The Easy Way Out

What is it with self-publishing?

Oh, I'm sure to get a lot of flak for this post. To heck with that.

Self-publishing is generally a bad thing in my opinion. Now, I'm not saying this from the soapbox of a bestselling author--yet--but please try to understand where I am coming from. With self-publishing, there is no 'gatekeeper'. Any crap can get published and spread to the world. Now, that's not necessarily bad in and of itself. Free speech is a good thing. A very good thing. (http://foxnewsinsider.com/2012/07/11/arizona-pastor-arrested-jailed-for-holding-bible-study-in-home-his-wife-says-it-defies-logic/) A very, very good thing.

Tangent aside, the problem with self-publishing is that it encourages a lower standard. I know a decent number of writers. 90% of them have the 'I'm not good enough' syndrome. They always talk about how hard it is to get published, how hard it is to even get a manuscript read, etc. Before self-publishing, that was it. If you didn't have the balls to put the work in, you didn't get published. End of story.

But now, those writers who are convinced you must acquire an entire flipping room full of rejection letters before you get published have an easy way out. Instead of actually putting the blood, sweat, and tears in so that they can have a book on a shelf at a bookstore(or online at Amazon...), they can write a single draft and throw it out at the world.

It's not the throwing anything out that's the problem, it's the weakness it encourages. It encourages the 'getting published is too hard' attitude. Getting published is a badge of honor. Badges of honor must be earned. Getting self-published is the same as running a blog. Anyone can do it, so there's nothing special about it.

So, if you are a writer, I encourage you to not get self-published. Go the traditional route. Yes, you will have to work your butt off. Yes, you will probably cry at some point along the way. But you're a writer! Grow a pair and fight as long as it takes to get published. Hone your craft.

You won't regret it.