My brother is a year-and-a-half older than me (I'm 23) and he's the first of my generation to have children. To be honest, that got me to thinking a lot about my life. Now, I still feel I'm too young to have kids, but my rationale for as long as I can remember was, as soon as I accomplish my dream of being a published novelist, I'll close my laptop and for a bit and enjoy life.
The fact is, it's easy for me to spend an entire day (or week) living in a world of my own creation. I
But... it's not.
As a writer, I've sunk so much time, energy, thought, and emotion into seeking the validation of someone with the title Literary Agent. I've cried, scream, begged, and prostituted myself (not literally) with hopes that an agent would validate my talents. But none have. So...what does that mean?
NOT A DAMN THING.
You know why? Because I'm a good storyteller. I don't need an agent to validate that. With every novel I pen, I'm getting better and better. For a long time I forgot that the only two people that truly matter to me (as a writer) is myself and the reader.
That realization led me to making a decision that I never though I would make: self-publishing. I thought about it for a long long time, and it was only until recently that I realized what my true passion is. I want to tell stories. That's it. Agents, publishers, editors, query letters...all that is background noise for what I really want to do.
So, as I begin my journey to self-publishing my first novel, I'll chronicle the highs and lows on this blog for all to see. I'll chart the money, time, and energy spent to get my book publish-ready. I'll publicly celebrate my first sale, and cry when days/weeks go by without any downloads.
It's going to be a long, hard road, wrought with potholes, setback, and maybe even failure. But you know what? I'm okay with that. I really am. To clarify, I'm not giving up on traditional publishing, I'm just not putting my eggs in one basket anymore. I'm taking charge of my dreams, not passing the reins to someone else.
Wish me luck :o)
Best of luck to you. Querying sucks--that's for sure. And I wonder how much it kills a writer's creativity, happiness, and peace of mind. I have no helpful advice to give, except to say that you might want to ask a million questions of others who have self-pubbed--so you can avoid any of the mistakes and complications they dealt with as first time self-pubbers.
ReplyDeleteFor me, querying (well, the rejections) suck all the fun out of the writing process. I'm taking my time and soaking up every bit of advice I can before I dive into it. Thanks for the advice and for wishing me luck.
DeleteGood luck Mike!! I know a lot of us querying writers look to self-publishing as an option. it is a hard road and a scary one. I have a few friends who have done this as an alternate, but they truly enjoy it, because they love telling stories no matter how many people buy their books. So, again, best of luck! Let us know when your books are out there so we can enjoy them!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Actually deciding to go for it was a really tough decision. At times I still wonder if it's the right one. I sincerely think it is though. I'll keep you (and everyone, for that matter) posted on how it goes. I'm super excited and really scared at the same time.
DeleteI'm slowly leaning closer to that thought myself. Good luck! Can't wait to see your journey. :D
ReplyDeleteGood luck! It's great that you've come to a decision you feel is right for you, and that you've realized that you can't put life on hold to become a published author or feel validated. I'm still working on that myself... :P
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