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As you all may know, there is less than a year until Book One is released! My friends excitedly ask me about publishing houses or how I am going to release it, and my answer is always “independent”.

Here is why.

Reason #1: The subjective roulette circle of traditional publishing takes luck, not skill. You need and agent to get published, and you need to have been published before to get an agent. They are the ones who pitch your deal to a publishing house, as you can’t get through to a publishing house by yourself. Agents are basically gambling when they sign a new book. They know how the dice have fallen before and bet on that, and are hesitant to take something that is novel, of all words. There is a risk, and while they hope they’re not letting anything good go, they need to bet on one number, not twenty. Often, they need to take on one book at a time, and it depends on who else has sent them a query letter. Also, you never know why they won’t take your book. See my personal examples below:

Rejection or opportunity?

Rejection or opportunity?

IMG_2485

So what is a person to do when no one will stand up and be their champion? You learn to fight, and luckily, I happen to have that background and mindset.

Once you get over the casino that is the publishing world, there is something else you have to decide if you publish Independent. You must figure out if you’re afraid of stigma.

Reason #2, I’m not afraid of stigma. I studied Psychology for my Bachelor’s, and they mention stigma as much as research methods, which is always the first chapter of every Psychology book in undergrad. I’m independent, my ideas are independent, and my multi-art marketing plan is independent, so why shouldn’t I be? I want to be hands on, and not watch my project from behind an advance that I might not earn back. I want my readers to have a world they belong in, because I had to build one to belong, therefore, I want to make the reading experience one I’d enjoy, and build it for them. The truth is that publishing houses and agents can love your work and tell other, but it’s nothing compared to the effect that peers have on readers. Would you trust someone your own age to give you a book recommendation more than you’d trust a professional you’ve never met? I think my readers are part of my generation, and my peers, so I think they’d like something I wrote with them in mind more than in industry professional that is just looking for the same big thing as opposed to the next big thing. I need to freedom to create, and have room in my world for others to live! Yes, I write because it’s fun, but don’t think I’m writing just for myself. That would be a lie. The idea of having freedom does not mean terrible writing.

Reason #3 Independent publishing does not mean bad writing, because traditional publishing does not mean good writing. Even some signed authors suppose Indies aren’t as great and don’t have the talent to write if no one is picking up their book for representation. Aces aren’t Spades. Haven’t you ever read a book recommended by a friend that was bad writing but a good plot? YOU HAVE. Even people with English degrees like me can write “bad” (subjectively of course). Word of mouth will make you read terrible things, but you know what? You will enjoy them. It’s the story that sells overall and things far worse than your writing have been published by a publishing house and consumed by the hungry masses. Indie authors are smart, and have access to professional covers and editing services. There is no reason we can’t be professional. Don’t let some Indie authors ruin it for the rest of us. View inside a book before you buy it, or read a sample chapter.  You like unsigned bands, go to small and independently run businesses, and are on Etsy all day. Don’t tell me you can’t get behind an independent author.

There you have it. This is why I am self-publishing. There will be many surprises during the journey of this series, and I’m so happy that there are people who are supporting this endeavor of mine.  Thank you.

Did this post’s pictures make anyone else want to take up jousting?
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