Demystifying Self-Publishing: Series Conclusion

Selina sharing her experience has reaffirmed many of the conclusions I had reached throughout this series: Self-Publishing is not a shortcut to instantly becoming a best-selling author, but it also isn’t the one dimensional assumptions I held when I started the series. 

Previously I had asked: what if, instead of waiting for someone to believe in my story, I decided I believed in it enough to see it through on my own?

I now believe I have the answer. When asked to describe her experience with Self-Publishing in three words, Selina said: Empowering, challenging, liberating.

Hearing about her hard work, and about the efforts of many others, it becomes apparent that self-publishing is not the easy route – if anything, it demands more faith, persistence, and adaptability than the traditional path. Perhaps within that challenge itself, I will find the lessons that will teach me to become the writer I aspire to be. 

I believe self-publishing has and will continue to reshape the literary world, placing control back into the hands of readers, and allowing writers to build genuine, close-knit relationships with the people who find meaning in their work. It also teaches the author to adapt,  chameleon-like, quicker than industry titans to the ever changing literary world and its needs. 

This kind of freedom allows for the writer to explore this metamorphosis, to take their writing with them, to experiment without having to ask for permission. 

On a personal level, I believe a form of hybrid publication is where I will find myself in the future. My journey as a writer is just starting, and this series has taught me much about what to expect, but also, what to look forward to.