by Janis Susan
May/Janis Patterson
As most of you know, I am a great proponent of
self-publishing. Almost every book I do these days is self-published through my
company Sefkhat-Awbi Books, though there are a couple of traditional publishers
I am still happy to work with.
That doesn’t mean self-publishing is perfect. Or anywhere
close to it.
I realize that self-publishing is not for everyone. You have
to be tough, dedicated, and – because it is a heck of a lot of old-fashioned
work – tireless. You have to be both sides of opposing forces – the author and
the publisher. It’s your book, so as the author you have the power to keep it
safe from the ‘writing by committee’ attitude of traditional publishing, where
each step from agent to first reader to acquiring editor to content editor can
require rewrites. Sometimes many rewrites, so many that you almost do not
recognize your own book. Release is at your convenience, instead of having to
wait an average of a year or more before your book comes out.
If you self-publish, you have to switch chairs and regard
your brain-child, your magnum opus as a product instead of an automatic classic
and best seller. You have to have it edited by a professional, for content and
for mechanics – and pay for it. You have to lay out the book the way you want
it to appear – table of contents, copyright page, dedication, other books by,
about the author, whatever. Then, unless you are gifted in the computer arts,
you will have to hire – and pay – a formatter. You will have to work with – and
pay – a cover artist, hopefully choosing images that will sell your book
easily. If doing a paperback, you will have to do all this in paperback format
as well as electronic. Also, if doing a paperback, you really should order –
and pay for – proofs to make sure everything looks the way it should. For
electronic versions, you need to check on their viewers before uploading.
And all this takes time – but you do get 60% plus (depending
on outlet) of cover price instead of 6-8% of whatever the traditional
publishers decide is the current norm.
Whether you are self-publishing or traditionally publishing,
publicity will be your responsibility. A traditional publisher will put your
book in a catalogue and maybe send out a press release when release day finally
rolls around. Pretty much everything else is on you however you are published.
I’ll admit I’m a control freak. I’m willing to do whatever
is necessary to keep my vision, my book, the way I see it. Yes, I work with a
wonderful editor and sometimes I have to ‘kill my darlings’ but my word is the
final one. I make the decisions on cover art instead of just giving a few
recommendations and having to accept whatever the publisher’s art department
comes up with. Pricing and distribution are my choice. Format is my choice.
This is my book, doggone it, and it’s all my choice. And my responsibility.
Like I said, self-publishing isn’t for everyone. I like it,
though.
I wish I could self-publish, Janis Susan. I admire you for managing all of it.
ReplyDeleteI agree wholeheartedly with you. Too bad there isn't some middle ground, though. A publisher who would work at giving an author more say while helping with the hard task of advertising. Good article...May the dragon watch over you...
ReplyDeleteActually, there are. The advertising is still pretty much on me but I do get help.
DeleteVery good overview of all that self-pubbing entails. It is indeed a lot of work. I'm still in the "mixed" category, with both traditional and self-pubbed books. I think it's very smart to warn people what they're getting into when writers go it alone.
ReplyDeleteHearing your argument for self-publishing was very helpful. It's not for me, even though I do finally see that financially I'd do better if I did self-pub. I'm just not prepared to take it on. But as I said, your piece finally helped me to understand why someone would.
ReplyDeleteNice post, Susan. Like you, I've published both traditionally and self. Also like you, I like the control self-pub gives me, but I've yet to master the marketing end of it. Still working on that. Thanks for sharing your insight.
ReplyDeletegreat post! I like self publishing too but to be honest, I like traditional. Depends on the book.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing
Good luck and God's blessings
PamT
After years being traditionally published, dealing with long waits for a decision, and after that lengthy publishing process, my husband and I self published a few of my titles. Loved getting them out there on my time, and seeing royalties every month. I'm being traditionally published again, and what I like about it is the advance, rather than laying out money for the production process, enjoy a great editor I don't have to pay. With the cover, on the other hand, I'd like to control that and can't. Promotion? That's a skill that evades me with either publishing process. But for the love of writing, I hang in. Sorry this is so long, thanks for your post, Susan!
ReplyDeleteI prefer to self-publish. I don't have to wait for a maybe anymore from an editor or agent. The good thing is I can make my own decisions. Sometimes, that's also a bad thing, when I can't make up my mind about a cover.
ReplyDeleteI dipped my toe in the self-pubbing pond last year, with poor results. Like you say in this article, you have to shell out for editing, cover design, formatting, etc. If I had gone the traditional route, the money I laid out for all those steps could have been spent on promotion instead, and possibly, I could have sold more copies. Not saying I'll never do it again, but I'll have to have the right set of circumstances to do so.
ReplyDeleteI started as trad but am now self-published. I find teh marketing etc a chore but without it new books wouldn't be noticed. THe reason I wouldn't go back to a publisher is because I write 5/6 books a year and no trad company wants that many. Even M&B only take three. Good article. I've posted about falling sales on my blog - with 4 million indie-pub books now instead of 600 000 it's harder fr us.
ReplyDeleteSuch an interesting article. I'm also pubbed both ways and prefer to get an advance and have someone else do so many other things. Thanks for the excellent post.
ReplyDeleteI've also heard stories from traditionally published authors who are still responsible for marketing and promotion yet receive a very small piece of the profits.
ReplyDeleteI've also heard that advances continue to shrink.
After selling 100 books to traditional publishers, I'm now self-publishing my Safe Harbor Medical Mysteries, along with reissues. I'll admit, it's a lot of work and there's no quick payoff, but I, too, like the freedom and the control.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I'm a hybrid, working through both publishers and self-pubbing, and I like the combination. I like the exposure a publisher can give me - I deal with indie mainly-online publishers - yet the flexibility and control of self-pubbing, including better margins! It never ceases to amaze me to think how 10 years ago, when I started publishing, some of these options were only just starting out!
ReplyDeleteI sold my first book and then bought the contract back when I realized what was happening to my story. I've since sold two books to a publisher and I'm not thrilled with the results. Everything else I've self-pubbed, but now I have help. I use Indie Artist Press. They only accept high quality books(any genre)but they do the formatting, SEO, etc so that I don't have to do it. They are wonderful! It's taken a huge burden off of me.
ReplyDeleteI am also a proponent of self-publishing, but it is important to know your limitations and I found mine. Graphic design is a skill I can only dream about. Fortunately, I know someone who knows someone... Thank you for the reminder!
ReplyDelete