Why I Chose Self-Publishing

Submitting your files is both exciting and terrifying

I am often asked about the reasons why I chose to opt for self-publishing with my debut novella as opposed to the more traditional method and given that they are numerous, it seemed that the best way to try and explain them was to write a post solely for that purpose.

Firstly, the world of publishing is cut-throat. When a publisher has a seemingly never ending pile of manuscripts to get through, one submitted by a young writer with no previous book deals will inevitably be tossed to the side in most cases without so much as a second glance. They need ways to filter through the load and as harsh as it is, that’s the reality any budding author must face.

This is all assuming your manuscript even makes it onto a publisher’s desk in the first place of course, which brings me to my second point. Due to such demand on their time, most of the best and most successful publishing houses (the ones that will actually promote your book and help you earn some money) will not accept submissions directly from authors. Instead, those seeking a book deal must hire a literary agent to approach publishers on their behalf; an endeavour that while hugely helpful, is both time consuming and often very expensive.

Accepting that big publishers simply were not a viable option for my debut book, one could argue that smaller, more local publishers may have been an option. In reality however, most small publishers only handle the physical production of your book (formatting, printing, etc.) and while that is all well and good, it won’t amount to much if nobody actually knows about it being available. It is still the job of the author to promote, promote, promote and sell, sell, sell, which in reality is often the most arduous and important step anyway, meaning you sacrifice a substantial cut of profit and control but are still expected to put in the hard graft.

My own personality was another important factor in my decision to self-publish. My desire to retain control over my creation and my hesitation to jump in at the deep end right away meant that dipping my toe into the water of the industry by taking the process at my own speed and doing things in my own way really appealed, especially since this was my first book. It was gaining experience and achieving a dream that were my goals with The Vessel, not fame and fortune. Thus, self-publishing was ideal.

All in all, I made the decision because it was the right one for me and more importantly, the right one for my book, which is now available in the UK and the US, among others. Will I self-publish again? Definitely. Does that mean I will never attempt the more traditional method? Not necessarily. There is no set formula to decide the path to take, as both have tremendous benefits to offer. You must instead weigh up your options, trust your instincts and go for the method you feel will best accomplish what you hope to achieve with your own work. Whichever route you take, good luck and I hope to see your books out there in the world one day!

To any other writers, I would love to know: Which method of publishing did you use and what made you decide to do so?

The Aftermath of Publishing

The first time I held my own book.

Though I have only done it once, I can already tell you with great certainty that publishing your own book is a very strange feeling. Having spent countless hours writing, re-writing and tweaking your story until you feel it is at the very best it can be, you package it up into a neat little paperback and send it off into the world to be judged.  Holding my book in my own hands was great but the thought of it also being in the hands of other people was very odd indeed.

This is where things took a rather unexpected turn for me however, as it is the positive feedback that has thrown me the most. Being the natural pessimist that I am, I automatically assume that anything I write will be loathed by anyone else who casts their eyes upon it, meaning that by the time I was ready to proceed with publication of my debut novella, The Vessel, I had almost prepared myself for people to hate it. Imagine my surprise and confusion when suddenly people were congratulating me and offering words of praise for the world and the characters I had created.

Only now that the dust has settled and the gut-wrenching nerves have subsided somewhat (I couldn’t even be in the same room as my own family when they read it at first), I can finally start to embrace the positivity and, little by little, continue to let other people into what was once my private world but is now, quite literally, an open book to be shared by anyone who happens to be at all interested. Though the content of books will forever be subject to personal taste and individual interpretation, this is what I love most about them and I can’t tell you how utterly invigorating it has been to find that some other people out there have shared in my original hopes for what The Vessel could be.

A strange feeling perhaps but one I certainly hope I’m lucky enough to experience again.