Real Self Publishing
Changes are in the air for the Riddle family. Not only am I working on new books to be published, but my wife (Tress Riddle) is working on her debut novel. Such changes are not only exciting, but are pushing us into another realm: Real Self Publishing.
What is Real Self Publishing?
First of all you need to understand what self publishing is generally believed to be. There was a day before publishing houses began to dominate that authors had control of almost all aspects of writing. This changed as publishing houses and agents took over. Eventually the author was at the mercy of publishing houses.
For example, you are a new author. You write your very first novel and it is ready to be published. So you send the manuscript to a publisher and wait. But guess what? That publisher no longer accepts unsolicited manuscripts, you must first get an agent.
Let's say you find an agent willing to represent you. That agent probably knows a lot of publishing houses and sends your manuscript off to them. (That is unless your agent requires you to edit it first.) So far you may have used up six months.
The next step is the acceptance, possible revisions, and extending of a contract. Even after you sign the contract it may take up to two years before actual publication takes place. And the publisher owns most, if not all, the publishing rights - domestic and worldwide.
Enter Self Publishing!
With self publishing you may still want an agent, but that is your choice. Furthermore, you select the self publishing company you desire. By paying an upfront charge of approximately $400 you get your book published. Then you are ready to market the book.
The self publishing company owns some of the rights which may include worldwide distribution rights, movie rights, and many other rights. Remember, ownership equals control.
Real Self Publishing!
There is a significant difference between Self Publishing and Real Self Publishing. That difference is that you are the actual publisher.
It is actually cheaper than you may think to be your own publisher. But once you have setup your publishing company, you as the author-publisher now own all the rights. By all I mean all, including worldwide rights, movie rights, etc.
You now have total control of everything from writing to publishing to marketing. Did you raise your eyebrows when I mentioned marketing? You shouldn't. No matter how you publish your books in today's market, you are largely responsible for marketing your books. But as a real self publisher you have greater control.
There is much more to say on the subject, but the important thing to remember is that if you want to have complete control over your creation (your book), then real self publishing is the answer.
What about an agent? Obviously you won't need an agent to get you published. However, you may want one to help you market the book. Again, you have more control over the process and can be more selective in going after an agent - or not.
Real Self Publishing is not new from me. Others have already been doing so. I am still learning the ropes and plan to transition from my current self publisher to my own publishing company. I will eventually need to purchase the rights to my previous books (including the one I am currently working on and is part of a series).
On the other hand, I will be able to publish my last novel Dead Eye Will and my non-fiction book Christian Workers Total Workout in the near future. Dead Eye Will is currently only available in e-book format, as is CWTW. Tress will be adding to the mix her debut novel.
I have been doing the research and the costs will be modest compared to $400 or more spent upfront plus other marketing costs. Remember, that other publishers and self publishers want to make a profit so they will charge more than the actual cost for the marketing services they provide.
You will still need to have storage available for your books in print. So that won't change. But instead of going back to your publisher and paying him/her to publish more copies, you have the ability to print more as you see fit.
Have you ever tried real self publishing? If so, I would like to read your comments. Do you have questions? I can certainly try to answer your questions or, at least, point you in the right direction for a good answer.
What is Real Self Publishing?
First of all you need to understand what self publishing is generally believed to be. There was a day before publishing houses began to dominate that authors had control of almost all aspects of writing. This changed as publishing houses and agents took over. Eventually the author was at the mercy of publishing houses.
For example, you are a new author. You write your very first novel and it is ready to be published. So you send the manuscript to a publisher and wait. But guess what? That publisher no longer accepts unsolicited manuscripts, you must first get an agent.
Let's say you find an agent willing to represent you. That agent probably knows a lot of publishing houses and sends your manuscript off to them. (That is unless your agent requires you to edit it first.) So far you may have used up six months.
The next step is the acceptance, possible revisions, and extending of a contract. Even after you sign the contract it may take up to two years before actual publication takes place. And the publisher owns most, if not all, the publishing rights - domestic and worldwide.
Enter Self Publishing!
With self publishing you may still want an agent, but that is your choice. Furthermore, you select the self publishing company you desire. By paying an upfront charge of approximately $400 you get your book published. Then you are ready to market the book.
The self publishing company owns some of the rights which may include worldwide distribution rights, movie rights, and many other rights. Remember, ownership equals control.
Real Self Publishing!
There is a significant difference between Self Publishing and Real Self Publishing. That difference is that you are the actual publisher.
It is actually cheaper than you may think to be your own publisher. But once you have setup your publishing company, you as the author-publisher now own all the rights. By all I mean all, including worldwide rights, movie rights, etc.
You now have total control of everything from writing to publishing to marketing. Did you raise your eyebrows when I mentioned marketing? You shouldn't. No matter how you publish your books in today's market, you are largely responsible for marketing your books. But as a real self publisher you have greater control.
There is much more to say on the subject, but the important thing to remember is that if you want to have complete control over your creation (your book), then real self publishing is the answer.
What about an agent? Obviously you won't need an agent to get you published. However, you may want one to help you market the book. Again, you have more control over the process and can be more selective in going after an agent - or not.
Real Self Publishing is not new from me. Others have already been doing so. I am still learning the ropes and plan to transition from my current self publisher to my own publishing company. I will eventually need to purchase the rights to my previous books (including the one I am currently working on and is part of a series).
On the other hand, I will be able to publish my last novel Dead Eye Will and my non-fiction book Christian Workers Total Workout in the near future. Dead Eye Will is currently only available in e-book format, as is CWTW. Tress will be adding to the mix her debut novel.
I have been doing the research and the costs will be modest compared to $400 or more spent upfront plus other marketing costs. Remember, that other publishers and self publishers want to make a profit so they will charge more than the actual cost for the marketing services they provide.
You will still need to have storage available for your books in print. So that won't change. But instead of going back to your publisher and paying him/her to publish more copies, you have the ability to print more as you see fit.
Have you ever tried real self publishing? If so, I would like to read your comments. Do you have questions? I can certainly try to answer your questions or, at least, point you in the right direction for a good answer.
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