Give me your tired, your poor: Why You Should Self Publish

As the saying goes publish or perish. I heard this often in college. It seems more intended for scholarly papers, but the same can go for indie writers. The difference is that unlike scholarly articles, which need peer review and are published in academic journals, indie writers can seize the means of production and publish their own works!

There are some people who don't care for self publishing. They may think it's too vain or makes it too easy for those who didn't go to college to study their craft or put up thousands of dollars for an MFA. Those are the gate keepers.

I was inspired to write again when I learned about Alt Lit in the 2010's. There was a strong DIY vibe to it. Not only were people self publishing but they were self publishing weird stuff.

It's the weird and experimental stuff that showed me there was an audience for every genre. The line: give me your tired, your poor comes to mind. Writers that can't seem to get published by the big five are tired of being rejected and too poor to shell out for MFA's (like most higher education endeavors mislead people about career security and job placement), or reading fees, or contest fees, or substack subscription fees, or any of the other ways that keep people from having their work read.

So with that said here are some reasons why you should self publish:

1. It gets the work out of your head.

2. It can become a source of income.

3. It can make you more prolific.

4. It can teach you new skills.

5. It can get people to read your work.

Now here is an explanation of these points.

1. It gets the work out of your head.

2. It can become a source of income.

3. It can make you more prolific.

4. It can teach you new skills.

5. It can get people to read your work.