To indie or not to indie, October 6, 2013

Alice: Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?
The Cat: That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.
Alice: I don't much care where.
The Cat: Then it doesn't much matter which way you go.
Alice: …so long as I get somewhere.
The Cat: Oh, you're sure to do that, if only you walk long enough.
 ..............................................................
I stand before a fork in the road.

I have just finished a great course on indie-publishing which left me conflicted about which direction to take. Over two and a half years ago I joined RWASD to meet fellow authors/agents/editors, take classes. Get better at craft. I did. Plus I made friends. I have met my idols close up, starting with Mary Leo. I have submitted ‘fulls’ to various agents/editors, but so far no takers. Apparently I write in a different tone. I ascribe that to not yet being all that I can be as a writer, not to being male.

At one point I was asked by an editor if I wrote like a male or a female (we were partially joking around). I tried to explain that I could mimic a female writing, but I now know that was the “buzzer” bad answer. I write like an experienced writer!

Yet I’m conflicted. I’m sitting on four romance novels. Three of which have received very high marks in contests. The first one I wrote, not so much. Unless lightning strikes I’m, going to publish over the next year all four through my own company (of one) WEB press.

There’s my plan. I’m not driven by dollars or fame, but I do want to see my babies born. I’m an artist and believe my work has value. Secondarily, I intend to land an agent/editor for whatever I’m working on at the moment (when it’s ready) and if I don’t I’ll hand the ms. over to me, owner of WEB Press.

I do have a question. What do you think about a banner or back cover statement about a division of WEB Press which publishes guys who write romance, along with their mission statement? Is any publicity good publicity?

An apropos scene from Disney's Cartoon classic: Alice in Wonderland