Taking Control

One of the best things about self-publishing is the feeling of control I have over my career and my content. Before I made the decision to self-publish, I was constantly concerned about what agents would think of my stories. Is my opening engaging enough? Are zombies overdone? Would a publisher be interested in what I’ve written? Constant doubts. Constant rewriting my work according to what I’d read on an agent’s blog or heard an editor say at a conference. There was no trust in my own intelligence or talent.

And that was all before I even actively pursued an agent or publishing deal. From what I’ve heard from friends who are already published, things get even worse when you get a contract. Editors hack away at your story, asking for fundamental changes in plot or character. I’ve heard several writers say that you have to be willing to cut out your favorite parts of your novel. They also say they know it’s for the “best”, but I have my doubts. Sure, editors spend all their time reading and making decisions about what’s the next hot thing in fiction. On the other hand, they are essentially just guessing. They don’t have a magic crystal ball any more than I do. When they chop your favorite scene out of your novel, they are just guessing that it’s for the best. They are taking their academic literature degree and their best-guess and cutting out your heart and soul. Excuse me if that just doesn’t appeal to me.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not trying to say I’m smarter or more experienced than a professional editor. I’m just saying that when it comes to novels, maybe the actual writers know more than the editors give us credit for. I’d rather hear what the readers have to say about my stories. I’d rather know what they liked or didn’t like about my novel. The readers are much more important to me now than an agent or an editor’s best guess.

I love being in control. I love having direct access to my readers and having the control to make the final decisions on cover art, story blurbs, marketing, and most important of all – content. It’s one of the best parts of self-publishing so far.