Why I Self-Publish

You are a writer. You have put your heart and soul into your novel, your masterpiece. It has been through too many rewrites to count. You have changed as much as you possibly can without compromising the integrity of your masterpiece. And now you are ready for publishing. But which route are you supposed to take? Which route is going to get you the most exposure? You are not looking to get rich, just make a few bucks. What you really want is just for your work to be out there and for people to be able to get their hands on it. So do you write your query letter, and send off a copy of your manuscript to agents or publishing houses? Do you wait and hope that you are among the one percent that receives the acceptance letter? And if you do receive the letter, to make every single change that your editors require in order for your heart and soul to be sellable?

I am not a patient person. I chose the self-publishing route. There were many reasons why I chose this route, but recently I was introduced to a better way to self-publish. My first book was self-published through Lulu. For a first timer, it was the best way to go. I had no money and the only thing that I needed to pay for was printing fees. Lulu is a print on demand company, so you only print the books that you need or want. They give you a storefront and you can sell your books that way. I really just wanted to see if I could do it and that is why I chose Lulu. I had a friend who was an editor and she offered to look at my book free of charge. Luckily for me, there were only a few grammatical errors that needed to be corrected. Other than that, the integrity of my book remained the same. I was so pleased with my first book, that I wrote another one. My editor read my first and second draft, and then returned the manuscript with the dreaded red marks. I was glad to see that there were not too many. After the final rewrite, my second book was self-published and then printed with Lulu, again.

For my third book, which was my blood, sweat, and tears novel, I went a different route. I decided to form my own publishing company just for me. I spent money on ISBN numbers, went to one of the larger print on demand companies for printing. I spent lots of money of setup costs, distribution to the major online bookstores, and a few other bookstores. Keep in mind that I still had to do my own marketing. But why would I spend all of that money when I could have just waited for a traditional publisher to accept my book? Remember, I said that I was not a patient woman. Besides, there are some many wonderful writers who go unnoticed because they are part of that ninety-nine percent that do not make the cut when publishers are reading manuscripts. Publishing companies are only worried about which authors are going to make them the most money.

So, I did not mind spending money for this venture. However, I have found a new way to publish my books. Thanks to an awesome author, I have been given amazing tools to market, publish, and sell my masterpieces. Will I ever go the traditional publishing route? I doubt it. Especially when I can cut out the middle man and do it the right way, the better way, and I will know that my fans will always have access to my work. For me, self-publishing is the best way to get my masterpieces to the masses. It may be the better way for you too.