I’ve spent the better part of the last two months being told that I am building the plane while flying it. It’s an apt metaphor that I am not unfamiliar with, but as I have grown comfortable with the notion of being in a state of forward propulsion without knowing quite what to do next, I have been moved to make a decision.
Read more: Building the Plane: Deciding to Move Forward with Independent Publishing
For years, I have been of the staunch notion that I would query, find an agent, then a publisher, then publish my books. I have cobbled together draft after draft, trying to get it “perfect,” and for seven years, I haven’t really made any forward motion.
But for me, at this juncture, I want my words out there. I want people to read my writing, and I have come to a couple of realizations that I think have moved this along:
- I want the freedom to genre hop: Not to say that you can’t do this with traditional publishing, but the truth is, it’s harder. I recently had an idea for a “weird girl lit/horror” that I am obsessed with, and I want the freedom to pursue that project if/when I get through the backlog of ideas I have.
- I want agency and ownership over my work: Of course, criticism, constructive feedback, and notes are important to the writing process. I will be working with developmental editors, with people who can help and support what I am doing, but I want to pick my covers, market the way that makes sense to me, and keep my writing as a tether to me. And if I decide a story has to end a certain way, or that something isn’t going to work, I want to go with my gut a little bit more than I think traditional publishing will allow.
- I have a good amount of industry knowledge from a marketing perspective: Because I have been tangentially “in” bookish spaces for a while, I know enough to know enough to cobble together a marketing plan for my books that hopefully will drive sales/reads.
- The statistical probability of success is just as probable as failure: At the end of the day, I am just as likely to land a book deal, to find an agent, for things to go “well” just as much as things could go poorly. And I could, very well, use my time to market my book, rather than spending time tracking queries and hoping for success that way.
Now, let me be clear: Independent publishing is going to cost money, time, and energy. It’s going to require me to spend a meaningful amount of time on work that isn’t necessarily going to pay off. But genuinely, I have been waiting for the perfect moment, the perfect time, the perfect story, the perfect pitch. But I’m tired of waiting.
All of this said, timeline wise, my intention is May 2027 for my first book. It’s going to be an interesting 10 months, but I am looking forward to sharing the journey with you, as always.
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Thank you for reading <3
-M
