Why I went Indie

I think the hardest decision I have made is to determine whether I should self publish or go the traditional route.   This decision was so difficult for me that I edited my manuscript five times just so that I could postpone any final judgment in the matter.  Editing a manuscript five times, after my book was completed over a year ago, really shows how treacherous the pros and cons of the options have been in this process.  I did not make much of an effort to try to go the traditional route, sending out only a few query letters while I researched which path would be best for my convictions.

After a year of pondering over this subject, it finally hit me.  Why am I really writing?  I have a wonderful young adult fantasy fiction book, The Diamond Guardians, waiting to be read.  Waiting!  Yes, waiting!  No one had read it at that point in time because I had not made my decision.

I finally realized that the reason why I write is because it is my form of expression, the one I want to share with the world.  It is the painting that hangs in my own art gallery waiting to be critiqued.  It is the diamond that shines on my necklace waiting to be seen by other people.  It is my creation, a world in an author’s mind ready to be explored.

Self publishing allows me to have the freedom to write anything that I want to write.  My story will remain unchanged.  I know that the traditional publication path would have offered me a plethora of marketing options; however, it would have been too difficult for me to part with all the pieces in my book.  As it is, my perfectionist personality took care of the cuts in my book.  I could not bear to see more cuts being made.  The story would fall apart.

Needless to say, I wonder what Hemmingway would do if he were alive today?  Would his writings be the same if was a self published author?

I cannot say that I will never decide to take the traditional publication path, since everything in this world is constantly changing.  If everything stayed the same, the world would be a dull place without any stories for writers to write about or bloggers to discuss.

With that said, I hope you enjoy reading my artwork and cherish it like your own precious gem.

The Diamond Guardians by Talin Mari will be released on July 9, 2015.