When I first started thinking about my novel seriously again, my mind went straight to traditional publishing, but I thought, if all else fails, maybe I can self publish. I think a lot of new authors come to this crossroads when they start getting serious about putting their work out there into the world. Here are a few of the hang-ups I had when it came to self publishing:
1. There’s a huge stigma around self publishing.
2. Self publishing is what you do when you’re not “good enough” to be traditionally published.
3. I don’t know what I’m doing, and if I publish traditionally, the publisher will take care of it all for me.
I started listening to podcasts about self publishing because I didn’t really know anything about it. I found Self Publishing Podcast, and I was hooked. These guys talk a lot of B.S. on their show. They’re crass and immature and often take a half an hour to start actually talking about the topic. But there’s a method to their madness, and I quickly fell in love with Johnny, Sean, and Dave. After spending hours upon hours with them, I feel like I really know them, and I trust them. They talk to their listeners as if they are talking to their friends. They’re honest, they’re straight-forward, and they have tried it all, and best of all, they want other writers to benefit from what they’ve learned. They have some amazing insights and have really helped me better understand the world of self publishing.
Here’s what I’ve learned:
1. The stigma around self publishing is there for a reason: anyone can publish themselves, and anyone does.
People write crap, they don’t edit it, they slap a stock photo on it and upload it and call it an ebook. This junk is riddled with grammatical errors, inaccuracies, giant plot holes, and inconsistencies.
But the thing is, there are a lot of self published authors out there who take it seriously, too. Self publishing doesn’t have to be bad. All those things that those authors are doing badly can be done well, and an indie author can have a successful career as a self published author!
The biggest take-aways: polish your work, hire an editor (not just your friends), and pay for good cover art. You can’t change the stigma of self publishing, but you don’t have to contribute to it, either.
2. Self publishing can (and should) be a choice for authors, not a last resort. There are a lot of benefits to self publishing that I had never considered before! You have more control over your work. You can get your stuff published much, much more quickly. And the big one: the royalties are a hell of a lot better. If you go with a traditional publisher, you can probably expect somewhere between 10% and 15%. If you self publish, you can see upwards of 70% of your profits. Why wouldn’t you want to consider self publishing?!
3. Traditional publishers do take on most of the behind-the-scenes work for the author—but not all of it, and not the hardest part of it. Even traditional publishers expect authors to market themselves. They expect authors to have a following and to self-promote. And really, that’s the hardest thing we have to do as authors—find readers and keep them engaged. So if you have to do it anyway, doesn’t that make the traditional route a little less appealing?
I haven’t decided yet if I’ll pursue a traditional publisher or self publish, but I feel a lot more informed than I did when I started writing more seriously again. Although I like the idea of a traditional publisher hand-holding me through the process the first time, I’m leaning toward self publishing because I like the flexibility it offers, and I don’t know if I can stand the thought of letting someone else have 85% of the income generated from my hard work. Whichever way I go, I certainly don’t see self publishing as the lesser option anymore.
If you haven’t checked out Self Publishing Podcast, do it. Also check out their excellent book, Write. Publish. Repeat. Or for an even better deal, grab it as a part of the Indie Author Power Pack: How to Write, Publish & Market Your Book.
Happy publishing!
Thanks for the post. I’m pretty much in the same place, wondering about the pros and cons of self-publishing. Tempted to go down that road but the promotion aspect is daunting!
Curtis, thank you for your comment! I agree, self promotion is a very daunting task, but it’s something we will have to do regardless of whether we choose the traditional or self publishing route! Your online presence is a step in the right direction! Best of luck to you, and again, your comment is greatly appreciated. 🙂
Thanks for a balanced discussion of the stigma of self publishing. True, there are self-published books that have lots of errors — including spelling errors, which makes me scratch my head, with spell-check and all. But there are also self-published books from authors who have taken a lot of careful time crafting a good story.
Thank you for your comment, augustmacgregor! I agree, it seems that spell check would be the “gimme” if an author chose to do nothing else. Personally, though, I turn off grammar check because I often disagree with it, so I suppose some people might be annoyed by those little red squiggly lines and do away with them, as well!
I feel like this is an excellent opportunity to bring up the poem “Candidate for a Pullet Surprise.” http://www.jir.com/pullet.html
Thanks for the link to the poem — that’s a fantastic example of how spell checker can solve all our writing problems!