A few years ago, I read a blog post on the dispute as to whether or not Indie publishers are unreputable. The author simply reflected the very fact that she had been published by a publisher, and her take was rather harsh.
I was a bit flabbergasted that anyone could view my handful of independently published books as what, not enough? Am I always improving my craft? Yes. Do I write a lot almost every day? Yes.
This isn’t the first time I have come across this sort of discrimination of sorts.
I have been blogging and self-publishing for over 15 years. Have I always known what I was doing? Well, no. Did I research and find the answers that I needed? Well, yes.
I wanted to have someone publish my books, but I felt as if I was not really ready, nor did I have any idea what to do to get that accomplished.
But, the real question remains, why self-publish in the first place? The reasons are plentiful.
If you have never considered self-publishing, or you are considering it, but have not done it, then let this be your opportunity.
There remain plenty of reasons to self-publish. And, even then, self-publishing provides a platform for the next step of landing a publishing contract. But, I believe the three top reasons self-publishers start this way are because:
- You are short on funds
- Your work is lesser known and you want to put out your writing name a bit.
- Your writing genre remains a bit on the dark side.
- Self-publishing helps you write multiple books for the general Amazon audience
So, if you remain on the fence about self-publication, consider this.
Your budget is limited
While I do know that I wanted to publish a book, I wondered if I had the money. Publishing companies told me I had to put money down and as a full-time mom, I knew we did not have enough money.
However, what I did learn in my research is that publishing a book through a major publishing house does not cost you upfront money, but they receive a portion of your book sales. Further, finding a publicist helps you land the best book deal for your book.
You are building your platform
One thing you build when you launch your first books or even articles is your profile. You may have been writing for years, but have simply never published for many reasons.
Writing, building a website or blog, and then self-publishing a book helps build your platform as a writer. It says who you are, and what you write, and helps you build a tribe.
Your writing genre remains a bit dark
So, let’s say you write dark thrillers, gore or horror. In all honesty, many traditional publishers do not publish these genres very much. But, you probably already know this.
So, one way to get around this remains to self-publish while you look for smaller publishers who do like to publish in your genre. For you, self-publishing can be a great start.
You write How-to Books
While getting published with your how-to books is a possibility, truly writing several of them and self-publishing on Amazon helps you create a passive income.
Let’s face it, we all search Amazon not just for things to buy, but also for information. Publishing on Kindle helps you put your name out there for specific topics potential readers search for.
The trick remains to write a series of books that teach your Amazon readers something that you know a lot about.
Self-Publishing Rules the Roost in Today’s Market
While plenty of formally published people would disagree, I see the self-publishing market as completely viable, accessible, and interactive with the online market.
Even if you think there is no way you could self-publish, you would be surprised at how simple the process really is.
If you can write a book, edit it, and create a book cover on a photo editing program like Canva, you can completely self-publish.
Get started with Kindle’s Self-Publishing platform!
