Reasons to Self Publish

I wrote an ode this week for self-publishers and writers. I’m not ode writing expert, but I do hope you enjoy my efforts. It came from a place of passion and heart.

With our rejection letters strung high

We pave the way for new and bold

The power is in us to try

Our children will pass down these stories till they are old

There is fight left in us still

Some stories die untold

The pens and keyboards come alive

This decade is the age of the bold

We will not wait for luck to arrive

There is fight left in us still

Oh writer, this is your turn

We are indie, silent yet strong

This fire in us will burn

The passion has lived through us all along

There is fight left in us still

I have completely fallen in love with self publishing.

It’s this safe space that’s been carefully carved out by fellow self publishers before us, who fought for their credibility and ownership for their work. Self Publishing has not always had a good reputation, even today a lot of stigma still remains. However, the landscape of self publishing is changing drastically and the number of people who are choosing to self publish is increasing like never before.

With platforms like KDP or Ingram Sparks, a self-published book can compete with bigger publishers and connect to wider audiences. The rise of online shopping, has created more demand for e-books and opened the gates for writers to connect to larger audiences. The cost of printing your own book is also way more affordable than ever before, making self publishing a viable option.

To me, the most important aspect of self publishing, is having a platform that surpasses authority. Traditional publishing caves to systematic oppression because it thrives in popularity and guaranteed sales. A traditional publisher is less likely to take a risk on a book that deals with themes, characters and plotlines that don’t align with a current trend. Activism is not a trend; activism is a movement towards inclusivity. Self publishing and particularly the zine movement, are channels that allow activism and inclusivity to thrive by amplifying marginalized voices.

Perhaps a self-published book is not of the same high quality as a traditionally published book.

What matters more, that a story is created to emotionally connect with a reader and potentially brighten their lives? Or that a story perfectly lines up to a specific industry standard?

Who is setting this standard?

Who deems what books are worthy of publishing?

We are a more connected species than we know ourselves to be. There is not a single story in the entire world that wouldn’t connect to another person. Standard takes less importance over inclusivity and empowerment.

Self-publishing is not a last resort, we don’t pave our own way because they wouldn’t open the doors for us. We CHOOSE to self-publish; we decide to get inventive because we believe in the power of our ideas.

Inkling Publishing takes on the role of assisted publishing. Think of me as a chill stage manager. I make sure the performance is ready to debut but you will never see me take the spotlight. I believe in the author’s and illustrators taking ownership of their work and making all of their well deserved profit independently.

To put it all in short; stigma, standards and trends can't compete with the social media takeover of self publishing. The industry as we know it, is changing. Many will instill fear in us to protect a system that worked in favor of their business model, when in truth, this change is inevitable and I think long overdue.