1. "Why did you become an indie author?"
2. "Why didn't you go the traditional route?"
3. "You are selling yourself short."

These are 3 things that have been said to me within the last month. I thought it made more sense to address them here, because people need to understand that indie publishing is not easy. It was a very hard choice to make and I ultimately feel that it is the best choice for me. As an indie author, I am in charge. I am in charge of book cover, title, editing, pricing and much, much more. If you were to go the traditional route, the moment you pass your manuscript off to the literary agent or the small publishing press you found, your work is no longer yours. You don't get much say in anything.
Writing a book is not a get rich quick scheme. It takes a lot of time and effort, whether you go the indie route or the traditional route. J.K. Rowling, Stephen King...these big time authors hit the jack pot. They, although very talented, are among the lucky ones. Most authors don't see that kind of fame. We write because we want to. We publish because we simply want to share. If you are writing to get rich quick, you're in the wrong place. These days, the traditional publishing route is rough, just as it was years ago. Basically, you write a book, edit it until it is pristine, write a query letter to a literary agent or a small publishing house and voila. Easy right?

No.

Rejection comes to the best of us, all of us. One after the other. Some rejections are pleasant. Others are cruel. Some authors have worked for years for their books to see a bookshelf. After 2 and a half years of rejection letters for The Mystical Knights, I finally received a green light from a small publishing company. I was on cloud nine. It was finally going to happen. But the publishing company wanted a lot of changes to my manuscript to fit their needs. And I happily obliged. I just wanted to share my work. I wanted people to read what I worked so hard on. So I submitted changes, some I didn't fully agree on, but it was all working towards a great good.

6 months later, in January 2012, things just fell through. The company pulled my book, ultimately decided that it wasn't for them and that they were sorry. Sorry? I was numb. I was in shock. Truth is, this happens to a lot of us. Publishers can pull away at anytime. They liked my story, but something happened as we were closing in that made them decide it wasn't quite for them. I put away my manuscript for a long time and didn't touch it. I had a daughter nearly a year later, and spiraled downward even more. My depression didn't just starter after I had my daughter, but I definitely feel my rejected story was a root in where it began. I couldn't write or read. It was painful, and nothing made it better. I was devastated.

Flash forward a few years. Indie authors. The idea had passed my mind a few times in the past, but I really wanted to give the traditional route a go. And I had. My experience really shattered me. I reached out to other authors and writers and found that I wasn't along. Nearly two and a half years after I put my manuscript up, I took it down and began to read it. Edit it. Revise it. I made it fit me again. I changed everything and made it a better fit for me. It made me happy and I wanted to share it with others to make them happy. It was never about money or fame. It was about making people, smile or laugh. Even cry.

I decided to go the indie route for myself. It has been hard work, don't get me wrong. I had deadlines to reach, covers to find and buy...but I did it myself. Without a publisher morphing my story into something unrecognizable, or constantly telling me that people wouldn't read it if it was written the way I wanted it to be written. Truth is, it will be read. It may not be liked by everyone, but someone will love it.

So, before I ramble anymore, I'll shortly answer the three questions above.

1. I became an indie author because I wanted to. I felt I could reach more people this way, be myself this way, and ultimately, be happy this way.

2. I did go the traditional route. It just didn't work out for me, and that is okay. It doesn't mean that I wasn't talented. It meant that my work just wasn't what someone was looking for.

3. I don't believe I am selling myself short. I believe I doing right by myself. I am working towards something that makes me happy. If others find happiness on it too, great. I will have succeeded. If no, I will keep working until it happens.

Support indie authors. They work just as hard as anyone to share their work. They may have a story to share, just like I did. Being an indie author is not about taking the easy path. It's about making your own way, and taking others along with you. And never giving up.