Have you self published anything? If so how did it go?

I love that self-publishing is an option for writers. However, I generally tell writers not to do it. (I’ve never done it… unless this Tumblr counts, but I’ve collected a ton of info from friends and strangers who have.)

The Pros of Self-Publishing:

You have complete creative control.You get all of the money.It worked for that guy who wrote The Martian.

The Cons of Self-Publishing:

Every writer should have an editor and, yes, that means I’m saying you actually shouldn’t have total creative control, but it’s true. A good editor makes you a better writer. And if you’re self-publishing, you pay for the editor.Typically, you get no money. That’s because when you self-publish, you literally are the filling in for an entire publishing company staff. That means you are the marketing team, the PR team, the financial team; you have to use your own contacts to get your book in the news, in book review columns, on TV; you have to buy ads, etc. And, sure, there are small companies that will do the PR and marketing for you, but you have to pay them (and they’re not cheap). So, now we’re only on the second bullet point and your book has already cost you money.The Martian author Andy Weir spent years amassing a huge fan base for his writing online and, from what I understand, he still tried to go through traditional publishers, but none of them bit. So, he did it on his own and it took a while to catch on. He is the exception. Never ever base your plan on an exception.

Basically, self-publishing your book is a full time job that doesn’t pay.

If you don’t want a new career as an author or don’t care if you make pennies for your work, great. Self-publish.

Personally, I like having someone else do the heavy lifting on marketing and all of that other crap. That way, I can focus solely on the writing. And, look, the new normal is today’s authors are expected to use their social media audience to help the publisher promote the book, anyway. But, I still prefer helping to being in charge of it.

Now… okay, I’m about to give you a perspective you might not want to hear. Publishers don’t pick smash hits every time, but they have been doing this forever. And they usually know why a book will or won’t sell. If you’re getting turned down by publishers, your instinct might be “Well, fuck you, then. I’m gonna self-publish this motherfucker.” But, maybe instead you should go back and see what might be missing in your book, what could be improved.

I know, I know, I know. Everybody has some story about their friend who self-published and was able to quit their day job, blah, blah, blah. But, when you compare those stories to the sheer fuck-tons of self-published authors who don’t sell a single copy, you’ll see those who found success are the exceptions.

And like I said, never ever base your plan on an exception.