Publishing Woes

How I publish my novel can make or break it. I’ve already decided not to put my time and money into dazzling an agent so I can put more time and money into that person trying to dazzle a publisher. It works for many and it’s a great route to go, but it’s not for me. I decided early on to self-publish my book.

Well then I discovered that there are publishers that you can self-submit to. These new and/or independent publishing companies don’t require an agent. The downside is that they don’t generally pay as well and they almost never give advances. I was still thinking about going this route, at least at the beginning. I read through some companies.  I even submitted my first five pages to a company who only wants the first five.

There is something I have to remind myself though. I can’t sell myself short. While this may be the only shot I ever have of getting a publisher, I could also potentially be passing up major opportunities by tying myself down to a company that can’t give my book justice. I’m not trying to say I’m too good for these companies, it’s just not the route I want to go. My dream is to be signed with Simon & Schuster. Will that happened? I’m not holding my breath… but what if my book turns out to be a big hit and they want me after I have a contract with someone I really don’t want a contract with.

For now… I’m going to stay with the self-publishing and release my book when planned. It may not become an immediate hit, but I think it’s good enough to be. Having confidence in ourselves is more important than anything else.