Shall I Compare Thee to Traditional Publishing?

If you can't tell, I've been studying Shakespeare. A lot. :) But that's not what this post is about. Today I want to talk about Self-Publishing and E-Publishing.

Let me just make one point here. Self-Publishing and E-Publishing are not the same thing.

Self-Publishing means you have gone to the extra mile, after pitching your book to traditional publishers, and have taken it upon your self to publish your book without an agent or traditional publisher. In other words, you are not published, but your book is for sale. 

E-publishing is a type of publishing. This road can be taken through traditional publishers or through Self-Publishing, but your book is in electronic form. You can have both print and electronic versions of your book, print-on-demand or strictly electronic formatting

What I want to discuss today is a combination of the two.

My second novel, LET ME OUT, is with my critique group. I have queried the hell out of this book, but probably not as much as other writers have done with their books. I've been asked for 2 partials. In the end, both agents rejected the book. This could be for a number of reasons, as we all know, but I am still really passionate about this book and I want to see it available to the masses.

That brings me to the meat of my post.

Once the group is through with the manuscript, I will query one more round. If I haven't yielded any results by the end of the year, I am going to self-publish. I thought my decision would be a lot harder to make, but after a great RWA meeting this last weekend, it's official. My book will be available for others to read come hell or highwater.

I will have to self-promote like crazy. I will have to manage a full-time job, school and selling my book all at one time, but I'm going to do it.

What is the hardest decision you've had to make in your writing career? Are you considering self-publishing?