Writing a book is hard work. It's even harder to publish (and market etc!) on your own.

If you publish the traditional way, you have the publishing house's editors, marketing team, and the weight of their reputation opening doors and getting your book out there.

Indie/self-published authors don't have that advantage.

Do we do it because our books aren't 'good enough' for trad publishing?

That's something I often hear. "That one is self-published - ew" or "If they were any good, they wouldn't have to self-publish".

Well, I'm here to tell you that's bollocks. Know why?

Because opinions like that are based on the assumption that the author tried to publish the traditional way, couldn't, and went it alone.

That usually isn't the case. There are a gazillion reasons to self-publish, and that particular one is pretty rare.

In my case, I didn't even attempt to approach publishing houses with my work.

I'm an introvert. I'm weird. I'm not good with people. I get tongue-tied and generally start to cry when I'm stressed, especially if it's something important.

And that's really frustrating, because intellectually, I don't want to do any of that. I can't help it. It's how my brain and my body are wired.

I self-published to be kind to myself. So I didn't have to put myself through that, regardless of the answer. They say, "The worst thing they can say is 'no'." But what if that's enough to stop you in your tracks and never try again?

Because, for me, it would be. I'm not a confident person. My imposter syndrome is crippling, no matter how many people tell me I'm good at this.

So I self-published. And I self-market - badly.

And all that means is that I'm a million times more grateful and appreciative to anyone who reads my book than the big guys are.

If you've read my book - or even if you read this blog - THANK YOU.

And drop me a review. You have no idea how much that would mean :)