Sunday, February 5, 2012

Am I cheating?

This is my Tarot for today. Hi Karen! Here is your Daily Tarot Card for Sunday, February 5

"The World card suggests that my alter ego is The Conqueror, whose superpower lies in graduation to the next level. Today I am free. I have accomplished my mission and feel on top of the world. I will enjoy the experience to its fullest. I have come full circle on my path to success. My job is done, my dream fulfilled, and I have them eating out of my hands. Accept and embrace the journey taken. It has served great purpose in my growing wiser and stronger, and has provided a sense of relief in that now it's complete."

As some of you know, I self published my first book this past week. For me it was an experiment to see if I could do it. Don't get me wrong, it's a good story. A novelette though, not a novel. It is a classic traditional romance, like the ones I used to read all the time and Romance is what I write. And I am happy, but why do I feel like I've cut in the lunch line? There are so many great writers that are sitting waiting for a publisher to pick them up and here I cut in front of them and self publish, shouldn't I be waiting in the line behind them?
And I'm not picking on others that are self publishing, I have read books from a couple of self publishers and they are awesome. You wouldn't know they were self pubbed, unless they told you. Great stories, well written, awesome covers, and I support them 100%
I am working on another book, this time a novel, or so I hope, that I will self publish also, but I will continue querying my series to agents and publishers for the time being, so I don't feel like I'm cheating? No, I don't think that's the reason. I know everyone has their reasons for choosing self publishing over traditional and I believe that we all have to make the choice that works best for us, just like we do with all the choices we have  to make in our lives.
As for my Tarot, I can't agree with it totally because, I don't believe, "I have come full circle on my path to success. My job is done, my dream fulfilled, and I have them eating out of my hands." Nope don't agree at all,
I know that I still have a long way to go!

2 comments:

  1. This is a deep subject! I respect both those who self-publish and those who choose the traditional route of agent & publisher. Both roads present their own obstacles and rewards. Both have their proponents and detractors.

    I like the idea of self-publishing because I like the fact that I can control where I'd like to publish and with whom. I also like it because I'd get all the royalties. On the other hand, I like the traditional route, too. With the traditional route I don't have to worry about the marketing side of things, as this is done for me by my publisher!

    So, I'm not sure if I've contributed much to the topic--but at least you have a view of another writer who likes both avenues of the publishing industry! :)

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    Replies
    1. Hi Jack! I know, I have a tendency to post deep, touchy, thought provoking subjects. :-) I guess I like to make people stop what they are doing and ponder why they are doing it. As for self publishing, it's just that when I told everyone my book was out, people started congratulating me on being published, and it's not like I've been picked up by a publishing company or agent, It's something I did on my own, and yet I should be proud of myself, because I set out to do it and accomplished it. I think that if your story is well written, has a beginning, a middle, and an end, has good dialogue and descriptions, takes the reader where you want them to go you should have the option of self publishing, instead of waiting and hoping to be picked up by an agent or publisher. Yes, you get to keep the royalties yourself and you have the control over everything about your book, on the other hand, if you have the agent or publisher behind you, you have someone there to do your editing, cover design, and promotions. You're right, both roads do have their obstacles and rewards, and it all comes down to personal choice as to which one we want to take. Personally, I am trying both! Have an awesome day!

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