Actually, I had to make this decision at one time as well. When the CWBP first came into existence, I was eager to join. So first I created the Qashya Mal region which consisted of 4 squares - if I remember right. I mapped them all myself. Then I opted to create some textual content for the area. I don't know if it has been further developed, but I spent several months fleshing out the region.
Then I got the urge to work on another area, something I could assign as "this is the Japan analog", since I've been wanting to develop a fictional Japan land as a personal project for a while. My initial problem was I couldn't find a set of islands that best match what I wanted to create. I did pick/get assigned a particular chain of islands, and before I started to map, I started to write some of the intended content for such an area... but I stopped. You see I came to the conclusion that I wanted to develop something completely on my own, then publish it. The more I thought about it, the more I didn't want to steal something from this (an existing community project) and claim it as my own.
Part of it was because the island chain the I settled on really didn't satisfy my needs for a specific size of island - not too big, but big enough. Also because I really wanted to publish my own thing.
I started to more deeply design a setting, as well as generate the first of several very Japanese style island maps. Once I had something to show, I started contacting several publishers that I've done commission work in the past who might be interested in publishing a setting I was working on. Eventually I found Steven Russell of Rite Publishing who talked me into self-publishing as an imprint under Rite Publishing. This way I could maintain control of the product, but I could get help for game designers and writers to help bring my personal project into published reality.
Thus I have now published the Kaidan setting of Japanese horror (PFRPG), so far I've created with the help of Jonathan McAnulty an introductory trilogy of modules to Kaidan called The Curse of the Golden Spear with 3 modules: The Gift, Dim Spirit and Dark Path, also 3 one-shot adventures were created: Frozen Wind (a free module), The Tolling of Tears, and Up from Darkness. Also 3 racial supplements were created: In the Company of Kappa, In the Company of Henge and In the Company of Tengu. 2 (so far) class/faction supplements have been created: Way of the Yakuza and Way of the Samurai, as well as a haunts guide (written by T. H. Gulliver) called #30 Haunts for Kaidan. Finally I completely designed/developed/written/page layout and created the cartography for Haiku of Horror: Autumn Moon Bath House - an adventure site and mini-module.
2 summers ago, I ran a successful Kickstarter to fund a GMs and Players Campaign Guide to the setting, and though past the scheduled release date, we are wrapping up the last of the magic system, before it goes to editing, then back to me for page layout. So we should those products in the next several months.
So at the end of this diatribe - I ran into wanting to publish something from the CWBP, and my final decision was to completely separate the two projects and not actually develop my area from the CWBP. So needless to say, I took an idea, and ran with it in a big way!
You might opt to go a different way, but if you think you might want to publish something on your own, I suggest you don't pull it from here, rather go completely your own way - from scratch.
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