A Few Reasons Why I Gave Self-Publishing a Try
Recently, I got an email from Allyson, young, aspiring writer. She had a great question that I thought I’d answer here on the blog today. Her question was this: “I can’t decide whether I want to self-publish or traditional publish . . . I know you’ve done both, and I’ve been curious why you self-publish your YA books?”
To self-publish or go with a traditional publisher, that is the question these days, isn’t it?
I can speak to the traditional side of things since I’ve published over two dozen novels with four different traditional publishers. I can also speak to the indie side of the equation since I’ve now released a dozen indie books. I’m what is known as a hybrid author, one who has her feet firmly planted in both the traditional and indie publishing worlds.
I started off in traditional publication before self-publishing came of age. And being the driven and ambitious personality that I am, I knew almost from the start of the indie explosion that I wanted to give it a try. There were many reasons why, but here are just a few that drew me:
1. More publishing opportunities: I’m a prolific writer, mainly because I love telling stories and always feel at my best when I’m writing the first draft of a book. Thus, my writing output exceeds the needs of traditional publishers. The indie route allows me to put out as many books as I want.
2. More control of the process: While there are many benefits to working with a traditional publisher (that is an entire post of itself!), I’ve also learned that I enjoy having the final say on many aspects of the publication process. With indie publishing, I get to nitpick at my covers until they’re exactly what I like. I get to set the prices that feel right to me. I get to determine the publication schedule that works best for my life.
3. More control of the content: With traditional publication, when contract renewals come around, I have to work within my publisher’s parameters to find new book ideas that will be acceptable to them. However, with indie publishing, I can write about whatever sounds fun to me, including carrying on series.
As I said, those are just a few among many reasons I choose to indie publish. But that doesn’t answer Allyson’s question completely, since she wanted to know why I chose to self-publish my YA books.
The answer is actually a little complicated (so I’ll give you the very abridged version!). My first YA series, the Uncertain Choice Series, was published by Zondervan. After finishing the first contract with them, I had an idea for another series (my Lost Princess Series), but Zondervan wanted something a little different. Rather than give up what I was passionate about writing, I declined their contract and decided to write the next series on my own.
Ever since, I’ve loved being able to have the complete freedom to write the YA books that I enjoy. So I’ve continued to publish them independently. In fact, I’m working on a brand new six-book series, Knights of Brethren. Book one, Enamored, hits shelves in just a few weeks!
What about YOU? What other advice would you give (from either a writer’s or reader’s perspective) about traditional or indie publishing?
