Why not self-publish?
I’ve been asked, “Hey, Sam, if you’re not interested in pursuing traditional publishing anymore, why not self-publish?” And I’ll tell you why not. It has nothing to do with looking down on self-publishers, as I’ve self-published all sorts of things. It has to do with what my goal is and the company I keep getting there.
The first thing is this: if you’re self-publishing, there’s some earning expectation. Even if it’s pennies, at least it’s something, right? Pennies with the promise of riches. I don’t want to play that game anymore. I started off writing free stories for friends. Those days were good. Why not say my farewells in the same manner? As I went in, let me go out.
And then there’s Amazon. I just… don’t want to be a part of Amazon’s machine anymore. They own so much of the bookselling space, especially ebooks, that it seems almost like surrender to sell my stuff there. I did for quite a while, but then I decided it wasn’t worth it.
I’m not interested in scraping at the dirt looking for loose coins. I want the writing I produce to be read and appreciated. That’s something completely disconnected from marketing, distribution… all of it. That’s about the satisfaction of communicating a story, and it’s something I forgot for an embarrassingly long time.
So, as I said a little while ago, I think I may hang it up, but only the way it used to be.