Tonight is a blue moon, a phenomenon that has nothing to do with the color of the moon, but the fact that this will be the second full moon in the month of August. Something interesting to note is that the expression “once in a blue moon” is used to connote something that happens quite infrequently or is a rarity to experience, but the actual occurrence of a blue moon is not as rare as one would think.

A few weeks ago, I read Colleen Hoover’s debut novel Slammed. I was searching for more self-publishing success stories, and I came across her work. From what I understand, it was her first foray into writing and publishing. I read reviews for the novel, and I found it noteworthy how surprised people were at how “good” it is because it’s a self-published novel. The work enjoyed time at the top of best sellers lists, and has now been scheduled for print distribution.

There are many skeptics out there who think that because the doors of publishing have been opened there will be an influx of poor quality work to the market. While the possibility of that happening is certainly plausible, I also think there may be an opportunity for a different situation. I believe that as the barriers to publishing come down that more and more talented people who write as a hobby or side project, but who have interesting stories and a natural inclination to quality products will begin to emerge.

People who may not have wanted to invest the time of going through the pains of securing an agent and shopping around a work will now be able to put their work on the market and test the waters. There is no unnecessary waiting involved. They can actively cultivate an engaged following with a little know-how and determination. Additionally, there is no fear of rejection from a publisher or risk of having a work turned down as a consequence of personal taste or assumptions as to what the market wants. An author can directly gauge from reader responses (or lack thereof) to a product whether there needs to be adjustment either on the product side or the marketing side.

Right now many perceive self-publishing success as something that happens “once in a blue moon,” a rarity. However, as we progress, I think we’ll be finding that self-publishing success is happening more than we realize; that the actuality of the situation is that it’s not so rare as we originally believed.

So if you’re ready to start your own self-publishing success story, join Kbuuk today and go ahead and get started.