Why I self-publish

If you’re wondering about the logo on my books, yes, Dune Publishing is my own indie publishing house, registered in Australia.

Why do I self-publish? Simple. There are so many would-be writers looking for an agent and then a recognised publisher these days, it’s dishearteningly competitive—and it’s a long, complex and painstaking process. If your work is considered commercial enough to interest them, it will take an achingly long time before your first book comes off the presses and onto the market, without the guarantee of a second book. By then you’ve sold your rights, forfeited a large percentage of your potential earnings, gifted your precious writing time to on-call book signings and appearances and probably handed over control of your website.

Besides all that, your publisher may call for a number of rewrites, change your title and cover, control the pricing, favour the established front list authors and direct you to follow the latest changing fads and fashions on the market in your future writing.

So I’ve chosen the indie route. I own my publishing rights, have all my current and new books available to the world at all times, financially forfeit only the percentages for processing on printing and marketing platforms like Amazon, and control my online media presence and interaction with my readers. The system works well for me. I have ownership throughout and it’s economical. Marketing is an issue, but it’s an interesting challenge finding my way through the labyrinth, unravelling a ball of string and keeping a sharp eye out for the Minotaur.