Why I Went Indie
A grad school professor, Author Warren Lehrer, inspired me to get back into writing after I’d spent years in editorial design. My final project for his class was a novella entitled Contagium. I also photographed and designed the cover, which I use as a giveaway and anchor for my website. To me it is personal and significant because it rekindled my writing itch, and sets a subtly menacing tone I find inspiring.
From there I wrote a practice novel, blog posts, and scripts for educational videos. I began The Banished in May 2017 after reading about witch bottles: centuries-old jugs or wine bottles that have been recovered and contain spell remnants, like bent pins, wire, wool fibers, prickly grasses, human hair, and even traces of urine.
I finished a rough draft of the novel in December, and many drafts later, in June 2018, finally had something I felt was ready for outside eyes. I hired an editor, acted on all her revision suggestions, and by August queried agents for the first time. After nine rejections I knew something was wrong, and by late September sent the manuscript for an assessment from Jericho Writers in the UK. They’re a great source for new writers, full of spot-on advice and resources. I got back great feedback to overhaul the manuscript.
By April 2019 I had a comprehensive revision and queried a new batch of agents. Again, no luck, so I sent the manuscript back to my editor for her input. I ate up her suggestions — and encouragement — just in time to have a fresh revision ready for ThrillerFest in New York in early July. I met with ten agents, got back some nice feedback, but ultimately all rejections.
Not all novels are meant to be agented and traditionally published. And that’s OK. There are pros and cons with going Indie or Traditional. I am 100 percent against self-published books that are poorly written or unedited. I am also 100 percent against traditionally-published books that are cookie-cutter and pedestrian and ridiculously over-hyped.
I designed a cover I like and want to control the design of the book. I also don’t want to wait another two years for The Banished to see the light of day. My writer’s journey continues, and I need to continually work on craft. But I think (hope) I’m beyond leaving The Banished on my hard drive like past work, including Contagium. Since the launch, the process is already at turns rewarding and humbling.
I will query agents again when a future project is ready. Traditional publishing opens more doors and confers legitimacy. But all writers need to trust their gut. What’s the right way to publish? Any way you can once you feel your novel is, to the best of your ability, worthy of readers.
