Alone or With Friends: When to Self-Publish?
Something I've been thinking about a lot lately: why do people approach the self-publishing discussion from an "either or" perspective? One can either be a self-published author or work with a publisher. You can switch, but you can't do both at the same time.
This strikes me as kind of counter-intuitively passé: conforming to the stigmatism of self-publishing that assumes authors go alone because they can't get a publisher, while at the same time fighting to "prove" that self-published works can be just as good. If self-publishing is just as good then it's really just another tool in the author's toolbox, right? Why not do both?
In the past I've done both. In the immediate future I have a couple of projects on either side. For me the decision to self-publish was not about what was best for me as a writer (legitimacy -vs- better rights) but what was best for the particular project.
How I've Made the Decision for Past, Present and Future Projects
Split-Self
Placed with Publisher
When I finished the first draft, Split-Self was a mess. Frankly, the second draft was a bit of a mess too. It needed so much editing work and it was my first romance novel, a genre I had little experience in as a reader let alone as a writer. The publisher provided exactly what I needed: a good swift kick in the ass 
It took almost a full year (unusually long for a romance novel) but by the end I was extremely happy with the result. The publisher's existing lists introduced me to many new readers. I sold (and continue to sell) more books than I would have on my own.
The Destructibles
Placed with Publisher
This was written specifically for 1889 Labs. I was really impressed by the quality of their books and knew I wanted to work with them on something. This idea seemed like a perfect fit. If they hadn't liked it, I probably would not have written the book. In retrospect, I should have sat on the idea a little bit and given myself more time to work with it on my own. I love the final result, but there are some elements that if I had to do again I would not do the way I did them. Ultimately 1889 Labs helped me realize that, and I think I came out a better writer for it. Plus it's always nice to be awed by MCM's amazing talent for giving you exactly the cover you want without talking to you about it at all.
Guttersnipe
To Be Self-Published
Originally this was accepted conditionally by the same publisher that handled Split-Self … unfortunately the condition in question was that I completely rewrite it. I had broken all the rules of romance, created a dark erotic thriller that was unpublishable not because it involved sex slavery and plenty of dubious consent (no, no that was fine!) but because I refused to cap it off with a Disney-esque happily ever after. Two more major m/m publishers gave me exactly the same feedback. I hate to fly in the face of what everyone is trying to tell me, but I don't understand why any reader would buy a dystopian future involving sex slavery only to get pissed off when things don't end happily ever after? Aren't there enough Nicholas Sparks books to go around? Can't a book deal with a dark topic in a fun, snarky way and yet still be realistic about the fact that love does not save people, heal significant trauma, or transform them into better people?
How to Quit Playing Hockey
To Be Placed with Publisher (probably)
Depending on how pissed off I still am about Guttersnipe, Split-Self's publisher will probably get the first look at this coming-out novella. The characters originally appeared in a short story freebie called There's Cock In This Book, that everyone seems to love but everyone seems to hate the ending of (oops). Take note readers: if you make enough noise about something the muses get their act together. There are a couple of concerns that might keep this one from being placed. One, the characters originate from something I self-published. I'm honestly not sure how a publisher is going to feel about that, but I am sure I do not want to take down the original story or rerelease it for any price other than FREE. Two, this is ultimately a sweet story about a real issue (homosexuality in professional sports). I don't want a sexy man-titties cover, but I feel like the publisher will probably want to go with what "sells". Three, I've build the demand for this book on my own … do I really want to split revenue with a publisher if I don't have to? On the other hand, this is the type of book that should be accepted really easily: it's follows the rule of romance, it's short, it will promote the backlist to new readers. And with a publisher it will be more visible and more likely to be considered for potential awards than it would if I went alone.
Season in The Red
To be Self-Published
This is a reboot of a webserial I did before Split-Self. It was very popular, but it was also deeply flawed (too many characters, too long, narrator was unbelievably annoying). I've wanted to redo it for a while, borrowing from the serial structure used in romance novels (where installments do not continue the story but merely pluck two minor characters from a previous installment and make them the new major characters). Problem is it's about hockey players and is not a romance. It's more a Shonen Jump style 'peak behind the curtain into the secret life of men' story, a genre I affectionately refer to as "slash fodder". I think it's fair to say that not many publishers are going to "get" this approach. They'll either want to market it to boys or they'll assume they need love stories in order to market it to girls.
Reversal
Undecided
This m/m romance about regret, heartbreak and time travel involves me applying a lot of the things I learned about psychological thrillers while writing Guttersnipe to a book that isn't as dark or controversial. That being said I'm not sure how m/m publishers will react to it. It's not an easy 'two people fall in love' story, but it's not angsty in predictable ways either. I feel like if I don't prove myself with Guttersnipe, I'll probably get a lot of push back to make this story more cheerful … which I'm not particularly interested in doing.
The Freelancers
To Be Self-Published
My baby An epic crime/spy m/m trilogy. I've spoke to a few publishers about it, but I always decide against submitting. Too much plot for the m/m publishers, too much gay for everybody else. I want the freedom to make this a tragedy if I see fit. I want the freedom to make the romance secondary when that makes sense. First draft of the first book is done. I want to revise it a bit, handle certain things better (like the main character's transsexual lover), take out some stuff I wrote to make other people happy and tighten up the beginning. That kind of revision would go better with a publisher, but I doubt I can get the compromises I would need to handle the concerns listed above.
Girls On Top
To Be Placed with Publisher
Assuming 1889 Labs is ever ready to run this serial, it's theirs. Promises to be really scandalous story about the New York tech scene. Perfect for a publisher because it has that convenient "THIS super popular thing meets THIS super popular thing" breakdown that publishers love (the Social Network meets Gossip Girl) and even though 1889 doesn't really care about that, we have special plans for it that make that kind of instant marketability really important.
Untitled YA Transsexual Story
To Be Placed with Publisher (if anyone has the balls)
This one is still in the really early stages, but it's about the only work I've ever done where I'd really like to see it placed with a Big Six publisher (hahahaha, yeah right) so I feel like it's worth adding to the list for that reason alone. I'm not the sort of writer who fantasizes about being in bookstores. I really like being a little shit no one pays attention to: it means I can have fun hanging out on GoodReads without people freaking out. But this … well this one is different. If I ever finish it and if I ever find a publisher that will take it for a YA market despite my sordid past of delicious porn filled romance novels (^_^) it will be significant. It's a Scifi dystopian dealing with a sub-species of humanity that is sequentially hermaphroditic, the guerilla war breaking out between them and their gender static oppressors and two teenagers caught in the middle. Gender identity issues abound, with any luck it will get banned in a few states and thrown out of libraries.
Kingmakers
Undecided
Another in development project, all I'll say about this one is it's built around the idea 'What if Stephen Colbert actually ran for President?' Definitely running this as a webserial first, hoping to have it ready for fall After the serialization I'm not yet sure what I will do with it. Wouldn't mind giving it to 1889Labs, but that will depend on their schedule.
How Do You Decide?
Conversations about whether to self-publish always seem to be focused on the wrong things. It's not about control, or money, or credibility. Not every book will do well with a publisher, and there's nothing worse than a mishandled masterpiece.
For first time or small time authors the publisher is frequently an originality crushing bully. You get talked down to a lot and told ridiculous things by editors barely out of grad school. You frequently have to fight to keep your vision intact and people resent the hell out of you for it.
At the same time, being pushed by a publisher is the best way to sharpen your skills as a writer, and there's no arguing with the sales figures. Unless you have a healthy and growing backlist you will sell more with a publisher.
So most of the time, when I have something relatively straight-forward with little divergence from what I know the publisher wants, I'll put it with a publisher. Everything challenging or risky I'd rather save the time and aggravation and put it out myself. I'm not interested in fighting editors over "what readers want", I don't give a shit what readers want. I write the books that I want If they also, coincidentally, happen to be the books that publishers want then, yeah I'll sign on the dotted line. Otherwise… well, in this day and age with Good Reads and Amazon I feel like writers can have their cake and eat it too. Readers will be introduced to you through traditionally published works, then become the market for your self-published stuff.
