What to Know before Self-Publishing – Part 3 – Producing a Quality Product

There was a time when self-publishing meant writing a book, then paying a subsidy publisher to print it.  The author had to cover the costs of editing, cover design, printing and marketing before the book was available to the public, often paying thousands of dollars to sell just a few books. 

However, while authors can still bypass the traditional agent/editor submission route, now they can also create a direct market online through print on demand and eBooks.  So while they still have to put together a quality product, there aren’t any up-front costs to print it.  A book is printed only if someone orders it, and the printing costs are taken out of the royalties the author receives, rather than as an up-front cost.

This article is part three of three on self-publishing.  We’ve already covered the advantages to self-publishing in part one, and the disadvantages in part two.  This article will talk about the importance of creating a quality product.

After weighing the pros and cons of self-publishing, hundreds of writers make the decision to forge ahead.  In fact, self-published books accounted for 31% of eBook sales on Amazon.com in 2014.  And the number keeps growing. 

There are many reasons authors decide to self-publish.  Here are a few:

1. Make their backlist available – Many writers today entered the publishing world long before there was such a thing as eBooks.  They published through traditional publishers, and once the life cycle of the book was done, the books were only available through used book stores or sales.  Luckily, most  This is a way to not only extend the book’s life, but to make them available to new readers who didn’t have access to them years before.
   publishers granted rights of these backlist books to the authors, who then converted them to eBooks.
2. Writing outside the genre – Some authors write outside the box.  That is, their book may not fit into any specific genre, they have elements of different genres crossing each other, or their book is too long or too short for traditional publishing within their genre.  Also, it may not have the broad appeal that most traditional publishers look for when reading manuscripts.  The broader the potential audience, the better the sales.  Some authors write their books outside those parameters anyway, because they believe in the book and need to tell their story.
3. So close, but not quite with traditional publisher – Face it, nobody likes rejection.   And in the publishing world, you’d better have a strong backbone, because odds are, you will get at least one, if not one hundred, rejection letters in the mail.  They may come after the query, they may come after the partial.  The most painful ones, though, are the full manuscript rejection letters.  You’ve made it that far…  So close…   And there may be several publishers who ask for that full manuscript, only to reject it for whatever reason.  Authors feel it must be good, if it gets that far that often.  And sometimes, they are right and have a successful run at self-publishing.
4. No need for validation from others – Believing in yourself is your strongest motivator.  While humans understandably crave acceptance from others, unless you believe in your own work, you won’t go far.  It will show in your writing, in face-to-face interviews and at networking events.  When you believe in yourself and your writing, you don’t need agents and editors validating that you have produced a quality product.  Authors can bypass that validation by self-publishing.
5. Traditional publishing is a slow-moving process – Once a book is written, it can take months, or even years before a publisher makes an offer on the book.  Then it goes through all the traditional steps of edits, re-writes, copyedits, proofs, cover art, etc., until the book hits the shelves anywhere from nine to fifteen months after the contract is signed.  That can be a long time, depending on the timeliness of the material.  Self-publishing goes much more quickly, often hitting the ‘shelves’ within three months of finishing it.  It should still go through the editing and art work phases, but you are more in control of that, rather than waiting on someone else to finish.

But even after making the decision, the most important part in this process is the book itself.  Unless you produce a quality product, you won’t have success.  Keep in mind:

1. You should pay an editor to read your manuscript.  As polished as you think it is, a pair of professional, subjective eyes should take a look at it. 
2. A bad reputation isn’t easily overcome. If you write an amazing book, everyone will be talking about it.  If you write a terrible book, everyone will be talking about it.  And they probably won’t pick up the next one you write.
3. You need to hire a graphic artist to design your cover.  Even though there are templates and free   You need to stand out, even if you aren’t on the bookshelves.  A cover is always the reader’s first impression of your book.
   software online for creating covers, that’s exactly what they look like – boilerplate covers.
4. Marketing is all on your own.  And it begins months before the book is even published.  Add it to your signature in your emails.  Talk it up on Facebook.  Create a page with a short synopsis and excerpt to tease readers.  Schedule a blog tour.  This can all start months before the book is ready, and will create a buzz.
5. You won’t get rich off self-publishing.  Even though your royalties are higher, the sales aren’t usually as high as a traditionally published book.  And when you consider that there are many multi-published authors out there who couldn’t support themselves merely on writing books, well, let’s just say if you’re looking to get rich quick, it probably won’t happen.
6. You won’t get distributed to major retail outlets.  Your book won’t be in brick and mortar stores around the country where loyal readers spend hours browsing shelves.  Even if you book is printed, as well as epubbed, it still won’t have the large distribution numbers because retail stores usually purchase books from major publishers and not so much indies.
7. It may cost more money to produce it than you will earn back in royalties.  Plan to spend about $2000 for producing a quality product.  You’ll have to sell a lot of books.  That isn’t to say it won’t happen.  You believe in your book, otherwise you wouldn’t be self-publishing.  And authors are ‘discovered’ every day.  But as in everything, be prepared to spend money before making it.

Yes, this can be a truly adventurous and rewarding process for you.  And oftentimes, that’s all an author needs - is to go through the process.  Because the intangible rewards often outweigh the monetary.  Good luck on your adventure!

What to Know before Self-Publishing – Part Two – The Disadvantages

There was a time when self-publishing meant writing a book, then paying a subsidy publisher to print it.  The author had to cover the costs of editing, cover design, printing and marketing before the book was available to the public, often paying thousands of dollars to sell just a few books. 

However, while authors can still bypass the traditional agent/editor submission route, now they can also create a direct market online through print on demand and eBooks.  So while they still have to put together a quality product, there aren’t any up-front costs to print it.  A book is printed only if someone orders it, and the printing costs are taken out of the royalties the author receives, rather than as an up-front cost.

This article is part two of three on self-publishing.  Last week, we posted the advantages of self-publishing.  But as we know, everything has two sides.  This week's article covers the drawbacks.  Yes, there are always drawbacks. 

Here are some disadvantages

1.      Finding readers – If you go with a traditional publisher, especially series, they usually form a loyal fan base.  These readers buy time and again because they know what to expect from the series.  If you self-publish, you can’t draw on this built-in fan base.  You have to find your own readers.

2.      Competition - According to Bowker, 458,000 books were indie pubbed in 2013 in the US. That’s up 437% from 2008.  I would say that’s a little competition.  That said, if your book is quality, it will rise above the rest.  It’s important to hire an experienced editor who will help make your book the best it can be.

3.      Low sales as  result – Sales on eBooks and POD books aren’t as high as traditionally published books, partly because they don’t have the marketing dollars behind them that big publishing houses can offer.  If you understand going in that your book will probably not sell 50,000 copies, you’ll better accept your sales rates.  That isn’t to say it can’t happen.  But only you can decide how much marketing is worth the end result, since it’s all on you.

4.      If your book is bad, your reputation is ruined – Everyone is proud of their finished product.  But as the author, it’s difficult to step back sometimes and admit the writing or the plot may not be your best effort.  If you put a poor quality product out there, it’s difficult to overcome the bad reviews, even if the second book is markedly better.  Make sure you have other eyes (not family or friends) look over your book before you produce it.

5.      Marketing is on your own – While many large publishing houses are leaving more and more to the author, when you self-publish, it’s all on you.  You have to create swag, set up a Facebook page, schedule a blog tour, contact book stores for signings, and find speaking engagements.  None of this will be done for you.  So be prepared for some hard work.

6.      Distribution is on your own – Major publishers have a large distribution list.  Your book would automatically ship to major outlets. However, when you self-publish, your book will not be in retail stores.  It will only be available online.  And you will be responsible for finding some of those outlets.

7.      Everything is on your own – Yes, everything!  You are the writer, editor, publisher, marketer and all around go-to person.  There is no support staff to answer phones, respond to emails or make decisions on art work.  You are everyone in the process.

8.      No advances – Most publishers offer an advance to authors when they contract them to write a book.  The amount varies, depending on the author and sales history.  The advance can be used to start marketing your book, money you won’t have if you self-publish.  The costs are all on you.  Which brings us to the next point:

9.      It costs money – And we’re not talking a few hundred dollars.  To hire a quality editor, a good graphic artist, a photographer for your head shot, etc., all costs money.  And unless you sell thousands of copies, you may not make that money back.

10.  Stress – Considering all this, it’s not surprising that the process can cause a lot of stress.  Unless you are prepared to handle these roadblocks, then the self-publishing process may not be for you.  Consider both time and money involved.

Don’t think, after all this though, that the process isn't worth the effort. 

Join us next week to learn how to balance the good with the bad to put out a quality product.

Read Part One here
Read Part Three here

What to Know before Self-Publishing – Part One – The Advantages

There was a time when self-publishing meant writing a book, then paying a subsidy publisher to print it.  The author had to cover the costs of editing, cover design, printing and marketing before the book was available to the public, often paying thousands of dollars to sell just a few books. 

However, while authors can still bypass the traditional agent/editor submission route, now they can also create a direct market online through print-on-demand and eBooks.  So while they still have to put together a quality product, there aren’t any up-front costs to print it.  A book is printed only if someone orders it, and the printing costs are taken out of the royalties the author receives, rather than as an up-front cost.

This article is part one of a series on self-publishing, and will discuss the advantages of doing it on your own. 

So why should you self-publish?

1.      You retain creative control – You decide the length of the book, you write your own cover copy, and you help design the cover.  Since the cover is a reader's first impression, this is an important marketing tool.  It can make or break sales.  What would appeal to you as a reader?

2.      You make your own schedule – You won’t be driven by deadlines you can’t meet.  If a family emergency arises, you can put the book aside and finish later.  And if you decide to write a trilogy or connected books, you can write them all at once and publish them together, or space them as far apart as you wish.

3.      You won’t get rejection letters in the mail – How many submissions have you sent to publishing houses for your manuscripts?  How many rejection letters followed?  Nobody  sends those letters if you publish your own book.

4.      There’s no wait list – You don’t have to wait until a publisher has a slot open for your title.  You can publish it when it’s convenient for you, not someone else.

5.      You earn higher royalties – Self-publishing takes away the middleman.  So there’s more money for you in the end because your agent and editor and publishing house won’t take their cuts.

6.      There’s no genre restrictions – Have you written a book that doesn’t fit into any standard genre?  Maybe it’s a mystery with paranormal elements, or a romance with an unhappy ending.  Traditional publishers tend to shy away from manuscripts that break the rules.  If you self-publish, you can write what you want.

7.      Your book gets produced faster – Publishers have schedules and you’re the victim.  You wait for copyedits, you wait for proofs, you wait for cover designs, you wait for permission to market your book.  Everything takes time.  With self-publishing, a book can be on the shelf within days once you have it edited and formatted.

8.      You retain rights – You wrote it.  You can do what you want with it.  You can use both the text and art work in your marketing materials.  You don’t have to worry about whether or not your cover can be reproduced on your web site or bookmarks.  You own it.  It’s your decision.

9.      You can track sales better – Publishers can tell you how many sales you had, but their stats don’t tell you how many sold in the first few days, who bought them, or in which country.  Selling your own book will allow you to track your sales more closely.

All that said, while it sounds appealing, it’s not an easy process.  You still need to produce a quality product in order to expect it to sell.  And that brings us to part two of self-publishing: the disadvantages.   Join us next week for the next segment in this series.

Click here to read Part Two - The Disadvantages
Click here to read Part Three - Producing a Quality Product