Indie publishing is on the rise.

It’s not what it used to be.

Self-publishing is where you go if you can’t make it in the “real world.”

Indie books are low-quality.

You can’t realistically make money as an indie author.

All of these things are slowly changing from truth to lies. I’m sure there are exceptions to the rule, but most authors choose to go indie by choice, not because they couldn’t make it in the “real world.” And I’m seeing a trend towards higher quality books in this market. And I’m definitely seeing people make money.

I’m not really going into this because of the money (though higher royalties is definitely a plus). I have my own reasons for wanting to go indie instead of traditional.

Before I get into this, I just want to say: by no means am I trying to make out traditional publishing to be bad or not the way you should go (that’s your choice alone), I’m just stating my own personal opinions. I chose self-publishing for a number of reasons that are unique to me.

Within the past couple months, I’ve really been inspired and thought-provoked by indie authors. Especially Abbie Emmons, who is releasing her debut novel 100 Days of Sunlight in August. She’s made me realize that you can make it in the book world as an indie author. With a lot of work, your book can look as good as the ones published by the big publishing houses. 

I do realize that publishing houses have a lot (a lot, a lot, a lot) more experience and resources than I do, but I’ve seen hard-working writers do well in the indie world.

Now, before I start rambling on and on about self-publishing, let’s just get into the reasons why I want to go that path…

01. I want to be an entrepreneur

I’ve always wanted to start a business. A small one by myself and/or one with my family. And when you think about it, self-publishing is kind of like starting a business. You’re creating a product, hiring people/services, and handling all the marketing and advertising and such that goes along with the product. Business and entrepreneurial things just excite me, and I’d like to spread that passion into my writing life.

02. I’m kind of a DIYer

I like to do things myself. I like to know exactly what’s going on. I just enjoy doing things all. by. myself. (*cough*introvert*cough*).

There isn’t much more to say on this. I’ve just always loved to learn about the behind-the-scenes stuff that makes something happen, and I like to be a part of that whenever I can.

03. I want to have more control over my book

Call me a control freak.

I’m not about everything, but I kind of am about my books. I like to know exactly how my book’s doing. I like to be in control of where and how it’s marketed and advertised. I want to be able to choose a cover I adore instead of taking a chance that I’ll get one that I don’t really like (I do realize the importance of a cover designed for the market it’s reaching though). It makes me nervous that in the end, the publisher is the one who gets the final say in decisions. I just like to get in there and get my hands dirty and, you guessed it, do it myself.

Okay, I’m a control freak. 😛

04. Keeping all the rights for my book

I want to be able to keep all the rights to my stories. I’d prefer not to sign them away to a publisher, where their decision is final, not mine.

05. Flexibility

I like the flexibility of starting your own business. You set the hours and what/how much work you get done. I’m nervous about signing a contract that would require me to write more than my lifestyle could hold. I want to be able to spend time with my family and enjoy other things.

By no means am I saying that I will be slacking with my work. I enjoy work (a little too much maybe). And I’m not saying that traditionally published authors are over-worked and don’t have time for family and etc. This is just what will seem to work best for me, my family, and our lifestyle.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Kind of the first time I really talked about publishing and my plans for such. Let me know if you want to read more posts about indie publishing in the future.

And again I just want to say that I am not trying to put down traditional publishing in any way. Both paths have their own pros and cons. It’s just up to you to figure out what’s best for you and your books. Thanks for reading!

Write on,

JOIN THE CLUB!

Do you know yet which publishing path you want to take? What are your reasons for your decision? Do you want to see more indie publishing posts in the future?

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