Self Publishing

For a long time I had the mind-set that self publishing wasn’t really what I’d consider ‘published’. To be fair I still, in a way, think this. It’s not that self publishing is a cop out or a sign that you’re a bad writer, it’s just that I strive to become published by a publishing house because I want that writing fame game. I want to sell books so I don’t have to work in an office. I want to go on book tours and talk to people about writing and be paid to do it. I don’t think it’s a bad thing to want to gain from the hard work.

That being said I’m leaning towards some self-publishing ideas at the moment because, these days, it’s so easy. With (the dreaded) Kindle you can have your book bought by people who might buy it on a whim. You can reach any country without having to worry about printing and shipping. You can build an audience without having to wait whilst contracts get sorted and publishing dates are decided by outside forces. You are in control.

The only downside is the pay, for me. Despite that major downside I’ve decided that I’m going to self publish some stories just for the fun of it. For the practice and for getting experience with feedback and just throwing something out into the world. People who self-publish are brave as hell for their guts of steel. Having others read your writing is something of a strange experience but you have to do it… obviously.

Basically I just wanted to convince myself that self publishing is a good idea so… let me know what you think and if you have experiences that might help!

Sam