Ruminations on Self-Publishing.

Why self-publish? Well, mostly because getting published the old-fashioned way is really hard.

The best writers in the world will tell you stories of the countless rejections they faced when trying to get a publisher, or an agent. How many doors were slammed in their faces before one opened. I’ve heard the stories of how frustrating, disheartening, and soul-crushing it can be. I’ve faced it myself, it’s no fun. Sometimes it’s enough to make you want to quit writing. But then you remember, those writers got through it and went on to great success… because they kept writing, they believed in themselves, and they wouldn’t take no for an answer.

The beauty of self-publishing today is that it’s a truly viable alternative to the old-fashioned way. I don’t have to wait for an agent or a publisher to like my work, or tell me they deem it good enough, or decide that it fits into the slot of whatever it is they’re currently looking for, because it’s the most commercially viable or fits an ideology that’s in favor.

With the right amount of creativity, ingenuity, confidence, and help from those who’ve self-published before me, I can do it myself. Oh, and having a good story. You kinda need that too. Therein lies the heart of the matter. I believe I have a good story and that I’ve written a book that people will want to read. 

Now, I might be delusional. Maybe people will think my story sucks and that I can’t write, but that’s the risk you take when you do anything creative and put it out into the world for an audience. You hope they’ll come, and you hope they’ll love your work, or like it at the very least. Could it turn out to be a waste of time and money? Believe it or not, I’m not doing it for money. I mean, of course I’d love for it to be successful so I can make my living as a writer, but money isn’t the motivation. Creating a story, characters, and a world people want to keep returning to and reading about is the goal. If I do that, money will come (fingers crossed). And time? Honestly, the time I’ve put into creating I Am Dragon has been an absolute labor of love, so fly or fall, I’ll never view it as a waste.

The bottom line for me when deciding to self-publish was this, I didn’t want to wait on others anymore, or be at the mercy their decisions. I got tired of hoping the publishing gate-keepers would tell me my book was ready for the world. I wanted my Dragon to spread his wings and fly. So I decided to be the wind beneath them, and help him soar.

So here we are, my Dragon and me. I hope you enjoy the flight!