When I was nineteen I decided that I wanted to write for a living, so I started looking into it. I was planning to go the traditional route, and had even picked the agent that I wanted. I researched query letters and wrote her one (she loved the letter, but my story wasn't for her). I went on to query more agents, some of which offered advice. I started to imagine myself ending up in the slush pile, but I didn't let that stop me. I kept querying until I got THE RESPONSE. The response isn't a request to read more (if you click that says wolf within you can read it, but it was awful), but it was the response that let me know the agent didn't care about what they had read. I remember taking the time to fill out their form (complete with my name), and when I got their response back they referred to me as my character's name. That's probably when it clicked for me that it was all a business to them. I would be turning over my 'book baby' to a person who wasn't as passionate about my book as I was. I had been naive about the process and thought that I'd develop a relationship with all the people that I would work with. I then heard about an author who'd found success self publishing. I hadn't really heard anything about self publishing at that point, but I explored it and thought that it would be a great opportunity for me. I also liked how much control I would have over my books. Anyway, that's why I decided to self publish. I hope you enjoyed my take! Tell me in the comments why you decided to choose self/regular publishing in the comments down below.
