Why I publish by William Ashanti Hobbs
Why I Self-Publish
Might as well handle this question up front. The answer is quite simple: I am of a generation that will do for ourselves when others won’t do for us. Having earned a doctorate in creative writing and finding myself in many academic circles, I am made aware time and time again of what I now call the “institutionalization” mindset. Inmates in prison can become institutionalized, meaning that they become conditioned to depend on the order of prison life. They come to crave the need to be told where to go and when, to not worry about bills and the complexities of life beyond prison walls. Some have earned some special status there, the go to man for this or power broker for that group of men. Many commit crimes just to return to prison for that comfort. If people can be conditioned to require a place as violent as prison, people can become accustomed to anything and therefore, become afraid of everything outside of that environment.
Such is the case for many in academia.
The conceit that if one’s writing was exceptional enough, someone of a long-standing publishing house would have published it is strong among scholars and various art snobs alike. I fell for that for quite some time, trying to blend in. Fortunately, circumstances worked in my favor that allowed me to return to my old self.
I am of the hip hop generation of moguls such as Jay-Z, Russell Simmons, Master P, Diddy, Too $hort and countless others who believed in themselves when the business community would not. Each of these individuals took their music and sold it out of trunks and anywhere else they could to get going in their careers. They made the industry recognize them as opposed to waiting to be recognized. Such was the case for writers such as E. Lynn Harris, Zane and others. When publishing houses had every excuse in the book for them, they made it happen on their own terms. This is the main reason I self-publish, but not all of it.
I was a self-publisher as an undergrad at Florida A&M University. I was inspired by said moguls mentioned above and founded Meroen Press when I was 21. It was mainly a move at independence when family members did not take my aspirations seriously. I ran with a crew that published an underground magazine called THOUGHTS. Through that forum, we were able to criticize the school administration in ways the school sanctioned paper never could. So the sweet taste of freedom runs deep in me.
Even though the published novels won me the fellowship that allowed me to earn my doctorate, I put Meroen Press aside as I matriculated. I entertained the idea that it was only tactic for the desperate that were not good enough for mainstream. While I sent manuscripts out and played the waiting game for agents to return calls, I’ve seen many pathetic novels published by major houses and have learned from those on the inside that whether a writer lands anything with one is a complete crap shoot.
The recession has made publishing companies even more skittish to try new talent. My wife already works downtown and arranges book signings for visiting authors. I am a beast at graphic arts (my minor in college), had some disposable income from teaching and was already exploring how facebook, blogging, amazon.com and the like was making publishing easier for others. I’ve always enjoyed the satisfaction of accomplishment in having my own business. To top it off, I am an admirer of art that thrives outside of the mainstream and am forever leery of settling down into any sort of rut. Too many advantages were lining up. So there, in short, I self-published because to not do so seemed ridiculous. True, authors like Pulitzer prize-winning novelist Robert Olen Butler are saying that self-publishing in this day and age definitely has merit (refer to my podcast interview with Butler – http://withinthepagesofmylife.mypodcast.com/).
There are articles of how to do it in well-respected publications like Poets & Writers Magazine for those who require that validation from on high. Luckily, I felt the same way on my own. Would I work with a major publisher? If the conditions are right, absolutely. It would have to be a relationship that allows me to be highly involved in the marketing and promotion. I would have to continue to help other writers through Meroen Press (my wife’s children’s book, a damn good book, is on the way) Perhaps a deal where I could keep my company as an imprint and they took over distribution. Either way, I intend to retain a sense of control too many others give away out of a lack of confidence in themselves or for some false sense of legitimacy.
