I’ve always been a huge proponent of self publishing.

Years ago, self publishing wasn’t easy. Many authors ended up with boxes of books gathering dust in their garages. They wrote the books and paid to publish, but they had a hard time finding buyers for them.

With the explosion of the Internet and social media, the publishing landscape has changed. We have Print On Demand technology that cuts out warehouse costs and cuts down on print costs. We have blogs, podcasts, social networks and online bookstores to sell our stories.

What authors still need is the same thing they needed 20 years ago: The determination to SELL.

One factor I see in many struggling authors is the lackluster enthusiasm for sales. They don’t want to market for a variety of reasons: It takes time from writing; they don’t like it; they don’t want to do it; they don’t know how to do it and don’t want to try.

To me, this is ridiculous. The author is the best salesperson for their novels. Authors are passionate about their projects – they’d have to be to put up with the grind of the publishing industry. They know the stories intimately, can connect to them in a way that generates amazing enthusiasm – an enthusiasm that carries over when talks to people about it.

Though die-hard fans are excellent salespeople, too, authors cannot rely on them completely to sell. Authors MUST be out there, with a Web site, blog and social media presence. In today’s tough publishing market, it doesn’t matter if you have a major publisher or publish on your own, you MUST be out there.

Don’t like marketing? Let me share the wisdom of one of my coworkers, when I was whining about a design assignment a few years ago:

Suck it up, cupcake.

I laughed for several minutes after she said this to me (partially in jest) and I never forgot it. It’s a fun phrase I use to get my butt in gear. Whenever I have something I don’t want to do, I tell myself to suck it up – then I get some Ghirardelli chocolates and get to it. (Sometimes, I bake cupcakes in the spirit of it.)

The Authonomy blog has some terrific stories of authors who did it on their own. Through sheer grit, they created their own writing success.

Be sure to check out the post.

What are your own stories of success? When do you get out the cupcakes?

 In February, Market My Novel told you about Authonomy, a Web site created by HarperCollins UK that allows writers to upload their works, get reader feedback – and get noticed by major publishers.

The first book,  The Reaper by Steven Dunne, picked up by the site will be out this Thursday. The Reaper is an English serial killer thriller that looks like a buy for fans of the genre. You can read portions of the book at Authonomy.com.

Dunne will answer questions about his journey through Authonomy at BookArmy.com, where he will give away five free copies of the book. 

HarperCollins UK recognizes the importance of social media and how it can play a key role in getting readers involved in up-and-coming authors. Kudos to Dunne for not being afraid to share his MS with the world. Too many times authors hide behind fear of someone stealing their words to share.

My only qualm with the site is reading on the computer. I hate it. Period. That's why I don't take PDFs as a reviewer. I want a hard copy in my hands, the smell of ink stirring my blood while I devour thrilling words and sexy romance. The site, however, gives me a glimpse of titles I might like – and authors I would not find in stores in small town Missouri.

Free stuff is key to publicity and fan building today. Overall, I love what Authonomy is doing, and cannot wait to see where the site is in a year's time.

HarperCollins has launched an innovative new Web site that allows authors to post their work, get reader feedback – and get noticed by publishers.

Authonomy is current in beta, and is for authors who are unpublished, self-published or already with major publishing houses. HarperCollins plans to use the service to find fresh talent to publish. The best part? The site is free.

I have seen other sites like this, but Authonomy has a better look and feel, and has a legitimate, LARGE publisher behind it. If you want to get your work in the hands of the people who matter, check out this site.