In a growing trend at ENC, students are taking the initiative to self-publish their writing.
As opposed to the traditional route of publishing houses, self-publishing is an easier and much cheaper way for writers to make their writing available to the public.
A few students have already been self-published, such as sophomore Jordan Martinez under her pen name J.M. Black, junior Leah Anderson, and a student with the pen name Pedes Cardinalis.
“I self-published my book [The Great Scheme of Things] back in September through Amazon Direct Publishing, where I was able to publish it for Kindle,” Martinez said. “Through Createspace.com I was able to make my book available for purchase in hardcover.”
“I was told about self-publishing through Amazon.com,” she continued, “I initially self-published my book through [Amazon] to see if it worked, was easy, and if it would cost me anything−it didn’t.”
Although self-publishing is affordable for college students, Martinez would still rather publish through a publishing house.
“I prefer traditional publishing, because when you self-publish, everything is on you to market your book and get it out there, which is pretty difficult, and I’m still trying to figure out,” Martinez said.
Junior Gabbie Borrero and sophomore Caitlin Schesser also plan to self-publish after they finish their working manuscripts.
“[Self-publishing] is easier, and instead of waiting around for someone to like my work, I can just do it myself,” Borrero said. “I’ve worked so hard on my writing. It’s my life. So, why not take advantage in my own hands when I can keep my work the same and make it really my own.”
Borrero does not prefer publishing houses necessarily; she sees many benefits to self-publishing.
“I didn’t want a publisher to feel they knew my work better than I did,” she said. “It is a bit difficult because I’ve had to put everything together and the editing process isn’t easy, but it’s worth it to me.”
Borrero plans to finish her book soon.