Why I'm interested in self-publishing

[Jabrosky]

Once I really wanted to publish a story traditionally, as I believed it would lead me to greater success than self-publishing, but now my ambitions have changed. There are two things that bother me about traditional publishing:

1. Word count requirements. A story should be as long as it needs to be; you shouldn't have to stretch or squeeze a story into a publisher's requirements. It seems that every story I have written was too long for a short story publisher or too short for a novel publisher. Self-publishing allows for greater flexibility with regards to word count.

2. Once I submitted a short story for publication in a magazine, and they took weeks to look over it. Ultimately I withdrew the story after getting fed up with all the waiting. Self-publishing would allow me to skip this waiting.

Should I therefore go into self-publishing?

 

[Christopher Wright]

#1 is a good reason. #2 isn't, I think.

At one point in time it was possible to publish a novella-length work through traditional press, but that market seems to have gone away. It's actually fairly popular on Amazon, though. If your story is an odd size self publishing might be more of a market than a traditional one.

The time, thing, though... "weeks" is not long. To give you a point of reference: if you were to submit a novel to Tor Books, they state their turnaround time is three months. And they're fast.

In self publishing there is still a time when you need to wait, because you're going to need to take extra time to edit and build your eBook. Editing is a much bigger concern for you at this point because you don't have a pro doing that for you. And you might want to figure out how to approach the marketing angle. All of that will take more than weeks.

 

[Telcontar]

Being released from word count restraints is wonderful, I agree. The Swordsman story that was my self-pubbed debut was written with the resignation that I would never publish it...

Impatience, as a rule, is never a good reason to do anything. Also remember that while you will get your story out there faster, word-of-mouth still rules book sales and it takes time for even a really good book to get traction.

In my opinion, the single greatest question you need to ask yourself is: "Is this really good enough to put out there?" Self-publishing lacks gatekeepers, which means we need to police ourselves more stringently. Get lots of feedback and input and try and be very, very honest with yourself.

 

[Penpilot]

For reason 1, another way to look at word limits is they teach you to work within constraints and really think about your story. Short story too long, cutting it down doesn't just mean losing words, it can also mean learning how to concentrate what you're saying into the fewer words without loosing content. Novel too short, in fleshing it out further, you can learn how to dig deeper into a story and find more levels to it.

Now should you self-publish? That's up to you. But from my understanding, it's a hell of a lot of work and time taken away from writing and improving your craft. Not to mention money out of your own pocket needed to hire an editor and a cover artist. For some it works out, for others it doesn't. But do your homework on what's really needed to put out a quality self published book.

 

[Christopher Wright]

For reason 1, another way to look at word limits is they teach you to work within constraints and really think about your story. Short story too long, cutting it down doesn't just mean losing words, it can also mean learning how to concentrate what you're saying into the fewer words without loosing content. Novel too short, in fleshing it out further, you can learn how to dig deeper into a story and find more levels to it.

The Novella has been part of fiction for much longer than the full-length novel and only became an "illegitimate" or "unwanted" form of fiction relatively recently in publishing history. I think it's kind of nice that it has a chance to come back.

 

[ALB2012]

I just put mine on amazon kindle. I have to say I had a friend edit, then I did 2 edits but I did not pay an official editor. This will therefore be my problem if I missed something.

There are a few ebook publishers around, Amazon doesnt ask for exclusive rights unless you have enrol on KDP select and then it is for 90 days. I think Smashwords is alright.

With Amazon their formatting is a bit... odd but I think there are assorted guides on the forums there and also free kindle books regarding it.

I havent yet used any other medium but as Amazon cost me nothing other than time I went with that. If I sell I get either 35% or 70% royalties.

I think it depends what you want- do you want to make a living out of it, or do you want to publish a nice book you have written because you think other people might like it? Do you have the money for a print run etc

ALB

 

[Sheilawisz]

@ALB2012: Sorry, I removed the link that you had posted to your book at Amazon. If you want to self-promote your work with links included, you are welcome to do so at the Self-Promotion forum.

 

[ALB2012]

Interesting article.

The Most Successful Self-Published Sci-Fi and Fantasy Authors

 

[ALB2012]

Oh sorry

 

[boboratory]

So Jabrosky,

Questions you would want to consider:

- How big is your existing Circle? How many copies do you think you could sell based solely on your network of friends and family, work associates, casual supportive acquaintances, etc.

- What is the next step after this work? Is this a series, that will mean more works coming? Would you want those traditionally published?

- Are you ready for a "long term relationship" with PR? Promoting your work to people you don't know is a commitment. If you want people to buy it, you should not expect a "post it to the web"=sales strategy to work.

In looking at the fact that there are constraints put in place by publishers, people whose job it is to sell the works of others, have you examined why they have these constraints in the first place? I point that out simply because of the risk, these are people whose job it is try to give a piece it's best chance to sell, and these constraints are meant to maximize salability, by minimizing risk. You may not like, or agree with it, but it's important that you understand it, and work with it to your advantage, whatever you decide.

On the IO article pasted above, it says, "In 2009 there were 764,448 self published books" over three quarters of a million self published books (plus 288,355 traditionally published titles according to Publisher's Weekly) Granted, not all of those are Fantasy/Sci-Fi, but it's still means a book has more competition than ever to be read, and again, the more you understand that, the more you can work with it.

About your timeline issue? I am not going to pull any punches, if you are living and dying by one piece, you need to reevaluate that strategy. If you submit a work, let it play out, start the next writing project. There are too many things you can be doing to allow a submission period to govern you. Publishers are under even more strain with submission volumes than ever before, even with the advent of self publishing. You should only be submitting to publishers you feel best represent your work, and publishers that you are comfortable best represent themselves as business people.

Also, you said you pulled your piece- gotta say this one made me cringe as a publisher- I don't obviously know all the details, but if it was as you indicated, taking too long- it's not particularly professional, and I would imagine that publisher will not have an issue making sure that you never have that problem with them (or anyone they talk to) again, if you know what I mean.

 

[MichaelSullivan]

Interesting article.
The Most Successful Self-Published Sci-Fi and Fantasy Authors

I'm one of the authors listed in that article, and I've also traditionally published. I can say without reservation that there are many reasons for choosing either path. Some won't have a choice, in other words you won't find yourself (as I have been - twice now) considering whether I should sign a contract or self-publish. Here are some things I can say about the options.

* Traditional is slow...really slow. Even after your book is "done" it may take 12 - 24 months to hit the market (many reasons for this that I won't get into now).

* Traditional opens venues not available to self-publishing (bookstores, more foreign markets, teaching possibilities, awards, movie deals)

* Traditional provides "credibility." Many readers won't buy a self-published book no matter how many good things they've heard. There is still the idea that "If the book is good, why doesn't a real publisher put it out?"

* Traditional offers advances, which can be a big infusion quickly (but for many books this advance might be quite small)

* Traditional provides an entire team to work with you: Marketing, PR, Sales, Editing, Cover Design

* Self publishing gives you higher % of profit - the same book published traditional or self- will more than likely produce a higher income through self.

* Self publishing has complete freedom - you can choose your own release schedule and put books out as often as you can create them (traditional tends to "space out books")

* Self publishing may require you to pay money up front for certain tasks: editing cover design.

The one thing that really doesn't change between the two methods (but is often noted one of the reasons people chose traditional) is marketing. Either way you go the author will need to actively market their books. The publisher will "push" your books for only a very small window (just prior to release) and they have many authors to divide their time among.

 

[yachtcaptcolby]

As I mentioned in another thread, I self-published my novel and I plan to self-publish a few more. I prefer to have complete control over my work, for better or worse, and I feel like the electronic distribution model is the way to go. All the book stores in my area are closing and everyone I see on public transportation has some kind of tablet or e-reader. Why should my work *need* a publisher when I can find editors and a cover artist on my own and I'm going to have to do most of my own marketing anyway?

The fact that a large chunk of readers won't touch self-published work is certainly a problem, but it's one I think can be overcome. Maybe there's a market for some sort of certification service that does nothing but judge self-published work for proper spelling and grammar and layout, something that doesn't judge a work's content but just affirms that it's up to professional standards. Maybe it's just a matter of time before that prejudice falls on its own. I'm not sure.

 

[robertbevan]

i went with self publishing for what is probably another one of the "wrong" reasons. i was just too frustrated with the whole query process. reading all of the agents' advice and guidelines, and then having several versions of a query letter critiqued, there came a point when i realized... if i keep this up, i'll have spent more time on this stupid query letter than i did on the manuscript.

i honestly believe that far too much emphasis is put on query letters.


of course... on the flip side of that, i've been self published for about a month now, and i've sold eight copies of my book. so i might not be the right guy to take advice from.

 

[Benjamin Clayborne]

of course... on the flip side of that, i've been self published for about a month now, and i've sold eight copies of my book. so i might not be the right guy to take advice from.

Why would you expect more at this point? You just started. As a totally new, (presumably) unheard-of author, you have zero name recognition, and presumably not a lot of (if any) advertising budget. What kind of marketing are you doing? If you want people to buy your book, you've got to convince them it's worth buying. No one else is advocating on your behalf at this point. Go to fantasy forums and mention it; find people you know who like fantasy and see if they'll be willing to buy it; find people who have bought it and see if you can get them to recommend it to other people. Spend ten bucks on an AdWords campaign and see if it triggers a few sales.

And for Godzilla's sake, keep writing. You might only sell eight copies a month for a couple of years, but maybe by the time you've got three or four novels out there, something will spark and people will start to think of you as a "real" author (as in, professionally equivalent to someone with a publisher behind them).

EDIT: Another suggestion, put a link to your book on Amazon in your forum signature. If your book is only one click away, someone might see it and click on it. They're a lot less likely to click on your profile, then click on "About Me", and then see that there's a link to something on Amazon and click it. Make your work easy to find.

 

[TL Rese]

there are advantages and disadvantages to both. the waiting game of traditional publishing can be hellish, i agree. but i went through 10yrs of querying - yes, it's usually an uphill battle and a marathon of endurance - and now, i actually don't consider that time to have been a waste. i learned a LOT about publishing during that time - all the different houses, the imprints, the agencies, the magazines, the who's who, etc. plus, my first rejection letters made me go back to my writing and discover that, hey, the writing wasn't all that great after all and helped me to ultimately improve my craft. if i'd gone straight into self-publishing my first novel, it would have been a disaster. - it simply wasn't ready to be published and i was too inexperienced to see it. i never thought i'd say this, but "thank god for rejection letters!" anyways, bottom line is that trying the traditional route may feel awful, but could be bitter medicine that'll ultimately help you to improve.

another thing to consider is if you do go trad, would you be willing to take a significant cut in your royalties (only about 17% versus the 70% that you'll get if you self-pub) in exchange for your publisher essentially taking care of all the editing, cover art, marketing, etc. for you? or would you rather take the larger royalty payment and do all that yourself?

 

[robertbevan]

Why would you expect more at this point? You just started. As a totally new, (presumably) unheard-of author, you have zero name recognition, and presumably not a lot of (if any) advertising budget. What kind of marketing are you doing? If you want people to buy your book, you've got to convince them it's worth buying. No one else is advocating on your behalf at this point. Go to fantasy forums and mention it; find people you know who like fantasy and see if they'll be willing to buy it; find people who have bought it and see if you can get them to recommend it to other people. Spend ten bucks on an AdWords campaign and see if it triggers a few sales.

oh i didn't mean to sound like i was disappointed in my sales. i'm pretty stoked about those eight sales. one of those people even left me a shining review. i only mentioned it because i didn't want to give the impression that my advice was coming from an expert. i'm a guy just starting out on this road.

And for Godzilla's sake, keep writing. You might only sell eight copies a month for a couple of years, but maybe by the time you've got three or four novels out there, something will spark and people will start to think of you as a "real" author (as in, professionally equivalent to someone with a publisher behind them).

i've gotten started on book two already, but i'm currently taking a break to write a short story featuring a couple of the characters from the book... a little story that is completely tangential to the plot of the other books. a little side adventure, if you will. something to offer for free (once i figure out how that works) to give readers a taste of my characters, my style, and my sense of humor. i'm going to post the beginning of it on the showcase forum for some feedback after i establish myself around here a bit more.

EDIT: Another suggestion, put a link to your book on Amazon in your forum signature. If your book is only one click away, someone might see it and click on it. They're a lot less likely to click on your profile, then click on "About Me", and then see that there's a link to something on Amazon and click it. Make your work easy to find.

i thought i had already done that last night. i made a link for amazon, smashwords, and my facebook author page. looks like it's not showing in my post above. maybe i made the sig after i wrote that post. let's find out...

... okay good, it works.

 

[BWFoster78]

there are advantages and disadvantages to both. the waiting game of traditional publishing can be hellish, i agree. but i went through 10yrs of querying - yes, it's usually an uphill battle and a marathon of endurance - and now, i actually don't consider that time to have been a waste. i learned a LOT about publishing during that time - all the different houses, the imprints, the agencies, the magazines, the who's who, etc. plus, my first rejection letters made me go back to my writing and discover that, hey, the writing wasn't all that great after all and helped me to ultimately improve my craft. if i'd gone straight into self-publishing my first novel, it would have been a disaster. - it simply wasn't ready to be published and i was too inexperienced to see it. i never thought i'd say this, but "thank god for rejection letters!" anyways, bottom line is that trying the traditional route may feel awful, but could be bitter medicine that'll ultimately help you to improve.

another thing to consider is if you do go trad, would you be willing to take a significant cut in your royalties (only about 17% versus the 70% that you'll get if you self-pub) in exchange for your publisher essentially taking care of all the editing, cover art, marketing, etc. for you? or would you rather take the larger royalty payment and do all that yourself?

I'm nearing completion of my first novel (hoping to have it completely edited early next year), and the question of whether to self publish or try traditional is weighing on me heavily.

The number one thing I'd like to know is:

Am I good enough?

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

Am I good enough?

There's only one way you'll ever know.

 

[Benjamin Clayborne]

I'm nearing completion of my first novel (hoping to have it completely edited early next year), and the question of whether to self publish or try traditional is weighing on me heavily.

The number one thing I'd like to know is:

Am I good enough?

Good enough for what? "Good enough" is relative to your goals. Is your goal to get traditionally published? Or is your goal to make a lot of money self-publishing? Or what?

 

[JCFarnham]

I'm not published either way. Not online. Not any where. This is purely what I've gleened from the advice of others and my own marketing-degreed brain.

Here's some thing people may not have overty considered/mentioned yet. If people simply don't buy self-publish books, then for goodness sake don't make it look like a self published book. Get a top notch cover. Get yourself a small press style name to stick where your traditional publisher may go. Market it like a professional. Treat IT professionally.

Don't forget, if you're self-publishing you're only a few documents away from being considered a proper small press publisher. Bridge the gap, even if it's only for yourself and you might find you over come the stigma.

Thankfully though, as the ebook market and its technology settles in, you'll find it'll increasingly become almost invisible the way it has with music and itunes-type stores. You don't think twice about buying off itunes, just like most people I know don't think twice (usually) about buying something off the internet (ebay, or amazon, or something). I remember a time when people were wary of all of that ("what if my details get stolen? surely it's easier for that to happen?").

Eventually the two markets will become incredibly equal. Though I'm anticipating self-publishing route becoming more popular than ever thanks to increased royalties, I'm also anticipating companies who decide to bridge the distance between traditional and self- and off professional services solely to the self-publisher. It's only a matter of time before niches like that are filled by entreprenures. Hell, maybe they already have been filled and I'm not paying attention.

It's not certain though as while the above could happen, you can be sure that Publishing houses will either jump on the bandwagon or try the damned hardest to put an end to self-publishers with some kind of incentive.

Essentially everything will become homogenius then start to differentiate again. That's the way it goes. In cycles.