Michael Ridpath

Indie, Self-Pub, Trad? Why We Should Respect Everyone's Publishing Choices. I've seen this debate a lot in the publishing world. For some reason, there's this mentality: if a writer self-published or decided to query a small press taking unsolicited submissions, they "gave up." Publishing your books through a small press is not giving up. It is getting started where you are at with the opportunity presented to you. This debate seems to coincide between the "agented vs. unagented." For the "agented," even those querying tend to get roped into heated discussions with the indie world. Having been on both sides, here's what I think. • I was agented for 5 years, and after 5 years, I did not land a book deal with 4 of my books. 2 of my books that were duology were supposed to "die on sub." I did not give up on them, and just 3 months after parting ways with my agent, I landed my own book deal through a legit small press - no, not a vanity press. It was a 3 book deal I could not pass up. • However, if authors want to query, people should also not shame them for making that decision. Even if a querying writer gets over 100 rejections and still wants to keep trying, that's their decision. Just because they do not want to self-publish or go the indie route doesn't mean they should be looked down upon. • On the same note, indie authors shouldn't be looked down upon either. Just because some writers decided to query indie publishers taking unsolicited manuscripts from un-agented writers, it doesn't mean they somehow "gave up" on their career or "took the easy route." • There is nothing easy about self-publishing or indie publishing. Traditional published authors do carry some bragging rights when they can throw big-name "published by" or "repped by" in their bio. But none of this is easy, no matter what avenue. • At the end of the day, we should respect each other's decisions no matter what they are. There is so much contention even about the Amazon vs. anti-Amazon feud. There's contention between digital-first published books and those that push more toward physical copies. Just because someone goes digital doesn't mean the book is not a book. I know that sounds stupid, but some are even anti-audio and don't consider reading if you listen to an audiobook. A book is a book, whether it's in audio or digital-only format, and not just a hard copy. • However, we choose to publish, which is a personal choice. It depends on many factors, not just how many times we've been rejected. I know one author who got several agents to request her full at a writing conference. She hired me to edit her book. Instead of going with those agents, she decided to self-publish. She did not want to get an agent, go through months or potential years of being on submission, etc. She wanted full control, and there was nothing wrong with that choice. If you're querying, I champion you. Don't give up. My 3-book series is with a small press, and they told me I can still query books outside of that series. Nonetheless, since I've been working on marketing and writing my 3rd novel in the series - I don't feel in a rush to get an agent. So, I'm taking my time. Regardless, publishing is a very personal choice. We should respect each other's decisions. Whether we query for years. Whether we query and then self-publish. Whether we had an agent or went the indie-pub/small-press pub route. Whether we are anti-Amazon or KU-published authors. It's all hard. None of it is easy. All we can do is respect each other's decisions and support each other without animosity, meanness, or snark. This industry is hard enough no matter what path we choose. Writing and revising our books takes a lot of time and effort. Editors are expensive, and so is marketing our books. But kindness? It costs us nothing. Kindness is free, and we should be kinder and more respectful toward one another. In an industry as challenging as ours, embracing kindness not only uplifts others but also fortifies our own journey toward success. #WritingCommunity #Booklovers #BookTwitter #WorldBookDay #AmQuerying #IndieAuthors #Writerslift #AuthorsofTwitter