Why I’ve Decided To Self-Publish

On my blog post yesterday (click HERE to read it), I happily announced that I’ve decided to self-publish my books.  I’m very excited about this journey and know it will be hard work, but the end will be worth it because I will be a published author!

While Indie/Self-published authors sometimes get a bad wrap because of bad editing, bad formatting, cheesy book covers…the list could go on, I support them because they’ve made their dreams come true of becoming an author.  However, those who do follow the rules of self-publishing seem to have a greater chance of becoming a #1 Bestseller on Amazon, for example.  (I have a friend who has a screen shot of her book being at #1, which is right beside Stephen King).  I’ve had the pleasure of reading and reviewing quite a few self-published books and while there’s been a lot of wonderful stories with great characters, it’s how the book was formatted that I paid most attention to, only because I have a tendency to be OCD about layouts, (here’s to hoping that when my books are published there won’t be any formatting issues).

Some might even say that they decide to self-publish because they’re afraid of rejection.  Am I afraid of rejection?  Yes, but in a good way.  I think being rejected (in any form) is just another sign of getting to where your meant to be.  Isn’t like breaking up with someone (rejection), only to find “the one” (published)?  My fear of rejection has nothing  to do with rejection.

Back to why I want to self-publish…I want to be in charge!  From formatting, cover design, and marketing, I want it all!  I want to learn the self-publishing business (yes, it’s a business within itself), so isn’t self-publishing a book the best way to do it?  Yes!

How do I plan on going about it?  I’ve purchased books (the “Self-Publishing for Dummies” book is a great resource that I will probably read at least five times), and I have huge support from my Twitter and Facebook friends, especially those in my Chick Lit Goddesses group.

Will this be a tough task, absolutely!  I know that I’ll be so OCD that I’ll probably have my husband look over it a hundred times before the release date, just to make sure that I did it right.  I know that I’ll be stressed, won’t sleep, and will have butterflies in my stomach through the process, but there is a positive side to all of this.

While I’ve had a wonderful life (a delightful and happy childhood, my family is supportive of everything that I do, I’m married to the love of my life, and I have true friends), I can’t remember being happier with this decision to self-publish.  And, with everything I’ve been through (I won’t bore you with the ups and downs), I was meant to be a writer, no, make that an author.  I was meant to be an author.

Pop open the Veuve Cliquot, because it’s time to celebrate!