Control Freak

Yes. The secret is out. I'm a bit of a control freak. People have asked me why I chose to be an indie author and the answer is quite simple. I like to be in control. I inherited this trait from my father(Yes. I'm outing you, Dad. Though I know he doesn't read my blog.)
I didn't query agents in hopes that I would stand out to someone and MAYBE have my book picked up by a publishing company. I didn't send any manuscripts to publishing companies to be thrown into a slush pile and pray someone would take an interest in my idea. After years of researching the pros and cons to both tradition publishing and indie publishing(because this wasn't something I just decided on a whim...when I say years I mean years), I realized indie was the only way for me to go.
Tammara Webber, an indie(now traditionally published) author gave me the push I needed here. This post is actually the reason I finally said, I'm doing it! I'm self-publishing! I respect this woman so much.
I wanted to take matters into my own hands. I wanted to have a say in my cover. (Authors rarely have a say in traditionally published book covers). I wanted to write what I want to write, when I want to write it. I don't want to have to wait six months to a year for people to read my books after I've finished them. And if I want to publish more than one book a year I can because everything is in my hands. That's not say I'm going to publish everything I write. I've already written several un-publishable novels. I wouldn’t expect anyone to pay for those books.
Of course, there is a down side to self-publishing. I don't get the marketing or the backing of a big publishing company. My books won't be on shelves at your local Barnes and Noble or Target. But I'm okay with that for now. I'm enjoying the journey and learning a TON of what it actually takes to bring a story inside of my head to the final publishable product. And I have a lot of respect for publishing companies and for every indie author out there that has made a name for themselves. It's not easy.
I'm not saying traditional publishing will never be the way to go. Maybe someday I'll be lucky enough to be noticed, but right now I'm taking everything one day at a time and having fun doing it!