Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Self-Publish: An Argument Realized

At a seminar on the business of writing, held by the local and talented Erik Wecks, we went over the traditional model of publishing and self-publishing. Erik touched on the timeline for each method and the benefits. I wanted to pick his brain a little more, like the hungry little zombie I am, but time was short. In all, it was a fun discourse, and I recommend anyone in the Portland area to check out any future seminars by Mr. Wecks. I know I plan to.

Self-pub in mind, I picked up the ole historical binoculars and spied backward to 2011 and my original post about self-publishing Hammerblood.

(Amusing tidbit: I mentioned publishing a book in 2014—what a coincidence!)

There are so many considerations when it comes to putting your work out there, but my key point for self-publishing still rings true today: Time. I can fail in either respect. No matter how big the publisher, no matter how stellar the talent of who I work with, the book could still release to lackluster sales and never take off. And to get there I could be waiting for years. On my own, the time schedule is all me. And on my own, I have no bottom line to meet. If I fail, I retool and continue.

And then there is the second big reason: Control. Without a publisher, I have all the control. I kinda like that.

So, now that the book is done and I’m fully convinced self-pub is the way to go, what’s next? (The cover! The cover. Don’t forget about the cover!)

(Shhh…it’s coming.)

2 comments:

  1. Time and Control are definitely reasons why I went into self-pub. Also, a writer friend convinced me the time had come for me to stop trying the traditional route. So far, no regrets.

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  2. Fantastic to hear. Can't wait to dive in, seems like the water's fine.

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