TO SELF-PUBLISH OR NOT TO SELF-PUBLISH: THAT IS THE QUESTION

Ek'abo Ebi! (Welcome Family!)

I am currently facing a conundrum.  When I started my journey with Amachi’s Hope, I was absolutely sure that my path would lead me to traditional publishing.  I queried agents and publishers with my mind set in that direction. But as time progressed, I began to re-evaluate my decision.  Is traditional publishing the right choice for me? Or should I consider self-publishing instead.  I know. I know. “A decision like that should be made before you start querying.”  But things can happen during that time that may affect or cause you to question your choice.

When I wrote my book, I placed it squarely under the category of YA fantasy.  But then I found out about other genres such as: speculative fiction and sword and soul (for those of you who are not familiar, sword and soul is African-inspired heroic fantasy) and I discovered that my book may also fall under one of those categories.  Not to mention how certain elements of my story (e.g. Yoruba deities etc.) influenced my book’s sub-genre.

I needed to decide which option would most benefit my book and me.  So I decided to sit down and review the pros and cons; self-publishing vs. traditional publishing.

SELF-PUBLISHING

There are a number of pros and cons for self-publishing but the ones that stood out for me were:

Pro:    You have control over the price of your book and the cover art

Con:   You are solely responsible for marketing your book

Pro:    Publication is instant

Con:   You are also financially responsible for professional editing and formatting

TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING

Here are the options I found interesting for traditional publishing:

Pro:    Publisher is responsible for distribution and marketing

Con:   It can take months before your book is published

Pro:    Advance J

Con:   Difficult to break into the industry

Pro:    The publisher handles the editing and formatting

Con:   Your opinions/decisions in regards to your book don’t hold much weight (e.g. cover art)

A small-press publisher even informed me that if you self-publish, you can still pursue traditional publishing or a traditional publisher may consider your work. Goodness.  My hands were up in the air.  What choice was best for me?

Would my story draw a larger readership if I self-publish first? Would a publisher be able to reach out to more people than I can?  After some extensive research, I realized that there’s a market and following for my kind of book.  Not to mention, there are a number of publishers who handle fantasy based books influenced by cultures that are outside the norm.  So where does that leave me?

Regardless of my decision, I believe in me and my story.  Isn’t that all that really matters?  What direction have you decided to take? I would love to hear about your journey!

Mari e laipe!

See you soon!

S-

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Thanks for visiting ‘Amachi is Hope.’ If you were inspired or felt a connection with today’s blog (or any of my previous entries) please leave a comment. J

COLLEAGUE OR COMPETITOR

Ek'abo Ebi! (Welcome Family!)

Last Friday at 5:00 p.m., I was standing at the corner waiting for my bus to arrive.  Looking up, my eyes were drawn to the different names of companies that currently have offices in my vicinity.  Among them are law firms.  Most of these firms house attorneys that practice in the same or similar areas of the law.  Through my years in this field, I’ve noticed that attorneys tend to extend a certain level of professional courtesy when dealing with one another.  There are rules that are enforced by the court and some that are not.  But there are a few attorneys (though it’s not something you hear a lot about) who choose not to offer professional courtesy and decide that it would be easier to “step on a few toes” to get to the top.  This left me wondering: In the world of writing, are we colleagues or are we competitors?

I mean when you think about it, it’s impossible to know the actual number of authors in the world.  They are separated in so many different ways. Published, unpublished, fiction, non-fiction, romance, fantasy, you name it. Everyday someone new comes onto the scene, hoping to break through and become the next best thing.  They compete with authors who have been out there for a long time.  Some are famous, some are just waiting for the right opportunity, and some may not be discovered at all. (No negativity impliedJ)

In addition, they compete for the attention of publishers and literary agents hoping that their query will be the key to opening the door to a new career. Agents and publishers receive thousands of queries each year.  They sift through manuscripts written by individuals who are also interested in your genre of choice.  You may be competing with someone who’s more eloquent than you.  He/she may already have a foot hold with an agent they met at a recent writer’s conference. Let’s not even think about the person who has a literary agent reaching out to publishers on their behalf. Basically, whatever you write better be a cut above the rest.

With so many possible roadblocks out there, how can we be colleagues and not competitors?  With all the insanity going on, it is quite easy to forget our true purpose.  What is this purpose you ask?  When you look at the big picture, an author’s purpose is to entertain and/or educate a reader.  If you haven’t already figured it out, writers serve a great purpose in this world.

In the past, people who told stories were greatly respected. At a time when there was no such thing as television or radio, a minstrel, bard, griot, spinner of yarns, fabler, or even a troubadour shared or created (with embellishment and color) stories about our past. Generation to generation this skill was passed on (some even believed that this ability was inherited through the blood) until our ancestors began writing their stories on walls, or papyrus, using cuneiform, hieroglyphics or other forms of language to get their message across.

In the present, you have to wonder if the real purpose of writing has been lost.  Do we do it because we want to some how benefit the human race?  To amuse or teach a young child?  To help teenagers open a door to a new universe? To introduce a recluse to the world awaiting them outside their door? Or is it all about financial gain?

Don’t get me wrong, I would LOVE to be able to dedicate my time to writing and not the 9 to 5 that most of us face each day.  But would I lose something in the process? As colleagues, not competitors we want to be able to teach one another.  To give a helping hand to those of us who are struggling; to point each other in the right direction. The writing community is a big part of what makes us the writers we are or what we hope to become in the future. 

There is a lot of money to be made in literature.  But I hope that we (that being writers and the powers that be) don’t forget the true purpose of writing. Let’s work towards being colleagues on a higher level and competitors on a lesser level. J

Mari e laipe!

See you soon!

S-

*****

Thanks for visiting ‘Amachi is Hope.’ If you were inspired or felt a connection with today’s blog (or any of my previous entries) please leave a comment.J