Jessica Scott dives into indie publishing with 2 new series

Jessica Scott joins HEA to share her shift into indie publishing with two new series. The first book in the first new series, Before I Fall, is out this week. Homefront, the first book in the second new series, arrives in April.

Jessica: I'm not really a fan of New Year's resolutions (and honestly, who writes about New Year's resolutions in March when we've already given them up?). I'm kind of perverse in that I generally start them in December just to avoid the mental thing of saying it's for the New Year. I know, semantics and all that, right?

But 2015 is going to be a really big year full of changes for me as an author. I'm releasing two new series as an indie author, which is a massive change for me. I've had amazingly good support from both of my publishers in New York. And I love, love, love my editor at Grand Central. Michele is so incredibly talented and really pushes me as an author, which I love her for. But I really wanted to try this indie thing with full-length books and a couple of new series. So I'm branching out, and it's utterly exhilarating and terrifying and a thousand other emotions all at once. There's a lot of work in indie publishing, but it's not so much that I'm overwhelmed and not enjoying myself. I love the challenge it provides in figuring things out. I've put out a couple of novellas and short stories in the past and had a really great experience with them.

There are extra steps involved in indie publishing that aren't there when you're with a traditional publisher. You've got to find your own editor, and I, for one, want someone who will really push me to make the story better as opposed to just do some basic line edits. I've had really great luck so far. And you've got to set up your own accounts with the different retailers and all the angst that goes into "do you go direct" or "do you use an aggregator like Smashwords or Draft to Digital or INScribe." But all in all, those are a few additional steps that don't take me too long. Sometimes I think ADHD is my superpower. Formatting takes a bit of time, but there are some great programs out there that make it super simple. I'm a huge fan of Vellum for making my e-book files. It's amazing with a capital A.

I have to tell you the one thing I loathe about being indie? Cover design. Everyone says you need to hire a professional, and they're right — except that what if you don't really know what you're looking for? You spent the money and then decide you don't love it after all because you didn't know what you wanted in the first place. Good cover design isn't cheap and, well, that's been a pretty steep learning curve for me. I'm marginally better at finding good images now, but I've still got a long, long way to go in being able to "see" what images will make a good cover. So that's my biggest hurdle thus far and the one thing I wish I could just farm out to someone and say: pick my cover for me.

All in all, I'm enjoying my first experience with full-blown indie publishing. The indie community is really great — truly a revolution in the information-sharing age. It can be overwhelming if you're just starting out, but honestly, after having such great experiences with New York publishing, I think I've got a good foundation for tackling this on my own. And so we shall see if 2015 brings good changes or not so good, right?

I've got two new series coming this year. The first two releases are scheduled for spring. Before I Fall, out this week, is the first in my Falling series. I loved writing Noah and Beth. It was quite refreshing to change things up for me as a writer. Hopefully, my readers agree! Here is the blurb:

Beth Lamont knows far too much about the harsh realities of life her gilded classmates have only read about in class. She'll do whatever it takes to take care of her father, even if that means tutoring a guy like Noah - a guy who represents everything she hates about the war, soldiers and what the Army has done to her family.

Noah Warren doesn't know how to be a student. All he knows is war. But he's going to college now to fulfill a promise and he doesn't break his promises. Except he doesn't count on his tutor being drop dead gorgeous and distracting as hell. One look at Beth threatens to unravel the careful lies Noah has constructed around him.

A simple arrangement turns into something neither of them can deny. And a war that neither of them can forget could destroy them both.

And my second new series is a spinoff from my Coming Home series. It's still set at Fort Hood in a fictional brigade combat team. Homefront is book one, and it's coming April 7!

The blurb:

He always loved her…

First Sergeant Gale Sorren waited a war and half a lifetime for a chance to get stationed near the ex-wife who left him years ago. When he finally musters the courage to see her, the life he imagined she was living was nothing close to the reality.

She's never stopped loving him…

Melanie never stopped worrying about Gale each time he headed off to war. But he's never been there when she needed him and she's had fifteen years to steel her heart against him.

But when Gale moves to Fort Hood, he finally has a chance to make things right with Melanie and the daughter she raised without him.

Can Mel trust her heart to a man who has always let her down?

I guess I'm a sucker for reunion stories, you know? The first two books in the Homefront series are reunion stories, but all the Falling series are new love, so to speak. So definitely expanding my horizons this year!

Find out more about Jessica and her books at www.jessicascott.net.