The Road to Self-Publishing is the Road Less Traveled

Robert Frost wrote the poem, "The Road Not Taken" you know the one with the famous line: “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by…” and never has that concept been more apparent and closer to the hearts and minds of an audience than for the vast hoard of daring dreamers who swim without fear of failing in the vast ocean of self-published authors. The choice to self-publish is a call-to-literary arms (literally) as unlike the more traditionally published authors—those who were fortunate in their timing and expertise and talents to land a corporate conglomerate of agents, publicist and marketers—all moving together synchronously to help push a book to the general populous, we have to do the work ourselves.

We have to learn to wear many hats. And not only do we have to become our biggest advocate but we have to do it right—almost the very moment we begin. And all the salesmanship, and marketing letters, publicity articles and blog posts have to happen almost simultaneously as the number one rule in sales is perception. Give the audience the perception that the item being presented before them is exactly what they want and exactly what they were looking for in exactly the right price range—and you got them. And it’s not easy.

I remember back a couple of years ago, when I was first began shopping and pitching Proud Souls to literary agencies and doing all I could to make sure my letters were written correctly—on the right type of paper with the right format and the right heading and the appropriate salutation, all in hopes that some intern or administrative assistant would stumble upon my query and give me a chance. If it isn’t hard enough to throw yourselves to the wolves and tell the world you’re a writer, it’s harder still when others tell you no, without even giving you a chance—without even reading the query that took you days to put together.

It’s the gamble we all take and in the end—it’s worth it—or we would never dare try. Instead, we’d write our stories and laugh amongst ourselves and cringe each time someone tried to look over our shoulders in an effort to invade our private little worlds we created for ourselves. We do it out of necessity, not want. We do it because it is in us to do it. And we do it because all that we are will collapse the moment we turn from that truth. We are writers and the suffering we endure is the Bain of our existence.

If I had to answer one of the most common questions posed by fans of my writing it would be this: when did you know it was time to self-publish? I believe in time this question will become synonymous with “hello” as it has become the trademark introduction many people use after they learn I released my first novel under my own imprint: Ozuna Publications. And as many times as I respond to this inquiry the question still strikes me as odd and I fumble with my response like a little boy who is still very insecure with himself.

Oftentimes I smile or laugh or hide my eyes in a bashful attempt at being sincere and essentially try to say the following: It was when I knew without any instance of doubt that I was born to write and it was when I finally reached the point of unwavering belief in my own abilities. And if I had to offer any advice for the would-be independently published author it would be this. Before you venture on this trying journey I would recommend you find some time alone and consider the reasons why you wish to publish and why you write. As yourself these questions: Do I write because I want my name in lights? Do I aspire to be an author because I dream of riches? Do I write because I want the fame that seems to follow the list of best-selling authors? Or do you write because the inner voice of your creativity yearns to be born on paper?

I can say this much for my journey and my decision to release my own title. The road has not been easy but I wouldn’t undo the decision I made over a year ago—at least not yet. I have met many more interesting people, all traveling on this same road as myself, because I chose the path of self-publication. I put a good book together and slowly as with anything worth having, more and more people will come to this same realization.

The reviews are coming in and my work is making its mark on Amazon.com and each day I find myself spending more and more hours connecting and collaborating with others, asking and sometimes (yes) even pleading for a consideration of a review of my work. But that is just part of the game. Either I or a salesperson will pitch my work to a bookstore; either I or a marketing agent will create and push my press release. Either I or a publicist will generate the online hype required to interest a potential fan base.

You will need to do a lot of homework and over the course of this blog I will share insights into the process for what I feel is successful (self) publication. But for those of you still riding the fences, unsure of how long you should hold out for that big contract deal with a major publishing house, I would suggest the following: Know why you write; know what you wish to obtain by becoming a writer and lastly, I would learn to appreciate the fact that as a writer, you are different and because of your creative temperament, you are not one to conform to standards because it goes against your very nature.

If you are a patient person who has gathered enough positive feedback from multiple (hundreds if possible) sources about your current project, then I would suggest you wait and continue with pursuing the path of traditional publishing. But do this knowing that unless you have written the next great American novel, you will have to do as much work, though on a seemingly different plane, as the self-published author.

I know of traditionally published authors whose work found representation with a reputable publishing house, but was still held accountable for generating x-amount of sales prior to receiving any publishing royalties; hence they were in a sense held responsible for performing the same duties as the rest of us in order to help guarantee their publishing house would offer more services in their favor. But if you are like me and you love meeting new people, discussing your project with groups, and taking control of your own literary destiny, then self-publication is a wonderful yet challenging experience, one that might enrich your life more than the sheer pleasure you get from completing your novel and saying, “I am published.”

Picture yourself if you can, many days or months or even years down the road and ask yourself: If two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by…would that have made all the difference.

I believe…because you believe…

Similar Posts:

None Found