Do It Yourself

Here's the thing, self-publishing a book is hard work. If you're looking to make a quick and easy dollar, don't do it. It takes time to write a book, more time to edit, and even more time formatting. I can't tell you how many countless hours I've spent doing all three. But the book is never finished. Once the book is published, us indie authors have more work ahead of us with advertising and trying to get reviews and so on. Then, we write another book and the process starts all over again.

So, what's my point? Well, recently, I was informed of a local publishing company and decided to take a look. I thought, if they accepted one of my manuscripts it could help cut down on some of the time editing, formatting, and advertising and allow me to spend more time writing. When I looked up the company, however, I learned they were one of my least favorite types of publishing companies. So, here's my PSA below about why I dislike self-publishing companies.....

Personally, I use Kindle Direct Publishing and Smashwords.com. These are great because it allows me to maximize the platforms in which my books are published. KDP gets me on the Kindle, obviously, and Smashwords pretty much takes care of everything else. Yes, both companies take a percentage of my sales for their profit, which is understandable. What's not understandable is these self-publishing companies charging upwards of $800 for the same damn thing. 

Look, if you prefer to go through these companies, that's fine, I'm not judging you. If it works for you, then great. But personally, I believe many of these companies are taking advantage of a market that a lot of indie authors aren't fully familiar with. Here's how many of them work:​You submit your manuscript and pay (from $300-$800 in many cases) and they take care of the publishing and distributions to major platforms such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Apple.You're still responsible for formatting and editing your own bookOnce submitted, they convert your book to the proper formats for distribution. .Mobi for Kindle, Epub for B&N, etc. You're then responsible for the advertising of your own bookThink of it this way, you go to a five star restaurant that's kind of high in price. You show up, with your own bags of food, are seated, and then prepare you own meal. Then you fork over $50 a person and head home. Make any sense? Not really, no. You're still required to do most of the work and had to pay premium prices. Granted, they did provide a place for you to cook and eat. 

In this way, these companies at least provide a service for which to keep everything in one organized place. One platform for all of your platforms. I'm sure this can be helpful but the price tag is too high for the service. They're majorly profiting off of your hard work and I think it's wrong. Yes, self-publishing can be a lot of work but it's also fun, challenging, and you learn a lot  along the way. 

If you're looking into the option of self-publishing, try and stay away from these companies. Trust me, they promise a lot and make it sound wonderful and simple but the truth is, doing it yourself can be too. And, you have the added bonus of not putting yourself deeply in debt before your book is even put on the digital shelves. Save that $800 for advertising! 

Also, if you are looking for the option of self-publishing and don't know where to start, leave me a comment, send me and email, or DM me on social media and I can give you some tips. I might not be the expert but I've been doing it for a while now and I'm always learning. I'd be happy to teach you a few tricks. Maybe I'll do a blog post in the future outlining how to self-publish. Thanks for reading, everyone!