Overview of what I’ve learned self-publishing

I’m not going to tell you how long I worked on this post and just kept it in draft form. Before now, I haven’t really felt qualified to blog about self-publishing. There are authors out there with 30 or 40 books, and making a living off self publishing checks. Me, I have two books out, and I’m not quite to the living wage part.

BUT… I’m a huge researcher. Before I decided to try to get published, I Googled publishing. I ran across some scams, and found out what literary agents were. I found Writers Beware. I didn’t get taken in by a scam because I did the leg work. I don’t know what aspect of my personality does this, because in all honesty, I’m incredibly impulsive. I don’t usually look before I leap. But I recognized that writing is a business, even if back then I didn’t know. And that’s why I did the same thing when self publishing came about.

I read a lot about self publishing, I’ve listened to many successful author/publishers about what works for them. I’ve found forums and podcasts, and so many useful blogs and information out there. Because, I don’t want to get taken in by a scam. My business is in its fledgling stage, so I’m not an expert by experience. But I’ve read and learned enough that I taught some other people about their business and saved them money in the long run. I do have a strong foundation that I’m building on. And you know what? I do the research so I can write these posts, including the personal branding posts I do here occasionally.

It’s likely that only newer self-publishers, or those that aren’t to the publishing stage and are information collecting will actually find any use from this. That’s okay. Everyone takes a different view on things, and two people will take away completely different things from the same piece of writing.

So, that said, if you’re interested in self-publishing, are a self-publisher, or aren’t interested in doing it, but like to read up on industry things, read on, and see if you can take something away.

What is Self-Publishing?

Chances are, you’ve heard of Amanda Hocking or Hugh Howey. Self-publishing has always been around, but the advances of digital tech has made a very expensive business much less so. The author-publisher is now more likely to make a profit, and has more avenues in with the retailers.

Self-Publishing is publishing a book yourself, which means you’re creating the ebook, the print book, the audio book, and marketing it direct to readers instead of through an established publisher.

What goes into Self-Publishing?

To make this happen, the self-publishing author must take a finished manuscript and add in all the services that publishers normally provide. These items may include:

Editing at various stages in the production process
Cover art
Writing sales copy
Requesting reviews/sending out books for review
Selecting excerpts for cross promotion
Purchasing ISBNs and copyrights
Final layout and production of book files
Distributing the book
Arranging for promotional media for the book

It’s a lot of work. In each case, this does take away from the writing time. Of course, there’s no rule saying you can’t hire out for these tasks. In some cases, you may need to, simply because you don’t have the skill set. Not everyone can be a great cover artist, even if they own Photoshop. And just because we’re writers, it doesn’t mean that we can edit our own work. Well, we can to a point, but it’s always good to get other eyes on it.

Running a business isn’t easy, and it’s even harder for creatives, because a lot of creatives just aren’t business-minded. If you’re not good with numbers, you might consider hiring an accountant. If you’re not good at Photoshop and design, then maybe consider a cover artist. And remember that graphic designers need to eat too, so don’t go off expecting a $5 cover because you found some hack that did some godawful cover for a friend of yours for that.

Sorry, I digress.

So, the first question one needs to ask is… do you want to think and act like a publisher, or do you want to focus on writing books? Because if all you want to do is write, finding a publisher is probably your option.

One of the most important things I take away from my self-publishing experience so far is that it’s not a get rich quick scheme. To be financially successful, regardless of what business, your product needs to be as good, packaged as good as a book published by commercial, top-tier publishers.

Of course, none of this is anything that I’ve not said before, in other posts. But it bears repeating because it’s important to know these things.

So here’s a quick little list of things to think about before self-publishing.

The Plan

Every author needs a business plan, even those that work with publishers. Here are some questions to ask yourself as you think about where you want to go with self publishing.

How do you want to publish? Print, digital, audio?
How many books are planned?
Is writing your primary income? Do you want it to be?
Will you be developing a publishing company name to release your books?
How much experience running your business do you have?
How much will you need to hire out? How much are you willing to budget for those services?

There’s a lot more involved in self publishing, but I’m on a book deadline right now, two in fact, so I’m going to quit procrastinating here and go back and write the books. After all, that’s why I’m here, right? If you have any questions about this post, just throw them down in the comments there and I’ll answer them if I know the answer. If I don’t, well, I’ll just say I don’t know and try to point you toward someone who does.

Are you a self-publisher? Do you want to be? If you’re already self-publishing, what kind of advice would you give a new author?