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

AMACHI'S HOPE - STATUS

I’m moving forward on my journey to publish Amachi’s Hope.  After the eye opening experience I had last month, (See my entry on Multiculturalism in Schools), I would like to pursue the self-publishing route.  But I haven’t given up on finding the “right” literary agent or publishing company.  The one who will share my vision for what I would like my story to become. A tool to educate, entertain and perhaps enlighten a reader.

I’m pushing pass the obstacles and grabbing hold of the opportunities.  A few weeks ago, I entered a piece of poetry in a writing contest given by the Library of Virginia. The piece had to connect with one of a number of photos currently on display at an exhibition.

This is not necessarily my comfort zone, but it doesn’t hurt to try. I must say, had someone asked me to enter such a contest in the past, I would have looked at them with skepticism written all over my face.  I have gained a certain level of confidence since this whole experience started. And I’ve definitely developed a lot more backbone J  Has it been this way for you?

By doing this, I hope to develop another skill and perhaps make a new connection.  Especially if I’m one of the winners! J  You’ve got to keep your pencil sharpened even if it’s not just writing prose. 

I hope to have some more news for you in the near future!

Od'igba and Have a nice day!