Self-Publishing vs. Everything Else

I frequently get asked who published my book. HarperCollins? Penguin Random House? Any writer will tell you it's a small honor to have a famous publishing company tag your work, but the chances are scarce. It's not impossible, but there are extenuating circumstances that can hinder the likelihood of your' work being picked up. I want to make it clear; I'm not saying if your work isn't picked up by a major publishing company, your' work isn't good enough. There are plenty of authors around the world whose quality of work speaks for themselves. What am I saying is I wanted to bet on myself.

Like any difficult decision, I weighed the pros and cons of self-publishing vs. traditional publishing. If I went the conventional route, my timeline becomes cloudy, and the chances of getting your' work out to the public can take a long time solely based on your now waiting on others. Additionally, when you agree to sign the rights of your work over to someone else, a lot of the decisions you previously made are now in the hands of someone else. Character names, titles, plot lines, and a multitude of other factors can now be altered.

Additionally, conventional publishing can be expensive. Costs can pile high, and I was working with a limited budget which led me to pursue self-publishing instead.

Self-publishing gave me freedom and a chance to promote my product the way I wanted to. I refer to my decision as the ‘Richard Sherman' approach. The former Seattle Seahawk and now current San Franciso 49er cornerback is known for his cautious approach to contract negotiations. Choosing not to hire a personal agent, Sherman told the world he felt confident in his abilities and that he could represent himself. To the same degree, I admire his confidence and wanted to emulate my choices in the same way.

I went with CreateSpace Self-Publishing, which is now called Kindle Direct Publishing. A parent company of Amazon, KDP, allows users to upload manuscripts, book covers, pricing and chose the size of the book that bests fits their needs as well as several other choices. Within hours, your work can appear on Amazon and available to customers around the world.