Tag: resources

Day 35 Reflection: Build

“Build” is a verb that needs an object. We want to know what someone is building, whether it be a home or a skyscraper or a framework for a theory. In other words, building must have a goal. 

To build has different connotations than to create, because creating can happen out of seemingly nothing, while building connotates taking materials and putting them together in ways that make them useful.

This is why we talk about building our futures, not just creating them. Futures need to be solid and believable. They need to hold our future selves without buckling. We are not comfortable with simply creating our future; we want them to take form and show structural soundness. So we build upon the skills and abilities we already have, the existing structure of our lives, and the resources we think we can acquire. 

We are all builders of our own lives and those of our families. As builders, we must hone our skills, our abilities to put the pieces of our lives together to make a harmonious and functional whole.

My Qualms about Self-Publishing

I said I would share my reservations about self-publishing.

  • My first reservation — and I might as well get it out of the way — traditional publishing feels more legitimate. Agents and publishers curate one’s work and bestow the title of “author” and all its blessings unto the writer. The reputation of the publisher reflects upon the writer. Traditional publishing speaks of centers of commerce, big cities, a certain cachet. On the other hand, self-publishing feels to me like declaring oneself an author, hoping nobody puts an asterisk after it because it’s not blessed by a publishing house. Do I need someone else to tell me I’m an author? Honestly, yes. It sounds stupid, but there it is. 
  • My second reservation relates to the first — I feel unsuited to self-promotion. There’s a reason I didn’t go into sales; in fact, professoring is the polar opposite to sales. As a professor, my work is judged on its scientific and factual merit, its rhetorical accuracy, and its readability — not its saleability. I fear that promoting myself will consist of getting into people’s faces and disturbing their regularly scheduled Facebook lives and begging them to read my book. I can’t even bring myself to ask my Facebook friends to read my book, much less strangers. I tried putting one of my books on WattPad, and had a total of 21 readers, whereas much more poorly written items had thousands of readers.
  •  My third reservation has to do with resources — how much of my writing time will go into promoting my book? I have a full time career already, and I’m the sole earner in my family so retiring early isn’t an option. I also have little money to put into promotion.
  • My fourth reservation? I have no idea what to do for self-publishing past “Write, edit, find a cover, post on a platform”. Someone suggested asking a published author to make a recommendation — I am acquainted to one, and she didn’t return my request.

What isn’t a concern? Making money. I’m still not in this for the money (although it would be good to break even in terms of editing and promotional outlays). I want to be read; I want people to think my work is good. I’m not expecting a huge number of readers, especially as agents don’t champion my work because they don’t think they’ll get a return on it.

I’m just really, really scared of self-publishing.