How to Win the Self-Publishing Revolution!

Thanks to Ampren7a on DeviantArt

In every revolution there are quick wins and impossible walls, and self-publishing is no exception. That wall stands solidly on the line between the digital and physical realms, and, like any medieval construction, there are defenders and gatekeepers. I don’t know them by name, yet, but I do know the job descriptions. Let me introduce you...

The Problem: Publishers

I self-published. There. I said it. Like most authors, I was frustrated by the traditional method of publishing. It goes something like this:

1.  You send in a manuscript and wait months for someone to review it and get back to you. They get angry if you send it to more than one company, but it could take 100 submissions to find a publisher. A little math: (100 divided by… carry the one…) yeah, lucky to publish one book per lifetime.

2.  “What’s your platform?” That’s the first question a publisher asks. They don’t care if the book is good, what it’s about, or if you wrote the manuscript on a toilet paper roll in one sitting. They want to know how many people you, the author, can bring to it. Reality check: if you had time to write a book, you probably aren’t the most outgoing person. Long periods of fictional introspection trumps social advancement on your calendar. Publishers want the impossible – a popular writer, a contradiction if I ever heard one. (aka. "Why ghost writers exist")

3. Let’s say you convince them you are such a writer, and they publish you.