The only reason a writer should self-publish is if they are unable to land a deal with a publishing company, right? And the only reason a writer can’t get a book deal with a publishing company is because their book isn’t good enough, right? They’re losers.

At one time, self-publishing did have a stigma attached to it. That still may be the case among some snobs at elite publishing houses, but since I’m not invited to dinner parties at their luxury Manhattan apartments, or to summer weekends at their Hampton estates, I don’t care what they think.

Neither should you.

The internet has had a democratizing effect on publishing. When you look up a book on Amazon, is it immediately apparent whether or not the book has been published by, say, Simon & Schuster or by you? Sure, if you scroll down and squint at the fine print, you’ll see the publisher’s name, but it’s not what you’re going to base your decision on. You’ll have already been intrigued by the title, or the cover art, or the synopsis.

The point is: the self-publishing option has helped level the playing field.

And there are some good reasons for self-publishing instead of attempting the traditional route:

1. Fewer hoops to jump through. Most major publishers won’t accept unsolicited manuscripts. They will only consider submissions from established literary agents. That means you have to first get an agent to represent you, and then that agent must try to get your book placed with a publisher. If you want to try this, get ready for a lengthy and arduous process that involves researching agents to find ones that would be a fit for your book, writing and sending query letters to those agents (some of which you’ll never get a response to) and then, if a miracle happens and one agrees to rep you, formulating book proposals for the publishers your agent will query. If you self-publish, your book can be available online quickly.
2. Numbers. You are up against tens of thousand of other writers who are also querying literary agents.
3. Time. Let’s say your dream comes true and your manuscript gets accepted by a publisher. It could take two years until your book actually gets published. The wheels grind slowly at these big companies. I don’t know about you, but…tick tock. Two years???
4. Support – or lack thereof. Publishers tend to focus their attention on their big moneymakers, not on newbie authors. James Patterson gets plenty of marketing and promotional support. You won’t necessarily feel the same love. Even if you’re published, your book could minimal marketing attention.
5. Control. This has both pros and cons. As a self-published writer, you have total control over your book’s cover art, back cover description, marketing, etc. For some writers, that’s a relief. For others, it’s frustrating. Once you sign a contract with a publisher, you relinquish a great deal of control over your book.

Writers who self-publish aren’t losers. They are making the choice to not let the traditional publishing industry control their writing destiny and prevent them from doing what they want to do: get their books into the hands of readers.

I’m not saying it’s easy, but it is doable.

For badass writers, anyway.

Just sayin’: I can help.