It’s not that I don’t appreciate traditional royalty publishing. That route offers a modicum of security in a very wide world of the written word. I have been there and felt more or less comfortable that others knew the ropes and would see my work through to publication and even distribution. The sales rate for my first three books was relatively small but still worthwhile.
However, there are several reasons why I prefer independent publishing.
TRADITIONAL vs INDEPENDENT
One reason is that the tradition publishing houses are in constant flux. Only “the big five” are worthy of being called secure. Because of this fact, those houses are inundated with submissions. The possibility of acceptance is steadily declining. Even if my writing is good, there are so many reasons why another author might take my place in line. Acquisitions editors have limited opportunities to present their cases, and their publishing group meetings are numbered with the surviving houses.
Another motivation for “going indie” is that I can make the decisions as to the when and how of my work. This, of course, involves planning, scheduling, prioritization and self-discipline in order to meet my own deadlines. If my manuscript is complete and edited, I can put it out in a matter of days instead of waiting for months for an acceptance, and then another year or more for publication.
Life is constantly changing, and even though indie publishing can be downright frightening at times, with all there is to learn, it enables me to change with the times and to have some control over my works.
So that’s what I’ll be doing for the rest of my writing career. Hopefully, I will become more adept at the process as time goes by.