Why I Self-Publish

I completed my first full (yet terrible) book-length story in middle school. Since I enjoyed writing it so much, I considered becoming a published author one day. Naturally, this required a publication method. I had first learned about traditional publishing in elementary school, and at the time, I had just recently learned about self-publishing. I thought about these two options, weighed their pros and cons, and decided to pursue self-publishing. It’s been years since then, and I still haven’t changed my mind.

When I learned about traditional publishing, I learned that authors need agents. Finding one, however, seemed like a daunting task. I needed a professional to be interested enough to actually look at my story and then decide it was good enough to be worth marketing to the publishing companies. I was aware that this part of the process could take a long time, too, and that I would need to be prepared for multiple rejections from different agents and publishing companies. I was, or at least I expected to be. This was, in the end, a part of the process that I believed would be manageable. It was the next part that concerned me.

I was aware, of course, that traditional publishing companies were supposed to make my book “better.” They hired professional editors, and these editors would advise me, guiding me to make important structural changes and polish my prose. I eventually learned that “better” was subjective. These companies were actually making books “as marketable as possible” rather than simply “better.” This is, of course, understandable. They need to make money, and authors also need to make money. Releasing books that are likely to sell well is beneficial to both parties.

This leads to my big concern: publishing companies can make books worse. This may be because they want to capitalize on current trends or target specific audiences or because there’s simply a difference in opinion on what counts as “good writing.” It doesn’t matter why the change happens. What matters is that, sometimes, a story failure is due to the interference of editors or other people high-up in the company. This is a nightmare for me. Self-publishing may limit my success, but it also ensures that my failures are solely due to my own mistakes. Basically, I want my story to be my story, for better or for worse.

Self-publishing isn’t easy. I am very aware of that. Book publication is a complex process that involves a large variety of skills, from writing to cover design to marketing. Ideally, traditional publishing companies manage most of it for you, but when you self-publish, you have to either do everything yourself or pay someone else. It is, admittedly, a little overwhelming, and I imagine it’ll take years to learn the process well enough to be successful. Still, I have no regrets. My stories may be flawed, but at least I can say they are truly my stories. That’s what matters most to me.