5 reasons that convinced me and might convince you too
It was not an easy decision to undertake self-publishing. Here are the five main reasons I decided to. If they resonate with you, it might be time to consider taking the plunge.
First:
And most important, I wrote a story. It’s a playful science fiction comedy and I like it a lot. It does something unique and does it well. I have been writing consistently and honing my craft for the better part of two decades. So I am not starting cold. I know what it’s like to write things that I have no confidence in. This is different.
— Step one is to do the work and have a product you believe in.
Second:
I did try for traditional publishing. My story is of an eccentric length, about 14,000 words. It moves fast and contains a fair amount of character and action for a short story. It’s the length it needs to be. But most short story publishers cap their requirements between 7,000 and 10,000 words, and novellas need to be nearer 20,000. So my options were limited to only a handful of outlets to which I could submit. It only took about eight months to get rejections from all of the relevant candidates.
I could re-write and try to fit my story to the market. But in the end those rejections only add up to about four people who’ve maybe read it and said no. Am I willing to compromise my story over an unclear difference of timing or taste with four individuals? Or to just abandon it completely and move on trying to shape my vision and instincts to what this handful of people are looking for? I could. These are seasoned professionals with years of valuable insight. But I like my story and I think there are many others who will like it too. Just not those four people.
— Step two is to see if there’s a place in the traditional market already for what you’ve made. This step might not count for everyone, and don’t take it as discouragement if you get rejected. Writing is about communication. See if you’re already speaking the market’s language. If not, you now have the option to go looking for your audience.
Third:
I have continued writing. In the time that I have been shopping this story I have been developing about five others and now have a ready stable of what I believe to be high quality stories conforming to my own standards and vision in various stages of completion. I have my next steps in line and a plan to grow.
— Step three is to keep working. Once you find your audience you’ll want to keep the conversation going.
Four:
I have full control. It’s not just editorial control but full artistic and presentational control. It has been a heck of a lot of fun creating the art work, promo videos, and design aspects for my stories. I created the artwork for my first story out of about fifty dollars worth of stock photos and about sixty minutes of tutorials about Photoshop. Then I put together a couple simple promo videos using creative commons licensed music and the cover art I’d made.
— Step four is to make the most of the freedom afforded by self publishing. Set a promotional budget and then follow your creative instincts. But be prepared to work in new ways. Or, you can find collaborators if you’re not the visual artist type (Reach out to the community of visual artists on sites like Artconnect.com or Artstation.com. Artists usually like to talk about their work and are often open to work for hire).
Five:
Did I mention control? The timing is mine. The presentation is mine. The results will be mine. In the past I thought that the requirements of such control would be a burden and that I would sacrifice anything for the ease of being wanted by a publisher and letting them take care of the details. But it is different having a product I believe in. I relish the work and am anxious for it to find its audience.
— Self publishing is a full time job for uncertain reward. Yet the same could be said of traditional publishing. So, if you would rather put that work into making your writing fit the demands of the traditional market then that is a throughly worthwhile use of your energy. But if you have something you’ve done the work on and are excited about, but which has found no place in traditional outlets, it might be time to turn to self publishing. Readers are out there. Reading tastes are vast and various, and the tools are accessible to find your readers.
It releases on June 6th.
List of resources I’ve used: