Concerning my manuscript currently under typesetting and formatting elsewhere, I guess I’m more than a Padawan in becoming Jedi in the art of procrastination.
‘Harmsleave’ had a phase when I tried to query it to the agencies. It took more than a year and more than 50 rejections to my lazy queries. I had planned to get a hundred of those before moving to self-publishing, but I got fed up and found out that I was really interested in SP. I have done SP before but in a half-hearted, lazy sense.
Here we step into the eternal question many writers certainly are familiar with: Is the manuscript serious thing enough to outsource the cover art, editing, layout and formatting? Do I have the budget and am I motivated enough to kick myself in the ass to get serious with this business? And the most important question: Do I believe I will get even with the money used into outsourcing, perhaps even profiting?
That’s the gist of it.
At this point where I have had the editing and cover art done and the formatting is on, I really have to believe in my manuscript.

The editing process(by the brilliant Silja Evelyn) was the first kick into my rear, I got really motivated as my MS was handed over to me with red and other color markings, comments, and those fabulous suggestions with which we writers tear our hair off, yet understanding for the first time the need to modify, kill and repaint(I don’t think I did that enough, but the audience will decide).
It’s really a positive process.
Similarly creating the cover art(in collaboration with the superb Ukrainian studio MiblArt) was a phase where the spine tickled, telling me: “Dude, this is now serious”. And they got it right with the first concept art. Next I’m waiting for them to prepare the layout and formatting, after which it’s time to review and feed the dough into the distribution platform.
Ah, but let’s not forget the marketing: Well, I did not have budget for outsourcing that and it is kinda problem. But then again, the seriousness of the business will now be measured by the tenacity of my self-marketing. So far I’ve performed the cover art reveal rites and prepared a messy pageful of web site. But: Should I go for more socMed channels etc. questions riddle the surrounding air.

And all this time I balance between motivated faith and deep desperation: “Oh the manuscript is so good” / “This is childish unintelligible crap.” Smirk if you want, but you writers out there know what I’m talking about.

Well, that was part One. Part Two will contain the experience of releasing the literary child into the wilderness.