Last time I asked "why self-publishing".  On that thread, I'm going to focus on the most important question a writer has to ask when creating a world.

Why?

Why that time period?  Why that race?  Why that land?  Why that day, that moment, that person, that plot, why why why why?

"Does it really matter that much?"

Not every single time, yet even then, you still have to answer "why not?"  Why doesn't it matter?

Take my own novel, Luna the Lone Wolf.  Here are some questions I've had to answer over it's development.

Why wolves?
It fits perfectly with the theme of being a "lone wolf".  Wolves are by nature family oriented.  Unlike us humans, they're simple at their core, but expand greatly once dug into.  Really the fact is humans couldn't tell the story well enough.  Not without adding too much into it.  Humans have politics, money, technology, and so many other things we can't get away from.  Wolves have all the emotional traits I need without all that, allowing the emotion of the story to be told totally bare.  Plus being wolves, an animal I was passionate about anyway, it was easy to get excited about the research aspect of things.

Why a forest?
Didn't like the idea of wide open plains.  The ecology of a forest gave me a few more options than other lands would have done.  In this case, it just felt right.

Why a mocking bird?
I needed a bird that could believably make sounds wolves could understand.  Being a breed known for making a vast range of vocalizations, as well being found pretty much anywhere, he fit the bill perfectly.  And by the way, parrots were rejected immediately.  I did not want Iago (from Aladin) in my story, thank you very much.

Why the time period?
Well the time period really didn't matter since this is all about the wolves.  However, since humans were going to be there, might as well keep it current to help the human readers connect with things.  After all, modern humans understand the idea of talking to a "rock".  If the humans were just standing there, talking to no one (I.E. internal implant), it might be hard to have the wolves see it and still tell the human readers what's going on.  I mean, try describing the Millennium Falcon entirely from a wild wolf's perspective and still have the reader know what it is he's looking at.  The moment you try to add some kind of cute description using the thing's name, you've destroyed your perspective.

So on, and so forth.  Every detail has a reason, even if the writer himself is not aware of it.  Luna lives near a river.  Why?  It gave me a way to do things the story requires much easier.  Why write only from the wolves' perspective?  I tried including the humans, but they damaged the story.  There are events that happen to him that also have their reasons, but I can't even post the questions without major spoilers.

The fact is, the writer should always ask each detail what their purpose is.  When I get stuck in a section, I always go back to "why is this here?  Why does this need to happen?"  Often the answer leads to the fix.  The why is the whole reason the story was born.  It drives all that goes before and is left behind.  I wanted to tell a tale about a loner facing his life as one, and the myriad emotions that brings with it.  I wanted to share his pain, and his joy, with all of you.

You see, from that core reason is where I build everything else.  From Luna being a wolf, to the bird, to the forest, to everything else that builds his world and his life as it must be told.

Ask yourself, why was Star Wars done in "a galaxy far far away?"  I can think of a few, but I'd like to hear yours.  Think like a writer.  Might be fun.  Why set this intricate, and complex universe so far outside of our own?  Why not just send it a few hundred or thousand years in the future like Star Trek?  Why?

There was a time when I sent out a submission, via snail-mail in this case.  I poured over my query letter, worked hard on my synopsis, killed every typo in my sample chapters, sent it off, then spent the next six weeks using my teeth as a nail file.  I was sure it was a good fit.  My story was everything they were looking for.  How could they turn it down?

Then on week seven, I got a letter.  A simple, thin envelope.  Not a good sign.  I opened it, looked inside.... and felt positively insulted!  You've heard the term rejection slip?  This was the very example of one.  A literal slip of paper, with the standard "Dear Mister Wells," up top, their "Sincerely ect" at the bottom, and right between them, two lines.  I'm not kidding!  Two, #$@#! sentences politely saying "no thank you."

Now I've gotten rejections before.  Quite a few in fact.  But this... I wish I'd saved it, but at the time I was so incensed I couldn't stand to look at it.  They didn't have the respect to send me a more formal letter?  It didn't even have a letter head for goodness sake!

And yet, I suppose I should thank them.  It was that anger that changed things.

It took time to take effect, but that's when it started.  By then I'd given drafts of my novel to friends, and a couple of sort-of-strangers that I trust, for feedback.  All loved it and can't wait to own a copy of their own.  Then I gave a copy to a Girl Scout from my mom's troop since she was right in the middle of my target audience.

She finished it in a day and has been hounding me for a sequel ever since.

So, everyone who reads it loves it.  They all want to buy it.  And yet the same story gets a rejection slip smaller than a shopping receipt?  I think I'm in the wrong business.  It's clear I have something here.  If the publishers can't see that, then I'll just make it happen myself.  Thus I abandoned my efforts for traditional publishing, and switched to self-publishing.  Been the best decision I've ever made.  I haven't felt this driven since the days after 9/11 when my career first began.  It's a longer grind than I expected, true, but it hasn't stopped me.

And why should it?  I have a story I have every confidence in.  I mean after all, I have a Girl Scout demanding a sequel.  I've begged and kow-towed to publishers for a long time, only to get a rejection I couldn't use for origami (I actually tried).  Now to be fair, that house was the only one to be insulting.  All the others were actually very polite and respectful.  They still didn't buy it though.  It's a tale being heard a lot more these days.  Even well known authors are moving to self-publishing because they too are having a hard time getting contracts.

"They also want the better profits from it."

In some cases maybe.  And I know some of you may think that's what I'm after.  I'd be lying if I said that wasn't a nice bonus, assuming I even got to that point, but it's been made abundantly clear my story doesn't fit the usual mold.  I've always said, "My target reader is 13-29, but really I think it will appeal to anyone".  I can already hear the publishers crying foul about too large an age range.  One could call it Young Adult, but not really.  Then you have a story about wolves, told by wolves, entirely from their perspective.  I can't think of another story that is similar to that.  Not saying there isn't one, I just don't know of it.

"It's going to take a lot of work and a lot of money to do it."

You're telling me.  A content editor alone is going to cost $1,400.  That's without formatting, marketing, printing costs, author copies to take with me to book signings, all told I'm looking at a $5,000 bill.  Then I have to get my name out there myself.  Get exposure.  Be seen, be reviewed (hopefully positively), and be visible enough to get sales.  That's a tall order for a guy working a part time job that doesn't pay much.

But I have to go back to the story.  I know it's good.  I have reliable, honest people telling me it's good.  I know it will sell.  I just have to do the work to make it happen.  And I have been.

As of today, I have an interview lined up for when the book finally hits the market, I have a content editor chosen and ready when I can gather the funds, I have two plans for a publisher - one better than the other but not a guarantee -, I have plans for some networking to spread the word, I have plans for local book signings on release day, I have an awesome artist working on commissions that will be used for PR materials, and I am putting together a Kickstarter campaign to raise the $5,000 I'll need to make it all happen.

Guess I won't be needing a traditional publisher after all.