February 2022 by Susan Shepard
WARRIORS OF THE WOOD:
Was Self-Publishing Worth It?
Warriors of the Wood is available now! Released June of 2021. It took me well over ten years to write and over a year to get it published.
The process of publishing a book is both fun and scary. There is a lot to do to make a novel "publish ready." Editing, design, marketing, a whole lot of confidence, and even more self-doubt, are just a few things that go into the process.
I chose to self-publish my book. Meaning, I wanted to be the publisher. I wanted the control, the rights to my story, and my vision to stay intact. I used a professional self-publishing company to help with editing, book layout/formatting, cover design, and paid for everything out of pocket. Was it worth it?
Financially, maybe not. I’ve spent more than my book is currently bringing in.
Personally, heck yes.
Why?
Some things you pay for bring more than financial return. I value good education and I value learning. I love both.
Learning new things makes life exciting and humans are extremely capable of adopting and developing new skills.
How do we learn new skills? By doing.
People in the writing business will say it's difficult to make a living as a writer. It is. Those hired by a company who write full time are succeeding. Authors? The struggle is real. Few become famous enough to bring in any real income. The rest of us are fighting against an ocean full of writers and self-publishers and it's easy to get lost in the waters.
“I'm better than I was before
I self-published."
Some in the writing world loathe self-publishers. It introduces "mediocre writing" to the industry, I've heard them say. Or, my personal favorite, "Any crappy writer can pay a little money and spit out a crappy book."
Maybe that's true. However, I've discovered through self-publishing that even when my writing may not be up to the standards of others, it's an opportunity to work toward the goal of self-fulfillment.
I've been wanting to publish a book for years and when I look back on my early writings from college, I'm appalled! My writing was terrible. Sometimes it still is! But I’m better now than I was even just a year ago and I owe that, in large part, to my experiences through self-publishing.
Despite my weaknesses, I find joy in creating my own stories. In our current age where even the amateur writer has access to publishing services, we can find self-fulfillment in stretching, extending, and pushing beyond what is comfortable. We can achieve what was previously unavailable to us.
Learn. Gain knowledge. Figure out the current rules/styles/tropes for writing and jump in. But here are a couple tips to help your way go more smoothly:
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Be accepting of feedback and critique. Use the feedback you receive to improve your craft.
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Ignore those who belittle you without giving any positive feedback. These types of critique partners are sharks.
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Recognize where you're strong, but also recognize where you're weak. Love yourself by wanting to improve.
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Don't be afraid to go for it!
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I’ve learned a lot after publishing my first novel and I know what I'll do differently next time. I’ve learned other skills that will help me save money, improve my stories, and improve my writing. I value what I’ve learned. And I learned it through self-publishing.
Some will not like my book and some will criticize me for the things I still don't know, and that's okay. I view my first book as a stepping-stone to greater and better things. A stepping-stone to a better version of me. A stepping-stone to the author I want to be and the quality of stories I want to write.
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"Instead of wishing that mediocre writing would just go away, share your knowledge."
With instant access to self-publishing, people in the writing industry need to adapt. Let the newbies have their grace period while they figure out what you already know. And instead of wishing that "mediocre writing" would just go away, share your knowledge. When you teach self-publishers, you’ll raise the bar of writing in the industry, quality will improve, and it will be because of your kindness, your charity, your help. Locking the gate and controlling the key helps no one and does more harm than good. And it's just rude.
Gaining experience made self-publishing worth it, especially because I’m capable of improvement. Increased knowledge means better content and higher quality product. Is self-publishing the only path to gain new writing abilities or learn what it takes to publish? Absolutely not. Everyone's path will be different and some will have strong opinions about the "right" and "wrong" way, but this is what worked for me. Courage to travel your road, however it winds, is what matters.
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Warriors of the Wood isn’t perfect--it’s my first novel and I'm still learning-- but self-publishing was on the road that brought me to this point, and every step has been worth it.