I run a rather small, casual writing community on Facebook called the Drunken Lion. It's not as active as like, but I try to occasionally post some things to get conversations sparked about writing.
Note: If you would like to join, feel free to do so!
Check out the Drunken Lion!
Anyway, one particular post attracted the attention of a certain person, who had written a book of poetry. He mentioned publishing it, and I asked him if he thought about self-publishing. Basically, the conversation sparked this blog post. As a self-published author, I wanted to give my take on the world of independent publishing, to help perspective writers.
Why publish?
First, before you even consider the question of traditional publishing versus independent, you want to take a long look at yourself and writing. People write for vastly personal, vastly different reasons. Publishing is a common goal for any writers, sometimes it's not and that's fine.
Your reason for publishing doesn't have to be particularly significant or meaningful. It's understandable that someone wants to publish to pursue a career goal, but at the same time, it is important to understand that, realistically, you shouldn't approach writing or publishing with the assumption you'll automatically big. (Just did my taxes--ended up spending more money on the business than making it).
My reason: I want to share my own stories with the world. A reason can be simple as that. You don't owe it to anyone to share this reason or explain it to anyone. Publishing, like writing, may be for deeply personal reasons.
Self-Publishing: The Good
I've only published one book, so my thoughts will be based off that perspective.
- Complete creative control
- Royalties
- Definitive
Complete Creative Control
This is the most hailed reason to pursue the path of self-publishing. You decide EVERYTHING. The content of your book, cover, format, pricing. You decide which editor and cover artist to utilize. If you're into micromanaging, then you can have your way with every single detail. Even down to the font face for chapter headings and the drop case.
Royalties
Depending on which retailers you decide to publish through, you will generally receive a higher percentage of royalties. Some retailers, mostly Amazon, will ask for exclusivity rights, meaning they will offer 70% of royalties (per unit sold) versus a mere 30% and in exchange, you promise not to sell your book (usually ebook) through other retailers. This is up for you to decide. Some people may find it more advantageous to sell exclusively through Amazon, as it is one of the largest, most popular book sellers. Others may prefer to have their book available through other formats (Nook, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, Smashwords, Google Play). Again, it is all up to you.
Definitive
One of the other big appeals to self-publishing for aspiring writers is to definitively have their work published--either in digital format or in a tangible book. To have it available and out there for potential readers. This bypasses the anxiety of waiting for query letter responses.
Self-Publishing: The Bad
- Out-of-pocket
- Less security
- One man show
Out-of-pocket
Self-publishing means you don't have the traditional publishing houses to take care of the other collaborators. That means, if you can't or have no desire to do your own editing, cover design, formatting, narrating the audiobook, then you will have to find someone to do that for you. And unless you are personally familiar with someone capable of performing those services, you will have to pay someone to do those things for you. Even the cheaper, lower quality services cost a somewhat hefty some. And you will have to purchase these service before you even publish your first book. Publishing is a business, even if done for personal or vanity reasons, and it requires investment.
Less Security
As an independent publisher, unless you already have an established platform for yourself, you won't have job security. Your sales are not guaranteed or consistent. You may go months without selling a unit. Even when you extensively promote and market your book, your efforts are not guaranteed to make money. Even most writers, traditionally published or no, supply their income with part-time jobs.
One Man Show
You do everything yourself. This goes hand in hand with compete creative control. Even when you hire other collaborators (editor, cover artist, audiobook producer), you are still responsible for contacting and hiring these people in lieu of an agent or publisher. In self-publishing, writing is only half the job. The other responsibilities of publishing are dependent upon what you're willing to put forth and what you're comfortable with. This includes marketing and setting up your website, contacting other authors or book reviewers to establish your platform presence and social networking.
In Conclusion
This is just a brief insight on the world of self-publishing from my perspective. So whether you're considering diving into independent publishing or querying agents/publishers, perhaps this post has provided enough overview in order to make an educated decision! And I definitely recommend researching the subject more, whether you are certain or not!
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