Since I published my very first ebook last year, I kind of have the self-publishing bug. I can’t wait to finish my first novel and get it out there where people can read it! The only problem is, each of my novel projects are months (at minimum) from being publishable. I suppose that’s what happens when you allow yourself to start multiple projects rather than finishing one before starting the next.
One of my writing goals for 2014 was to begin to publish at least one ebook every year. My goal for 2015 is to focus on one writing project and finish it so I can publish it in 2016. But that doesn’t help me meet my 2014 goal, does it? I can’t really say I’ve met that goal if I only did it one year in a row, now can I?
At any rate, I have this itch to publish something, so I started wondering what I already have written that I could put together into an ebook. My business side is always thinking about how I can repurpose old writing into new and useable content. If businesses can do it, why can’t writers?
I have learned it is a huge relief to knock out a goal early and get it out of the way. What better time to start working toward a goal than today? But what do I already have on hand that could easily be transformed into a book?
Then I thought of all of those papers I wrote while pursuing my most recent master’s degree. I have so much content – all about writing, no less – just sitting in my file folders going to waste. Aside from me, the only people who have ever read most of these papers are the professors to whom I submitted them for a grade! Why not publish those? Master students in other disciplines (the sciences, for example) publish their papers all the time.
So, that’s my latest self-publishing project I started just this week. I even woke up at 5:00 this morning without needing to (it’s Saturday, and I didn’t set my alarm clock last night!) I had writing on the brain and was impatient to work on this project. Instead of laying there thinking about it until I eventually fell asleep – as I have recently gotten into the habit of doing (Bad habit! Bad, bad habit!) – I got out of bed, poured myself a glass of water, and fired up the old computer.
I must, in some way, meet my goal of publishing something at least once a year. None of my novels may be ready this year, but I have a TON of good content that is worth sharing. I bet you do too if you’ve been writing for as long as I have. Think about it. What content do you already have on hand that you could publish as an ebook? Please share your ideas in the comments below.
Update (2/21/2015)
It’s here! My new book, Papers: A Master Collection on the Art of Writing is now available on Kindle for only 99 cents! This book is packed full of academic papers, original short stories, poems, and excerpts from my fantasy novel. Get your copy today!
Write on the World 
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