Have you self published before or are looking at self publishing in the future?

[Steven J Pemberton]

I've self-published four novels, three fantasy and one sci-fi (see my profile for details) and will be publishing another fantasy later this year.

Before I self-published, I tried to get an agent, but had no luck there. I haven't sold as many copies or got as many reviews as I would've liked, but overall, I've no regrets. I'm making more money and reaching more readers than I ever did the traditional way.

What I like most about self-publishing is the freedom to write what I want, how I want it. I don't have to worry about whether the book fits with an agent's or editor's notion of what will be popular in two years (which would be when the book would come out if they wanted it). I don't have to put up with crappy covers or lack of marketing support. (Not saying the covers I have now are great, but I can easily change them if I want to.) I don't have to worry about some pointy-haired sales executive deciding that my last book didn't sell fast enough, so they want me to wrap up the series in the next book, forcing me to cram everything I wanted to put into three books into one.