So You Want To Publish Yourself

Who doesn't want to publish themselves? No editors, no critiques, no waiting around for the book to be published. Trust me, these points are all worth waiting for.

I see self-publishing as an excuse. I often hear other authors complaining about:

1. Nobody's open for submissions! -- Plenty of people are - agents and publishers alike -- but patience is the best trait an author can have.
2. Nobody gets my vision! -- Really? Or is it that your query fell flat or the story quite simply wasn't written well?

If you are an author and you self-publish just because you desperately want to see your book in print and you aren't in the business to make money, great, more power to you. There's more self-publishers than lip gloss on the market. Lulu, CreateSpace, Outskirts Press, PublishAmerica, the list goes on and on. I do firmly believe that most authors who self-publish have stars in their eyes, thinking they will make millions because no publishing fees are deducted. I admit, I don't doubt there are the select few who understand the business completely and are fully aware of the implications of it, not to mention how the rest of the professional industry views it. But again, I think those individuals are a select few.

Patience, patience, patience. It's my opinion that a high perecentage of self-publication is due to impatience. The author can't wait, can't take rejection, and can't handle not having full control over the product. Let me repeat myself here and bow down to redundancy.

Professional publication is worth the wait. I've met authors that brag about publishing 20 books. 20 books they never had to submit or compete against other authors for. 20 books they handed over to AuthorHouse and now have 30 boxes of books collecting dust in their garages.

My last rant on the subject. If you do self-publish, now why you're doing it and understand the results. Self-publishing will not give you Laurell K. Hamilton status. Realize what you're doing it for.

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http://www.examiner.com/x-41722-Publishing-Examiner~y2010m3d28-Top-5-Reasons-Manuscripts-Are-Rejected

http://www.examiner.com/x-41722-Publishing-Examiner~y2010m3d25-Publishers-Open-for-Submissions-in-2010