Is self publishing a bad idea?

[D. Gray Warrior]

So, I have gotten back into writing because I am tired of having nothing to show for it. My projects run a gamut of genres from fantasy, to pulp-y adventures, superheroes, dark comedies, etc.

I'm currently planning a web novel so I have some kind of output and to build an audience. My concern is that isn't that technically a form of self publishing?

I know there is a stigma around self published works, and I always assumed I would pursue traditional publishers.

I worry that self publishing my stuff will hurt my chances if I later decide to submit a novel to an actual publishing company. I know you can't submit a story you self published or posted online to a traditional punisher, but would it turn them away from considering any future stories I want to publish?

Tbh, I don't care if I don't make a single cent off of my writing. I just want people to read and enjoy what I write.

 

[Ned Marcus]

Self-publishing a web novel would not be a bad idea for this reason. If it sells well, you may be able to use this to help yourself get a traditional deal with your next book.

 

[Mad Swede]

I worry that self publishing my stuff will hurt my chances if I later decide to submit a novel to an actual publishing company. I know you can't submit a story you self published or posted online to a traditional punisher, but would it turn them away from considering any future stories I want to publish?

The simple answer to this question is no. The MD at my publisher is quite clear about this. He wants books which sell, and that is mostly what decides if they take on a new auhtor and/or a new book project. That applies even to me, the books I put forward are judged on their merits (my contract gives my publisher first refusal but does not commit my publisher to publishing everything I write). The MD is not worried about what an author may or may not have self-published previously, he is concerned only with the quality of what is being offered.

There are some publishers out there who in addition to taking on a book from a new author will also consider republishing books which have previously been self-published. I don't know what sort of terms they'd offer since I have never self-published a book.

 

[pmmg]

No one passes on a book that is selling. Self Publishing will not hurt that.

There is good and bad in everything. Self Publishing could be the path to a Trad Publisher, if that is your goal, or it could push them away. You have to decide who you are and what you have in you. Either path can be rewarding. I would not be happy with a Trad. I want the adventure of figuring it out on my own.

 

[A. E. Lowan]

I was Go Trad or Go Home for years. I came up during the "vanity press" era when self-publishing was seen as admitting defeat. Then my writing partners said the one thing that could get me to jump the wall.

Creative Control.

We want to do things with our stories that a traditional publisher may not be comfortable with, and the idea of being told I can't do something is like waving a red flag at me. We don't need me raging every day. I don't know if the planet could take it.

That being said, the Epic Fantasy trilogy we're working on is going to be shopped. Mama needs an ad budget.

 

[A. E. Lowan]

And just to give a head's up, this thread may get moved down to the Publishing subforum. In that case there will be a link to the new location.

 

[Naruzeldamaster]

I was Go Trad or Go Home for years. I came up during the "vanity press" era when self-publishing was seen as admitting defeat. Then my writing partners said the one thing that could get me to jump the wall.

Creative Control.

We want to do things with our stories that a traditional publisher may not be comfortable with, and the idea of being told I can't do something is like waving a red flag at me. We don't need me raging every day. I don't know if the planet could take it.

That being said, the Epic Fantasy trilogy we're working on is going to be shopped. Mama needs an ad budget.

You mean adds aren't free? Then why are there so many on youtube /silly

I think if you do self publish, don't bother with the ones that charge you for 'services' as all of those are scams.

 

[A. E. Lowan]

You mean adds aren't free? Then why are there so many on youtube /silly

I think if you do self publish, don't bother with the ones that charge you for 'services' as all of those are scams.

This is true. Fortunately, bringing in a 3rd party isn't needed to self-publish. There are still vanity presses, although a great many have taken on a predator's role and hunt the most vulnerable. These are usually writers who are newer to the industry, who may have only one finished work, who are coming in with little to no practical experience, and who are desperate for validation.

That last is really common. There are a whole lot of us who get no support at home for our writing. We have no idea where to go or what to do. Publishing is a little like the last period in a hurley game. Everyone is battered, bruised, and now everyone is very close to drunk. And slow. Slooooooooow to change. And esoteric to outsiders.

 

[Naruzeldamaster]

This is true. Fortunately, bringing in a 3rd party isn't needed to self-publish. There are still vanity presses, although a great many have taken on a predator's role and hunt the most vulnerable. These are usually writers who are newer to the industry, who may have only one finished work, who are coming in with little to no practical experience, and who are desperate for validation.

That last is really common. There are a whole lot of us who get no support at home for our writing. We have no idea where to go or what to do. Publishing is a little like the last period in a hurley game. Everyone is battered, bruised, and now everyone is very close to drunk. And slow. Slooooooooow to change. And esoteric to outsiders.

When I was about fifteen, I looked at about twelve or so of these 'publishers' and everyone of them had the same kind of 'options' with outrageous prices.
Options for stupid things like what you wanted the book binder to look like, font in the book, etc, stuff that an AI could cook up in a few minutes. It didn't take much googling for me to realize this was not the way. Never mind that I didn't have the kind of money to fall victim to these scams to begin with. Even though I knew very little about self publishing, I smelled a 'rat' on those publishing services.

 

[minta]

Self publishing only bad when it doesn’t match your goals.

 

[xena]

I think it is not a bad idea.

 

[Prince of Spires]

I know there is a stigma around self published works, and I always assumed I would pursue traditional publishers.

The stigma around self publishing has long disappeared. This used to be the case, but it's not so anymore. Self publishing is a viable alternative to trad publishing. For some people it's also a step up to being trad published if you wish to go that route. If you can show that you can write books that sell, then you have a step up over someone who queries trad publishers without any publishing experience.

There are also plenty of examples of novels that were originally indie published and got picked up by a trad publisher because they were selling. The Martian by Andy Weir is one I think. So was 50 Shades of Grey. If it sells well enough, then publishers will pick it up. So having self-published isn't held against you by a publisher.

As a side note, if you decide to self publish something, do so because you want to self publish. Not because you hope to be picked up by a trad publisher. Self publishing is just as much work as trad publishing (though of a different kind).

 

[Adam Scribentis]

As an indy author, I find promotion the most difficult part, but there is still a lot to be said for it. It gets you published, and the publisher doesn't
give you any trouble! And as others have said, it doesn't bar you from making contracts with "trad" publishers in the future.

 

[Finchbearer]

If you’re interested in traditional publishing, there’s a bar you have to meet, or ideally surpass. Do your research. Almost all manuscripts submitted are not sent directly to a publisher. They are queried with literary agents. If you get an agent, their job is to connect your manuscript with an editor and publisher that would be interested enough to invest in you as a writer. Target specific agents that might be interested in your work, they all have different goals and preferences. If all that comes to nothing, then of course self publishing is always there. It’s very straightforward these days with the likes of Amazon.

 

[Prince of Spires]

As an indy author, I find promotion the most difficult part, but there is still a lot to be said for it. It gets you published, and the publisher doesn't
give you any trouble!

I'm not sure about that. I'm indie-published, and my publisher keeps nagging at me about all the little stuff I need to do. Like send out review copies or market and promote the damn thing or write another blurb or ...

 

[A. E. Lowan]

I'm not sure about that. I'm indie-published, and my publisher keeps nagging at me about all the little stuff I need to do. Like send out review copies or market and promote the damn thing or write another blurb or ...

This is accurate, and also a lot of new authors expect that if they go trad the publisher will 'handle the hard stuff.'

This is not accurate.

And it's also looking back to publishing practices 30 or 40 years out of date. Publishing is a slow ship with a fat ass. Nothing happens quickly in Publishing and it's gotten worse in some areas. Big ships are not built for playing pretend and shoving our heads in the sand.