Two Wins. How Sweet It Is!

Indeed! It is sweet to receive my second Independent Publisher Book Award (IPPY Award) for Mary Magdalene, Her Legacy and especially since there were 3,175 entries from 49 U.S. States, 9 Canadian provinces, and 16 foreign countries.

The Independent Publisher Book Awards, also named the IPPY Awards were created in 1996 as a broad-based, unaffiliated awards program open to all members of the independent publishing industry. The awards are intended to bring increased recognition to the thousands of exemplary independent, university, and self-published titles produced each year, and reward those who exhibit the courage, innovation, and creativity to bring about change in the world of publishing. I am truly honored.

Since I published my first book in 2005, I have seen a change in the publishing industry and it has been beneficial to those of us who choose to self-publish. Internet and Amazon have been a boon to those of us who choose to self-publish. When I first made a decision to publish Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls,

I research my publishing options. What I learned was that one must find a literary agent and after some rejections, it seemed that to self-publish might be the way to go. I even attended some workshops and learned further that print-on-demand publishing that furnished the ISBN numbers was almost the kiss-of-death to self-publishing by bookstores and most wholesalers.

Fortunately, I had already purchased a block of 10 ISBNs, so that was no problem. I was gifted with some funds, and I had my book printed. I also learned some hard lessons such as the cost of freight and having a place to store the books. Whereas, print-on-demand allows the author to purchase as few or as many as one wants and that elminates the storage space. I also secured 3 wholesalers including Baker&Taylor. At that time, the biggie Ingram did not take self-publishers. It has been a grand journey of discovery. I am so delighted to be a two-time award winner and what is my next step? To promote, promote and also to get my next book, Awakening the Genie Within published. Yes, it will be self-published and is my first non-fiction book.