I'm in a tizzy about what to do with my book. It's finished and I want it published yesterday. Yet, I know that, in order to have it done right, published NOW isn't the best option.
Yet still, that's the thing! After you finish editing, which way do you go? Wait months, years to find the perfect traditional publishing route? Or self-publish in a day. I mean, really. There are so many options available to writers today, which is best to use?
I have a great many friends who have published and most have self-published with great success. Others have been published via small presses and others still by big house publishers. Everyone has a book out there and I'm happy for them all. Not even a bit jealous. See, they all took the road most worthy of their own book. Big, little, self, tradition. It's all the same and who cares what road to publishing you take SO LONG AS what you ultimately choose to do for your book WORKS for your book.
In that sense, I want to traditionally publish.
Why? Because I feel that will give my novel the best reach. And since the purpose of this novel is to reach a particular audience, I want to put my best foot forward in reaching them. I honestly would give my book away for free to this audience, I feel THAT strongly at reaching them.
I don't need to get rich with this book. I have other books inside me that'll do that work just fine.
That said, I'm not sure, actually, that traditionally publishing my novel will be the best way to keep in tact that purpose. What if an editor, publisher wants to change something critical? Keep it more 'commercial', therefore losing it's appeal to the exact audience I want to reach?
Then again, if I self-publish, will I even be able to REACH any of them on my own? It's not like I wrote this book for me. I enjoyed writing it, no doubt. But it's not FOR me. Again. I'll give this book away for free so long as it gets in the right hands. Those hands mean more to me than the money they'd bring.
So, should I be true to my calling and self-pub?
Or, should I try to reach the world beyond and traditionally publish so no one is left behind?
I don't know...
Just by typing this out, I feel the answer coming to me. Self pub...
But...I honestly don't want to. And for many reasons. #1, I don't care to shell out the money it would cost to do it right. And I only WANT to do it right. Then again... you can self-pub a disaster and it can render a movie contract (think "shades" of disaster... ever heard of a thesaurus??? sheesh... Sorry, didn't fool this reader into thinking erotica was a "new" genre. Dumb readers...)
Anyway!... rant aside...
There's also a price with going traditional that can be costly to the purpose of my novel. It's not straight Women's Fiction, nor is it straight motivational. It's empowering and deep, but also quirky and fun. It's a mixed bag that is entertaining and also self-help'ish if you pay close attention.
So maybe self-pub is the best way to go since it's so unique.
But I don't know...
As I sit here finishing off the last remnants of wine from our Thanksgiving feast yesterday, I'm torn. I want my book out now! I don't want to hear on the news again that some poor girl or woman took her life because some asshole family member or friend or stranger said "all girls cry rape" and didn't believe her.
For HER I wrote my novel WAITING FOR PAINT TO DRY.
Not going to throw a tantrum... just thinking out loud... What should I do?
:/
