Should You Self-Publish? (part 2)

Publishers can utilize their contacts and marketing savvy to really push a novel forward in ways that a self-published author is usually incapable of doing. However, the success of a novel is really hard to pin down to one thing. Even if it's truly great, it's empty idealism to think merit alone will generate a huge following. You need people to know about your book to appreciate it. I'll admit, I entered self-publishing as a bit of an idealist. I really believed in my product, Solar Echoes, and thought that it would sell itself. I still believe in it very strongly, and I've enjoyed a lot of positive response from those who have bought the books. But in the end, self-publishing sales statistics are as dismal as they are because anyone can do it, which means that you're very likely to quickly become lost in the crowd.

You have to start somewhere, and petitioning agents and publishers often takes years before seeing any results, if they happen at all. Self-publishing your own work does “get it out there,” and you won't be wasting time going through the process—you'll learn a lot. You'll also gain some visibility, and possibly generate a following. You might even be lucky enough for your work to go viral, and then you'll praise the virtues of self-publishing and thank yourself for never signing with a publisher. Yes, all this can happen, but understand that success—whether self-published or officially published—is like a random bolt of lightning. It's impossible to know when or if it will strike, and that lightning is just as likely to strike a published author as it is to strike a self-published one. If there was a way to guarantee success in this industry, everyone would be doing it. So the real question to ask yourself is not whether you'll have a better chance at success by working through a publisher or by being self-published, but instead, you should be asking yourself which one fits within your goals and resources the best. Getting a publisher requires a lot of time and patience, and there is no guarantee you'll ever get one. It could mean years wasted when people could have been enjoying your book, generating at least a small profit. Self-publishing is a better fit for those that don't want to wait—they know exactly what they want, have the time and money to invest in the process, and are prepared to push it for the long haul. Self-publishing means you have to do everything yourself, and some of you might prefer it that way. However, you will also have to reckon with situations that you may not be skilled or experienced enough in to make a difference...