C h a z z W r i t e s . c o m

See all my books at AllThatChazz.com.

The revolution is over. We won.

When you’re going through Hell, keep going. Heaven is waiting on the other side.

If you’re an indie author who dares to tell someone you write books, eventually, some knob will ask, “Self-published?” As if you’re supposed to be ashamed that you not only write but run a publishing business. We’re getting past that stigma but good news, like progress, doesn’t arrive everywhere at the same time. A cousin of mine, for instance, is convinced I’m staying up nights, pining for a publishing deal from Manhattan. Nope. Sleeping pretty well these days, actually.

Casual observers don’t know that “self-published” does not mean you’re working alone. You hire editors and designers. You’ve got spreadsheets to manage. There’s advertising to pay for, stats to watch, taxes to pay and lots of invigorating work to do. It’s a business pretty much indistinguishable from many publishing firms. There’s pressure, sure, but we can boast several competitive advantages. We’re typically small businesses but small businesses are the backbone of the economy, right? Independent doesn’t mean we’re starry-eyed goofballs (at least, no more so than in any other industry.)

I worked in traditional publishing for several years so I don’t feel much allure from that camp. That’s not where I get my validation. I’d consider a hybrid deal but my terms and aims would not fit the boilerplate contracts most publishers offer. And I’m not complaining, by the way. There’s room for everybody to do their thing. Personally, I don’t need to be in bookstores if I’m finding readers and making money from online platforms. This is not a rant against the traditionally published, merely an assertion that we are taking our place as peers, not wannabes and also-rans. All my writing heroes were traditionally published (or hybrid) so no disrespect at all. 

Here’s the thing about building confidence: don’t look for validation from the uninformed.

Relatives don’t understand that our art is not necessarily a hobby, a simple passion project or pathetic therapy. It’s okay if it hasn’t taken off and grown wings but most of us expect to make a profit from all that hard work. We value and respect what we do with the written word. We’re deadly serious about telling great stories and writing books that can stand up to any competition.

Many of us are going from business losses to supplementary income to careers as full-time writers. Going from loss to profit is the arc of great redemption stories and many businesses, too. If you don’t feel good about your status in the industry — and many of us have been unsure — it’s time to relax into the rhythm of creativity, productivity, quality assurance and self-assurance.

Why should casual observers know our business, anyway? That’s not on them. It’s on us.

Outsiders don’t know the advantageous math of independent publishing. I don’t blame them for that and I don’t worry about it, either. A fierce commitment to independence and control insulates me from that criticism. Now, when someone looks at me askance and asks if I’m self-published as if it’s a dirty word, I tell them I’m an author and a publisher. I’m in the publishing business. Entrepreneurial artists aren’t losers. We are beasts clawing and chewing up our share of the market and finding readers who love our work. For us, the market is the gatekeeper.

When I started this blog, we talked about a lot about the self-publishing revolution. That’s so 2011. I’m over it. The foundation is built. We’ve gone through Hell. Now we’re doing the daily work to build larger readerships, legacies, empires and castles in the sky. 

I’m a writer and a publisher, all in, loud and proud. 

~ You can check out my books of science fiction and suspense at AllThatChazz.com.

If you’re a fan of my work, just into the Inner Circle on Facebook here.

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