Enduring rejection after rejection from agents and editors after you've worked so hard to polish and perfect your book can be demoralizing. Self-publishing stops the negative cycle and get you back on track to do more of what you value most: writing!
1. Increase the Positive Energy
One of the biggest reasons to stop submitting your work to publishing houses is to simply stop the negative feedback loop. YA self published author Rachel Higginson describes the intense struggle she faced to stay passionate in the face of literally hundreds of rejections. Higginson continued to work hard on her craft and ultimately turned to self-publishing in 2010 and is now able to make a living from her work and use her time to further explore her passion and write more fiction for her fans.
2. Sell More Books
While a publishing contract might seem like the answer to all of your most burning desires, the simple truth is that publishing houses don't have the resources they once did to market books by unknown writers. UK writer Tasha Harrison reports that while she had some interest from a literary agent early in her career, she was unable to get a manuscript sold and was also told she might not sell more than 100 books. Harrison turned to self-publishing and moved more than 1,500 copies of her book during her first year, and more than 2,000 during the first half of 2013 alone.
3. Stigma? What Stigma?
At one point in time, self-publishing was a kind of redheaded stepchild, but with more and more authors from all walks of life taking control of the publishing process, the stigma has finally begun to lift. Established author Steve Almond recently self-published a collection of stories, after having published works by major houses in the past. Almond was fed up with publishing, and decided to take a page from his favorite musicians and sell his book DIY style at live readings and events. By printing on demand, Almond reports that he sells out at nearly every reading, and that the excitement of only being able to get a book right there at a live event has engaged his readers. While this model isn't sustainable for every self publishing author out there, a diverse range of book marketing approaches can help give new authors dynamic models to use for their own projects.
4. Total Control
Finally, self publishing puts you in the driver's seat of your own work. From writing the thing to finding an audience, self published authors control their own publishing destiny. This work can be challenging, but more and more resources are available to assist writers with the work of design, production, and book marketing. Besides, hard work beats sitting around waiting for another rejection slip any day.
We have been saying many of these things for years and the bottom-line is this...it has been and always be all about you! You have to believe that you have the power to achieve your vision and it starts and finishes with a decision to take action...consistently. More on this later.
Keep the faith and may the force be with you!
