Traditional vs Indie publishing

To query or not to query, that is the question.

I often hear a lot of differing opinions in the writing world about what route is best for publishing: traditional or self-publishing (aka “indie”). Some people don’t consider indie authors legitimate, while others consider traditionally-published authors “sell-outs”. (The writing world can be surprisingly cutthroat!)

In my opinion, both avenues are perfectly valid. I’m personally choosing… both! 🙂

While I have a self-published book coming out next month, I’m still querying another project to agents and publishers behind the scenes. I would be tickled pink if it gets picked up and traditionally-published! In the meantime, I’m going to focus on putting out books independently as I am able.

So why consider traditional publishing if I’m an indie author? Well, for me personally, finances are an obstacle. Publishing and marketing a book on your own is NOT cheap, if I’m being completely honest. As much as I love my stories and I’m passionate about my art, getting it out into the world has its challenges. (Also, just the idea of seeing it featured widely in bookstores would be awesome!)

Some people write purely for passion and aren’t concerned with making a career out of it. That’s just as great! Writing is a great form of therapy as well. It’s kept me going through some really tough times. 

I still write because I love it, but my dreams of publishing are still just as vivid and loud as they were when I was a little girl. As women, sometimes we’re made to feel guilty for wanting to have a career or be financially successful. Due to health and family reasons, I’m unable to hold a traditional job, but the idea of doing something I LOVE and making income from it? That excites me. It would be a blessing to my family as well.

All of that said, my message is this: whatever path you choose—traditional  publishing, self-publishing, or not publishing at all—do what’s best for YOU. Support your fellow writers, whether they be scribbling in a notebook for the fun of it, or pushing deadlines to get revisions to their editor. At the end of the day, we’re all in this for the love of words, even if our paths and long-term goals look a little different from each other.