Why I'm interested in self-publishing

[BWFoster78]

Good enough for what? "Good enough" is relative to your goals. Is your goal to get traditionally published? Or is your goal to make a lot of money self-publishing? Or what?

I write because I want to be a writer. The question really is: does my work stack up well enough against the stuff I've read all my life for me to be considered in the company of those authors?

 

[Benjamin Clayborne]

I write because I want to be a writer. The question really is: does my work stack up well enough against the stuff I've read all my life for me to be considered in the company of those authors?

Fair enough. So the next question is: considered by whom? Yourself? Literature professors? The general public?

 

[BWFoster78]

Fair enough. So the next question is: considered by whom? Yourself? Literature professors? The general public?

That is a fantastic question (translation - a fantastic question is one to which I don't know the answer).

Being more than slightly egotistical, I'd say that I'm the ultimate one I wish to impress, which leaves me in a quandry because I don't know if I should be impressed or not. My head's starting to hurt.

 

[Christopher Wright]

Someday I want Neil Gaiman to read one of my books and say to himself "damn. I wish I'd written that."

Because I believe very strongly that goals should be realistic and attainable.

 

[Flemming Hansen]

My main motivation for self-pub is the freedom that follows. At my point in life, I barely have the time to write, and I don't think I'd be able to meet the deadlines if I ever was to be picked by a traditional publisher. I'd rather go indie, then risk putting myself in bad standings.
Besides, I have friends who are majors in English who can help me with the editing. I have fantasy loving friends who would love to be beta-readers, and there are cheap and good illustrators out there who can help me with a cover. Of course this leaves me with the PR. I must admit that I only have a vague PR-plan at the moment, but I hope to learn stuff as I go along. (Very professional I know lol)

That was my five cents.
Cheers

 

[MichaelSullivan]

Sounds like you have a good plan - I'm optimistic for you.

 

[They'reWatchingUs]

Personally, I don't think I'd ever be taken seriously by traditional publisher because no one takes me seriously or even bother's to listen most of the time. It doesn't mean I wouldn't try, though. I'm putting the finishing touches on a kids story I started years ago but never got to finish and I'll send it in to publishers but if they say no then I'll self-publish it. I don't really care how long it takes - I've got most of my life still lying ahead of me so they can take as long as they want. Thank god for my family, though(never thought I'd say that...). They have so many connections and contacts... my uncle builds freakin' rockets(the kind that go into outer-space) for crying out loud! It depends what you want to do with your story.

@BWFoster78 - You'll never be able to fully please yourself but that doesn't mean you can't try. You usually find that your favourite peices of writing are not as good as the ones you hate; but that doesn't mean it's not still really good. I've got a book that I stole from my primary school when I was 5 and the only word it says is "hug" the illustartions are good, though... I wonder why the publishers picked that author up???