I’m not an expert in self-publishing. I haven’t looked into all the new venues that let writers get their work out in the world on their own. I haven’t run the numbers — what kind of sales you can expect and what return you’ll get on your investment. The only research I’ve done is to watch what’s been happening with my clients over the last 25 years.
I’m not saying that no one should ever self-publish. I know that it has worked well for a lot of writers, and it has sometimes been the right choice for my clients.
But I am saying that there are dangers to self-publishing that you need to hear. If you decide to do it, you should at least know what the pitfalls are.
The biggest pit that you don’t want to fall into is self-publishing before your book is ready. I’ve had a couple of fans of Self-Editing for Fiction Writers proudly send me their self-published books. Almost without exception, they were full of unlikable characters, obvious plot twists, stilted dialogue, and basic stylistic awkwardness that can’t be cured just by reading a book on writing, even a really good one. The problem is, it’s almost impossible to judge for yourself whether or not you’re ready to publish. This is what critique groups, independent editors, and submissions to agents are for – to let someone other than yourself size up your manuscript.
Premature publication doesn’t just waste money. A lot of modern self-publishing companies, particularly e-publishers, let you get your book on the market on the cheap. The real danger lies in the time you’ll spend designing and marketing your book — time that you should spend either revising it or starting the next one.
There’s been a lot written about the importance of having an internet platform to sell your books, for instance, so I’ve known a few writers who start blogs that quietly die after three postings. Others solicit reviews from other writers, which puts them in touch with the round of people soliciting reviews from other writers, so that they start spending all of their time reading and reviewing other self-published works. And you can always annoy your Facebook friends with weekly offers to buy your book.
There’s also the time you need to invest in learning things that have nothing to do with writing, such as book design. A few years ago, a client sent me a copy of his self-published sci-fi thriller. It was a good, fun read – tense and fast-paced, with an intriguing premise, a fascinating hero, and a sweet twist at the end. But the cover illustration looked like something a talented tenth grader might draw on the back of a notebook. I’ve also had self-published books arrive in the mailbox with tiny margins, shoddy paper, minuscule (or oversized) print, odd fonts — there are hundreds of ways to undermine the reading experience that you wouldn’t know about unless you were a professional book designer.
Of course, many self-publishing houses offer professional design services, for a price. And since you get what you pay for in design as you do in any other profession, you will have to pay a reasonable amount to get the kind of quality you need. You can also hire yourself a good marketer, but again you need to pay the kinds of fees respectable professionals charge. So we’re back to investing money in a book that may not deliver a return.
To be honest, learning to market yourself is something you may need to do anyway, if you plan to be a successful writer. Most major mainstream houses are interested in blockbusters, and breaking into that market is slightly less likely than winning the lottery. So your first publisher will probably be a small, independent house or a house specializing in genre. Either way, you probably won’t get a lot of help with your marketing.
One of my clients has published a series with a small, traditional house. This is a good thing in some ways – he has a strong personal relationship with the publisher, for instance. But small houses don’t have the marketing budget or clout of a larger house, so he has had to learn to market himself. This has meant investing both money in a professional marketing firm and time in giving interviews across the internet.
So marketing a traditionally-published book can be nearly as much work as self-publishing. The advantage to traditional publishing, even with a smaller house, is that you know a publishing professional thinks your manuscript is worth the investment. When you self-publish, it may be, but you can’t be sure.
In the interests of fairness, there are big pits in traditional publishing as well. One of my clients signed a two-book deal with Hyperion on the strength of a terrific dystopian YA. But the editor who signed her left, and her new editor kept demanding rewrites that never seemed to satisfy her. After months of trading drafts back and forth, they mutually decided to pull the plug on the deal. The client got to keep her advance, but, despite my encouragement, hasn’t written anything since.
Another relatively recent pitfall to watch for is the multiple-book deal, something that shows up mostly in genre publishing. This may sound like a godsend, but while genre publishers might be more open to new voices, they also have a tremendous turnover – the shelf life of mass market paperbacks is down to a few weeks. Some authors find that the multi-book deal they thought was the turning point of their career actually destroys it when they’re faced with deadlines and pressure from an editor eager to keep the titles churning.
It wasn’t too long ago that self-publishing houses were known as “vanity presses,” and the whole industry brought to mind sad, would-be authors with boxes of their books moldering in their basements. But as traditional publishing moves toward e-books and POD – and major houses move deeper into their search for the next blockbuster – self-publishing is losing that stigma and becoming more mainstream.
That doesn’t mean it’s easy. But if you’re considering it, at least now you know the pitfalls and can keep your eyes open.
So tell us about your experiences with self-publishing. Have you encountered — or avoided — any of the pitfalls?
About Dave King
Dave King is the co-author of Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, a best-seller among writing books. An independent editor since 1987, he is also a former contributing editor at Writer's Digest. Many of his magazine pieces on the art of writing have been anthologized in The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing and in The Writer's Digest Writing Clinic. You can check out several of his articles and get other writing tips on his website.
The peril of self-publishing that I wasn’t warned of: agents’ bias against a sequel unless the first book records very large sales. My sequel will be rejected, I was told by one agent, as will all similar titles until my self-publishing numbers were very, very good. That was not what I’d bargained for when I first wrote for a niche market on Amelia Island, Florida. Both books sell well locally and have good reviews from distant readers. But it means a name change when pitching my off-island book.
That’s a point, Barbara. When an agent or publisher signs up a complete unknown, they have no idea how well they’ll sell, so the sky’s the limit. When someone has self-published with modest success, they think they know. They may be wrong, but given the choice between a modest readership and a gamble on a bestseller, they’ll probably go with the gamble.
This is out of date thinking about the impact of self publishing on traditional contracts. Agents at the latest Writer’s League of Texas Agents and Editors Conference, as well as the editors, said they judge the manuscript offered. A self-published prior title reflects a completed work, instead of a work in progress. There’s a plus. In addition, that self-published work could have the benefit of workshopping, beta readers, or development editing like the kind that you offer. All acquisition editors at houses are always beholden to what sales believes will succeed in the market, anyway. Everybody is guessing, even with a brilliant book.
And bringing up vanity presses as not-that-long-ago examples of self-publishing is a stretch. It’s been awhile. Agents that didn’t evaluate self-publishing five years ago say they are now operating with a wider net while acquiring contracts to represent. That’s usually the first step in traditional publishing: getting the contract with the agent, the one that’s a total gamble.
Dave, I think your post is an important one because it emphasizes the reality of the hard work. You seeem to suggest that any author/writer needs to approach this as a profession, not just writing a book, format it, print it and sell it. Learning to write well, learning how to publish a book to a professional standard, learning marketing strategies to promote successfully are overwhelming tasks and take years. I’m a hybrid: self-pubbed for my ebooks, but Indie-pubbed for print editions. As authors, we are practicing a creative art, and we are learning the business of publishing, and building skills to promote and market a product. If I could name one pitfall, it’s being naive that these paths are easy or quick.
Absolutely, Paula.
When I write articles like this one (and last month’s, on how Writing is Hard), I’m thinking about clients who have genuine talent but who don’t understand just how tough it is to become a writer. They start off enthusiastic, but when things turn out to be tough, they think something’s wrong with them.
There’s nothing wrong with them. It’s just that turning writing from a dream into a career is work.
Right. But it’s not just about the hard work, it’s the time too – all that hard work over a long period of time – years and years…
I remember something Louis L’Amour said when he was something like seventy years old and had already published a 100 titles or some amazing number. He said that even though he had been writing and publishing successfully for decades, it wasn’t until later in his life, and in his career, that he finally felt like he was at the top of his game – writing his best. For L’Amour, and I think for many other aspirers, writing is not something you do, it is what you do. You never stop learning, revising, editing, rewriting and writing new – the work never stops – ever. So the only worry about work a writer ought to have is…will I have enough time?
Excellent overview, Dave. Perhaps the biggest pitfall comes right at the beginning, with a mindset. A self-publishing writer (and, increasingly, one who writes inside the walls of the Forbidden City) must think entrepreneurially as well as writerly. The failure to set up operations with sound business principles is like BASE jumping with an umbrella. Building a solid, revenue-generating business takes patience, a long-term view–and, of course, great products to sell (for which the author needs a system of objective quality controls).
You’re right, James.
I think the thing that many writers don’t realize is that publishing and building your business and brand require a completely different set of skills from writing.
Dave, if you think that publishing, or building a business, is a completely different set of skills than writing, you overlook your own work here in this column. You wrote it. The Dave King brand rises, or stays afloat.Yes, marketing strategy skills are different than writing — unless you’re writing about marketing. My publishing experience goes back 32 years (outside employers, my own publishing companies). We wrote in order to succeed in business. Authors market themselves with writing about their writing. These are not unrelated skills.
Dave, thank you for this post. I have no experience in self-publishing and frankly the thought scares me because of the work involved — I can write but there’s so much more than just writing and revising to bringing a book to life. However, I have friends who have self published amazing books. They didn’t just unleash a third draft into the world. A couple of my friends also self published picture books (with gorgeous artwork). I am still surprised that they didn’t have patience to go the traditional route. In any case, I am glad their stories are finding their audience. The biggest problem they face and it’s the same for traditionally published authors is discoverability.
I agree about discoverability, Vijaya. One of the side-effects of easy self-publishing is that there are a lot of books out there vying for a market that hasn’t grown that much. A lot of the work of self-publishing involved being heard above the crowd.
Well said, Dave. Some of these pitfalls apply broadly to all authors: Lots of time and often money invested — plus quite a bit of hope — for returns that are meager at best. My 3 rules of thumb with self-published authors who approach me for representation are 1) that they must have blurbs from at least 2 established, traditionally-published authors who have worked with them through the drafting and revising process. That shows they’ve done their homework as writers; 2) That they’ve published independently rather than going through a one-stop-shopping provider like Lulu.com; and 3) That they’ve used professional cover designers, interior designers and copy editors. Without these criteria, it’s nearly impossible to get anybody’s serious attention when promoting a book.
In other words, you want them to be serious about their writing.
This is good to know, Sharon. Thanks.
Dave, great post, kudos for daring to bring this up. A lot of sacred feelings get outraged whichever way you argue, and I agree absolutely that your writing time and craft should be high on the value-chain.
One counter-argument, though, to nearly everything you said here. The aspiring author who follows every bit of your advice will be completely, totally alone. The only contact they’ll get is what they pay for, and everyone knows what kind of relationship that will be. We’re isolated enough.
The amateur self-publisher, on the other hand, is meeting people! Making mistakes, you bet, and learning as we all know you do when that happens. You HAVE to step out a bit, somewhere between the two poles of “it has to be perfect, time doesn’t exist” and “I have to be rich and famous RIGHT NOW”.
I get great benefit from my online writing colleagues, exchanging posts on FB, blogging, taking AND GIVING feedback on drafts, doing interviews. That all has to happen- put the question of when-the-next-book aside, just ask “will doing this improve my writing, will it make the WiP better”. Thanks!
It did take a little courage to write this. Though I tried to be as gentle and balanced as I could, but a lot of people feel strongly about self-publishing. It would be easy to ruffle feathers.
As to loneliness . . . I’m not so sure. I’m glad you found a community and are enjoying the camaraderie. But I think the kind of companionship you’re talking about forms between people who share a love for what they’re doing. Most writers would form it around writing — that’s what they’re doing here on Writer Unboxed. They’re less likely to be passionate about book design. After all, if they were thrilled by good kerning or could list the differences between Times New Roman and Bembo, they would be designers rather than writers.
Here’s an addendum to self-publishing: the small publisher.
I’ve had a small publisher, and loved them. Especially loved my editor. But then they collapsed, and gave me back my distribution rights, and disappeared. I’ve kept in touch with my editor, and we’re good friends still.
Then I went looking for another traditional publisher who would allow submissions without an agent. I did my homework, searched out only publishers who carry a good list of historical novels – which are hard to sell without the proper promotion and visibility. I had written a series of four historicals following the same protagonist from 1912 to 1947.
Over the summer of 2013 I sent out about a dozen queries and got back four firm offers. I responded to each in turn, and in turn they sent me contracts to sign. They were very enthusiastic about a finished historical series. One acquisitions editor telephoned me from London England (I live in Canada) and kept me on the line for about 40 minutes.
HOWEVER
I cannot tell you the horror in those contracts. It was as if they wanted to own my soul for the rest of my natural life. BUT ONLY if the novels sold well.
Just a quick overview. All four contracts were different in detail, but similar overall.
It is called an ‘indeterminate’ contract. The publisher wants distribution rights for the legal term of the contract, but nowhere is there any indication of dates. Therefore there is no legal term of the contract. They can keep you so long as the book is selling – six months or sixty years.
One contract was open-ended because it would be in effect for everything I write in future. Another leap-frogged from one novel to the next, and would be ended six months after my last sale. Another encompassed all four novels under the same contract.
All of them wanted all rights for the legal term of the contract. International rights, translation rights, MOVIE rights.
All the contracts had a 90-day termination clause for the publisher ~ but not for the writer.
Then (and apparently this is standard) if the author wants to terminate, he has to take the publisher to court – in the publisher’s city of residence. That is, if the publisher is in London England, that is where I would have to go to get out of the contract.
Well, I tried to negotiate certain changes to these contracts, but in each case the publisher said ‘take it or leave it’.
But the advances they offered were so ridiculous that I didn’t even bother to contact an agent to negotiate for me. One advance was for 10 copies of my own novel. Another offered about $1500.
And the royalties – Egad. I recall one offered 3%.
That is the condition of small publishers today. They are under the gun. Some of them are failing. Few publishers are getting rich today.
I sympathise, but I have to take care of ME.
This is a cautionary tale. All you writers out there looking for a publisher —
Read the small print.
My God. I’ve read a lot of manuscripts and followed a lot of publishing careers, but the only contracts I’ve ever read are my own. They have been much more reasonable than this, but when you’re writing nonfiction, the movie rights aren’t a big consideration.
Thank you for the warning, Lyn. This might be worth an article of its own, though I wouldn’t be the one to write it.
Great post Dave. It was nice to see you include the potential potholes along the traditionally published road as well.
There is another risk: burn-out.
When I decided to self-publish my book about 18 months ago, I knew that the odds of it making a splash were worse than winning that $1.5 billion PowerBall. Because I had other reasons to complete the work, I was OK with losing money and was psychologically prepared for the sound of crickets instead of cheering fans.
What I was not prepared for was realizing the process would drain me so much that I could envision never writing another book. It is not because of the writing but because of the business/publishing side of it.
Don’t get me wrong. Of the few folks that read the book, I have earned a child-sized handful of fans who want another book. For them, I am beyond grateful. For them, I want to write another book.
But when I think about writing another book, I am filled with a sense of dread. It is difficult for me to imagine investing so much time and emotional energy into a writing another book for such a small audience.
Perhaps this will all turnout to be akin to a drinking binge. Right now, I am still hungover and telling myself I’ll never do that again. In another year or two or ten, the feeling may pass and the muse may tempt me into another round of self-indulgent word-partying.
And who knows? Perhaps next time I’ll find a publisher to host the party.
I like the metaphor of writing as binge drinking. I know it is addictive.
And I’m glad you haven’t burned out. One reason I wrote this article is to prepare writers for the work that self-publishing entails, so they don’t burn out.
Also, starting out with a handful of readers is kind of normal. It gets better.
First,
Thank you for your gentle and balanced discussion. I know that there is more, but keeping it to what you wrote makes the topic approachable. Each paragraph, more or less, could be a blog posting.
Second,
As an Engineer who worked on the internet fifteen years before it was invented by some politician, including personal web pages, I’m not intimidated by self-publishing. I like the concepts of artistic placement and eye appeal. I feel that that is a trap. Instead I work on my 4 Matryoschka novels, keep revising back and forth to make each stand-alone and still supportive of each other. In my down times, I stuff slush piles with number one, collecting rejections. I may succumb to self-pub, but not yet.
Thanks, Terry. And it sounds like, if you do decide to self-publish, you’re prepared for what it might involve.
Thanks for the thoughtful post, Dave. I have considered all these things over time and choose to self-publish my historical novel. The main reason is that I want the work to remain my work. A publishing company is a business, and they are buying your work for their purposes.
I have beta readers I trust to be honest and skilled, and I am paying a reputable firm to design my cover. My biggest concern is marketing but, as you said, I may have been on my own in that area anyhow. I don’t plan to blog, but I have a website ready to publish that I hope will draw readers with its historical content.
The novel is a very personal one for me. As with my children, I enjoy holding it close rather than giving it to someone else to raise.
That desire to remain in control of your own work is one of the main reasons to self-publish. Especially if, as you say, your story has a great deal of personal meaning. And Lyn’s experience with contracts (see above) shows just how brutal publishers can sometimes be.
One of the strongest appeals of self-publishing is the timing. While going the traditional route can take several years, why just click that button and you’ll have your hard copy in a week or so! I have several writer friends who have worked hard on producing a well written, professional-looking, book. I have other writer friends who are not so patient, and it shows. I’m always sorry for them, as they didn’t want to hear suggestions on making it better, and they’ll never sell (except possibly friends or relatives who are “guilted” into buying a copy.)
You really do have to think about what has motivated you toward self-publishing. Thanks, Dave, for bringing up these excellent points.
You’re right, Peggy. Again, it’s an understandable move. Writing is frustrating, and trying to sell what you’ve written is probably the most frustrating aspect of it. I think that frustration is what drives people to jump into self-publishing too quickly.
Your question is: What has been your experience with self-publishing?
It was a lot of work: writing, editing, formatting…
It resulted in the launch, late last fall, of my debut novel in ebook and POD.
I had been reading the self-publishing blogs for four years by that point, and was not surprised by anything in the process.
What it did NOT have – and why I will continue to do it – was angst caused by others.
When I started writing Pride’s Children, at the turn of the century, I KNEW because of its subject it would be almost impossible to sell to an agent and a publisher, regardless of how well I did it. I wrote it anyway.
I had gone through the angst with a previous novel (a reasonable mystery I’ll polish one of these days), months of waiting for rejections, the isolation, the lack of support from other writers who rightly saw a newbie as competition, the silence about deals and contracts and sales – I’m not suited for it.
Self-publishing happened WHILE I was writing. It is perfect for me. People have been unbelievably supportive AND informative. I didn’t mind putting months and years into the book – that was just work, and under my control. Everything was learnable. With time and effort, of course, but I haven’t come up against a barrier which didn’t eventually yield.
All the angst went into the writing, and in getting it as good as I could get it (your book helped, by the way – thanks).
I love the Amazon Look Inside feature: anyone can easily go look at my writing and see what they think of me as a self-published writer. I think that’s where all these conversations should end: after all is said and done, can she write?
It sounds like your experience has been a good one, Alicia. As I say, self-publishing does work for a lot of people, as long as they’re aware of both the dangers and the amount of work it can entail.
Many self-publishers have a negative experience for two reasons. First, they didn’t take the time to educate themselves on the difference between the traditional and self-published business models and explore their own reasons for their choice. Second, they treated self-publishing as either a fallback position to be adopted if they fail to find a publisher, or as a stepping stone to what they really want, which is a traditional deal.
Yes, self-publishing is hard work and the rewards often take years to come your way. But it’s the same for traditional publishing. I researched both thoroughly before deciding that the self-publishing business model suited me best, and then I committed to it one hundred percent. It has allowed me to explore who I am as a writer without worrying about deadlines or whether an agent will like me. I have a small but steadily growing readership. I haven’t made a ton of money yet, but that was never my plan for the first few years. I’ve loved the process of working with editors and designers to produce a good book, and I’m excited about getting even better at the writing and production in the future.
Perhaps it’s a question of expectations. I simply didn’t expect to go bestseller with my first book! I knew that the majority of traditionally published authors have written several books before they even get an agent, and at least I have the advantage of seeing what the readers think.
And if, by the strange combination of persistence and luck that seems to preside over bestsellers, one of my books takes off, the rights and the profits are all mine.
It sounds like you knew where the pitfalls were and managed to avoid them.
Congratulations, and best of luck.
Jane, you said what I was going to say. I have been a self-published writer since 2008. In trad terms I might be considered mid-list. I have a following, I sell, my e-books rank consistently in Amazon.co.uk’s Top 100 in varying categories, I’ve won awards, I have secured a collaborative contract with a unique small press in the USA, I have a collaboration with an English writer coming up in 2017. I have an imprint, an editor, a cover designer and beta -readers. I’ve developed a brand and made wonderful friends.
But from the beginning, I told myself – NO EXPECTATIONS.
I’ve never been disappointed with the decision to go down the indie path – it’s rewarded my work tenfold. I dance to my own tune and work to my own timetable. One book a year. But again – no expectations.
There were no pitfalls from the beginning. The information is all out there, especially with commentators like David Gaughran publishing books like Lets Get Digital. With publishing facilities like Amazon KDP, Draft2digital and Smashwords, with highly professional editors, graphic designers and formatters, the path can be as smooth as one wants it to be. And all the royalties are mine.
My peers are equally happy with the road we have chosen and like me, I don’t of any who faced pitfalls, beyond the odd IT issue.
I would prefer to think that traditional or indie, we are all writers, and readers will judge, no matter what.
Thank you, Prue. And your experience shows again that self-publishing can be the right choice for someone who knows what they’re getting into.
I would suggest that there were pitfalls. You just managed to avoid them through good research and realistic expectations.
And, yes, we are all writers. The only question is whether self-publishing is the best way forward for a particular writer. As it clearly was for you.
Thank you, Dave. I am traditionally published with a small press, and I am very grateful for the support I receive. Your post was useful to me in that it warns of the pitfalls these days for all sorts of writers. The learning curve can be steep, especially since business and marketing practices in the industry keep changing!
A question for all of you. From the comments, it’s clear some of you have had a lot more experience with self-publishing than I have. Have any of you run into the sharks? The outfits that promise you success for a minimal fee, regardless of whether or not those promises are realistic?
I know there are sharks in editing — I’ve seen their work. And someone eager to see their book out in the world would be a likely mark. That frustration with not being published can get pretty strong.
I don’t know if you should name specific names — the WU legal department would probably object. But have any of you had experiences that would serve as a cautionary tale?
I’m a multiple book self-published author and I’ve been published through a small press. What I’ve learned is that self-publishing can be successful if you’re known and if you have money. If you’re interest in seeing your book in print period it makes sense. If, however, you want to build a career and you don’t have a recognizable name and your wallet is light go the traditional route. That’s what I’ve learned.
Thank you for pointing out the publishing pitfalls, Dave.
Good advice, Leanne, thanks.
Perhaps it is a question of readership. After all, if you have a sizable body of readers out there who already know your work, they’re not going to turn down a new book because it’s self-published. They know who you are and that you deliver.
But if you don’t have that readership, it’s much harder to get through self-publishing than through traditional publishing. Not impossible, but harder.
After years with small presses I landed with a mid-size, only to have them refuse a second book. Doing the math on how many years I have left, I went out on my own. I didn’t opt for exclusives and free days, and relied mostly on word of mouth, time, and occasionally blogging for others to connect readers to my books. Writing No Substitute for Murder and the other four (soon to be five) in the series helped. I “keep score” by the number of readers I’ve reached, not the money I’ve made. That alleviates a lot of stress. So does not having to write a book “by committee.”
Thanks, Carolyn. And how’s it going? Are you reaching the readership you wanted?
Slowly but surely I am, Dave. I get especially excited when I see that, through Kobo, I’ve connected with readers in Samoa, New Zealand, Brazil, and South Africa.
Interesting post. I decided to go Indie after more than a few, “Love this…but I can’t sell it” from editors and agents. Seems humorous fantasy wasn’t selling.
I have hired a professional cover artist (who also does covers for Trad publishers), I have hired a few editors, and am lucky enough to have an awesome pack of talented beta readers. I feel I have to fight the stigma of being “Indie” on every level.
But I wouldn’t change it at all.
I love my covers, quite honestly they are better than many coming out of the big houses. I love the freedom. It is a heck of a lot of work–especially since I also have a 40-hour-a-week evil day job. But I’m doing what I love. And every time someone says they enjoyed one of my books, I smile and go back to writing the next one.
It is a lot of work. But if it’s work that you love, then go for it.
Excellent post, Dave. I intend to spread it around Ye Olde Web.
I think mainstream publishing’s current obsession with blockbusters will evolve, because there is a market for the kinds of stories blockbusters can’t deliver.
You see this now in the explosion of cable and net TV. Just as NY is going Hollywood, Hollywood has morphed into a much more multi-headed beast.
This may mean small publishers gain in readership (and marketing clout). It may mean the Big 5 begin investing more and getting more creative with their smaller imprints. It may mean that publishers and Hollywood interact more Or it may mean nothing, I don’t know.
But I do think that the chasm between self-publishing and the Big 5 is where the truly creative and competent talent is migrating, and sooner or later something has to give.
I’m not an expert on the business of mainstream publishing any more than I am on self-publishing. And you may well be right that the big five will become more respective of smaller-scale books through their smaller imprints.
But I’m not sure the blockbuster business model will go away. As I understand it, the big five spend several hundred thousand dollars promoting an author through media campaigns, book signings in major cities, and appearances on the late-night shows — whenever you see someone with a new book appearing on two or three of the late night shows, one of the big five publishers is probably behind it. Then, from their six-figure investment, they get a seven-figure return.
It’s a lasting business model because it’s the sort of thing smaller publishing houses can’t do — it’s a niche that belongs to the big five alone. And it’s not necessarily a bad thing. It does promote reading and makes writers money. But it does create a rarefied world that most writers will never break into.
Good thoughts, Dave. I’m self-published, and like the products. But I would still love to land a contract with a “real” publisher for one simple reason: credibility. The imprint of a publisher who markets books communicates instantly the professional quality the book should have. Self-publishers, on the other hand, have a tall credibility hurdle to clear. Thanks for your insights, Dave.
It’s no longer true that being self-published will drive readers away. But having a mainstream imprint on your book does still means that readers will know you’ve reached a certain threshold of quality.
Granted, there are still disadvantages to publishing mainstream, but this is one of the advantages.
My experience as a self-published author has been mainly positive. It suits my age and my past business experience, which was mostly marketing. I’ve been writing my mystery series, off and on, for over 20 years, and now and then went through the tedious process of querying agents and editors. I got my first Kindle in 2011 and decided to try publishing the first two novels myself as ebooks that September. My financial goal was modest: to eventually supplement any retirement income with proceeds from my writing. I got so enthusiastic about the idea that I retired a few years early.
Four and a half years later, I am quite happy with how it’s turned out. I now have released four novels in the series and am working on the fifth. My writing income for last year paid a lot of bills and it’s beginning to look like my retirement income will soon be supplementing the proceeds of my writing. One of my novels has even been translated into German, but I find marketing a self-published translation a real challenge.
It has been a long road and I’m still learning: dozens of books on writing (including yours – 1993 edition!), many clinics and workshops over the years, lots of rewriting and revising, lots of expensive trial and error on the marketing side. Print ads that produced almost no returns, trying (and ultimately rejecting) KDP Select, tough decisions about pricing and whether to use “free” as a promotional tool. I now rely on BookBub promotions to reach a large audience cost-effectively and don’t know what I’ll do if I lose that option.
One real down side of going it alone is that it’s easier for me to “adjust” self-imposed deadlines. If I lived in an apartment, it would probably be easier to concentrate on writing. As it is, I live on a ranch on British Columbia’s Cariboo Plateau at a 3900′ elevation. My partner had some health issues and I’ve been getting incredibly fit shoveling snow, bringing in firewood, feeding horses, exercising dogs, and clearing snow off 1500 feet of driveway over the past few months. My fifth novel should be almost finished, but it’s not even close. On the other hand, that represents major plus for me: the quality of my work needn’t suffer to meet a publisher’s deadline, and I needn’t suffer from the stress that would create.
Another plus of being my own publisher (Proud Horse Publishing) is that I don’t have to live in fear of my contract being cancelled. The series is all mine, for better or for worse. Would I have preferred traditional publishing? Only if a successful series were guaranteed!
As to your question about sharks, I haven’t been burned by any but I’m continually being contacted by people and organizations looking to sell their services. Some of them I research, mainly by checking to see if other authors using their services seem to be more successful than I am. The way I usually judge is by checking sales ranking and reviews on Amazon, B&N and/or iBooks. So far, I usually ignore their offers.
Thanks for posting, Dave.
As someone who is intentionally and purposefully entering the writing world as an indie-author, reading posts like yours encourage me. I’ve spent the past five years writing (and rewriting), and researching and observing the market. Thank God, Thank GOD, I didn’t step out and publish the minute I felt the urge to.
Five years wiser and I realize just how much work, time, and dedication it takes to be a true indie-author. I’m in this for the long haul, though, and with a clear mission. Thanks for sharing a bit of your journey with us.
And now it sounds like you might be ready. Thanks, Grace.
Thank you for sharing your story, Ruth. It sounds like you came into editing already versed in one of the skills you were going to need — marketing. And I’m glad it’s working out so well for you. Also, I hear where you’re coming from about how easy it is to interrupt work when you live in the country. I’ve been baking bread and feeding the woodstove while I’ve been catching up with the discussion.
And you’ve got the rare 1993 first edition of Self-Editing? With all the typos that make it the rare first edition? Cool.
Hello. My name is Tom.
“Hello,Tom.”
I haven’t self-published for seven years. I was guilty of every related infraction and served my time. I have been coming to SPAA (Self-Published Authors Anonymous) meetings since my release and have been attending halfway houses in various cities while trying to get myself back in shape. I wish pay tribute to my mentors in the faith—my editors who use red pens on whole scenes and even cut out characters who should have been drowned before birth. I also owe gratitude to my friends and Beta-acquaintances who slap my darlings and convoluted paragraphs into the next county every time they read my work.
I’m here to tell you all that what Mister Dave is preaching . . . well, I wouldn’t ever want to sin again. But of course when your manuscript is lonely, the temptations are really strong. It’s hard being born wanting to write. . . And. . . And . .
“Thank you, Tom. Anyone else want to share?”
(Thanks, Dave!!)
One day at a time, Tom.
I’m not sure why I am commenting. As you note, Dave the issue of self- versus traditional publishing stirs up emotions for some. Makes me hesitate. I include my experience solely as one example. I have no desire to convert anyone.
I did not pursue a traditional publishing contract. I submitted materials to one agent after a successful trad author read my draft and recommended I do so but was inclined from the start (2008) to independently publish.
Lots of things worked out for me. I live in the Twin Cities near the incredible resource of the Loft Literary center where I took over 30 courses over 6 years. I participated in lectures/conferences/courses with Marcus Sakey, the late Vince Flynn, Wm Kent Krueger, Ellen Hart, David Housewright, and many other author-instructors. I read dozens of instructional books on the craft of writing including those written by WU contributors. I also attended an excellent seminar with Donald Maass, James Scott Bell, and Christopher Vogler (name-dropping).
I was lucky enough to find and persuade outstanding editor Jodie Renner to edit my debut book and continue to work with me on my WIP (book #2 in the series). Hugely significant!
I’d love to have more readers and am working towards that end. I released my book in summer ’14 and have sold thousands of books. I receive a decent check every month which is nice, but best of all I’ve received hundreds of reviews and communications from readers who love my book and are eager for more.
I suspect that if I had gone the traditional route my book might just now be getting released (if at all).
There is, imo, no point in arguing which is “better”- trad or independent. Each person has to decide which route they want to pursue. A quality book is job one and that takes a lot of learning, effort, skilled support (e.g. editor) and ability regardless of the route.
The independent publishing pathway has worked for me. It is not a vanity press. It is not the last gasp of one who has “failed”. It is not easy but it can be productive and very gratifying. It’s a viable option for one who will put in the considerable effort needed to produce a ‘quality’ book and the additional effort required to publish and market. It seems to me that at the end of the day all authors want their books to be read and appreciated. Independent publication can be a route to achieving that goal.
As I mentioned – this is just my experience – nothing against Trad and not a missionary for Independent Publishing.
All the best to WUers. May our readers be legion and engaged!
Thanks for saying a lot of the things I wanted to say, especially since I’m typing this on my phone and would have had a fit trying to type all of that into this tiny screen.
I’m glad you did share your experiences, Tom. For someone deciding whether or not to go independent, it helps to see what is involved in making a successful go of it.
Congratulations on your success so far, and I hope it continues.
Yeah it’s tough. It’s like once you’ve written your book, *then* you can finally start working. There’s so much to learn about marketing and sales and putting yourself out there that doesn’t come naturally to most authors.
You’re right, Joseph. And, realistically, there’s no reason it shouldn’t be that way. People don’t become writers because they love marketing or design. But even if they hire someone to do these things for them, they need to know a little bit to be able to pick the right people and recognize that they’re doing good work.
Something you need to consider when applying to traditional publishers, are you writing something marketable?
My first book, Monkey’s Wedding, a YA set in my homeland, Africa, (I’m back sprucing it up–for the millionth time, speaking of revision–after a fifteen-year hiatus) got me an agent and a publisher, and then long story short, in a merger, the deal and the agent went south. Wrote the sequel, and got a shot in the arm for Monkey’s Wedding three years ago, when Rosemary Brosnan, senior editor, Harper Collins, showed interest, but then she passed on it–she had just rejected one of their long-time “African” authors because this kind of “African” stories was no longer marketable in that particular publishing climate. (BTW, I was just inspired to tweet her, “remember Monkey’s Wedding?” while I was writing this!)
I then wrote a memoir, Loveyoubye: professional editing, ditto book cover, etc., and after a few feeble attempts at getting an agent–the memory of disappointments with Monkey’s Wedding, along with that suggestion from a subsequent agent to have my two young protagonists engage in sex, still burned in my memory–I published Loveyoubye with a hybrid press. Hey, I’m not getting any younger (great reviews, doing okay).
Anyway, so here I am again with Monkey’s Wedding. This time, I’m looking at self-publishing, no quickie deal, though–I’m absolutely dismayed at the crap that’s out there. I will make it the best I can. And let it go. (Hopefully.)
Outside of my blog, I haven’t published anything – yet. But, after carefully studying the self-publishing industry and comparing and contrasting it to traditional publishing, I can tell the latter is pushing back because publishers, agents and editors are actually concerned. Perhaps even frightened. Self-publishing essentially puts the power of the written word back into the hands of writers…just exactly where it belongs. Yes, writers should hire professional editors to review the product, as opposed to having friends and family try to provide an unbiased opinion. If they can’t draw or design well, it would be prudent to hire a professional to compose the book cover. Formatting for e-books is a task that requires its own set of skills.
A few years ago, while researching traditional publishing houses, I encountered a few that demanded writers provide comprehensive marketing plans along with their submissions. Well, hell! If we’re going to do that, we might as well do it all ourselves! Book agents? Who needs one, when you can negotiate contracts yourself? That’s another area of research writers need to undertake, as part of their own comprehensive self-education. It’s imperative anyway; if we writers are truly serious about making a living from our work, we also must be business people.
Some criticize the self-publishing trend for generating a glut of literary mush, but that’s where writers can be equally powerful. Through our own blogs, web sites, author Facebook pages, Twitter accounts and various other platforms, we can zero in on the right audience. A bevy of novels simply provides more choices to readers.
But self-publishing also creates an avenue for just about anybody who wants to write a book. Everyone has a story, and they shouldn’t have to rely upon editors and publishers who lounge in self-styled ivory towers deciding what’s best for the public to consume.
Dear Rossandra,
That’s quite a story. And there are few things that can discourage you more quickly than having a publisher, then having the deal fall through. It takes an impressive amount of courage to carry on. And it does sound like self-publishing is the best route for you at the moment.
I think both writers who chose to self-publish and those who pursue traditional publishing underestimate how exhausting the process will be.
Self-publishing is uniquely exhausting because you have to handle all aspects of publication yourself. Traditional publishing is uniquely exhausting because you have to work with so many people and it takes so long to get anything done. Then as you say, Dave, no matter which route you choose you’ll end up sinking half of your time and money into marketing. Books don’t sell themselves just by sitting in the Kindle store being awesome.
It worries me that publishers are dropping the main benefits they used to provide. If they keep shrinking advances and royalties, skimping on editorial and marketing services, and shunting writers into draconian e-book only contracts, what will be left? Soon self-publishing might be the only rational choice, and writers who don’t have a knack for business will be left out in the cold.
I’m impressed with how many people have joined in the discussion — as usual, the discussion is at least as interesting as the article itself.
I think all writers dream of being published to widespread acclaim the way all aspiring actors dream of being discovered waiting tables in Burbank. They don’t realize they have spend an awful lot of time playing the spear carrier first.
There is a lot I can say about this topic. I think that I know a bit about self-publishing given that I have been doing this since 1989 and my books (mainly self-published) have sold over 900,000 copies worldwide.
This valuable advice that has served me well over the years.
“It’s better to do a sub-par job on the right project than an excellent job on the wrong project.”
— Robert J. Ringer
Incidentally, Robert J. Ringer had three self-published titles sell over 10 million copies (in print editions) in the late 1970’s and the early 1980’s. He was much more of a pioneer in self-publishing than a lot of the self-proclaimed pioneers (a better name would be fraudsters) in this day and age.
Of course, the “right project” that Robert J. Ringer mentions in fact refers to a “damn good book” that people actually want to read. Problem is, every author thinks that he or she has a great book but the reality is that fewer than 1 percent of authors have a really great book. These words of wisdom apply:
“Even the most careful and expensive marketing plans cannot sell people a book they don’t want to read.”
— Michael Korda, former Editor-in-Chief at Simon & Schuster
Fact is, a great book does not need a great cover or a professional editing or some of the other things so-called book marketing experts say is important to make a book successful.
This has alwasy been my motto (Enjoy the typo):
“Do It Badly — But at Least Do It!”
This approach has helped me get published in 22 languages and 29 countries and wind up with a total of over 111 book deals with foreign publishers, all without using a North American foreign rights agent.
One last point: You state, “That doesn’t mean it’s easy.” I totally agree. That’s the best part about self-publishing! If it was easy, everyone (including the losers, the freeloaders, and the pathological critics of the world) would be doing it. The fact that it isn’t easy means that the people who should get rewarded for their innovative efforts and creative marketing get rewarded handsomely — as they should!
Ernie J. Zelinski
The Prosperity Guy
“Helping Adventurous Souls Live Prosperous and Free”
Author of the Bestseller “How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free”
(Over 275,000 copies sold and published in 9 languages)
and the International Bestseller “The Joy of Not Working”
(Over 290,000 copies sold and published in 17 languages)
What a terrific article, everything I’ve been wanting to say for ages! I’ve been very successful with top publishers (McGraw-Hill for textbooks, St. Martin’s Press for narrative nonfiction, a few others), but a disaster with my one and only self-published book with Trafford. I suspect the book was terrible (my only attempt at fiction) and I know little about marketing. I wish I could take it back. My book with St. Martin’s went through 9 rounds of professional, great editing — you can’t possibly get that with POD. No comparison. My editor there is the best I’ve ever worked with.
I used to purchase self-published books to help new authors, but they were without exception terrible. My chiropractor wrote one and he clearly had no clue how to write a paragraph. Just awful. Others I gave up on after a few pages or chapters, because it was so clear that the books had never seen editors. When I spoke to such authors, they claimed their books were so great that they didn’t need editing. No professional writer would ever say that!
Thanks for writing this!
“The advantage to traditional publishing, even with a smaller house, is that you know a publishing professional thinks your manuscript is worth the investment. When you self-publish, it may be, but you can’t be sure.”
This is an excellent point. It’s easy to think your work is great, even if it isn’t. That’s why it’s worthwhile to invest in editing and get a professional opinion before pouring lots of marketing dollars into it.