New Series: Self-Publishing Yays and Boos
I said I was ending my hiatus because I had some things to say. From the post above, you may guess these things will have to do with self-publishing – the ups and the downs.
The reason I’m going to be able to write these things, is that I’ve decided to self-publish my next book. And, in theory, the one after that. And after that. And so on.
I think I wrote the above pretty calmly, but many of you will know, this is a pretty big choice. Although I think it’s diminishing a bit, there’s historically been some serious nastiness between extremists in the self-publishing pit, and those within the traditional publishing world.
I tried to make this a business decision, although that was very tricky because there’s been so much emotion built into my quest to be published. As many of you will know, it was over five years between finishing the first version of OIM, and the book being published. Since self publishing was always an option during those years, I obviously had a pretty powerful inner compulsion to earn a traditional publishing contract to stick with it for so long.
During that long period there were, of course, times when I thought there’d be no choice – that I’d have to self publish, or be willing to leave OIM in the metaphorical drawer forever. Also during that period, self publishing changed immensely. At the beginning I used to think “I’d have to be desperate to self pub.” By the end I was thinking “If this was purely a business decision, I’m probably self pub, but it’s not.”
Emotion has been there during this entire decision, and there’s still some emotion attached to my decision. That’s why I’m only going to go so far into the details in this post. Having said that, in the true spirit of self publishing (which is astonishingly open and sharing), as I go through my journey I really want to help others. So, if you have a specific question, please feel free to contact me directly.
What I am prepared to do, is show you the list of gains and losses I feel I’m taking on by self publishing. Here they are listed in some sort of order of how they occur in the publishing process:
1) Planning. When will my next book come out? Will it have a sequel? When will that come out? Will I try a different genre? How will my writing days, and years be structured? These are now entirely my decisions (within reasonable human limitations) – Gain
2) Preparation. Securing and paying for editing services. Securing and paying for design and layout services. I now have to do all this myself and I have to pay enough to produce an extremely high quality book – Loss, but with a caveat. Many traditional publishers today employ freelance editors. These editors are available to edit self published projects. I’ll do a post very soon on finding an editor when self publishing. Also, re: design, yes, I have to pay, but I also get the final say. I was very lucky to love my cover for OIM, but there are many authors who’ll tell you they don’t like their covers much at all.
3) Distribution. This is rather difficult to compare. If you’re talking about distribution to bookstores, traditional publishing still has the edge – no doubt. Having said that, only large publishers can get meaningful space in Chapters. My book is carried by Chapters but we’re talking (maybe) two copies, deep in the Teen section, spine out, on a bottom bookshelf. Which leaves independent bookstores. These are great, but they’re still closing at a steady rate – in fact, the bookstore that was supposed to support my book launch shut between making the plans and the actual launch. Don’t get me wrong – sales into multiple small bookstores across the country can add up to decent numbers – but they probably won’t make you a best seller. E-distribution, on the other hand, is a pretty equal playing field. I’m not talking about recognition here – just plain old availability. A self-pubbed e-book is just as available on Amazon as a traditionally published book. And the disadvantage in print is narrowing quite a bit too - by self publishing using Lightning Source, your book enters the Ingram distribution system. This is the system used by traditional publishers. So, I think both methods have distribution advantages (today – who knows what will be true in a year or two), but for the kind of distribution that feels important to me, this is a – Gain (Note: OIM is not currently available as an ebook, which also skews my personal assessment of my current distribution situation vs. what I feel I can gain by self pubbing. If I had an ebook out with a traditional publisher, I might feel differently).
4) Sales / Promotion. This is a very case-by-case area. Your publisher may be great at marketing and sales. If so – hurrah! – you’re in a great situation. Or your publisher may do very little in these areas. You may shudder at the thought of doing any of this yourself, in which case somebody else needs to do it for you – whether that’s a traditional publisher, or somebody you hire to do it. In my case, I have a background as a publishing sales rep. and I already do a considerable amount of promotion work. I don’t really want to pay somebody else to do it. So, for me, this area is a – Gain.
5) Team / Community. Some people feel a true sense of inclusion and protection through their publisher and / or agent. This really matters to many writers. I don’t have an agent, so that doesn’t apply. In researching self publishing, all my friends are on side, my family supports me, both in theory and with offers of financial support, and I have talented professionals ready to do work for me that I need done. Also, the self publishing world at large is unbelievably open and welcoming. I send emails to total strangers and they answer in two hours, providing me with the information I’ve asked for and saying “I love talking about this stuff – please send me any more questions you may have!” So, again, in my personal case, this is a Gain.
6) Money. Ah, yes, filthy lucre. Somehow writers aren’t always supposed to be interested in money. The money itself isn’t a huge motivation for me. I make very little right now, and I will continue to make very little self publishing. The principle of the money, however, is important to me. If I’m willing, and able, to do all the things I’ve listed above, the bottom line is, I need to earn more than 10 per cent in royalties. I just do. Maybe I’m a shallow person, but I resent working my butt off to secure sales that somebody else earns commission on. So, I’m not doing this for money, but I am doing it for the way the money flows. Gain.
7) Accolades. Awards, lists, and the esteem of the writing community are probably things I’m throwing away. I get that. I can live with it. I would love to have some awards to my name, and I would love to be on some “best of” lists, but if certain awards and lists won’t look at self published books, so be it. Some great awards and lists do look at all books (thank you Ottawa Book Awards), and I think, like so many other things in this world, that will change increasingly as time wears on, but for now I’m accepting I won’t be nominated for a GG anytime soon. Loss. ETA – since writing this, I’ve learned OIM was on the Canadian Children’s Book Centre Best Books for Kids and Teens list, 2013 – so I’m already on a list!
8) Opportunity. Taking a chance. Seeing how it works out. Trying different things. Nobody saying “don’t”. Riding an ever-changing wave. Not wondering what could have been. The only way to have all this is to try it. Gain.
Final word. When I say I’m self publishing, I mean I am SELF PUBLISHING. I am doing as much as possible myself and directly choosing what to outsource, to which professionals, and how much it will cost. Some people think vanity publishing has been replaced by self publishing. That is not true. Vanity publishers are alive, and well, and flourishing. They will take so much of your money your head will spin. You should NEVER pay money to have your book “read” or “considered” or “submitted” – this is a red flag. If you’re self publishing you should only pay money for an exact service that you know you’re getting. I can’t say any of this as well as David Gaughran, so do some reading on his blog and, please be careful!
Oh, and wish me luck, please!
