Pro vs. Con: Self-Pub vs. Trad Pub

[Devor]

That's what this website here is for.

That's absolutely right. But still there's no fix for attitude and enthusiasm.

Let me talk about book covers, to avoid the more recent hot-button topics.

I've studied marketing, and I've done some photoshop projects before. I'm not an artist, but when someone posts a book cover, I know enough that my first thought is always "How are my eyes tracking through this image?" That's a question most people don't even know to ask. We have a couple of experienced artists here, and others who have come and gone, who give far more valuable insights. Yet, sometimes people resist the feedback - I don't mean that people just disagree, but that people don't even understand the feedback, and resist the idea that there even are underlying principles on which that feedback can even be given.

That's just an example. Most people aren't too bad with the cover art because they know they aren't artists. But there's a sliding scale of attitude to all of these steps - book covers are probably where people resist the least, critiques where they resist the most (admittedly, not without reason).

We can offer some guidance, but we can't easily offer something that will reshape your entire mentality towards the project, the way that finding a publisher can. The drive needed for self-publishing has to come from you. And it has to be strong enough to get you through each one of the hurdles, not just the first few.

 

[Philip Overby]

I do agree that there seems to be more enthusiasm for certain parts of self-publishing that are "fun." I think that's why some writers don't reach the audience that they hoped for because they didn't put enough focus on a particular aspect. I believe if you're going to self-publish, you have to do so with the mindset that if you skimp on any part of the process, it could effect the overall success of your book.

If you don't want to pay a hefty fee for an editor, learn how to edit yourself. That or find a friend or critique partner who just happens to be excellent at fine-tuning your work. Steven King's best and harshest critic was often his wife.

For me, bad cover art can be a big deterrent. If it looks like someone threw it together in five minutes using GIMP, then I in fact DO judge a book by its cover. There are loads and loads of talented artists out there. Find one and see if you can work something out. If you do your own cover art, show it to people and see what their reactions are. If they're not so good, maybe you should keep tinkering at it until it's presentable.

While I don't necessarily agree you have to spend tons of money to get the best results, you'll probably find more often than not that writers who have excellent covers and few issues with their actual writing probably spent some money to get that. I don't think that's always the case, but it probably is more often than not.

 

[Stevenmlong]

For me, bad cover art can be a big deterrent. If it looks like someone threw it together in five minutes using GIMP, then I in fact DO judge a book by its cover. There are loads and loads of talented artists out there. Find one and see if you can work something out. If you do your own cover art, show it to people and see what their reactions are. If they're not so good, maybe you should keep tinkering at it until it's presentable.

Agreed. I'm not there yet, but I've always figured that given the massive amount of time spent to write a book, it seems like the cover is a good excuse to find an artist you like and shell out some bucks for an original work of art that you use as your cover and, you know, hang in your office so you can say "yup, that's my cover."

 

[Chessie]

Artists are always willing to help out another artist though. I've barely started writing my novel and I already have two artists interested in doing the cover for my book. One is a good friend of mine that's a successful local artist, and the other is a fantasy artist that used to work with my husband. The catch? Free yoga lessons. So I have learned recently that when in doubt you can pay for something, offer services in return.

 

[A. E. Lowan]

This article may also shed some light on why many self-published authors don't reach the audiences they hope for, and highlights the enduring importance of access to brick-and-mortar stores.

Study: E-books Settle In

According to the survey, at the end of the second quarter of 2013, e-books accounted for just fewer than 30% of units and approximately 14% of sales, figures about equal to the fourth quarter of 2012.

Since the self-publishing boom was contingent on the Kindle Revolution for success, the fact that consumers are still purchasing the majority of their books in physical form makes it difficult for the majority of indies to compete.