The Stigma of the Self-Published

I’m going to admit something and I’m not going to be embarrassed about it.

I am a self-published author.

Shocking, right? Here I am, just admitting that, saying it out in the open, screaming it from the metaphorical rooftops.  The thing is, I don’t have a problem with being self-published but, for some reason, there’s still a major stigma associated with self-publishing in today’s book industry.

I get it… Being self-published has some negative connotations.  People think if you’ve self-published you must have:

1. Given up on your agent/editor/publisher search.
2. Not been good enough to get an agent/editor/publisher.
3. Been too lazy to put the effort into your publishing career.

Truth is, there are a lot of self-published authors out there working really, really hard.  If we were lazy, self-publishing is basically the opposite of what we would do. Trust me. That takes care of #3, which is just a ridiculous notion.

As for #1 and #2, those are harder to refute. And sometimes, they are true… However, not *all* self-published authors give up or aren’t good enough. Some, like myself, make the decision for themselves under no duress of any kind.  Some of us actually choose this career, this challenging road of self-promotion and hard work. (Not that traditionally published authors don’t work hard… that’s not what I mean.)

So why did I opt to publish my own work? It was a simple decision really. I had a story to tell, I knew how I wanted it to be told and packaged and sold, and I wanted to represent myself out there in the world.  I’ve always been a self-starter, I’ve always fought to do things my own way. And when I realized I could have it all (see my book in print AND decide what it looks like), the decision was a piece of cake. Complete creative control? Yes, please!

My book is my book.  It’s harder to get started up without an agent backing you, without a major publishing house as your umbrella.  And it’s even harder to convince people that independent books can also be good books.  I often tell people to think about the independent films they’ve enjoyed. Reservoir Dogs and Good Will Hunting were independent films, pretty good ones too. What if someone hadn’t believed in those projects enough to make them? Exactly.

Best-sellers are best-sellers for a reason and publishers choose books they think will sell, this much is true. But some of us are pretty decent writers and deserve our own slice of the pie. Self-publishing doesn’t have to equal bad writing, and that’s all I want to say.

I’ll leave you with one last thought… Many famed writers began their careers as self-published authors including Gertrude Stein, Bernard Shaw, Deepak Chopra, Edward Allen Poe, Alexander Dumas, and even Beatrix Potter.  The gamble worked out for them, now, didn’t it? 🙂

What do you think about self-publishing? Have you done it? Read indie authors?  Share your opinion in the comments section!