Why I chose to self-publish!
When I finished my manuscript for The Buzz, I had every intention on finding an agent and then securing a publishing deal. I did as most writers and sent out a few query letters and waited for a response.
After the first few query letters were sent out, I had a change of heart. I decided that I wanted to publish my own novel – a decision that shocked even me as I had previously sworn off self-publishing because I didn’t want to be solely responsible for the distribution of my novel. I pictured having to hustle my books on street corners and in beauty salons and flea markets, as I’d seen other authors do in the past.
However, there were a few factors that changed my mind about self-publishing. Namely my goals as a writer and the circumstances around when I finished my manuscript.
Let me explain…
I wanted full control of my novel.
I didn’t want a publishing company to change my book title, decide on the cover, edit out parts that I loved, put me on a time schedule, etc. That doesn’t fit my personality at all. For ME those requests took away my control and would make it feel like a job. I wanted the process to remain pure and as exciting as it was when I started the writing process.
Also, after doing research I realized that marketing for the most part is the responsibility of the author, especially a new author. That meant, whether I wanted to be fully responsible for the sale of the novel or not, I would have to be involved in the process in some way.
When I finished my manuscript, I was working in Corporate America. I was working in finance for a company that I liked, and with a great group of people. It was one of those situations where things were great career wise. And then one day they dropped the ball and announced that our company would be sold. Just like that, a great job and the great people I knew would be gone. Luckily, I quickly recovered and found a new job and in less than a year of working for the new company, I was faced with being laid off again.
Sometimes life just isn’t fair. Or is it?
Instead of sulking, I embraced it. I felt that it was the perfect opportunity to go after my dreams with a vengeance. I’d ALWAYS wanted to be an entrepreneur and while publishing wasn’t the field that I’d expected my business to be in, it was the perfect fit. It allowed me to marry all of my passions and create a business that would allow me to further my own dream as well as the dreams of other writers.
That’s why I chose to self publish. It felt right and it fit with my goals and what I was trying to accomplish at that time. Now obviously there are numerous benefits to signing with a major publisher, but this blog post is not to discuss those benefits but instead to express why I and possibly others decide to self publish.
There are many authors who start off as self-publishers and then their books are picked up later by bigger imprints. And that definitely has its BENEFITS!
Tomorrow we will discuss the misconceptions about self-publishing and how to overcome them. But in the meantime, please share in the comment section below your plans for publishing.
Some great reasons to self publish..I wish you all the best
Thanks Aysha!
I self published and got screwed turst me its not something that you want to do. You can't really earn it all back the money you pour into it. I was like I will be in the 15% that makes an income when it came to writing or just enough to keep publishing then everything went wrong trust me its not something that is worth doing. I hate to say it but, Its sometimes safer to stick to the Agent, Publishing houses status then it is to go to self Publishing. Its a mistake I regret every day.
How did you go about marketing your title?
I went to a writing conference and was told that if you want to get published you've got to have an internet presence first. So I used self-publishing as a way to establish myself on the internet. My Christian books are all self-published with Lulu and sold at local bazaars (a very time-consuming and discouraging process). But I'm writing several blogs, and I'm still sending out my novels to agents and publishers. I've just had a short novella accepted by Gypsy Shadow Publishing, so I hope that means maybe I'm heading in the right direction.
Sheila, that's another great way to look at it, especially if you are a new writer. Having an internet presence is a must especially for new writers. You are definitely headed in the right direction.
This is a very good post. I have a MS ready and waiting to be sent to a publisher and I want to send it to others and literary agents too.
I REALLY want it to be published and feel that if I do chose to do that I may lose out on the benfits going with a publisher has.
Jamie (@TwistedLoki)
Jamie, you are on the right path. You've already decided that you want to be published. That's step one. Much success to you!
I've been working on my manuscript for a few months now and I'm at a point where I'm looking at all of my publishing options. I'm open to whatever works out the best. I've had quite a few blogger friends who have self-published and loved it. Then, there are the others who have agents. I'm sure when the time comes for me, I'll make the best decision.
Thanks for the information!
I also think having a blog helps promote what you're writing. You can gain a following and get your name out there. So, it definitely helps.
Melissa, blogging definitely helps. Make sure you check out today's post on branding and I'll go into more detail tomorrow about the benefits for writers. Thanks for your support!
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Having full control is one of the main reasons people self publish. There's nothing better than that.
Exactly Ivin, Self publishing gives you the full control from the timeline of the project, editing and designing all is entirely up to you.
With complete control over these aspects of your work, you do not have to worry about changes you would not approve of being made to the appearance or content thereof?