I wanted to be traditionally published and worked for it and courted it for years. They said they didn’t want to work with me because I didn’t have an agent. Once I got an agent, nothing changed, beyond it being two of us getting ignored. The real game seemed to be who do you know. So I self-published. I try to learn the craft as much as I can and write well. I’m still working and still learning.
In the meantime, a traditional publisher (Vintage Books, a division of Random House) put out Fifty Shades of Grey, a writer’s and certainly an editor’s nightmare, and that made me lose faith in the idea that they were the gatekeepers of quality fiction.
These days, small press and self-publish outfits are releasing a lot more quality and less bad drivel than they were over a decade ago.
The lure of traditional publishing is still there for me, but they’ve tarnished their reputation some with their own badly written drivel these days, in my view. I hope to go with a small press next time. If not, self-publish is still there, and I demand high quality writing of myself, so I know it will be the best book I can release.
Yet, learning the craft of writing well should never stop. I love finding new things to learn to improve.
AuntieMaim.com 
Hello,
Found your site while looking at publishing topics. I totally agree with everything that you wrote about the big publishers. It is such a huge industry and they have so little imagination or willingness to look outside their very narrow world view. You didn’t mention how they charge so much for the books and then share a small percentage with the only person who crafted the story. Somewhere deep in my soul, that really irritates me.
As for me, I have completed two novels and am sending the first to a developmental editor soon. After I get their comments, I will send it to a copy editor and then will face the decision of how to get it in the hands off readers. Right now, I am taking steps to create something like you have going here. But I am not opposed to finding a agent and going down the big publisher path.
I absolutely love what your site has going and just about everything I would like to have, you have. I love the idea of podcasts and it looks like you have some sort of anthology going on too.
I am so excited to look around and I wish you all the best in your life and writings. I saw that you are a veteran, thank you for your service. My personal goal is world domination, it looks like you are well on your path towards that goal as well. Good for you.
With your permission, I would like to become a follower.
rob
LikeLike