SARA DYER - WORDS. SURF. IRREVERENCE.

We all entered contests when we were kids, I think, at least most of us. Inherent in those contests and competitions was the process of being judged, being evaluated. We often got numerical scores which told us if we did well or not, and even if we felt we had done very well FOR US, some old guy with gray hair who’d been judging gymnastics since the era of Nadia Comaneci, could tell us we did very poorly indeed.

But when it comes to my writing, I don’t want someone else to decide if I get to release my words into the world, and how. I don’t want to hold my breath and wait for the score.

There were many reasons why self publishing (aka independent publishing) was the path I chose when I released my book Be Surf and why it’s the path I plan to continue down for my future projects.

The primary one I’ve already alluded to: I’ve got things to say, and I don’t want someone else to determine if/when/how I have the right to say them. I have very little tolerance for feeling controlled or subdued in any way. I would have broken out of the barn every night if born a horse, and the idea of a committee judging my work and potentially blocking my path is anathema. It doesn’t work for me. It works lovely for so many others—thank God as it’s the main way I’ve encountered so many of the books I love—but it does not work for me.

Alongside that, I am an extremely impatient wild boar when it comes to doing something I want to do. With self publishing, if I wanted to release a book tomorrow (or like 72 hours), I could. The fact that with Be Surf there was nothing in my way for that, save a few formalities as I went through the uploading process, was amazing. And let’s be real—when it comes to our dreams (and writing has always been my dream), the fewer things cluttering our path and giving us a reason to make excuses like “I really should be putting away the laundry rather than writing”, the better. I began writing Be Surf in February or March 2020 and I published it end of August 2020.

Just to belabor this point even further: The idea of the traditional publishing cycle made me want to take a nap. I thought about the fact that I could work for a year or more to get a traditional deal, then work another year or more on the manuscript and I just couldn’t bear the thought.

Moreover (thank you, Merri Weinberg for teaching us all of the best transitions in AP English), I’ve always wanted to do things my way. It’s not necessarily better, but it’s mine. I feel on the outside I have always presented as a rule follower but the truth is, when it comes to the important stuff, I’ve always wanted to make my own rules. I have a father and a mother who abided their own ideas and I’m over the moon for that.

Take all this and add more transparency with sales and the feeling I can promote it in ways that feel authentic to me, and I thank the universe daily that this is the path I find myself on.

Additional resources:

If you’ve ever thought about writing a book but, like me, the thought of traditional publishing overwhelmed you, I suggest the following two books:

Joanne Penn, Successful Self-Publishing: How To Self-Publish An Ebook, Print Book And Audiobook

and

Helen Sedwick, Self-Publisher’s Legal Handbook

Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic: Creating Living beyond Fear

Steven Pressfield, Turning Pro: Tap your Inner Power and Create your Life’s Work