When I was releasing my stories
through a publisher,
that publisher decided
when my series was done.
They decided
when I was done.
Many of my writing buddies
can no longer
work with publishers
under certain pen names
(brands)
because these publishers
collectively decided
these pen names weren’t selling.
They were done,
over, finished.
Now, that I’m Indie,
I own the publishing process
and
I decide when a series is done.
I decide when my pen name (brand)
is done.
I can publish stories
under my pen names
forever
if I want to do that.
Issa Rae,
actress and serial entrepreneur,
shares
“That’s a huge part
of being able
to have longevity
— to have a stake
in your own career
is to own your masters.
I understand,
especially when you become
f*cking Taylor Swift,
you want some sort of ownership
over your work.
But coming from the TV side,
I don’t own ‘Insecure’.
HBO owns that
at the end of the day.
I have to have
my own distribution arm
to be able to own my work.”
If you want to last a long time
in your industry,
consider owning
as much of the process
as possible.