Why I Decided to Self Publish

Way back when dinosaurs roamed the face of the earth, cavemen carved out their novels in hieroglyphics on stone walls. No contracts involved. No queries or proposals or pub boards. Just bam! There's a story, thank you very much. Self publishing is kind of like that, but without the fear of velociraptors ripping open your flesh with sharp, pointy talons.

Not too long ago, putting out your own book was looked upon with a huge frowny face. You were considered a loser. Someone who's writing wasn't good enough for a "real" publisher. Self-published books were stigmatized as sub-par.

Wow. How times have changed. Oh, there's still some crappy writing out there in Indie Land, but lot's of respectable authors have ventured into the realm of self-publishing. MaryLu Tyndall. Brandilyn Collins. Even the famed Stephen King.

And now, moi. The big question is why? Why risk my own money up front when there's literally hundreds of thousands of other books out there clamoring for buyers?

Top 3 Reasons Why I Self Published

Peer Pressure
All the cool writerly kids are doing it nowadays, so I thought I'd give it a whirl as well. I've already got four traditionally published books under my belt (yeah, it's a little snug). Self-publishing would be a new adventure.

Sheer Laziness
I didn't want to spend the time figuring out what publishers to pitch a non-fiction writing craft book to. I also didn't want to spend the moolah to frequent the conferences where those publishers might be hanging out. Does that sound like I'm cheap and lazy? Yep. You'd be right.

Team Work
I had a buddy who'd been after me to self pub. Every time I saw him, he'd be like, "So, when are you going to put out your own book?" One day I shot back, "When you do it for me." The gauntlet lay in the dirt. He picked it up and ran with it. I did all the writing, found an editor and graphic designer. He did all the formatting and ISBN funny business.

Those are my reasons, but those aren't the only reasons to self pub. Here are a few more:

• Control ~ you have the final say on everything involving your book
• Time ~ it's on your own timeframe, not a year or two out
• Ownership ~ you retain all your rights
• Genre ~ you don't have to sell to a certain market, well, unless of course you want to make money
• Royalties ~ there's no middle man to pay

Independent publishing isn't for everyone. It's not a get quick rich scheme or the fast track to fame. If those are your goals, this isn't the gig for you. But, if you're willing to be in the writing game for the long haul, put your money where your mouth is and cough up the cash for editing and cover design, then you might want to give self-pubbing a good, hard look.

Or I might be wrong and this could all blow up in my face. Stay tuned. I'll be sure to take pictures if that happens.