Agents, Publishers, Going Indy Oh No!
I've been on overdrive lately, trying to learn as much as I can about publication and the independent industry. I recently decided that I don't want an agent and intend on staying independent for my career. I've halted my querying and had to shoot down a few late replies from agents (I'm sorry!). Because of this drastic swing in my planned course, I've come to a realization.
I done fucked up.
There's a lot that goes into independent publishing that I kind of skipped over because I didn't intend on staying indy. I just needed some sales under my belt to convince agents to take on my series. Now, with a book already on the market and another on the way, I have to go back and redo much of what should have been taken care of already. With that aside, I wanted to talk about why I decided to take this path instead.
Why I'm Going Indy
So what changed my mind? First, research. I actually took a deep dive into the publishing industry and wow, I was in for a shock. A huge percentage of best sellers are actually self/indy published. Yeah, for real. The whole "You'll never be successful unless you're traditionally published!" thing, is a farce. You can be entirely successful on your own by building your audience from the ground up.
Second, money money moneeeey! You get to keep a LOT more of your money through self publishing and representing yourself. So if you're going to stick with it and become a successful author, you'll keep more of the profits if you're doing it all yourself rather than offloading everything to an agent who takes a big chunk of the pittance you're given. The drawback is that YOU are fronting the cash for your publishing. Meaning if you want an editor, you pay them. If you want a cover designer, you pay them. If you want your books in a physical store, you pay them.
Third, control legally and creatively. Through self publishing, you get to keep all of your rights and can pull your work from any platform any time you want. You also don't have an agent or publisher breathing down your neck the entire time. You can do whatever you want in your book, positive or negative, without someone telling you that you should go with their idea instead or they won't publish you. You also keep all your rights as long as you don't sign a stupid contract somewhere. You can spread your work freely, maintain merchandise rights, and movie rights if you're one of those SUPER lucky authors who are approached about a show or movie.
Fourth and finally, I want to build my business the way I built my world. I have crafted the world of Wildervale over the course of nearly two years now. I've put so much effort and passion into my work that it just doesn't feel right that I go totally hands off after it is written and let someone else carry me. I know for a fact that whoever I get to represent my work will not be as passionate or dedicated to it as I am. I know I can do better for my work because I am totally invested in it. I want to delve in and forge my own business to represent my books.