I bet you think I’m about to trash traditional publishers here, eviscerating everyone from the “Big Four” to indie presses. Sorry to disappoint you ghouls, but that’s not what this piece is about.

To the contrary, I want to start by sincerely thanking the publishers of my eco horror novel, CHARWOOD, and my cosmic horror novella, MALINAE. Madness Heart Press and D&T Publishing are the perfect homes for those books, and I recommend anyone who loves horror to peruse their colorful catalogs. I also want to thank all the small presses who’ve published my short stories, too numerous to list here.

So, why would I, someone who’s had such positive experiences with small presses, self-publish my next book, a short story collection due out late this summer?

First let me list the reasons that, while valid, are NOT the driving forces behind my decision to fly solo.

1. The Submission Process

Even though my publishers made this extremely easy, many others will sit on your manuscript for several months—sometimes close to a year!—before deciding yes or no…if they bother to get back to you at all.

2. Control

I was lucky enough to have my publishers work with me to design a cover (both with artist Don Noble) for my books while leaving all final editorial decisions up to me. But this is far from universal, and the larger the press, the less say you’ll have over any of that.

3. Money

The vast majority of authors I know, who aren’t big names but make decent money, self-publish. As fair and reasonable as many indie presses are with profit sharing—zero complaints about my current publishers—if you do it yourself, you keep 100% of the sales.

4. The Real Reason I’m Self-Publishing

Publishers take a risk on authors, and, therefore, authors are responsible for not saying anything that might reflect badly upon them. This isn’t an issue for most normal people. But as someone who can’t help but occasionally point out the creeping ideological fundamentalism poisoning the entirety of the political spectrum these days, it’s almost impossible for me to voice an honest opinion on a controversial issue without upsetting someone who simply cannot stand a diverging viewpoint.  

Time and time again, in the months leading up to a book release, I find myself holding my tongue so I don’t offend some bigot who’s so unaware of their own shadow that they end up projecting it on everyone else. A hypocrite who may then intentionally distort my viewpoint on social media to try to defame my reputation so my publisher bails on me.

Now that I plan to self-publish my next book, I don’t need to self-censor anymore. In fact, I’ll take this opportunity to finally be honest and say that there’s nothing I hate more than [REDACTED-REDACTED-REDACTED-REDACTED-REDACTED-REDACTED-REDACTED-REDACTED-REDACTED-REDACTED-REDACTED- REDACTED-REDACTED-REDACTED-REDACTED- REDACTED-REDACTED-REDACTED]