latest release, is out now!