Good morning, Cyberspace!

This is the latest that I’ve ever pushed one of these blog posts. It’s 8:30PM on the night before it’s supposed to be published, and I have not written a single word…

…well. Aside from the words I’ve just written.

This week was supposed to be all about my writing journey, but instead, it’s been a little more “getting ready for Christmas”y–and I’m really quite okay with that! This weekend, my family and I went to a drive-through Christmas light display, and it was one of the most amazing (and sometimes hilarious) things I’ve experienced in quite a while! There’s something really magical about drinking hot cocoa and looking at Christmas lights… I can’t quite explain it, but if you’ve ever done it, you know exactly the feeling I’m describing.

It’s also been a week of last-minute Christmas preparation and new life adjustments! I am very, very excited to announce a wonderful life change in the coming weeks, but unfortunately I must keep my lips sealed on it for right now… But just know that 2026 is already looking leagues better than 2025 did… On top of that, I was able to make some Christmas presents this week! It was simple and fun and kinda rustic, and I am really excited to give them away to my friends. Juuuuust in case any of them are reading this, I’m not gonna say what they are. BUT I’M EXCITED.

…ahem. That was a lot of excitement in one tiny paragraph. MOVING ON.

Today, we’re going back to the topic at hand and talking about the world of writing. Or, more specifically, the world of publishing. Which, as every aspiring author knows and dreads, is an integral piece of the writer’s journey…

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BLOGMAS, 2025 – THE PUBLISHING CONUNDRUM

When I was a kid and first starting out in the world of writing, I knew that I wanted to be published one day. At that time, self-publishing had just sort of become “A Thing”, and a lot of authors were creating books and putting them out for free on Amazon. This is what I like to consider the first wave of self-publishing, in which anyone who had an idea for a book could write it, kinda edit it, and slap it on the internet for anyone to read.

Does my distaste for this era come through clearly enough, or do I need to add a little more sass in there?

Growing up in this era, reading some of the books that were put out during this time…it kind of left a sour taste in my mouth for self-publishing. Not because I think self-publishing is lesser than traditional or that self-published authors aren’t as skilled. But because I often felt like a lot of people who were self-publishing weren’t taking their craft seriously. And this made it incredibly difficult for the authors who were taking their craft seriously to…be taken seriously.

Some might call this a vicious circle.

Even when I was younger, my writing was something that I cared very much about. It was never just a hobby for me. It was something that I knew I wanted to go somewhere. And after reading multiple blogs and watching about a thousand videos on the pros and cons of self-publishing VS. traditional, I knew without a shadow of a doubt which path I wanted to take…

THE TRADITIONAL DREAM

At the time, traditional publishing seemed like it had so many benefits: marketing help, someone to professionally edit your book, cover design. But above all of these was my main reason for wanting to go traditional–my white whale, you could say. I wanted to see my book in a bookstore.

This was the dream I’d been holding onto for years, to see my own book–my little book child–nestled on the shelves next to some of the greats. This was the clincher. The thing which kept me coming back to traditional whenever my heart wavered (because it wavered a LOT). If I couldn’t see my book in a brick and mortar store, then was I really an author at all?

(spoiler alert: yes.)

And then there’s the concept of money. In traditional publishing, money always flows towards the author. In self-publishing, you’re making an investment in your work. It’s a business. It has to be in order for you to be successful.

I used to think that concept was kinda gross–treating your writing like a business. The idea of being in complete and total control of my publishing journey was terrifying, because what if there was a step I wasn’t good at? Weren’t writers just supposed to write?

…I think you can see where this is heading.

THE DREAM BUBBLE POPS

It’s crazy what a difference a few years in the publishing market can make. Once upon a time, I never would have dreamed I’d want anything other than traditional publishing for my author career, but then things slowly started to…shift.

I have noticed a trend in the traditional publishing market lately. Books with covers that look almost identical, books marketed simply based on their included tropes (which are slowly starting to become cliches…?), books that read like cardboard cutouts of the last ten traditionally published books I’ve read…

Something is happening in the traditional field, and I’m not entirely sure I like it, let alone want to be a part of it.

Fast forward to me doing a bit more research, and…yeah. Traditional publishing is not all that it once was cracked up to be. Authors have always gotten stuck on the midlist, but I feel like nowadays it’s even harder for them to break out of that. Not just that, but authors in traditional publishing are having to essentially do just as much marketing for their books as self-published authors, so that perk is definitely not worth it anymore.

Meanwhile…have y’all read some of the self-published books out there? Like holy guacamole! There are some incredible stories out there by authors who really said “you know what, I’m just gonna do it all myself”. And I respect that so. much.

So much, in fact, that my dream of seeing my book on a brick and mortar book shelf has been overthrown by something deeper: the desire to retain the rights to my own work, to create a publishing company that actually helps people, and to continue writing stories that mean something.

I used to think all that really mattered was people reading my book. But I’ve had a change of heart since then. What actually matters are the people reading my book. And not just that, but that the book I’m putting out is something I can stand behind 100%. Self-publishing my own books allows me to have a closer connection with my audience, a more personal relationship with my readers. And if it’s that VS. seeing my book grow dusty on a brick and mortar bookshelf because I’m not the next J.K. Rowling or Brandon Sanderson… I think I’ll choose option A.

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TALK TO ME, PEASANTS!

Are you interested in the world of publishing? Are you going traditional or self-publishing? Which avenue do you typically read more books from? Is how a book is published even something you take into consideration when reading?

This is a topic I’d like to address deeper in the future, so if you have questions or comments or additions to what I’ve said, please leave them in the comments below!